Jimmywentonquickly：——‘You’relikeapoll—parrot，likeascreechin’poll—parrot。’Donkinstoppedandcockedhisheadattentivelyononeside。Hisbigearsstoodour，transparentandveined，resemblingthethinwingsofabat。
‘Yuss？’hesaid，withhisbacktowardsJimmy。
‘Yes！Chatteroutallyouknow——like……likeadirtywhitecockatoo。’
Donkinwaited。Hecouldheartheother’sbreathing，longandslow;thebreathingofamanwithahundredweightorsoonthebreast—bone。
Thenheaskedcalmly：——‘WhatdoIknow？’
‘What？……WhatItellyou……notmuch。Whatdoyouwant……totalkaboutmyhealthso……’
‘Hit’sabloomin’himposyshun。Abloomin’，stinkin’，first—classhimposyshun——buthitdon’ttykemehin。Nothit。’
Jimmykeptstill。Donkinputhishandsinhispockets，andinoneslouchingstridecameuptothebunk。
‘Italk——what’sthehodds。Theyhain’tmenhere——sheeptheyhare。Adrivenlotofsheep。I’oldyouhup……Vynot？
you’rewellhoff。’
‘Iam……Idon’tsayanythingaboutthat……’
‘Well，Let’emseehit。Let’emlarnwhatamancando。Ihamaman。Iknowhallaboutyer……’Jimmythrewhimselffurtherawayonthepillow;theotherstretchedouthisskinnyneck，jerkedhisbirdfacedownathimasthoughpeckingattheeyes。‘I
hamaman。I’veseenthehinsideofeverychokeyintheColonisrather’ngivehupmyrights……’
‘Youareajail—prop，’saidJimmyweakly。
‘Iham……an’proudofittoo。You！You’aven’tthebloomin’
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nerve——soyouhinventedthis’eredodge……’Hepaused，thenwithmarkedafterthoughtaccentuatedslowly：——‘Yerain’tsick——hareyer？’
‘No，’saidJimmyfirmly。‘Beenoutofsortsnowandagainthisyear，’hemumbledwithasuddendropinhisvoice。
Donkinclosedoneeye，amicableandconfidential。Hewhispered：
——‘Ye’avedoneitafore——aven’tchee？’Jimmysmiled——thenasifunabletoholdbackhelethimselfgo：——‘Lastship——yes。Iwasoutofsortsonthepassage。See？Itwaseasy。TheypaidmeoffinCalcutta，andtheskippermadenobonesaboutiteither……I
gotmymoneyallright。Laidupfifty—eightdays！Thefools！OLord！Thefools！Paidrightoff。’Helaughedspasmodically。Donkinchummedgiggling。ThenJimmycoughedviolently。‘Iamaswellasever，’
hesaid，assoonashecoulddrawbreath。
Donkinmadeaderisivegesture。‘Incourse，’
hesaidprofoundly，‘hanyonecanseethat。’——‘Theydon’t。’saidJimmy，gaspinglikeafish。————‘Theywouldswallowanyyarn，’affirmedDonkin。——‘Don’tyouletontoomuch，’admonishedJimmyinanexhaustedvoice。
——‘Yourlittlegyme？Eh？’commentedDonkinjovially。
Thenwithsuddendisgust：‘Yerhallforyerself，s’longhasye’reright……’
SochargedwithegoismJamesWaitpulledtheblanketuptohischinandlaystillforawhile。Hisheavylipsprotrudedinaneverlastingblackpout。‘Whyareyousohotonmakingtrouble？’
heaskedwithoutmuchinterest。
‘Coshit’sabloomin’shayme。Wehareputhon……badfood，badpay……Iwanthustokickupabloomin’row;ablamed’owlingrowthatwouldmake’emremember！Knockingpeoplehabout……brainhus……hindeed！
Ain’twemen？’Hisaltruisticindignationblazed。Thenhesaidcalmly;——‘I’vebeena—hairingofyerclothes’——
‘Allright，’saidJimmylanguidly，‘bringthemin。’——‘Giv’usthekeyofyourchest，I’llput’emawayforyer，’saidDonkinwithfriendlyeagerness。——‘Bring’emin，Iwillputthemawaymyself。’answeredJamesWaitwithseverity。Donkinlookeddown，muttering……‘Whatd’yousay？
Whatd’yousay？’inquiredWaitanxiously，——‘Nothink。
Thenight’sdry，let’em’angouttillthemorning，’saidDonkin，inastrangelytremblingvoice，asthoughrestraininglaughterorrage。
Jimmyseemedsatisfied。——‘Givemealittlewaterforthenightinmymug——there，’hesaid。
Page83
Donkintookastrideoverthedoorstep。——‘Gitityerself，’
herepliedinasurlytone。‘Youcandoit，hunlessyouharesick。’
——‘OfcourseIcandoit，’saidWait，‘only……’
——‘Well，then，doit。’saidDonkinviciously，‘ifyercanlookhafteryerclothes，yercanlookhafteryerself。’
Hewentondeckwithoutalookback。
Jimmyreachedoutforthemug。Notadrop。Heputitbackgentlywithafaintsigh——andclosedhiseyes。Hethought：——ThatlunaticBelfastwillbringmesomewaterifIask。Fool。Iamverythirsty……Itwasveryhotinthecabin，anditseemedtoturnslowlyround，detachitselffromtheship，andswingoutsmoothlyintoaluminousaridspacewhereablacksunshone，spinningveryfast。Aplacewithoutanywater！Nowater！
