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Updated: May 5, 2025
But all that forenoon, as we headed for them, fanned along by the faintest of breezes, I saw no sign of man or canoe in the field of the telescope I kept on pointing at the scattered group. At noon I had no orders for a change of course, and the mate's whiskers became much concerned and seemed to be offering themselves unduly to my notice. At last I said: "I am going to stand right in.
"What did you say the name o' the schooner was?" inquired Mrs. Gimpson. "Pearl," replied Mr. Boxer, with the air of a resentful witness under cross-examination. "And what was the name o' the captin?" said Mrs. Gimpson. "Thomas Henery Walter Smith," said Mr. Boxer, with somewhat unpleasant emphasis. "An' the mate's name?" "John Brown," was the reply. "Common names," commented Mrs.
Being short-handed at Bermuda, we had shipped a wretched little cabin-boy of Portuguese extraction, who was a native of Demerara, and glad to work his passage there, and the mate's systematic ill-treatment of this poor lad was not less of a torture to us than to Pedro himself, so agonizing was it to see, and not dare to interfere; all we could do was to aid him to the best of our power on the sly.
She was at one time struck by a sea that twisted her in such a manner that the seams on her larboard side opened, and the water gushed into the cabin and into the mate's birth as if it came from a pump, and every body at first thought her side was stove in; however the Lord was pleased to protect every one from harm, nor was the ship very materially damaged, neither was any thing lost.
The marks rapidly passed through the mate's hand, as he jerked the line of the reel, always keeping it at a stretch. "Stop," sung out Bowse, as the sand had run out of the upper end of the glass. "Done," said the mate, and stopped the line. He had not to count the knots run off, for his experienced eye was able to tell the number by the mark on the line.
The mate's boat pulled quickly up, took her in tow, and presently brought her alongside, all her own crew being more or less hurt. It seems the natives had called them into the place on pretence of friendship. A crowd gathered about the stern of the boat, and several fellows even got into her. All of a sudden our men were attacked with clubs and tomahawks.
Down went that mountainous head not six inches from us, but with a perfectly indescribable motion, a tremendous writhe, in fact; up flew the broad tail in air, and a blow which might have sufficed to stave in the side of the ship struck the second mate's boat fairly amidships. It was right before my eyes, not sixty feet away, and the sight will haunt me to my death.
"Give us some," came the mate's voice, "or, by God, we'll lay you aboard!" Before the words were well spoken the men in the quarter-boat carried the threat into action. The conflict was brief: the quarter-boat was too crowded for fighting. The starboard men in the long-boat fought with their oars, whilst the fellows to port steadied the boat.
D'ye think yer the only man 'as ever stove in a mate's head an' him a murderin' mandriver? Keep them tales for the Old Man; he believes 'em seemingly; but don't you come them on me." Conroy was moaning. "I never touched him; I never touched him!" "Never touched him! Here, take the pin; it's yours!" He shrank from it. "No, no!" Slade pitched it to his bunk, where it lay on the blanket.
But, as a matter of fact, though it was true he would cheerfully have fought all night at his mate's bidding, Finn was none the less glad now to have peace and rest, for the dingo champions' methods of attack were marvellously swift and telling, and the wounds they had inflicted, while not very serious, were certainly numerous and sore.
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