Theyhadbeenrangedclosely，afterhavingbeenshakenintosubmission，cuffedalittletoallayexcitement，addressedingruffwordsofencouragementthatsoundedlikepromisesofevil。
Theysatonthedeckinghastly，droopingrows，andattheendthecarpenter，withtwohandstohelphim，movedbusilyfromplacetoplace，settingtautandhitchingthelife-lines。Theboatswain，withonelegandonearmembracingastanchion，struggledwithalamppressedtohisbreast，tryingtogetalight，andgrowlingallthetimelikeanindustriousgorilla。
Thefiguresofseamenstoopedrepeatedly，withthemovementsofgleaners，andeverythingwasbeingflungintothebunker:
clothing，smashedwood，brokenchina，andthedollars，too，gatheredupinmen\'sjackets。Nowandthenasailorwouldstaggertowardsthedoorwaywithhisarmsfullofrubbish；anddolorous，slantingeyesfollowedhismovements。
WitheveryrolloftheshipthelongrowsofsittingCelestialswouldswayforwardbrokenly，andherheadlongdivesknockedtogetherthelineofshavenpollsfromendtoend。Whenthewashofwaterrollingonthedeckdiedawayforamoment，itseemedtoJukes，yetquiveringfromhisexertions，thatinhismadstruggledowntherehehadovercomethewindsomehow:thatasilencehadfallenupontheship，asilenceinwhichtheseastruckthunderouslyathersides。
Everythinghadbeenclearedoutofthe\'tween-deck——allthewreckage，asthemensaid。Theystooderectandtotteringabovethelevelofheadsanddroopingshoulders。Hereandthereacooliesobbedforhisbreath。Wherethehighlightfell，Jukescouldseethesalientribsofone，theyellow，wistfulfaceofanother；bowednecks；orwouldmeetadullstaredirectedathisface。Hewasamazedthattherehadbeennocorpses；butthelotofthemseemedattheirlastgasp，andtheyappearedtohimmorepitifulthaniftheyhadbeenalldead。
Suddenlyoneofthecooliesbegantospeak。Thelightcameandwentonhislean，strainingface；hethrewhisheaduplikeabayinghound。Fromthebunkercamethesoundsofknockingandthetinkleofsomedollarsrollingloose；hestretchedouthisarm，hismouthyawnedblack，andtheincomprehensiblegutturalhootingsounds，thatdidnotseemtobelongtoahumanlanguage，penetratedJukeswithastrangeemotionasifabrutehadtriedtobeeloquent。
TwomorestartedmouthingwhatseemedtoJukesfiercedenunciations；theothersstirredwithgruntsandgrowls。Jukesorderedthehandsoutofthe\'tweendeckshurriedly。Heleftlasthimself，backingthroughthedoor，whilethegruntsrosetoaloudmurmurandhandswereextendedafterhimasafteramalefactor。Theboatswainshotthebolt，andremarkeduneasily，\"Seemsasifthewindhaddropped，sir。\"
Theseamenweregladtogetbackintothealleyway。Secretlyeachofthemthoughtthatatthelastmomenthecouldrushoutondeck——andthatwasacomfort。Thereissomethinghorriblyrepugnantintheideaofbeingdrownedunderadeck。NowtheyhaddonewiththeChinamen，theyagainbecameconsciousoftheship\'sposition。
Jukesoncomingoutofthealleywayfoundhimselfuptotheneckinthenoisywater。Hegainedthebridge，anddiscoveredhecoulddetectobscureshapesasifhissighthadbecomepreternaturallyacute。Hesawfaintoutlines。TheyrecallednotthefamiliaraspectoftheNan-Shan，butsomethingremembered-anolddismantledsteamerhehadseenyearsagorottingonamudbank。Sherecalledthatwreck。
Therewasnowind，notabreath，exceptthefaintcurrentscreatedbythelurchesoftheship。Thesmoketossedoutofthefunnelwassettlingdownuponherdeck。Hebreatheditashepassedforward。Hefeltthedeliberatethroboftheengines，andheardsmallsoundsthatseemedtohavesurvivedthegreatuproar:
theknockingofbrokenfittings，therapidtumblingofsomepieceofwreckageonthebridge。Heperceiveddimlythesquatshapeofhiscaptainholdingontoatwistedbridge-rail，motionlessandswayingasifrootedtotheplanks。TheunexpectedstillnessoftheairoppressedJukes。
\"Wehavedoneit，sir，\"hegasped。
\"Thoughtyouwould，\"saidCaptainMacWhirr。
\"Didyou？\"murmuredJukestohimself。
\"Windfellallatonce，\"wentontheCaptain。
Jukesburstout:\"Ifyouthinkitwasaneasyjob——\"
Buthiscaptain，clingingtotherail，paidnoattention。
\"Accordingtothebookstheworstisnotoveryet。\"
\"Ifmostofthemhadn\'tbeenhalfdeadwithseasicknessandfright，notoneofuswouldhavecomeoutofthat\'tween-deckalive，\"saidJukes。