ApolicemanwiththefaceofDonkindrankaglassofbeerbythesideofanemptywell，andflewawayflappingvigorously。Ashipwhosemastheadsprotrudedthroughtheskyandcouldnotbeseen，wasdischarginggrain，andthewindwhirledthedryhusksinspiralsalongthequayofadockwithnowaterinit。Hewhirledthedryhusksinspiralsalongwiththehusks——andmoredry。Heexpandedhishollowchest。Theairstreamedincarryingawayinitsrushalotofstrangethingsthatresembledhouses，trees，people，lamp—posts……Nomore！Therewasnomoreair——andhehadnotfinisheddrawinghislongbreath。Buthewasingaol！Theywerelockinghimup。Adoorslammed。Theyturnedthekeytwice，flungabucketofwateroverhim——Phoo！Whatfor？
Heopenedhiseyes，thinkingthefallhadbeenveryheavyforanemptyman——empty——empty。Hewasinhiscabin。Ah！Allright！
Hisfacewasstreamingwithperspiration，hisarmsheavierthanlead。Hesawthecookstandinginthedoorway，abrasskeyinonehandandabrighttinhook—potintheother。
‘Ihavebeenlockingupforthenight，’
saidthecook，beamingbenevolently。‘Eight—bellsjustgone。
Ibroughtyouapotofcoldteaforyournight’sdrinking，Jimmy。Isweeteneditwithsomewhitecabinsugar，too。Well——itwon’tbreaktheship。’
Hecamein，hungthepotontheedgeofthebunk，askedperfunctorily，‘Howgoesit？’andsatdownonthebox。
——‘H’m，’gruntedWaitinhospitably。Thecookwipedhisfacewithadirtycottonrag，which，afterwards，hetiedaroundhisneck。——‘That’showthemPage84
firemendoinsteamboats，’hesaidserenely，andmuchpleasedwithhimself。‘Myworkisasheavyastheirs——I’mthinking——andlongerhours。didyoueverseethemdownthestokehold？Likefiendstheylook——firing——firing——firing——downthere。’
Hepointedhisforefingeratthedeck。Somegloomythoughtdarkenedhisshiningface，fleeting，liketheshadowofatravelingcloudoverthelightofapeacefulsea。Therelievedwatchtrampednoisilyforward，passinginabodyacrossthesheenofthedoorway。Someonecried，‘Goodnight！’BelfaststoppedforamomentandlookedinatJimmy，quiveringandspeechlessasifwithrepressedemotion。Hegavethecookaglancechargedwithdismalforeboding，andvanished。Thecookclearedhisthroat，Jimmystaredupwardsandkeptasstillasamaninhiding。
Thenightwasclear，withagentlebreeze。Theshipheeledoveralittle，slippingquietlyoverasombreseatowardstheinaccessibleandfestalsplendorofablackhorizonpiercedbypointsofflickeringfire。AbovethemastheadstheresplendentcurveoftheMilkyWayspannedtheskylikeatriumphantarchofeternallight，thrownoverthedarkpathwayoftheearth。Ontheforecastleheadamanwhistledwithloudprecisionalivelyjig，whileanothercouldbeheardfaintly，shufflingandstampingintime。Therecamefromforwardaconfusedmurmurofvoices，laughter——snatchesofsong。Thecookshookhishead，glancedobliquelyatJimmy，andbegantomutter。‘Aye。Danceandsing。That’salltheythinkof。IamsurprisedtheProvidencedon’tgettired……Theyforgetthedaythat’ssuretocome……butyou……’
Jimmydrankagulpoftea，hurriedly，asthoughhehadstolenit，andshrankunderhisblanket，edgingawaytowardsthebulkhead。
Thecookgotup，closedthedoor，thensatdownagainandsaiddistinctly：
——
‘WheneverIpokemygalleyfireIthinkofyouchaps——swearing，stealing，lying，andworse——asiftherewasnosuchthingasanotherworld……Notbadfellows，either，inaway，’
heconcededslowly;then，afterapauseofregretfulmusinghewentoninaresignedtone：——‘Well，well。theywillhaveahottimeofit。Hot！DidIsay？ThefurnacesofoneofthemWhiteStarboatsain’tnothingtoit。’Hekeptquietforawhile。Therewasagreatstirinhisbrain;anaddledvisionofbrightoutlines;anexcitingrowofrousingPage85
songsandgroansofpain。Hesuffered，enjoyed，admired，approved。Hewasdelighted，frightened，exalted——likeonthatevening（theonlytimeinhislife——twenty—sevenyearsago;helovedtorecallthenumberofyears）whenasayoungmanhehad——throughkeepingbadcompany——becomeintoxicatedinanEast—endmusic—hall。Atideofsuddenfeelingswepthimcleanoutofhisbody。Hesoared。Hecontemplatedthesecretofthehereafter。
Itcommendeditselftohim。Itwasexcellent;helovedit，himself，allhands，andJimmy。Hisheartoverflowedwithtendernesswithcomprehension，withthedesiretomeddle，withanxietyforthesoulofthatblackman，withtheprideofpossessedeternity，withthefeelingofmight。Snatchhimupinhisarmsandpitchhimrightintothemiddleofsalvation……theblacksoul——blacker——body——rot——Devil。No！Talk——strength——
Samson……Therewasagreatdinasofcymbalsinhisears;heflashedthroughanecstaticjumbleofshiningfaces，lilies，prayer—books，unearthlyjoy，whiteshirts，goldharps，blackcoats，wings。Hesawflowinggarments，cleanshavedfaces，aseaoflight————alakeofpitch。Thereweresweetscents，asmellofsulphur——redtonguesofflamelickingawhitemist。
