CHAPTER THREE.
CAPTAIN POTTER CAUSES TROUBLE.
When Leslie awoke the warm and mellow glow of the light that streamed inthrough the small scuttle in the ship's side prepared him for thediscovery that he had slept until late in the afternoon; and as he laythere reflecting upon the startling events of the previous twenty-fourhours the sound of eight bells being struck on deck confirmed hissurmise by conveying to him the information that it was just fouro'clock. He raised himself in the bunk, striking his head smartlyagainst the low deck-planking above him as he did so. He looked for hisclothes where he had flung them off before turning in, but they were notthere; casting his eyes about the little apartment, however, hepresently recognised them hanging, dry, upon a hook screwed to thebulkhead. Thereupon he dropped out of the bunk, and proceeded forthwithto dress, noting, as he did so, by the slow, gentle oscillations of thebrig, that the sea had gone down to practically nothing while he slept,while the occasional flutter and flap of canvas, heard quite distinctlywhere he was, told him that the wind had dropped to a calm.
Dressing quickly, he hurried on deck, wondering whether he would findMiss Trevor there. She was not; but the skipper and mate were both inevidence, standing, one on either side of the companion; neither of themspeaking. The sky was cloudless; the wind had dropped to a dead calm;the surface of the sea was oil-smooth, but a low swell still undulatedup from the south-east quarter. The ship had swung nearly east andwest; and the sun's beams, pouring in over the starboard quarter, bitfiercely, although the luminary was by this time declining well towardthe horizon.
"Well, mister, had a good sleep?" inquired the skipper, with someattempt to infuse geniality into his voice.
"Excellent, thank you," answered Leslie, as with a quick glance he sweptthe entire deck of the brig. "Miss Trevor is still in her cabin, I takeit, as I do not see her on deck. She has had a most trying andexhausting experience, and I hope, sir, you will afford her all thecomfort at your command; otherwise she may suffer a serious breakdown.Fortunately, I am not without funds; and I can make it quite worth yourwhile to treat us both well during the short time that I hope will onlyelapse ere you have an opportunity to trans-ship us."
"Is Miss Trevor any relation of yours?" asked Potter, his tone once moreassuming a suggestion of aggressiveness.
"She is not, sir," answered Leslie, showing some surprise at thequestion. "She was simply a fellow-passenger of mine on board the_Golden Fleece_; and it was by the merest accident that we becamecompanions, after the ship went down. Had you any particular object inmaking the inquiry, may I ask?"
"Oh no," answered Potter; "I just thought she might be related to you insome way; you seem to be pretty anxious about her welfare; that's all."
"And very naturally, I think, taking into consideration the fact that Ihave most assuredly saved her life," retorted Leslie. "Having done somuch, I feel it incumbent upon me to take her under my care andprotection until I can find a means of putting her into the way ofreturning to England, or of resuming her voyage to Australia--whichevershe may prefer."
"Very kind and disinterested of you, I'm sure," remarked Potter,sneeringly. "But if she's no relation of yours there's no call for youto worry any more about her; she's aboard my ship, now; and _I'll_ lookafter her in future, and do whatever may be necessary. As for _you_,I'll trans-ship you, the first chance I get; never fear."
The fellow's tone was so gratuitously offensive that Leslie determinedto come to an understanding with him at once.
"Captain Potter," he said, turning sharply upon the man, "your mannerleads me to fear that the presence of Miss Trevor and myself on boardyour ship is disagreeable or inconvenient--or perhaps both--to you. Ifso, I can only say, on behalf of the young lady and myself, that we arevery sorry; although our sorrow is not nearly profound enough to driveus over the side again; we shall remain aboard here until something elsecomes along to relieve you of our unwelcome presence; then we will go,let the craft be what she will, and bound where she may. And,meanwhile, so long as we are with you, I will pay you two pounds a dayfor our board and accommodation, which I think ought to compensate youadequately for any inconvenience or annoyance that we may cause you.And Miss Trevor will continue to be under my care; make no mistake aboutthat!"