\"Hadtodowhat\'sfairbythem，\"mumbledMacWhirr，stolidly。
\"Youdon\'tfindeverythinginbooks。\"
\"Why，IbelievetheywouldhaverisenonusifIhadn\'torderedthehandsoutofthatprettyquick，\"continuedJukeswithwarmth。
Afterthewhisperoftheirshouts，theirordinarytones，sodistinct，rangoutveryloudtotheirearsintheamazingstillnessoftheair。Itseemedtothemtheyweretalkinginadarkandechoingvault。
Throughajaggedapertureinthedomeofcloudsthelightofafewstarsfellupontheblacksea，risingandfallingconfusedly。
Sometimestheheadofawateryconewouldtoppleonboardandminglewiththerollingflurryoffoamontheswampeddeck；andtheNan-Shanwallowedheavilyatthebottomofacircularcisternofclouds。Thisringofdensevapours，gyratingmadlyroundthecalmofthecentre，encompassedtheshiplikeamotionlessandunbrokenwallofanaspectinconceivablysinister。Within，thesea，asifagitatedbyaninternalcommotion，leapedinpeakedmoundsthatjostledeachother，slappingheavilyagainsthersides；andalowmoaningsound，theinfiniteplaintofthestorm\'sfury，camefrombeyondthelimitsofthemenacingcalm。
CaptainMacWhirrremainedsilent，andJukes\'readyearcaughtsuddenlythefaint，longdrawnroarofsomeimmensewaverushingunseenunderthatthickblackness，whichmadetheappallingboundaryofhisvision。
\"Ofcourse，\"hestartedresentfully，\"theythoughtwehadcaughtatthechancetoplunderthem。Ofcourse!Yousaid——pickupthemoney。Easiersaidthandone。Theycouldn\'ttellwhatwasinourheads。Wecamein，smash——rightintothemiddleofthem。
Hadtodoitbyarush。\"
\"Aslongasit\'sdone……，\"mumbledtheCaptain，withoutattemptingtolookatJukes。\"Hadtodowhat\'sfair。\"
\"Weshallfindyetthere\'sthedeviltopaywhenthisisover，\"
saidJukes，feelingverysore。\"Letthemonlyrecoverabit，andyou\'llsee。Theywillflyatourthroats，sir。Don\'tforget，sir，sheisn\'taBritishshipnow。Thesebrutesknowitwell，too。ThedamnedSiameseflag。\"
\"Weareonboard，allthesame，\"remarkedCaptainMacWhirr。
\"Thetrouble\'snotoveryet，\"insistedJukes，prophetically，reelingandcatchingon。\"She\'sawreck，\"headded，faintly。
\"Thetrouble\'snotoveryet，\"assentedCaptainMacWhirr，halfaloud……\"Lookoutforheraminute。\"
\"Areyougoingoffthedeck，sir？\"askedJukes，hurriedly，asifthestormweresuretopounceuponhimassoonashehadbeenleftalonewiththeship。
Hewatchedher，batteredandsolitary，labouringheavilyinawildsceneofmountainousblackwaterslitbythegleamsofdistantworlds。Shemovedslowly，breathingintothestillcoreofthehurricanetheexcessofherstrengthinawhitecloudofsteam——andthedeeptonedvibrationoftheescapewaslikethedefianttrumpetingofalivingcreatureoftheseaimpatientfortherenewalofthecontest。Itceasedsuddenly。Thestillairmoaned。AboveJukes\'headafewstarsshoneintoapitofblackvapours。Theinkyedgeofthecloud-discfrownedupontheshipunderthepatchofglitteringsky。Thestars，too，seemedtolookatherintently，asifforthelasttime，andtheclusteroftheirsplendoursatlikeadiademonaloweringbrow。
CaptainMacWhirrhadgoneintothechart-room。Therewasnolightthere；buthecouldfeelthedisorderofthatplacewhereheusedtolivetidily。Hisarmchairwasupset。Thebookshadtumbledoutonthefloor:hescrunchedapieceofglassunderhisboot。
Hegropedforthematches，andfoundaboxonashelfwithadeepledge。Hestruckone，andpuckeringthecornersofhiseyes，heldoutthelittleflametowardsthebarometerwhoseglitteringtopofglassandmetalsnoddedathimcontinuously。
Itstoodverylow——incrediblylow，solowthatCaptainMacWhirrgrunted。Thematchwentout，andhurriedlyheextractedanother，withthick，stifffingers。
Againalittleflameflaredupbeforethenoddingglassandmetalofthetop。Hiseyeslookedatit，narrowedwithattention，asifexpectinganimperceptiblesign。WithhisgravefaceheresembledabootedandmisshapenpaganburningincensebeforetheoracleofaJoss。Therewasnomistake。Itwasthelowestreadinghehadeverseeninhislife。
CaptainMacWhirremittedalowwhistle。Heforgothimselftilltheflamediminishedtoabluespark，burnthisfingersandvanished。Perhapssomethinghadgonewrongwiththething!