Anawesomevoicethundered！……Itlastedthreeseconds。
‘Jimmy！’hecriedinaninspiredtone。
Thenhehesitated。Asparkofhumanpityglimmeredyetthroughtheinfernalfogofhissupremeconceit。
‘What？’saidJamesWait，unwillingly。
Therewasasilence。Heturnedhisheadjusttheleastbitandstoleacautiousglance。Thecook’slipsmovedinaudibly;hisfacewasrapthiseyesturnedup。Heseemedtobementallyimploringdeckbeams，thebrasshookofthelamp，twocockroaches。
‘Lookhere，’saidJamesWait，‘I
wanttogotosleep。IthinkIcould。’
‘Thisisnotimeforsleep！’exclaimedthecook，veryloud。Hehadprayerfullydivestedhimselfofthelastvestigeofhishumanity。Hewasavoice——afleshlessandsublimething，asonthatmemorablenight——thenightwhenhewentovertheseatomakecoffeeforperishingsinners。‘Thisisnotimeforsleeping，’
herepeatedwithexaltation。‘Ican’tsleep。’
‘Don’tcaredamn，’saidWait，withfactitiousenergy。‘Ican。goan’turnin。’
‘Swear……intheveryjaws！……Intheveryjaws！
Don’tyouseethefire……don’tyoufeelit？Blind，chock—fullofsin！
Icanseeitforyou。Ican’tbearit。Ihearthecalltosaveyou。Nightandday。Jimmyletmesaveyou！’Thewordsofentreatyandmenacebrokeoutofhiminaroaringtorrent。Thecockroachesranaway。Jimmyperspired，wrigglingstealthilyunderhisblanket。Thecookyelled……‘Yourdaysarenumbered！……’——‘Getoutofthis，’
boomedWait，courageously。——‘Praywithme！……’——
‘Iwon’t！……’thelittlecabinwasashotasanoven。
Itcontainedanimmensityoffearandpain;anatmosphereofshrieksandmoans;prayersvociferatedlikeblasphemiesandwhisperedcurses。Outside，themencalledbyCharley，whoinformedthemintonesofdelightthattherewasarowgoingoninJimmy’splace，pushedbeforethecloseddoor，toostartledtoopenit。Allhandswerethere。Thewatchbelowhadjumpedup，asked：——‘Whatisit？’Otherssaid：——‘Listen！’
Themuffledscreamingwenton：——‘Onyourknees！Onyourknees！’
——Shutup！——‘Never！Youaredeliveredintomyhands……Yourlifehasbeensaved……Purpose……Mercy……Repent。’——‘Youareacrazyfool！……’——‘Accountofyou……you……Neversleepinthisworld，ifI……’——‘Leaveoff。’
——‘No！……stokehold……onlythink！……’Thenanimpassionedscreechingbabblewherewordspatteredlikehail。——‘No！’
shoutedJim。——‘Yes。Youare！……Nohelp……Everybodysaysso。’——‘Youlie！’——‘Iseeyoudyingthisminnyt！……beforemyeyes……asgoodasdeadnow。’
——‘Help！’shoutedJimmy，piercingly。——‘Notinthisvalley……lookupwards，’howledtheother。——‘Goaway！Murder！Help！’clamouredJimmy。Hisvoicebroke。Thereweremoanings，lowmutters，afewsobs。
‘What’sthematternow？’saidaseldom—heardvoice。——‘Fallback，men！Fallback，there！’repeatedMr。Creightonsternly，pushingthrough——‘Here’stheoldman。’
whisperedsome。——‘Thecook’sinthere，sir’exclaimedseveral，backingaway。Thedoorclatteredopen;abroadstreamoflight4
dartedoutonwonderingfaces;awarmwhiffofvitiatedairpassed。Thetwomatestoweredheadandshouldersabovethespare，grey—headedmanwhostoodrevealedbetweenthem，inshabbyclothes，stiffandangularlikeasmallcarvedfigure，andwithathin，composedface。Thecookgotupfromknees。Jimmysathighinthebunk，claspinghisdrawn—upPage87
legs。Thetasselofthebluenightcapalmostimperceptiblytrembledoverhisknees。Theygazedastonishedathislong，curvedback，whilethewhitecornerofoneeyegleamedblindlyatthem。Hewasafraidtoturnhishead，heshrankwithinhimself;andtherewasanaspectastoundingandanimal—likeintheperfectionofhisexpectantimmobility。Athingofinstinct——theunthinkingstillnessofascaredbrute。
‘Whatareyoudoinghere？’askedMr。
Baker，sharply。——‘Myduty，’saidthecook，withardour。
——‘Your……what？’beganthemate。CaptainAllistountouchedhisarmlightly。——‘Iknowhiscaper，’hesaid，inalowvoice。‘Coomeoutofthat，Podmore，’
heorderedaloud。
Thecookwrunghishands，shookhisfistsabovehishead，andhisarmsdroppedasiftooheavy。Foramomenthestooddistractedandspeechless。——‘Never，’hestammered，‘I……he……I。’
——‘What——do——you——say？’pronouncedCaptainAllistoun。
‘Comeoutatonce——or……’——‘Iamgoing。’
saidthecook，withahastyandsombreresignation。Hestrodeoverthedoorstepfirmly——hesitated——madeafewsteps。Theylookedathiminsilence。——‘Imakeyouresponsible！’hecrieddesperately，turninghalfround。‘Thatmanisdying。Imakeyou……’
