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Bob Betts, too, was as much at fault as his captain, and a sarcastic remark or two of Hillson, the second-mate, were fast bringing Mark's breakers into discredit. "Jest look at the chart, Captain Crutchely," put in Hillson "a regular Tower Hill chart as ever was made, and you'll see there can be no white water hereabouts.
"I meant the cat with nine tails, not the cat with nine lives. Here, young Strong, whatever you do, never take to being mate in the merchant service." He went out on deck, and Mark followed him, eager to see what was the matter; and as he passed out, it was to hear the second-mate say: "I was coming after you; the poor wretch's groans are awful." "Serve him right, the scoundrel!
The second-mate was right, for before many hours had passed, and when Start and Prawle points had been pointed out as they loomed up out of the haze upon their right, the sea began to rise. That night the wind was increasing to a gale, and Mark was oblivious, like several of the passengers, of the grandeur of the waves; neither did he hear the shrieking of the wind through the rigging.
By the time the captain and second-mate had turned in, which each did after going below and taking a stiff glass of rum and water in his turn, it was so dark our young mate could not discern the combing of the waves a hundred yards from the ship, in any direction.
The second-mate told me that Marble had made a flying visit to the ship, promised to be back again in a few days, and disappeared. By comparing dates, I ascertained that he would be in time to meet the mortgage sale, and felt no further concern in that behalf.
A suspicious sail, Mrs Ferguson, merely implies in fact, that they do not know what she is." "Is that all it means?" replied Mrs Ferguson, with an incredulous look. "Nothing more, madam; nothing more, I assure you." "Commodore has made a signal that strange vessel is a man-of-war bearing down," said the second-mate, again entering the cabin.
"Ah, there's no mistake about it, Captain Strong!" said the second-mate; "the ship is on fire, sir. They'll take alarm directly." Almost as he spoke the Malays, who must have been asleep, did take the alarm, and in a minute the whole deck was in an uproar. "We've no time to lose," said the captain, and he ran to the window and whispered down to Gregory what was wrong.
The deplorable fatality mentioned in the last chapter necessitated a further rearrangement of the official duties on board the Flying Cloud; Ned being advanced still another step and made acting chief- mate, or "chief-officer" as it is the custom to dub this official in the merchant service, whilst another apprentice a very quiet, steady young man named Robert Manners was promoted to the post of second-mate thus rendered vacant.
Woolston, and now own I did see something that may have been white water, this afternoon, while aloft; but the captain and second-mate seemed so awarse to believing in sich a thing, out here in the open Pacific, that I got to be awarse, too." "It was a great fault in a look-out not to let what he had seen be known," said Mark, gravely.
A low deep moaning sound that was smothered and strange came from below, and the mate gave a stamp with his foot on the deck. "No mistake, Gregory," said the second-mate. "Mistake! No. It's a man or a boy. He deserves to be left; he does, upon my honour." "Yes, we all deserve more than we get," said the second-mate patiently. "Here, what do you make of it?
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