The offer of two pounds per diem for the board and lodging of two peopleproduced an immediate soothing and mollifying effect upon the skipper'scurious temper; he made an obvious effort to infuse his rathertruculent-looking features with an amiable expression, and replied, intones of somewhat forced geniality--
"Oh, all right, mister; I'm not going to quarrel with you. You and thelady are quite welcome aboard here; and I'll do what I can to make youboth comfortable; though, with our limited accommodation, I don't quitesee, just at this minute, how it's going to be done. The lady can havemy cabin, and I'll take Purchas's; you, Purchas," turning to the mate,"can have the steward's berth, and he'll have to go into the fo'c's'le.That can be managed easy enough; the question is, Where are we going toput you, mister?"
"Leslie," quickly interjected the individual addressed, who was alreadybeginning to feel very tired of being called simply "mister."
"Mr Leslie--thank you," ejaculated the skipper giving Leslie his namefor the first time, in sheer confusion and astonishment at being sopromptly pulled up. "As I was saying, the question is, Where can we putyou? We haven't a spare berth in the ship."
"Pray do not distress yourself about that," exclaimed Leslie; "any placewill do for me. I am a sailor by profession, and have roughed it beforeto-day. The weather is quite warm; I can therefore turn in upon yourcabin lockers at night if you can think of no better place in which tostow me."
"Oh, the cabin lockers be--" began Potter; then he pulled himself upshort. "No," he resumed, "I couldn't think of you sleeping on thelockers; they're that hard and uncomfortable you'd never be able to geta bit of real rest on 'em; to say nothing of Purchas or me coming in,off and on, during the night to look at the clock, or the barometer, orwhat not, and disturbing you. Besides, you'd be in our way there. No,that won't do; that won't do at all. I'll be shot if I can see any wayout of it but to make you up a shakedown in the longboat. She's gotnothing in her except her own gear--which we can clear out. Thejolly-boat is turned over on top of her, making a capital roof to yourhouse, so that you'll sleep dry and comfortable. Why, she'll make afirst-rate cabin for ye, and you'll have her all to yourself. There'ssome boards on the top of the galley that we can lay fore and aft on theboat's thwarts, and there's plenty of sails in the sail locker to makeye a bed. Why," he exclaimed, in admiration of his own ingenuity, "whenall's done you'll have the most comfortable cabin in the ship! Dashedif I wouldn't take it myself if it wasn't for the look it would havewith the men. But that argument don't apply to you, mister."
"Leslie," cut in the latter once more, detecting, as he believed, anattempt on the part of the skipper to revert to his originalobjectionable style of address.
"Yes, Leslie--thanks. I think I've got the hang of your name now,"returned Potter. "As I was saying, that argument don't apply to you,seein' that the men know how short of accommodation we are aft. Now,how d'ye think the longboat arrangement will suit ye?"
"Oh, I have no doubt it will do well enough," answered Leslie, although,for some reason that he could not quite explain to himself, he felt thathe would rather have been berthed below. "As you say, I shall at leasthave the place to myself; I can turn in and turn out when I like; and Ishall disturb nobody, nor will anybody disturb me. Yes; the arrangementwill do quite well. And many thanks to you for making it."
"Well, that's settled, then," agreed the skipper, in tones ofconsiderable satisfaction. "Mr Purchas," he continued, "let some ofthe hands turn-to at once to get those planks off the top of the galleyand into the longboat, while others rouse a few of the oldest andsoftest of the sails out of the locker to make Mr--Mr Leslie a good,comfortable bed. And, with regard to payment," he continued, turningrather shamefacedl
y to Leslie, "business is business; and if you don'tmind we'll have the matter down on paper, in black and white. If youwere poor folks, now, or you an ordinary sailor-man," he explained, "Iwouldn't charge either of ye a penny piece. But it's easy to see thatyou're a nob--a navy man, a regular brass-bounder, if I'm not mistaken--and as such you can well afford it; while, as for the lady, anybody withhalf an eye can see that she's a regular tip-topper, thoroughbred, andall that, so she can afford it too; while I'm a poor man, and am likelyto be to the end of my days."
"Quite so," assented Leslie. "There is not the least need forexplanation or apology, I assure you. Neither Miss Trevor nor I willwillingly be indebted to you for the smallest thing; nor shall we be,upon the terms that I have suggested. I shall feel perfectly easy in mymind upon that score, knowing as well as you do that we shall be payingmost handsomely for the best that you can possibly give us. And now, atlast, I hope we very clearly understand each other."