——‘Youthereyet？’calledthemasterinathreateningtone。——‘No，sir，’heexclaimedhurriedlyinastartledvoice。Theboatswainledhimawaybythearm;someonelaughed;Jimmyliftedhisheadforastealthyglance，andinoneunexpectedleapsprangoutofhisbunk;Mr。Bakermadeaclevercatchandfelthimverylimpinhisarms;
thegroupatthedoorgruntedwithsurprise。——‘Helies，’
gaspedWait。‘Hetalkedaboutblackdevils——heisadevil——
awhitedevil——Iamallright。’Hestiffenedhimself，andMr。
Baker，experimentally，lethimgo。Hestaggeredapaceortwo;CaptainAllistounwatchedhimwithaquietandpenetratinggaze;Belfastrantohissupport。Hedidnotappeartobeawareofanyonenearhim;hestoodsilentforamoment，battlingsingle—handedwithalegionofnamelessterrorsamidsttheeagerlooksofexcitedmenwhowatchedhimfaroff，utterlyaloneintheimpenetrablesolitudeofhisfear。Heavybreathingsstirredthedarkness。Theseagurgledthroughthescuppersastheshipheeledovertoashortpuffofwind。
‘Keephimawayfromme，’saidJamesWaitatlastinhisfinePage88
baritonevoice，andleaningwithallhisweightonBelfast’sneck。‘I’vebeenbetterthislastweek……Iamwell……Iwasgoingbacktoduty……
——nowifyoulike——Captain。’Belfasthitchedhisshoulderstokeephimupright。
‘No，’saidthemaster，lookingathimfixedly。
UnderJimmy’sarmpitBelfast’sredfacemoveduneasily。
Arowofeyesgleamingstaredontheedgeoflight。Theypushedoneanotherwithelbows，turnedtheirheads，whispered。Waitlethischinfallonhisbreastand，withloweredeyelids，lookedroundinasuspiciousmanner。
‘Whynot？’criedavoicefromtheshadows，‘theman’sallright，sir。’
‘Iamallright，’saidWaitwitheagerness。
‘Beensick……better……turn—tonow。’Hesighed。——
‘HowlyMother！’exclaimedBelfastwithaheaveoftheshoulders，‘standup，Jimmy。’——‘Keepawayfrommethen，’saidWait，givingBelfastapetulantpush，andreelingagainstthedoor—post。Hischeek—bonesglistenedasthoughtheyhadbeenvarnished。Hesnatchedoffhisnight—cap，wipedhisperspiringfacewithit，flungitonthedeck。‘Iamcomingout，’
hesaidwithoutstirring。
‘No。Youdon’t，’saidthemastercurtly。
Barefeetshuffled，disapprovingvoicesmurmuredallround;hewentonasifhehadnotheard：——‘Youhavebeenskulkingnearlyallthepassageandnowyouwanttocomeout。Youthinkyouarenearenoughtothepay—tablenow。Smelltheshore，hey？’
‘I’vebeensick……now——better，’
mumbledWaitglaringinthelight。——‘Youhavebeenshammingsick，’retortedCaptainAllistounwithseverity：‘Why……’
hehesitatedforlessthanhalfasecond。‘Why，anybodycanseethat。There’snothingthematterwithyou，butyouchoosetolie—uptopleaseyourself——andnowyoushalllie—uptopleaseme。Mr。baker，myordersarethatthismanisnottobeallowedondecktotheendofthepassage。’
Therewereexclamationsofsurprise，triumph，indignation。
Thedarkgroupofmenswungacrossthelight。‘Whatfor？’
‘Toldyouso……’‘Bloomin’shame……’
——‘We’vegottosaysomethinghaboutthat，’screechedDonkinfromtherear。——‘Nevermind，Jim——’——‘We’llseeyourighted，’calledseveraltogether。Anelderlyseamansteppedtothefront。‘D’yemeantosay，sir，’heaskedominously，‘thatasickchapain’tallowedtogetwellinthis’erehooker？’BehindhimDonkinwhisperedexcitedlyamongstastaringcrowdwherenoonesparedhimaglance，butCaptainAllistounshookaforefingerattheangrybronzedfaceofthespeaker。——‘You——youholdyourtongue，’hesaidwarningly。——‘Thisisn’ttheway，’clamouredtwoorthreeyoungermen。‘Harewebloomin’masheens？’inquiredDonkininapiercingtone，anddivedundertheelbowsofthefrontrank。——‘Soonshow’imweain’tboys……’——‘Theman’samanifheisblack。’
——‘Weain’tgoin’toworkthisbloomin’shipshorthandedifSnowball’sallright……’——‘Hesaysheis。’
——‘Wellthen，strike，boys，strike！’——‘That’sthebloomin’ticket。’CaptainAllistounsaidsharplytothesecondmate：‘Keepquiet，Mr。Creighton，’andstoodcomposedinthetumult，listeningwithprofoundattentiontomixedgrowlsandscreeches，toeveryexclamationandeverycurseofthesuddenoutbreak。Somebodyslammedthecabindoortowithakick;thedarknessfullofmenacingmuttersleapedwithashortclatteroverthestreakoflight，andthemenbecamegesticulatingshadowsthatgrowled，hissed，laughedexcitedly。Mr。Bakerwhispered：——
‘Getawayfromthem，sir。’ThebigshapeofMr。Creightonhoveredsilentlyabouttheslightfigureofthemaster。——‘Wehavebeenhymposeduponallthisvoyage，’saidagruffvoice，‘butthis’erefancytakesthecake。’——‘Thatmanisashipmate。’——‘Arewebloomin’kids？’