Therewasananeroidglassscrewedabovethecouch。Heturnedthatway，struckanothermatch，anddiscoveredthewhitefaceoftheotherinstrumentlookingathimfromthebulkhead，meaningly，nottobegainsaid，asthoughthewisdomofmenweremadeunerringbytheindifferenceofmatter。Therewasnoroomfordoubtnow。CaptainMacWhirrpshawedatit，andthrewthematchdown。
Theworstwastocome，then——andifthebookswererightthisworstwouldbeverybad。Theexperienceofthelastsixhourshadenlargedhisconceptionofwhatheavyweathercouldbelike。
\"It\'llbeterrific，\"hepronounced，mentally。Hehadnotconsciouslylookedatanythingbythelightofthematchesexceptatthebarometer；andyetsomehowhehadseenthathiswaterbottleandthetwotumblershadbeenflungoutoftheirstand。Itseemedtogivehimamoreintimateknowledgeofthetossingtheshiphadgonethrough。\"Iwouldn\'thavebelievedit，\"hethought。Andhistablehadbeencleared，too；hisrulers，hispencils，theinkstand——allthethingsthathadtheirsafeappointedplaces——theyweregone，asifamischievoushandhadpluckedthemoutonebyoneandflungthemonthewetfloor。Thehurricanehadbrokeninupontheorderlyarrangementsofhisprivacy。Thishadneverhappenedbefore，andthefeelingofdismayreachedtheveryseatofhiscomposure。
Andtheworstwastocomeyet!Hewasgladthetroubleinthe\'tween-deckhadbeendiscoveredintime。Iftheshiphadtogoafterall，then，atleast，shewouldn\'tbegoingtothebottomwithalotofpeopleinherfightingteethandclaw。Thatwouldhavebeenodious。Andinthatfeelingtherewasahumaneintentionandavaguesenseofthefitnessofthings。
Theseinstantaneousthoughtswereyetintheiressenceheavyandslow，partakingofthenatureoftheman。Heextendedhishandtoputbackthematchboxinitscorneroftheshelf。Therewerealwaysmatchesthere——byhisorder。Thestewardhadhisinstructionsimpresseduponhimlongbefore。\"Abox……justthere，see？Notsoveryfull……whereIcanputmyhandonit，steward。Mightwantalightinahurry。Can\'ttellonboardshipwhatyoumightwantinahurry。Mind，now。\"
Andofcourseonhissidehewouldbecarefultoputitbackinitsplacescrupulously。Hedidsonow，butbeforeheremovedhishanditoccurredtohimthatperhapshewouldneverhaveoccasiontousethatboxanymore。Thevividnessofthethoughtcheckedhimandforaninfinitesimalfractionofasecondhisfingersclosedagainonthesmallobjectasthoughithadbeenthesymbolofalltheselittlehabitsthatchainustothewearyroundoflife。Hereleaseditatlast，andlettinghimselffallonthesettee，listenedforthefirstsoundsofreturningwind。
Notyet。Heheardonlythewashofwater，theheavysplashes，thedullshocksoftheconfusedseasboardinghisshipfromallsides。Shewouldneverhaveachancetoclearherdecks。
Butthequietudeoftheairwasstartlinglytenseandunsafe，likeaslenderhairholdingaswordsuspendedoverhishead。Bythisawfulpausethestormpenetratedthedefencesofthemanandunsealedhislips。Hespokeoutinthesolitudeandthepitchdarknessofthecabin，asifaddressinganotherbeingawakenedwithinhisbreast。
\"Ishouldn\'tliketoloseher，\"hesaidhalfaloud。
Hesatunseen，apartfromthesea，fromhisship，isolated，asifwithdrawnfromtheverycurrentofhisownexistence，wheresuchfreaksastalkingtohimselfsurelyhadnoplace。Hispalmsreposedonhisknees，hebowedhisshortneckandpuffedheavily，surrenderingtoastrangesensationofwearinesshewasnotenlightenedenoughtorecognizeforthefatigueofmentalstress。
Fromwherehesathecouldreachthedoorofawashstandlocker。
Thereshouldhavebeenatowelthere。Therewas。Good……
Hetookitout，wipedhisface，andafterwardswentonrubbinghiswethead。Hetowelledhimselfwithenergyinthedark，andthenremainedmotionlesswiththetowelonhisknees。Amomentpassed，ofastillnesssoprofoundthatnoonecouldhaveguessedtherewasamansittinginthatcabin。Thenamurmurarose。
\"Shemaycomeoutofityet。\"
WhenCaptainMacWhirrcameoutondeck，whichhedidbrusquely，asthoughhehadsuddenlybecomeconsciousofhavingstayedawaytoolong，thecalmhadlastedalreadymorethanfifteenminutes——longenoughtomakeitselfintolerableeventohisimagination。Jukes，motionlessontheforepartofthebridge，begantospeakatonce。Hisvoice，blankandforcedasthoughheweretalkingthroughhard-setteeth，seemedtoflowawayonallsidesintothedarkness，deepeningagainuponthesea。
\"Ihadthewheelrelieved。Hackettbegantosingoutthathewasdone。He\'slyingintherealongsidethesteering-gearwithafacelikedeath。AtfirstIcouldn\'tgetanybodytocrawloutandrelievethepoordevil。Thatboss\'n\'sworsethannogood，I
alwayssaid。ThoughtIwouldhavehadtogomyselfandhauloutoneofthembytheneck。\"