So saying, he turned away and, walking forward to where Purchas wassuperintending the removal of the planks referred to by the skipper, heasked the mate if he could oblige him with the loan of a pipe and thegift of a little tobacco.
"Of course I can," answered Purchas, cordially. "At least, I can giveye a pipe of a sort--a clay; I buys about six shillin's worth every timeI starts upon a voyage. I get 'em at a shop in the Commercial Road, atthe rate of fifteen for a shillin'! I find it pays a lot better thanbuyin' four briars at one-and-six apiece; for, you see, when you've lostor smashed four briars, why, they're done for; but when you've lost orsmashed four clays--and I find that they last a'most as long as briars--why, I've still a good stock of pipes to fall back upon. If a clay isgood enough for ye, ye're welcome to one, or a dozen if ye like."
"Oh, thanks," laughed Leslie; "one will be sufficient until I have lostor broken it; then, maybe, I will trespass upon your generosity to theextent of begging another."
"Right you are," said the mate, cordially. "I'll slip down below andfetch ye one, and a cake o' baccy. I'll not be gone a moment."
And away the man went, eager, as most British sailors are, to do akindness to a fellow-sailor in distress. He speedily returned with anew short clay, and a cake of tobacco, which he handed to Leslie withthe remark that he knew what it was to be without pipe or tobacco, andcould therefore sympathise with him. Leslie was soon deep in theenjoyment of the first smoke that he had had for some eighteen hours;and while he was still at it he saw Miss Trevor emerge from thecompanion and gaze somewhat anxiously about her.
As she stepped out on deck, Potter, who had been leaning moodily overthe quarter-deck rail, puffing away at a strong cigar, sprang uprightand advanced eagerly toward her, with one hand held out, and his cap inthe other. She returned his somewhat grotesque bow with a coldstateliness for which Leslie felt that he could have hugged her; andthen, seeing that the man would not be denied, she allowed her hand torest in his for just the barest fraction of a second. As Leslieapproached, he heard Potter anxiously inquiring after her welfare, anddoing the honours of his ship generally, with a ludicrous affectation ofmanner that amused him greatly, and even brought the ghost of a smile tothe face of the girl.
Leslie made the polite inquiries demanded by the occasion, learning inreturn that Miss Trevor felt very much better for her long rest; andthen he turned to the skipper, and said--
"Before going below I mentioned to your mate that some wreckage--apparently from the _Golden Fleece_--was floating at no great distance;and I left a message with him for you, suggesting that you should rundown and examine it, upon the off-chance that there might be some peopleclinging to it. Did you do so?"
"I did not, sir," answered Potter. "I'd have you know, in the firstplace, Mister--Leslie--if that's your name--that I'm cap'n aboard my ownship, and take orders from nobody but my owners. In the next place, Itook a good look at the wreckage through the glass, and saw that therewas nobody on it; so, you see, there was no use in running the brig awayoff her course."
"But, my good fellow--" remonstrated Leslie.
"Now, look here," broke in Potter, "don't you try to come the officerover me, and dictate to me what I shall do, or what I shan't do; becauseI won't have it. I satisfied myself that there was nobody upon thatwreckage; and that's enough."
"I presume you have no objection to my satisfying _myself_ also thatthere is nobody upon it?" returned Leslie, keeping his temper admirablyin face of the other's offensive manner. "If you will kindly lend methe ship's glass, I will go up into the main-top and have a look formyself."
"So you don't trust me, eh?" sneered Potter. "Well, you'll just haveto, whether you like it or not. I refuse to let you use the ship'sglass; I forbid you to touch it; it's the only glass aboard; and I'm notgoing to risk the loss of it by trusting it to a man who may clumsilydrop it overboard for aught that I can tell."
"Very well," said Leslie; "if you choose to be uncivil and offensive, Icannot help it. At all events, I will take a look for myself."
And, so saying, he sprang into the main rigging and danced up theratlines at a pace that made the shellbacks on deck stare in wonderment.
"Come down out of my rigging, you; d'ye hear?" roared Potter. "Comedown, I say. How dare you take such liberties aboard my ship? D'yehear what I say?" as Leslie grasped the futtock shrouds and lightly drewhimself over the rim of the top. "If you don't come down at once I'llsend a couple of hands aloft to fetch ye."