——‘Theportwatchwillrefuseduty。’Charleycarriedawaybyhisfeelingswhistledshrilly，thenyelped：——‘Giv’
usourJimmy！’Thisseemedtocauseavariationinthedisturbance。
Therewasafreshburstofsquabblinguproar。Alotofquarrelsweregoingonatonce。——‘Yes’——‘No。’——
‘Neverbeensick。’——‘Goforthemtoonce。’
——‘Shutyermouth，youngster——thisismen’swork。’
——‘Isit？’mutteredCaptainAllistounbitterly。Mr。
Bakergrunted：‘Ough！They’regonesilly。They’vebeensimmeringforthelastmonth。’——‘Ididnotice，’saidthemaster。——‘Theyhavestartedarowamongstthemselvesnow，’
saidMr。Creightonwithdisdain，‘bettergetaft，sir。Wewillsoothethem。’——‘Keepyourtemper，Creighton，’
saidthemaster。Andthethreemenbegantomoveslowlytowardsthecabindoor。
Intheshadowsoftheforeriggingadarkmassstampededdied，advanced，retreated。Therewerewordsofreproach，encouragement，unbelief，execration。Theelderseamen，bewilderedandPage90
angry，growledtheirdeterminationtogothroughwithsomethingorothere;
buttheyoungerschoolofadvancedthoughtexposedtheirandJimmy’swrongswithconfusedshouts，arguingamongstthemselves。Theyclusteredroundthatmoribundcarcass，thefitemblemoftheiraspirations。andencouragingoneanothertheyswayed，theytrampedononespot，shoutingthattheywouldnotbe‘putupon’Insidethecabin，Belfast，helpingJimmyintohisbunk，twitchedalloverinhisdesirenottomissalltherow，andwithdifficultyrestrainedthetearsofhisfacileemotion。JamesWaitflatonhisbackundertheblanket，gaspedcomplaints。——‘Wewillbackyouup，neverfear，’assuredBelfast，busyabouthisfeet。——‘I’llcomeouttomorrow——skipperornoskipper。’
Heliftedonearmwithgreatdifficulty，passedthehandoverhisface;
‘Don’tyouletthatcook……’hebreathedout。——‘No，no，’saidBelfast，turninghisbackonthebunk，‘I
willputaheadonhimifhecomesnearyou。’——‘I
willsmashhismug！’exclaimedfaintlyWait，enragedandweak;
‘Idon’twanttokillaman，but……’Hepantedfastlikeadogafteraruninsunshine。Someonejustoutsidethedoorshouted，‘He’sasfitasanyovus！’Belfastputhishandonthedoor—handle。——‘Here！’calledJamesWaithurriedlyandinsuchaclearvoicethattheotherspunroundwithastart。JamesWait，stretchedoutblackanddeathlikeinthedazzlinglight，turnedhisheadonthepillow。HiseyesstaredatBelfast，appealingandimpudent。
‘Iamratherweakfromlying—upsolong，’hesaiddistinctly。
Belfastnodded。‘Gettingquitewellnow，’insistedWait。——‘Yes，Inoticedyougettingbetterthis……lastmonth，’
saidBelfastlookingdown。‘Hallo！What’sthis？’heshoutedandranout。
Hewasflatteneddirectlyagainstthesideofthehousebytwomenwholurchedagainsthim。Alotofdisputesseemedtobegoingonallround。Hegotclearandwasthreedistinctfiguresstandingaloneinthefainterdarknessunderthearchedfootofthemainsail，thatroseabovetheirheadslikeaconvexwallofahighedifice。Donkinhissed：
——‘Goforthem……it’sdark！’Thecrowdtookashortrunaftinabody——thentherewasacheck。Donkin，agileandthinflittedpastwithhisrightarmgoinglikeawindmill——andthenstoodstillsuddenlywithhisarmpointingrigidlyabovehisPage91
head。Thehurtlingflightofsomesmallheavyobjectwasheard;itpassedbetweentheheadsofthetwomates，boundedheavilyalongthedeck，stucktheafterhatchwithaponderousanddeadenedblow。ThebulkyshapeofMr。Bakergrewdistinct。‘Cometoyoursenses，men！’
hecried，advancingatthearrestedcrowd。‘Comeback，Mr。Baker！’
calledthemaster’squietvoice。Heobeyedunwillingly。Therewasaminuteofsilence，thenadeafeninghubbubarose。AboveitArchiewasheardenergetically：
——‘IfyedoootageenIwulltell！’Therewereshouts。
‘Don’t！’‘Dropit！’——‘Weain’tthatkind！’Theblackclusterofhumanformsreeledagainstthebulwark，backagaintowardsthehouse。Shadowyfigurescouldbeseentottering，falling，leapingup。Ringboltsrangunderstumblingfeet。——
‘Dropit！’‘Letme！’——‘No！’
——‘Curseyou！……hah！’Thensoundsasofsomeone’sfacebeingslapped;apieceofironfellonthedeck;ashortscuffle，andsomeone’sshadowyshadowybodyscuttledrapidlyacrossthemainhatchbeforetheshadowofakick。Aragingvoicesobbedoutatorrentoffilthylanguage……——‘Throwingthings——goodGod！’gruntedMr。Bakerindismay。——‘Thatwasmeantforme，’saidthemasterquietly;‘Ifeltthewindofthatthing;whatwasit——anironbelaying—pin？’——‘ByJove！’