\"Ah，well，\"mutteredtheCaptain。HestoodwatchfulbyJukes\'
side。
\"Thesecondmate\'sinthere，too，holdinghishead。Ishehurt，sir？\"
\"No——crazy，\"saidCaptainMacWhirr，curtly。
\"Looksasifhehadatumble，though。\"
\"Ihadtogivehimapush，\"explainedtheCaptain。
Jukesgaveanimpatientsigh。
\"Itwillcomeverysudden，\"saidCaptainMacWhirr，\"andfromoverthere，Ifancy。Godonlyknowsthough。Thesebooksareonlygoodtomuddleyourheadandmakeyoujumpy。Itwillbebad，andthere\'sanend。Ifweonlycansteamherroundintimetomeetit……\"
Aminutepassed。Someofthestarswinkedrapidlyandvanished。
\"Youleftthemprettysafe？\"begantheCaptainabruptly，asthoughthesilencewereunbearable。
\"Areyouthinkingofthecoolies，sir？Iriggedlifelinesallwaysacrossthat\'tween-deck。\"
\"Didyou？Goodidea，Mr。Jukes。\"
\"Ididn\'t……thinkyoucaredto……know，\"saidJukes——thelurchingoftheshipcuthisspeechasthoughsomebodyhadbeenjerkinghimaroundwhilehetalked——\"howIgotonwith……
thatinfernaljob。Wedidit。Anditmaynotmatterintheend。\"
\"Hadtodowhat\'sfair，forall——theyareonlyChinamen。Givethemthesamechancewithourselves——hangitall。Sheisn\'tlostyet。Badenoughtobeshutupbelowinagale——\"
\"That\'swhatIthoughtwhenyougavemethejob，sir，\"
interjectedJukes，moodily。
\"——withoutbeingbatteredtopieces，\"pursuedCaptainMacWhirrwithrisingvehemence。\"Couldn\'tletthatgooninmyship，ifI
knewshehadn\'tfiveminutestolive。Couldn\'tbearit，Mr。
Jukes。\"
Ahollowechoingnoise，likethatofashoutrollinginarockychasm，approachedtheshipandwentawayagain。Thelaststar，blurred，enlarged，asifreturningtothefierymistofitsbeginning，struggledwiththecolossaldepthofblacknesshangingovertheship——andwentout。
\"Nowforit!\"mutteredCaptainMacWhirr。\"Mr。Jukes。\"
\"Here，sir。\"
Thetwomenweregrowingindistincttoeachother。
\"Wemusttrusthertogothroughitandcomeoutontheotherside。That\'splainandstraight。There\'snoroomforCaptainWilson\'sstorm-strategyhere。\"
\"No，sir。\"
\"Shewillbesmotheredandsweptagainforhours，\"mumbledtheCaptain。\"There\'snotmuchleftbythistimeabovedeckfortheseatotakeaway——unlessyouorme。\"
\"Both，sir，\"whisperedJukes，breathlessly。
\"Youarealwaysmeetingtroublehalfway，Jukes，\"CaptainMacWhirrremonstratedquaintly。\"Thoughit\'safactthatthesecondmateisnogood。D\'yehear，Mr。Jukes？Youwouldbeleftaloneif……\"
CaptainMacWhirrinterruptedhimself，andJukes，glancingonallsides，remainedsilent。
\"Don\'tyoubeputoutbyanything，\"theCaptaincontinued，mumblingratherfast。\"Keepherfacingit。Theymaysaywhattheylike，buttheheaviestseasrunwiththewind。Facingit——
alwaysfacingit——that\'sthewaytogetthrough。Youareayoungsailor。Faceit。That\'senoughforanyman。Keepacoolhead。\"
\"Yes，sir，\"saidJukes，withaflutteroftheheart。
InthenextfewsecondstheCaptainspoketotheengine-roomandgotananswer。
ForsomereasonJukesexperiencedanaccessofconfidence，asensationthatcamefromoutsidelikeawarmbreath，andmadehimfeelequaltoeverydemand。Thedistantmutteringofthedarknessstoleintohisears。Henoteditunmoved，outofthatsuddenbeliefinhimself，asamansafeinashirtofmailwouldwatchapoint。
Theshiplabouredwithoutintermissionamongsttheblackhillsofwater，payingwiththishardtumblingthepriceofherlife。Sherumbledinherdepths，shakingawhiteplummetofsteamintothenight，andJukes\'thoughtskimmedlikeabirdthroughtheengine-room，whereMr。Rout——goodman——wasready。Whentherumblingceaseditseemedtohimthattherewasapauseofeverysound，adeadpauseinwhichCaptainMacWhirr\'svoicerangoutstartlingly。
\"What\'sthat？Apuffofwind？\"——itspokemuchlouderthanJukeshadeverhearditbefore——\"Onthebow。That\'sright。
Shemaycomeoutofityet。\"
Themutterofthewindsdrewnearapace。Intheforefrontcouldbedistinguishedadrowsywakingplaintpassingon，andfaroffthegrowthofamultipleclamour，marchingandexpanding。Therewasthethrobasofmanydrumsinit，aviciousrushingnote，andlikethechantofatrampingmultitude。
Jukescouldnolongerseehiscaptaindistinctly。Thedarknesswasabsolutelypilingitselfupontheship。Atmosthemadeoutmovements，ahintofelbowsspreadout，ofaheadthrownup。
CaptainMacWhirrwastryingtodoupthetopbuttonofhisoilskincoatwithunwontedhaste。Thehurricane，withitspowertomaddentheseas，tosinkships，touproottrees，tooverturnstrongwallsanddashtheverybirdsoftheairtotheground，hadfoundthistaciturnmaninitspath，and，doingitsutmost，hadmanagedtowringoutafewwords。Beforetherenewedwrathofwindsswoopedonhisship，CaptainMacWhirrwasmovedtodeclare，inatoneofvexation，asitwere:\"Iwouldn\'tliketoloseher。\"
