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He revolved slowly on his heels, keeping the end of the tube on the sky-line. Then he shut the instrument with a click, and said decisively: "Nothing in sight, sir." He followed his captain down below rubbing his hands cheerfully. For a good while there was no sound on the poop of the brig. Then the seacannie at the wheel spoke dreamily: "Did the malim say there was no one on the sea?"
The man in authority did not budge a hair's breadth. The seacannie bent down a little from the height of the wheel grating. "I saw a boat," he murmured with something of the tender obstinacy of a lover begging for a favour. "I saw a boat, O Haji Wasub! Ya! Haji Wasub!" The serang had been twice a pilgrim, and was not insensible to the sound of his rightful title.
He remained motionless, listening to the rattle of blocks and the creaking of trusses as the head-yards were hauled round. Sail was made on the ship and the windlass manned again while he stood still, lost in thought. He only roused himself when a barefooted seacannie glided past him silently on his way to the wheel. "Put the helm aport!
Three minutes past six." The helmsman struck four bells sharply. Another barefooted seacannie glided on the far side of the poop to relieve the wheel, and the serang of the brig came up the ladder to take charge of the deck from Shaw. He came up to the compass, and stood waiting silently. "The course is south by east when you get the wind, serang," said Shaw, distinctly.
The stolid seacannie appeared to see, and for that matter to hear, nothing. The white man looked at the impassive Malay with disgust, then glanced around the horizon then again at the helmsman and ordered curtly: "Shift the helm back again. Don't you feel the air from aft? You are like a dummy standing there."
"Let the seacannie in charge come to me at once." "There's only a message from the yacht," began Shaw, deliberately. "Yacht! Get the deck lamps along here in the waist! See the ladder lowered. Bear a hand, serang! Mr. Shaw! Burn the flare up aft. Two of them! Give light to the yacht's boats that will be coming alongside. Steward! Where's that steward? Turn him out then."
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