mutteredMr。Creighton。Theconfusedvoicesofmentalkingamidshipsmingledwiththewashofthesea，ascendedbetweenthesilentanddistendedsails——seemedtoflowawayintothenight，furtherthanthehorizon，higherthanthesky。Thestarsburnedsteadilyovertheinclinedmastheads。Trailsoflightlayonthewater，brokebeforetheadvancinghull，and，aftershehadpassed，trembledforalongtimeasifinaweofthemurmuringsea。
Meantimethehelmsman，anxioustoknowwhattherowwasabout，hadletgothewheel，and，bentdouble，ranwithlongstealthyfootstepstothebreakofthepoop。TheNarcissus，lefttoherself，cameupgentlytothewindwithoutanyonebeingawareofit。Shegaveaslightroll，andthesleepingsailswokesuddenly，comingalltogetherwithamightyflapagainstthemasts，thenfilledagainoneafteranotherinaquicksuccessionofloudreportsthatrandowntheloftyspars，tillthecollapsedmainsailflewoutlastwithaviolentjerk。Theshiptrembledfromtruckstokeel;thesailskeptonrattlinglikeadischargeofmusketry;
thechainsheetsandlooseshacklesjingledaloftinathinpeal;theginblocksPage92
groaned。Itwasasifaninvisiblehandhadgiventheshipanangryshaketorecallthementhatpeopledherdeckstothesenseofreality，vigilanceandduty。——‘Helmup！’criedthemastersharply。‘Runaft，Mr。Creighton，andseewhatthatfoolthereisupto。’——‘Flattenintheheadsheets。Standbytheweatherfore—braces，’growledMr。Baker。Startledmenranswiftlyrepeatingtheorders。Thewatchbelow，abandonedallatoncebythewatchondeck，driftedtowardstheforecastleintwosandthrees，arguingnoisilyastheywent。——‘Weshallseeto—morrow！’
criedaloudvoice，asiftocoverwithamenacinghintaningloriousretreat。
Andthenonlyorderswereheard，thefallingofheavycoilsofrope，therattlingofblocks。Singleton’swhiteheadflittedhereandthereinthenight，highabovedeck，liketheghostofabird。——‘Goingoff，sir！’shoutedMr。Creightonfromaft。——‘Fullagain。’
——‘Allright……’——‘Easeofftheheadsheets。Thatwilldothebraces。Coiltheropes，’gruntedMr。
Baker，bustlingabout。
Graduallythetrampingnoises，theconfusedsoundofvoices，diedout，andtheofficers，comingtogetheronthepoopdiscussedevents。
Mr。Bakerwasbewilderedandgrunted;Mr。Creightonwascalmlyfurious;
butCaptainAllistounwascomposedandthoughtful。HelistenedtoMr。Baker’sgrowlingargumentation，toCreighton’sinterjectedandsevereremarks，whilelookingdownonthedeckheweighedinhishandtheironbelaying—pin——thatamomentagohadjustmissedhishead——asifithadbeentheonlytangiblefactofthewholetransaction。Hewasoneofthosecommanderswhospeaklittle，seemtohearnothing，lookatnoone——andknoweverything，heareverywhisper，seeeveryfleetingshadowoftheirship’slife。Histwobigofficerstoweredabovehislean，shortfigure;theytalkedoverhishead;theyweredismayed，surprised，andangry，whilebetweenthemthelittlequietmanseemedtohavefoundhistaciturnserenityintheprofounddepthsofalargerexperience。Lightswereburningintheforecastle;
nowandthenagustofbabblingchattercamefromforward，sweptoverthedecks，andbecamefaint，asiftheunconsciousshipglidinggentlythroughthegreatpeaceofthesea，hadleftbehindandforeverthefoolishnoiseofturbulentmankind。Butitwasrenewedagainandagain。Gesticulatingarms，profilesofheadswithopenmouthsappearedforamomentintheilluminatedsquaresofPage93
doorways;blackfistsdarted——withdrew……‘Yes。Itwasmostdamnabletohavesuchanunprovokedrowsprungonone，’
assentedthemaster……Atumultofyellsroseinthelight，abruptlyceased……Hedidn’tthinktherewouldbeanyfurthertroublejustthen……Abellwasstruckaft，another，forward，answeredinadeepertone，andtheclamourofringingmetalspreadroundtheshipinacircleofwidevibrationsthatebbedawayintotheimmeasurablenightofanemptysea……Didn’theknowthem！Didn’the！Inpastyears。Bettermen，too。Realmentostandbyoneinatightplace。Worsethandevilstoosometimes——downright，horneddevils。Pah！This——nothing。Amissasgoodasamile……Thewheelwasbeingrelievedintheusualway。——‘Fullandby，’
said，veryloud，themangoingoff。——‘Fullandby，’
repeatedtheother，catchingholdofthespokes。——‘Thisheadwindismytrouble，’exclaimedthemaster，stampinghisfootinsuddenanger;‘headwind！alltherestisnothing。’
Hewascalmagaininamoment。‘Keepthemonthemoveto—night，gentlemen;justtoletthemfeelwe’vegotholdallthetime——quietly，youknow。Mindyoukeepyourhandsoffthem，Creighton。To—morrowIwilltalktothemlikeaDutchUncle。Acrazycrowdoftinkers！Yes，tinkers！