Hewassparedthatannoyance。
VI
ONAbrightsunshinyday，withthebreezechasinghersmokefarahead，theNan-ShancameintoFu-chau。Herarrivalwasatoncenoticedonshore，andtheseameninharboursaid:\"Look!Lookatthatsteamer。What\'sthat？Siamese——isn\'tshe？Justlookather!\"
Sheseemed，indeed，tohavebeenusedasarunningtargetforthesecondarybatteriesofacruiser。Ahailofminorshellscouldnothavegivenherupperworksamorebroken，torn，anddevastatedaspect:andshehadabouthertheworn，wearyairofshipscomingfromthefarendsoftheworld——andindeedwithtruth，forinhershortpassageshehadbeenveryfar；sighting，verily，eventhecoastoftheGreatBeyond，whencenoshipeverreturnstogiveuphercrewtothedustoftheearth。Shewasincrustedandgraywithsalttothetrucksofhermastsandtothetopofherfunnel；asthough(assomefacetiousseamansaid)
\"thecrowdonboardhadfishedheroutsomewherefromthebottomoftheseaandbroughtherinhereforsalvage。\"Andfurther，excitedbythefelicityofhisownwit，heofferedtogivefivepoundsforher——\"asshestands。\"
Beforeshehadbeenquiteanhouratrest，ameagrelittleman，withared-tippednoseandafacecastinanangrymould，landedfromasampanonthequayoftheForeignConcession，andincontinentlyturnedtoshakehisfistather。
Atallindividual，withlegsmuchtoothinforarotundstomach，andwithwateryeyes，strolledupandremarked，\"Justlefther——
eh？Quickwork。\"
Heworeasoiledsuitofblueflannelwithapairofdirtycricketingshoes；adingygraymoustachedroopedfromhislip，anddaylightcouldbeseenintwoplacesbetweentherimandthecrownofhishat。
\"Hallo!whatareyoudoinghere？\"askedtheexsecond-mateoftheNan-Shan，shakinghandshurriedly。
\"Standingbyforajob——chanceworthtaking——gotaquiethint，\"explainedthemanwiththebrokenhat，injerky，apatheticwheezes。
ThesecondshookhisfistagainattheNan-Shan。\"There\'safellowtherethatain\'tfittohavethecommandofascow，\"hedeclared，quiveringwithpassion，whiletheotherlookedaboutlistlessly。
\"Isthere？\"
Buthecaughtsightonthequayofaheavyseaman\'schest，paintedbrownunderafringedsailclothcover，andlashedwithnewmanilaline。Heeyeditwithawakenedinterest。
\"Iwouldtalkandraisetroubleifitwasn\'tforthatdamnedSiameseflag。Nobodytogoto——orIwouldmakeithotforhim。
Thefraud!Toldhischiefengineer——that\'sanotherfraudforyou——Ihadlostmynerve。Thegreatestlotofignorantfoolsthateversailedtheseas。No!Youcan\'tthink……\"
\"Gotyourmoneyallright？\"inquiredhisseedyacquaintancesuddenly。
\"Yes。Paidmeoffonboard，\"ragedthesecondmate。\"\'Getyourbreakfastonshore，\'sayshe。\"
\"Meanskunk!\"commentedthetallman，vaguely，andpassedhistongueonhislips。\"Whatabouthavingadrinkofsomesort？\"
\"Hestruckme，\"hissedthesecondmate。
\"No!Struck!Youdon\'tsay？\"Themaninbluebegantobustleaboutsympathetically。\"Can\'tpossiblytalkhere。Iwanttoknowallaboutit。
Struck——eh？Let\'sgetafellowtocarryyourchest。Iknowaquietplacewheretheyhavesomebottledbeer……\"
Mr。Jukes，whohadbeenscanningtheshorethroughapairofglasses，informedthechiefengineerafterwardsthat\"ourlatesecondmatehasn\'tbeenlonginfindingafriend。Achaplookinguncommonlylikeabummer。Isawthemwalkawaytogetherfromthequay。\"
ThehammeringandbangingoftheneedfulrepairsdidnotdisturbCaptainMacWhirr。Thestewardfoundintheletterhewrote，inatidychart-room，passagesofsuchabsorbinginterestthattwicehewasnearlycaughtintheact。ButMrs。MacWhirr，inthedrawing-roomoftheforty-poundhouse，stifledayawn——perhapsoutofself-respect——forshewasalone。
Shereclinedinaplush-bottomedandgilthammockchairnearatiledfireplace，withJapanesefansonthemantelandaglowofcoalsinthegrate。Liftingherhands，sheglancedwearilyhereandthereintothemanypages。Itwasnotherfaulttheyweresoprosy，socompletelyuninteresting——from\"Mydarlingwife\"atthebeginning，to\"Yourlovinghusband\"attheend。Shecouldn\'tbereallyexpectedtounderstandalltheseshipaffairs。Shewasglad，ofcourse，tohearfromhim，butshehadneveraskedherselfwhy，precisely。
\"……Theyarecalledtyphoons……Thematedidnotseemtolikeit……Notinbooks……Couldn\'tthinkoflettingitgoon……\"
Thepaperrustledsharply。\"……Acalmthatlastedmorethantwentyminutes，\"shereadperfunctorily；andthenextwordsherthoughtlesseyescaught，onthetopofanotherpage，were:
\"seeyouandthechildrenagain……\"Shehadamovementofimpatience。Hewasalwaysthinkingofcominghome。Hehadneverhadsuchagoodsalarybefore。Whatwasthematternow？
