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"Ay, and that skinny old money-chaser tried to throttle me," he continued. "Falk lay off that island only because we needed water. Ay, we all knew we needed it Falk and all of us. But them murderin' natives was after our heart's blood whenever we goes ashore, just because Chips and Kipping drills a few bullet-holes in some of 'em. I knew what Falk was after when he asks you for water, sir.
When we went forward, I found myself, as the green hand of the voyage, one of six men in the starboard watch. I liked the arrangement little enough, for the second mate commanded us and Kipping was the first man he had chosen; but it was all in the day's work, so I went below to get my jacket before eight bells should strike.
As time passed, the island became gradually clearer, so that now we could see its mountains more distinctly and pick out each separate peak. Although the wind was light and unsteady, we were making fair progress; but Captain Falk and Mr. Kipping remained intent on their conference.
I obeyed as well as I could, letting the cloth cool a bit first; and although Bill cried out sharply when it touched his skin, the heat eased him of pain, and by and by he opened his eyes for all the world as if he had been asleep and looked at Captain Falk and said in a scared voice, "In heaven's name, what's happened?" The captain and Mr. Kipping laughed coldly.
It'll be easy to ship a new crew at Canton, and we can settle affairs with the Websters' agents there so that at least we'll have a chance at a fair trial if we are taken on our homeward voyage. Shall we venture it?" The cook rolled his eyes. "Gimme dat yeh Kipping!" he cried, and with a savage cackle he swung his cleaver. "Falk for me, curse him!"
You go forward, Blodgett, and drag him out by the scalp-lock." Blodgett walked off, keeping close to the bulwark, and five minutes later he was back again. Mr. Kipping grew very red. "Well, my man," he said in a way that made my skin creep, "are you a party to this little mutiny?" "N-no, sir," Blodgett stammered. "I he-it ain't no use, he can't come."
It seemed to me that they didn't care whether he lived or died. Certainly the men of the larboard watch, who were lying in their bunks at the time, didn't like the way the two behaved. I caught the word "heartless" twice repeated. "Well," said Captain Falk at last, "either he'll live or he'll not. How about it, Mr. Kipping?" The mate laughed as if he had heard a good joke.
Bill's stupidity was exasperating at times. "It's something about Mr. Falk. Kipping, he " "Yes?" said that eternally mild voice. "Mr. Falk? And Kipping? What else please?" Both Bill and I were startled to find Kipping at our elbows. But before either of us could answer, some one called down the hatch: "Lathrop is wanted aft."
But we found little comfort in realizing that, as matters stood, although in our own minds we were convinced absolutely that Captain Falk and Mr. Kipping had conspired with the crew to rob the owners, by the cold light of fact we could be proved in the wrong in any court of admiralty.
At that moment the day flashed upon my memory when I had sat on one side of that very corner while Kipping attempted to bully Bill on the other side of it the day when Bill had turned on his tormentor.
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