Icouldcounttherealsailorsamongstthemonthefingersofonehand。
Nothingwilldobutarow——if——you——please。’Hepaused。
‘DidyouthinkIhadgonewrongthereMr。Baker？’Hetappedhisforehead，laughedshort。‘WhenIsawhimstandingthere，threepartsdeadandsoscared——blackamongstthatgapinglot——nogrittofacewhat’scomingtousall——thenotioncametomeallatonce，beforeIcouldthink。Sorryforhim——likeyouwouldbeforasickbruter。Ifeveracreaturewasinamortalfunktodie！……IthoughtIwouldlethimgooutinhisownway。Kindofimpulse。Itnevercameintomyhead，thosefools……H’m！Standtoitnow——ofcourse。’
Hestuckthebelaying—pininhispocket，seemedashamedofhimself，thensharply：——‘IfyouseePodmoreathistricksagaintellhimIwillhavehimputunderthepump。Hadtodoitoncebefore。Thefellowbreaksoutlikethatnowandthen。Goodcooktho’。’Hewalkedawayquickly，camebacktothecompanion。Thetwomatesfollowedhimthroughthestarlightwithamazedeyes。Hewentdownthreesteps，andchanginghistone，spokewithhisheadnearthedeck：——‘Ishan’tturninto—night。incaseofanything;justcallPage94
outif……Didyouseetheeyesofthatsicknigger，Mr。Baker？Ifanciedhebeggedmeforsomething。What？Pastallhelp。Oneloneblackbeggaramongstthelotofus，andheseemedtolookthroughmeintotheveryhell。
Fancy，thiswretchedPodmore！Well，lethimdieinpeace。Iammasterhereafterall。SaywhatIlike。Lethimbe。Hemighthavebeenhalfamanonce……Keepagoodlook—out。’Hedisappearedbelow，leavinghismatesfacingoneanother，andmoreimpressedthaniftheyhadseenastoneimageshedamiraculoustearofcompassionovertheincertitudesoflifeanddeath……
Inthebluemistspreadingfromtwistedthreadsthatstooduprightinthebowlsofpipes，theforecastleappearedasvastasahall。
Betweenthebeamsaheavycloudstagnated;andthelampssurroundedbyhalosburnedeachatthecoreofapurpleglowintwolifelessflameswithoutrays。Wreathsdriftedindenserwisps。Mensprawledaboutonthedeck，satinnegligentposes，or，bendingaknee，droopedwithoneshoulderagainstabulkhead。Lipsmoved，eyesflashed，wavingarmsmadesuddeneddiesinthesmoke。Themurmurofvoicesseemedtopileitselfhigherandhigherasifunabletorunoutquickenoughthroughthenarrowdoors。Thewatchbelowintheirshirts，andstridingonlongwhitelegsresembledravingsomnambulists;whilenowandthenoneofthewatchondeckwouldrushin，lookingstrangelyover—dressed，listenamoment，flingarapidsentenceintothenoiseandrunoutagain;butafewremainednearthedoor，fascinated，andwithoneearturnedtothedeck。——‘Sticktogether，boys，’
roaredDavis。Belfasttriedtomakehimselfheard。Knowlesgrinnedinaslow，dazedway。Ashortfellowwithathickclippedbeardkeptonyellingperiodically：——‘Who’safeard？Who’safeard？’Anotheronejumpedup，excited，withblazingeyes，sentoutastingofunattachedcursesandsatdownquietly。Twomendiscussedfamiliarly，strikingoneanother’sbreastinturn，toclincharguments。Threeothers，withtheirheadsinabunch，spokealltogetherwithaconfidentialair，andatthetopoftheirvoices。Itwasastormychaosofspeechwhereintelligiblefragmentstossing，strucktheear。Onecouldhear：——‘Inthelastship’——‘Whocares？Tryitonanyoneofusif——。’‘Knockunder’——‘Notahand’sturn’——‘Hesaysheisallright’——‘I
alwaysthought’——‘Nevermind……’Donkin，crouchingPage95
allinaheapagainstthebowsprit，hunchedhisshoulder—bladesashighashisears，andhangingapeakednose，resembledasickvulturewithruffledplumes。Belfast，straddlinghislegs，hadafaceredwithyelling，andwitharmsthrownup，figuredaMaltesecross。ThetwoScandinavians，inacorner，hadthedumbfoundedanddistractedaspectofmengazingatacataclysm。And，beyondthelight，Singletonstoodinthesmoke，monumental，indistinct，withhisheadtouchingthebeam;likeastatueofheroicsizeinthegloomofacrypt。
Hesteppedforward，impassiveandbig。Thenoisesubsidedlikeabrokenwave：butBelfastcriedoncemorewithupliftedarms：——
‘ThemanisdyingItellye！’thensatdownsuddenlyonthehatchandtookhisheadbetweenhishands。AlllookedatSingleton，gazingupwardsfromthedeckstaringoutofdarkcorners，orturningtheirheadswithcuriousglances。Theywereexpectantandappeasedasifthatoldman，wholookedatnoone，hadpossessedthesecretoftheiruneasyindignationsanddesires，asharpervision，aclearerknowledge。Andindeedstandingthereamongstthem，hehadtheuninterestedappearanceofonewhohadseenmultitudesofships，hadlistenedmanytimestovoicessuchastheirs，hadalreadyseenallthatcouldhappenonthewideseas。Theyheardhisvoicerumbleinhisbroadchestasthoughthewordshadbeenrollingtowardsthemoutofaruggedpast。‘Whatdoyouwanttodo？’heasked。Nooneanswered。OnlyKnowlesmuttered——‘Aye，aye，’andsomebodysaidlow：——‘It’sabloomin’shame。’