Taking not the slightest notice of the man's ravings, Leslie stood,lightly grasping the topmast rigging in one hand while he shaded hiseyes with the other, gazing intently away to the westward meanwhile. Atfirst he could see nothing; but presently, being remarkably keen ofsight, he caught what he was looking for, some three miles away. Atthis distance it was of course quite impossible to discern details withthe unaided eye; but as he gazed the impression grew upon him ofsomething moving there; the suggestion conveyed was that of a flutteringor waving movement, as though some one were endeavouring to attract theattention of those on board the brig. And the longer he gazed, thestronger grew the conviction that there really was some living thingupon that floating mass of wreckage. He stared at it until his eyesached; and finally he hailed--
"On deck there! I am almost certain that you are mistaken in yoursupposition that there is no one on that wreckage. I cannot of coursebe absolutely sure without the glass; but _with_ it, there could be nopossibility of mistake. Captain Potter, I appeal to you, as one sailorto another; I appeal to your humanity; send me up the glass that I mayset this question at rest. Surely you would not willingly or knowinglyleave a fellow-creature to perish miserably, rather than take thetrouble to investigate--"
"Will you come down out of that, or won't you?" demanded Potter,angrily:
Then, seeing that Leslie was again gazing eagerly out across the glassysurface of the water, the skipper shouted--
"Bill and Tom, up with you both into the main-top and fetch that mandown. If he won't come peaceably, heave him down! I'm cap'n of thisship, and I don't mean to allow anybody aboard her to disobey my orders.Now, hurry, you swabs; no skulking, or I'll freshen your way for youwith the end of this fore-brace." And he threateningly threw a coil ofstout rope off a belaying-pin by way of hastening the movements of thetwo men.
Looking down on deck, Leslie saw the seamen spring with some alacrityinto the main rigging, and then continue their ascent with exaggerateddeliberateness, mumbling to each other meanwhile. And as they did so,he saw Miss Trevor step quickly to Potter's side and lay her hand uponhis arm as she spoke to him--pleadingly, if he might judge by her wholeattitude, and the low-toned accents of her voice. He saw Potter seizeher hand and tuck it under his arm, patting it caressingly for aninstant ere she snatched it away indignantly and walked from him to theother side of the deck; and then the heads of the two men, Bill and Tom,showed over the rim of the top.
"Better come down, sir," said one of them. "The skipper 've got a veryqueer temper, as you may see, sir; and if you don
't come he'll lay theblame on to us; and'll think nothin' of takin' it out of us with arope's-end."
"Come up here into the top, both of you," commanded Leslie. "Nevertrouble about your skipper and his temper. I believe there is some onealive, on that wreckage away yonder, and I shall be glad to have youropinions upon the matter. Now," as they joined him in the top, "thereis the wreckage, about two points on the starboard quarter. Do you seeit?"
"Ay, ay sir; I sees it, plain enough," answered the man named Bill;while his companion, Tom, replied, "Yes; I can see something afloat outthere, certingly; but I wouldn't like to take it upon me to say what itis."
"Very well," said Leslie, turning to Bill; "you appear to have tolerablygood eyes--"
"Main-top, there," interrupted Potter, "are you coming down out of that,or aren't you? If you're not, say the word, and I'll come up myself andstart the lot of you."
"For the Lord's sake, sir, go down, I beg ye; or there'll be somethinglike murder up here in a brace of shakes, if the skipper keeps hisword," exclaimed Tom, in accents of consternation.
"Leave your skipper to me; I will undertake to keep him in order if heis ill-advised enough to come up here. Now," he resumed, turning againto Bill, "you seem to have reasonably good eyes. Look carefully at thatwreckage, and tell me whether you can see anything having the appearanceof a man waving a shirt, or something of the kind."
The man looked long and intently, gazing out under the sharp of hishand; and presently he turned to Leslie and said--
"Upon my word, sir, I do believe you're right; there _do_ seem to besomething a wavin' over there--"
The sharp crack of a pistol and the whistle of a ballet close past theminterrupted the man's speech; and, looking down, they saw Potterstanding aft near the lashed wheel with a smoking revolver in his hand,which he still pointed threateningly at the top.