Itdidnotoccurtohertoturnbackoverleaftolook。Shewouldhavefounditrecordedtherethatbetween4and6A。M。onDecember25th，CaptainMacWhirrdidactuallythinkthathisshipcouldnotpossiblyliveanotherhourinsuchasea，andthathewouldneverseehiswifeandchildrenagain。Nobodywastoknowthis(hislettersgotmislaidsoquickly)——nobodywhateverbutthesteward，whohadbeengreatlyimpressedbythatdisclosure。
Somuchso，thathetriedtogivethecooksomeideaofthe\"narrowsqueakweallhad\"bysayingsolemnly，\"Theoldmanhimselfhadadam\'pooropinionofourchance。\"
\"Howdoyouknow？\"asked，contemptuously，thecook，anoldsoldier。\"Hehasn\'ttoldyou，maybe？\"
\"Well，hedidgivemeahinttothateffect，\"thestewardbrazeneditout。
\"Getalongwithyou!Hewillbecomingtotellmenext，\"jeeredtheoldcook，overhisshoulder。
Mrs。MacWhirrglancedfarther，onthealert。\"……Dowhat\'sfair……Miserableobjects……Onlythree，withabrokenlegeach，andone……Thoughthadbetterkeepthematterquiet……hopetohavedonethefairthing……\"
Sheletfallherhands。No:therewasnothingmoreaboutcominghome。Musthavebeenmerelyexpressingapiouswish。Mrs。
MacWhirr\'smindwassetatease，andablackmarbleclock，pricedbythelocaljewellerat£；318s。6d。，hadadiscreetstealthytick。
Thedoorflewopen，andagirlinthelong-legged，short-frockedperiodofexistence，flungintotheroom。
Alotofcolourless，ratherlankyhairwasscatteredoverhershoulders。Seeinghermother，shestoodstill，anddirectedherpalepryingeyesupontheletter。
\"Fromfather，\"murmuredMrs。MacWhirr。\"Whathaveyoudonewithyourribbon？\"
Thegirlputherhandsuptoherheadandpouted。
\"He\'swell，\"continuedMrs。MacWhirrlanguidly。\"AtleastIthinkso。Heneversays。\"Shehadalittlelaugh。Thegirl\'sfaceexpressedawanderingindifference，andMrs。MacWhirrsurveyedherwithfondpride。
\"Goandgetyourhat，\"shesaidafterawhile。\"Iamgoingouttodosomeshopping。ThereisasaleatLinom\'s。\"
\"Oh，howjolly!\"utteredthechild，impressively，inunexpectedlygravevibratingtones，andboundedoutoftheroom。
Itwasafineafternoon，withagrayskyanddrysidewalks。
Outsidethedraper\'sMrs。MacWhirrsmileduponawomaninablackmantleofgenerousproportionsarmouredinjetandcrownedwithflowersbloomingfalselyaboveabiliousmatronlycountenance。
Theybrokeintoaswiftlittlebabbleofgreetingsandexclamationsbothtogether，veryhurried，asifthestreetwerereadytoyawnopenandswallowallthatpleasurebeforeitcouldbeexpressed。
Behindthemthehighglassdoorswerekeptontheswing。Peoplecouldn\'tpass，menstoodasidewaitingpatiently，andLydiawasabsorbedinpokingtheendofherparasolbetweenthestoneflags。Mrs。MacWhirrtalkedrapidly。
\"Thankyouverymuch。He\'snotcominghomeyet。Ofcourseit\'sverysadtohavehimaway，butit\'ssuchacomforttoknowhekeepssowell。\"Mrs。MacWhirrdrewbreath。\"Theclimatethereagreeswithhim，\"sheadded，beamingly，asifpoorMacWhirrhadbeenawaytouringinChinaforthesakeofhishealth。
Neitherwasthechiefengineercominghomeyet。Mr。Routknewtoowellthevalueofagoodbillet。
\"Solomonsayswonderswillnevercease，\"criedMrs。Routjoyouslyattheoldladyinherarmchairbythefire。Mr。Rout\'smothermovedslightly，herwitheredhandslyinginblackhalf-mittensonherlap。
Theeyesoftheengineer\'swifefairlydancedonthepaper。
\"Thatcaptainoftheshipheisin——arathersimpleman，youremember，mother？——hasdonesomethingratherclever，Solomonsays。\"
\"Yes，mydear，\"saidtheoldwomanmeekly，sittingwithbowedsilveryhead，andthatairofinwardstillnesscharacteristicofveryoldpeoplewhoseemlostinwatchingthelastflickersoflife。\"IthinkIremember。\"
SolomonRout，OldSol，FatherSol，theChief，\"Rout，goodman\"——
Mr。Rout，thecondescendingandpaternalfriendofyouth，hadbeenthebabyofhermanychildren——alldeadbythistime。Andsherememberedhimbestasaboyoften——longbeforehewentawaytoservehisapprenticeshipinsomegreatengineeringworksintheNorth。Shehadseensolittleofhimsince，shehadgonethroughsomanyyears，thatshehadnowtoretraceherstepsveryfarbacktorecognizehimplainlyinthemistoftime。Sometimesitseemedthatherdaughter-in-lawwastalkingofsomestrangeman。
Mrs。Routjuniorwasdisappointed。\"H\'m。H\'m。\"Sheturnedthepage。\"Howprovoking!Hedoesn\'tsaywhatitis。SaysI
couldn\'tunderstandhowmuchtherewasinit。Fancy!Whatcoulditbesoveryclever？Whatawretchedmannottotellus!\"
Shereadonwithoutfurtherremarksoberly，andatlastsatlookingintothefire。Thechiefwrotejustawordortwoofthetyphoon；butsomethinghadmovedhimtoexpressanincreasedlongingforthecompanionshipofthejollywoman。\"Ifithadn\'tbeenthatmothermustbelookedafter，Iwouldsendyouyourpassage-moneyto-day。Youcouldsetupasmallhouseouthere。
