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With these he fraternized at once, telling them things in a low voice, and somewhat profanely, while the two mates at the fife-rail eyed him reprovingly, but did not interrupt. Breen advanced to the ensign, and said, as he extended his hand: "I am Lieutenant Breen. Did you bring the clothing?
Here he was searched again for jack-knife or brass knuckles, bound with the hambro-line, gagged with a thole-pin, and marched forward, past the prostrate first mate, who lay quiet in the scuppers, and the erect but agonized second mate, gagged and bound to the fife-rail, to the port forecastle, where he was locked in with the Chinese cook, who, similarly treated, had preceded.
"I am very sorry for it, sir, whether it was done on purpose or by accident," replied Pelham. "Where were you, sir, when it happened?" "I was sitting on that frame," answered Mr. Hamblin, pointing to the place. "On the fife-rail?" "Yes; if that is the name of the frame." "Yes, sir; and he was behind the mast, and I didn't see him," pleaded McDougal.
The deck-water was no more than knee-deep, though rushing with torrential force, when Mr. Pike and the six men lifted the section of bridge and started for'ard with it. They swayed and staggered, but managed to keep going. The carpenter saw the impending ocean-mountain first. I saw him cry to his own men and then to Mr. Pike ere he fled to the fife-rail. But Mr. Pike's men had no chance.
"I'll settle it with him when I get a good chance," growled Shuffles, as he went to the rail and looked over into the water, in order to conceal his disappointment and chagrin. "Young gentlemen will bring in their votes for first lieutenant," said Professor Mapps, as he placed the box on the fife-rail again.
He did what Americans are very apt to do when situated between the two horns of a dilemma he compromised between the difficulties by seating himself on the fife-rail between a couple of belaying-pins. He was careful to place himself abaft the mainmast, so that the wicked engine would not spatter him.
The angry professor began to cool off under the severe regimen of the tempest. He was drenched to the skin by the spray, and it required the utmost activity on his part to enable him to keep his hold upon the fife-rail. Now the vessel rolled, and pitched him upon his moorings; and then rolled again, jerking him, at arm's length, away from them, his muscles cracking under the pressure.
I had never seen her with so little wind-surface, and the three narrow strips of canvas, bellied to the seemingness of sheet-iron with the pressure of the wind, drove her before the gale at astonishing speed. As the water on the deck subsided the men on the fife-rail left their refuge. One group, led by the redoubtable Mr. Pike, strove to capture a mass of planks and twisted steel.
They were trying to batter down the door leading into the steerage, but as yet with no success. "All ready!" shouted Perth. Phillips, who was the only one of the crew remaining on board, hastily belayed the clewline at the fife-rail, hauling it just taut enough to hold Bitts, without choking him to death.
He was by the fore fife-rail, a mere black shape in the dark. "Sleepin' no, sir!" "Don't you hear yon bell shtrike?" cried the mate, slithering on the wet deck toward the foot of the ladder. "No, sir," said Conroy, and stooped to strike the bell. The mate came up the ladder, hauling himself by the hand-rails, for he was swollen beyond the ordinary with extra clothes under his long oilskin coat.
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