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Updated: May 17, 2025
Meanwhile, the skipper, who had gone up to join Mr Fosset on the bridge after leaving us below so suddenly, was making his way aft again; and on the colonel turning round from the rail he found him at his back, looking over his shoulder at the ship we were approaching. The skipper was all agog with excitement. "By George!" he exclaimed. "We're closing on her fast now, colonel!"
The cheering that had followed the last tussle of our men with the black mutineers had now ceased, and all these things happening, you must understand, much more rapidly than I can talk or attempt to chronicle them, the skipper, with Mr Fosset and Garry O'Neil, came hurriedly up on the poop. Both expressed their unbounded delight at seeing the child was safe and in the care of her father.
"Sure, Mr Fosset promised to give us the worrd whin she hove in sight, an' you're only distarbin' yoursilf for nothing, colonel! More's the pity, too, mabruchal, whin your leg is progressin' so illigantly an' the swillin' goin' down as swately as possible. Now kape aisy, if only to oblige me. Faith, colonel, me profissional reputation's at shtake!"
"I saw you, my joker, star-gazing down there, instead of coming up here to relieve me at the proper time! I believe you only sang out about the ship to cover your laziness and take a rise out of us!" "I did nothing of the sort, Mr Spokeshave," I answered indignantly, for the little beast sniggered away and grinned at Mr Fosset as if he had said something uncommonly smart at my expense.
I daresay the captain heard him, but the appearance just then of Mr Stokes, our chief engineer, who had now reached the bridge, panting and puffing at every step, as Mr Fosset had said, he being corpulent of habit and short-winded, stopped any further controversy on the point as to whether I had seen, or had not seen, the mysterious ship.
"There away, sir; out there!" "Well, I can't see anything!" ejaculated Mr Fosset impatiently, rising to his feet after stooping down to the level of the bridge cloth, trying to get a sight of the strange vessel as best he could under the cloud of smoke, which was now trailing out along the horizon, blown far away to leeward by the strong wind across our beam.
"Humph, that's serious," answered the skipper meditatively. "I'll see what I can do to help you. I say, Fosset?" "Aye, aye, sir! Want me?" "Yes," replied the skipper. "Mr Stokes is shorthanded below and says the bilge-pumps are choked. Can you spare him a man or two to help clear the suctions? I daresay there's a lot of stray dunnage washing about under the stoke-hold plates.
Hardly had the skipper uttered these words, completing the colonel's story, when Mr Fosset suddenly poked his head through the skylight over the after end of the saloon, the hatch of which opened out on the deck of the poop above.
"I knowed that this ghost-ship meant sumkin' and we ain't come to the end o' the log yet!" Almost as he uttered the words, Mr Fosset came up the engine-room hatchway and made his way hurriedly towards us. "By jingo, Fosset, here you are at last!" exclaimed the skipper on seeing him. "I thought you were never coming up again, finding it so jolly warm and comfortable below!
I think we've had enough wind to last us for a blue moon!" "So say I, sir," agreed the other with much heartiness. "I wouldn't like to go through the same experiences again, by Jingo!" "Nor I," came from the other, evidently about to turn out from his bunk. "I'll be on deck in five minutes or so, Fosset."
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