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Updated: May 8, 2025
He put the right into his pocket and brought out his gun with a jerk. He extended his hand and arm, as though pointing at something a little below the yard. Then a quick flash spat out across the shadows, followed immediately by a sharp, ringing crack. In the same moment, I saw that the foot-rope ceased to shake. "Light your flare! Light your flare, Jaskett!" the Second shouted. "Be smart now!"
Evidently, the old beggar had changed his opinion as to my need for sleep. "You're an old fool, Jaskett," the Second said, sharply. "And that idiot Jessop has been putting things into your silly old head." He paused, an instant. Then he continued: "What the devil's the matter with you all, that you've taken to this sort of game? You know very well that you saw no light!
Then, after a pause of about half a minute, he said this: "Who was he sayin' that to?" "Eh?" said Jaskett, again, with a puzzled expression. "I was thinkin'," said Stubbins, knocking out his pipe on the edge of the chest. "P'raps you're right, hafter all." Another Man to the Wheel The conversation had slacked off.
A few seconds passed, and then the light from Quoin's flare streamed out upon the wind; yet nearly a minute went by, and there was no sign of Jaskett's. Then out from the semi-darkness at the starboard yard-arm, there came a curse from Jaskett, followed almost immediately by a noise of something vibrating. "What's up?" shouted the Second Mate. "What's up, Jaskett?"
Stubbins seemed to be shouting something definite; but whatever it was, I could not catch. At my helplessness, I grew angry, and shook and prodded Jaskett, to make him move. "Damn you, Jaskett!" I roared. "Damn you for a funky old fool! Let me get past! Let me get past, will you!" But, instead of letting me pass, I found that he was beginning to make his way down.
I looked up at the fo'cas'le head. There, I could faintly distinguish the outlines of Jaskett. He was standing by the starboard rail, with his hands up, shading his eyes, evidently staring towards the place where he had last seen the light. "Where's she got to, Jaskett?" I called out. "I can't say, mate," he answered. "It's the most 'ellishly funny thing I've ever comed across.
"Well, you're both a damn long way out of it!" Tom chipped in, pretty warm. "I wasn't asleep; an' the sail did bloomin' well hit me." "Don't you be impertinent, young feller," said Jaskett. I joined in again. "There's another thing, Stubbins," I said. "The gasket Tom was hanging by, was on the after side of the yard. That looks as if the sail might have flapped it over?
"Eh?" said old Jaskett, over his pannikin of tea. Quoin repeated his remark. "'oo says so?" inquired Plummer. "I 'eard it from ther Doc," answered Quoin, "'e got it from ther Stooard." "'ow would 'ee know?" asked Plummer. "I dunno," said Quoin. "I 'spect 'e's 'eard 'em talkin' 'bout it arft." Plummer turned to me. "'ave you 'eard anythin', Jessop?" he inquired. "What, about shortening down?"
I'm a bit inclined to think Tom's yarn is the truth." "How do you make that hout?" Stubbins asked, unbelievingly. "There haint nothin' like enough wind." "What about the place on his forehead?" I inquired, in turn. "How are you going to explain that?" "I 'spect he knocked himself there when he slipped," he answered. "Likely 'nuffli," agreed old Jaskett, who was sitting smoking on a chest near by.
"We'll have ther bloomin' sail fast, an' down hon deck again before they're started." Plummer followed; then Jaskett, I, and Quoin who had been called down off the look-out to give a hand. "That's the style, lads!" the Second sung out, encouragingly. Then he ran aft to the Mate's crowd.
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