Iwouldhaveachancetoseeyousometimesthen。Wearenotgrowingyounger……\"
\"He\'swell，mother，\"sighedMrs。Rout，rousingherself。
\"Healwayswasastronghealthyboy，\"saidtheoldwoman，placidly。
ButMr。Jukes\'accountwasreallyanimatedandveryfull。HisfriendintheWesternOceantradeimparteditfreelytotheotherofficersofhisliner。\"AchapIknowwritestomeaboutanextraordinaryaffairthathappenedonboardhisshipinthattyphoon——youknow——thatwereadofinthepaperstwomonthsago。It\'sthefunniestthing!Justseeforyourselfwhathesays。I\'llshowyouhisletter。\"
Therewerephrasesinitcalculatedtogivetheimpressionoflight-hearted，indomitableresolution。Jukeshadwrittenthemingoodfaith，forhefeltthuswhenhewrote。Hedescribedwithlurideffectthescenesinthe\'tween-deck。\"……ItstruckmeinaflashthatthoseconfoundedChinamencouldn\'ttellweweren\'tadesperatekindofrobbers。\'Tisn\'tgoodtoparttheChinamanfromhismoneyifheisthestrongerparty。Weneedhavebeendesperateindeedtogothievinginsuchweather，butwhatcouldthesebeggarsknowofus？So，withoutthinkingofittwice，Igotthehandsawayinajiffy。Ourworkwasdone——thattheoldmanhadsethishearton。Weclearedoutwithoutstayingtoinquirehowtheyfelt。Iamconvincedthatiftheyhadnotbeensounmercifullyshaken，andafraid——eachindividualoneofthem——tostandup，wewouldhavebeentorntopieces。Oh!Itwasprettycomplete，Icantellyou；andyoumayruntoandfroacrossthePondtotheendoftimebeforeyoufindyourselfwithsuchajobonyourhands。\"
Afterthishealludedprofessionallytothedamagedonetotheship，andwentonthus:
\"Itwaswhentheweatherquieteddownthatthesituationbecameconfoundedlydelicate。Itwasn\'tmadeanybetterbyushavingbeenlatelytransferredtotheSiameseflag；thoughtheskippercan\'tseethatitmakesanydifference——\'aslongasweareonboard\'-hesays。Therearefeelingsthatthismansimplyhasn\'tgot——andthere\'sanendofit。Youmightjustaswelltrytomakeabedpostunderstand。ButapartfromthisitisaninfernallylonelystateforashiptobegoingabouttheChinaseaswithnoproperconsuls，notevenagunboatofherownanywhere，norabodytogotoincaseofsometrouble。
\"MynotionwastokeeptheseJohnniesunderhatchesforanotherfifteenhoursorso；asweweren\'tmuchfartherthanthatfromFu-chau。Wewouldfindthere，mostlikely，somesortofaman-of-war，andonceunderhergunsweweresafeenough；forsurelyanyskipperofaman-of-war——English，FrenchorDutch-wouldseewhitementhroughasfarasrowonboardgoes。WecouldgetridofthemandtheirmoneyafterwardsbydeliveringthemtotheirMandarinorTaotai，orwhatevertheycallthesechapsingogglesyouseebeingcarriedaboutinsedan-chairsthroughtheirstinkingstreets。
\"Theoldmanwouldn\'tseeitsomehow。Hewantedtokeepthematterquiet。Hegotthatnotionintohishead，andasteamwindlasscouldn\'tdragitoutofhim。Hewantedaslittlefussmadeaspossible，forthesakeoftheship\'snameandforthesakeoftheowners——\'forthesakeofallconcerned，\'sayshe，lookingatmeveryhard。
Itmademeangryhot。Ofcourseyoucouldn\'tkeepathinglikethatquiet；butthechestshadbeensecuredintheusualmannerandweresafeenoughforanyearthlygale，whilethishadbeenanaltogetherfiendishbusinessIcouldn\'tgiveyouevenanideaof。
\"Meantime，Icouldhardlykeeponmyfeet。Noneofushadaspellofanysortfornearlythirtyhours，andtheretheoldmansatrubbinghischin，rubbingthetopofhishead，andsobotheredhedidn\'teventhinkofpullinghislongbootsoff。
\"\'Ihope，sir，\'saysI，\'youwon\'tbelettingthemoutondeckbeforewemakereadyfortheminsomeshapeorother。\'Not，mindyou，thatIfeltverysanguineaboutcontrollingthesebeggarsiftheymeanttotakecharge。AtroublewithacargoofChinamenisnochild\'splay。Iwasdam\'tired，too。\'Iwish，\'saidI，\'youwouldletusthrowthewholelotofthesedollarsdowntothemandleavethemtofightitoutamongstthemselves，whilewegetarest。\'
\"\'Nowyoutalkwild，Jukes，\'sayshe，lookingupinhisslowwaythatmakesyouacheallover，somehow。\'Wemustplanoutsomethingthatwouldbefairtoallparties。\'
\"Ihadnoendofworkonhand，asyoumayimagine，soIsetthehandsgoing，andthenIthoughtIwouldturninabit。Ihadn\'tbeenasleepinmybunktenminuteswheninrushesthestewardandbeginstopullatmyleg。
\"\'ForGod\'ssake，Mr。Jukes，comeout!Comeondeckquick，sir。
Oh，docomeout!\'
\"Thefellowscaredallthesenseoutofme。Ididn\'tknowwhathadhappened:anotherhurricane——orwhat。Couldhearnowind。
\"\'TheCaptain\'slettingthemout。Oh，heislettingthemout!