Hewaitedmadeacontemptuousgesture。——‘Ihaveseenrowsaboardshipbeforesomeofyouwereborn，’hesaidslowly，‘forsomethingornothing;butneverforsuchathing。——’‘Themanisdying，Itellye，’repeatedBelfastwoefully，sittingatSingleton’sfeet。——‘Andablackfellow，too，’
wentontheoldseaman，‘Ihaveseenthemdielikeflies。’
Hestopped，thoughtful，asiftryingtorecollectgruesomethings，detailsofhorrors，hecatombsofniggers。Theylookedathimfascinated。Hewasoldenoughtorememberslavers，bloodymutinies，piratesperhaps;whocouldtellthroughwhatviolencesandterrorshehadlived！Whatwouldhesay？
Hesaid：——‘Youcan’thelphim;diehemust。’Hemadeanotherpause。Hismoustacheandbeardstirred。Hechewedwords，mumbledbehindwhitehairs;incomprehensibleandexciting，likeanPage96
oraclebehindaveil……——‘Stopashore——sick。——Instead——bringingallthisheadwind。Afraid。Theseawillhaveherown。——Dieinthesightofland。Alwaysso。Theyknowit——longpassage——moredays，moredollars。——youkeepquiet。——Whatdoyouwant？Can’thelphim。’
Heseemedtowakeupfromadream。‘Youcan’thelpyourselves，’
hesaidausterely，‘Skipper’snofool。Hehassomethinginhismind。Lookout——Isay！Iknow’em！’Witheyesfixedinfrontheturnedhisheadfromrighttoleft，fromlefttoright，asifinspectingalongrowofastuteskippers。——‘Hesaid’ewouldbrainme！’
criedDonkininaheartrendingtone。Singletonpeereddownwardswithpuzzledattention，asthoughhecouldn’tfindhim。——‘Damnyou！’
hesaidvaguely，givingitup。Heradiatedunspeakablewisdom，hardunconcern，thechillingairofresignation。Roundhimallthelistenersfeltthemselvessomehowcompletelyenlightenedbytheirdisappointment，and，mute，theylolledaboutwiththecarelesseaseofmenwhocandiscernperfectlytheirremediableaspectoftheirexistence。He，profoundandunconscious，wavedhisarmonce，andstrodeoutondeckwithoutanotherword。
Belfastwaslostinaround—eyedmeditation。Oneortwovaultedheavilyintoupperberths，and，oncethere，sighed;othersdivedheadfirstinsidelowerbunks——swift，andturningroundinstantlyuponthemselves，likeanimalsgoingintolairs。Thegratingofaknifescrapingburntclaywasheard。Knowlesgrinnednomore。Daviessaid，inatoneofardentconviction：——‘Thenourskipper’slooney。’
Archiemuttered：——‘Myfaith！wehaven’theardthelastofityet！’Fourbellswerestruck。——‘Halfourwatchbelowisgone！’criedKnowlesinalarm，thenreflected，‘Well，twohourssleepissomethingtowardsarest，’heobservedconsolingly。
Somealreadypretendedtoslumber;andCharley，soundasleep，suddenlysaidafewslurredwordsinanarbitrary，blankvoice。——‘Thisblamedboyhasworrums！’commentedKnowlesfromunderablanket，andinalearnedmanner。BelfastgotupandapproachedArchie’sberth。
——‘wepulledhimout，’hewhisperedsadly。——‘Andnowwewillhavetochuckhimoverboard，’wentonBelfast，whoselowerliptrembled。——‘Chuckwhat？’askedArchie。
——‘PoorJimmy，’breathedoutBelfast。——‘Hebeblowed！’saidArchiewithuntruthfulbrutality，andsatupinhisPage97
bunk;‘It’sallthroughhim。Ifithadn’tbeenforme，therewouldhavebeenmurderonboardthisship！’——‘Tain’thisfault，isit？’arguedBelfast，inamurmur;‘I’veputhimtobed……andheain’tnoheavierthananemptybeef—cask，’
headded，withtearsinhiseyes。Archielookedathimsteadily，thenturnedhisnosetotheship’ssidewithdetermination。Belfastwanderedaboutasthoughhehadlosthiswayinthedimforecastle，andnearlyfelloverDonkin。Hecontemplatedhimfromonhighforawhile。‘Ain’tyegoingtoturnin？’heasked。Donkinlookeduphopelessly。——
‘Thatblack—’eartedScotchsonofathiefkickedme！’
hewhisperedfromthefloor，inatoneofutterdesolation。——‘Andagoodjob，too！’saidBelfast，stillverydepressed;‘Youwereasnearhangingasdamn—itto—night，sonny。Don’tyouplayanyofyourmurtheringgamesaroundmyJimmy！Youhaven’tpulledhimout。Youjustmind！’CosifIstarttokickyou’——hebrightenedupabit——‘ifIstarttokickyou，itwillbeYankeefashion——
tobreaksomething！’Hetappedlightlywithhisknucklesthetopofthebowedhead。‘Youmoind，mebhoy！’heconcluded，cheerily。Donkinletitpass。——‘Willtheysplitonme？’