Jumpondeck，sir，andsaveus。Thechiefengineerhasjustrunbelowforhisrevolver。\'
\"That\'swhatIunderstoodthefooltosay。However，FatherRoutswearshewentinthereonlytogetacleanpocket-handkerchief。
Anyhow，Imadeonejumpintomytrousersandflewondeckaft。
Therewascertainlyagooddealofnoisegoingonforwardofthebridge。Fourofthehandswiththeboss\'nwereatworkabaft。I
passeduptothemsomeoftheriflesalltheshipsontheChinacoastcarryinthecabin，andledthemonthebridge。OnthewayIranagainstOldSol，lookingstartledandsuckingatanunlightedcigar。
\"\'Comealong，\'Ishoutedtohim。
\"Wecharged，thesevenofus，uptothechart-room。Allwasover。
Therestoodtheoldmanwithhissea-bootsstilldrawnuptothehipsandinshirt-sleeves-gotwarmthinkingitout，Isuppose。
BunHin\'sdandyclerkathiselbow，asdirtyasasweep，wasstillgreenintheface。IcouldseedirectlyIwasinforsomething。
\"\'Whatthedevilarethesemonkeytricks，Mr。Jukes？\'askstheoldman，asangryaseverhecouldbe。Itellyoufranklyitmademelosemytongue。\'ForGod\'ssake，Mr。Jukes，\'sayshe，\'dotakeawaytheseriflesfromthemen。Somebody\'ssuretogethurtbeforelongifyoudon\'t。Damme，ifthisshipisn\'tworsethanBedlam!Looksharpnow。IwantyouupheretohelpmeandBunHin\'sChinamantocountthatmoney。Youwouldn\'tmindlendingahand，too，Mr。Rout，nowyouarehere。Themoreofusthebetter。\'
\"HehadsettleditallinhismindwhileIwashavingasnooze。
HadwebeenanEnglishship，oronlygoingtolandourcargoofcooliesinanEnglishport，likeHong-Kong，forinstance，therewouldhavebeennoendofinquiriesandbother，claimsfordamagesandsoon。ButtheseChinamenknowtheirofficialsbetterthanwedo。
\"Thehatcheshadbeentakenoffalready，andtheywereallondeckafteranightandadaydownbelow。Itmadeyoufeelqueertoseesomanygaunt，wildfacestogether。Thebeggarsstaredaboutatthesky，atthesea，attheship，asthoughtheyhadexpectedthewholethingtohavebeenblowntopieces。Andnowonder!Theyhadhadadoingthatwouldhaveshakenthesouloutofawhiteman。ButthentheysayaChinamanhasnosoul。Hehas，though，somethingabouthimthatisdeucedtough。Therewasafellow(amongstothersofthebadlyhurt)whohadhadhiseyeallbutknockedout。Itstoodoutofhisheadthesizeofhalfahen\'segg。Thiswouldhavelaidoutawhitemanonhisbackforamonth:andyettherewasthatchapelbowinghereandthereinthecrowdandtalkingtotheothersasifnothinghadbeenthematter。Theymadeagreathubbubamongstthemselves，andwhenevertheoldmanshowedhisbaldheadontheforesideofthebridge，theywouldallleaveoffjawingandlookathimfrombelow。
\"ItseemsthatafterhehaddonehisthinkinghemadethatBunHin\'sfellowgodownandexplaintothemtheonlywaytheycouldgettheirmoneyback。Hetoldmeafterwardsthat，allthecoolieshavingworkedinthesameplaceandforthesamelengthoftime，hereckonedhewouldbedoingthefairthingbythemasnearaspossibleifhesharedallthecashwehadpickedupequallyamongthelot。Youcouldn\'ttelloneman\'sdollarsfromanother\'s，hesaid，andifyouaskedeachmanhowmuchmoneyhebroughtonboardhewasafraidtheywouldlie，andhewouldfindhimselfalongwayshort。Ithinkhewasrightthere。AstogivingupthemoneytoanyChineseofficialhecouldscareupinFu-chau，hesaidhemightjustaswellputthelotinhisownpocketatonceforallthegooditwouldbetothem。Isupposetheythoughtso，too。
\"Wefinishedthedistributionbeforedark。Itwasratherasight:thesearunninghigh，theshipawrecktolookat，theseChinamenstaggeringuponthebridgeonebyonefortheirshare，andtheoldmanstillbooted，andinhisshirt-sleeves，busypayingoutatthechartroomdoor，perspiringlikeanything，andnowandthencomingdownsharponmyselforFatherRoutaboutonethingoranothernotquitetohismind。HetooktheshareofthosewhoweredisabledhimselftothemontheNo。2hatch。
Therewerethreedollarsleftover，andthesewenttothethreemostdamagedcoolies，onetoeach。Weturned-toafterwards，andshovelledoutondeckheapsofwetrags，allsortsoffragmentsofthingswithoutshape，andthatyoucouldn\'tgiveanameto，andletthemsettletheownershipthemselves。
\"Thiscertainlyiscomingasnearascanbetokeepingthethingquietforthebenefitofallconcerned。What\'syouropinion，youpamperedmail-boatswell？Theoldchiefsaysthatthiswasplainlytheonlythingthatcouldbedone。Theskipperremarkedtometheotherday，\'Therearethingsyoufindnothingaboutinbooks。\'Ithinkthathegotoutofitverywellforsuchastupidman。\"