The two men, without another word, flung themselves simultaneously overthe edge of the top and made their way precipitately down the rigging,while Leslie, swinging himself on to the topmast-backstay, slid lightlydown it, reaching the deck some seconds ahead of them. He alightedclose alongside Miss Trevor, who, with her hands clutched tightlytogether, stood, the image of terror, gazing with horrified eyes at theskipper.
In two bounds Leslie reached Potter's side.
"You scoundrel! you infernal scoundrel!" he exclaimed, as with one handhe wrenched away the revolver, while with the other he seized the fellowby the throat and shook him savagely. "What do you mean by suchinfamous conduct? Do you realise that you might have killed one of us?Have you gone mad; or what is the matter with you? Answer me, quick, orI will choke the life out of you!"
And, with a final shake that went near to dislocating Potter's neck,Leslie flung the fellow furiously from him, dashing him against the railwith such violence that, after staggering stupidly for a moment, he sankto the deck, sitting there in a dazed condition.
The mate and three or four of the crew came running aft at thisjuncture, with some indefinite idea of interfering; then paused, gazinguncertainly from one to the other, evidently undecided as to whataction, if any, they ought to take. They looked at the mate; and themate looked at Leslie.
"You had better take him below, and let him lie down for a while, MrPurchas," said Leslie, assuming quite naturally the direction ofaffairs. "And when you have done so," he continued, "I shall be obligedif you will kindly afford me the opportunity for a few minutes'conversation."
"All right," answered the mate, "I will. Yes, that'll be best; let'stake him below into my cabin. Lay hold here, Bill, and give me a handto get the skipper down the companion ladder."
With some difficulty they got Potter below and into the mate's cabin,where they laid him in the bunk and, making him as comfortable as theycould, left him to recover his scattered faculties. Meanwhile, Leslie,catching sight of the ship's telescope hanging in beckets in thecompanion-way, took possession of it and, slipping the revolver into hisjacket pocket, again ascended to the main-top; from which elevation, andwith the aid of the telescope, he quickly satisfied himself that therecertainly _was_ at least one living person clinging to the wreckage andintermittently waving what looked like a strip of canvas, with theevident design of attracting the brig's attention.
By the time that he had assured himself of this fact, Purchas hadreturned to the deck; seeing which, Leslie beckoned him up into the top.
"Look here, Purchas," he said, as the mate scrambled over the rim andstood beside him, "I was right in my surmise, there _is_ some livingperson, or persons, on that wreckage. Take the glass and satisfyyourself of the truth of my statement."
The mate took the glass, and presently, removing the instrument from hiseye, turned to Leslie.
"You are right, Mr Leslie," he said, "there _is_ somebody there, I cansee him wavin' something. Now, the question is, what's to be done? Thesun's pretty near settin', and it'll be dark in half an hour orthereabouts."
"The more need that you should arrive at a prompt decision," interruptedLeslie. "Now, if I may advise, what I would suggest is this. Let mehave the quarter-boat and four hands. I will go down to the wreck andbring off anybody who may be upon it, and if it falls dark before wereturn, hoist a lantern to the peak, as a guide to us, and we shall thenhave no difficulty in finding the brig."
The mate considered for a moment. Then--
"All right," he said, "I'll take upon myself the responsibility ofagreein' to that. The skipper'll be madder than ever when he finds outwhat we've done; but I don't care for that, I'm not goin' to leave afeller-creature to die on no wreckage, if I can help it. And if theskipper makes a fuss about it, the authorities at home 'll bear me out."
"Of course they will," assented Leslie. "And now that we have settledthat point, the sooner a start is made the better. So please call forfour volunteers to go with me in the boat, and I'll be off."
Then, while Purchas went forward to muster a boat's crew, Leslie walkedover to where Miss Trevor stood.
"Oh, Mr Leslie," she exclaimed, "what a _dreadful_ man the captain ofthis ship is! Is he mad; or what is it that makes him behave in sohorribly violent a manner?"
"Simply overweening conceit of himself, and an enormously exaggeratedopinion of his own importance as master of this ridiculous little brig;together with, perhaps, an unusually violent and ungovernable temper, Iimagine," answered Leslie, with a smile. "I am afraid," he continued,"that those mad antics of his with his revolver must have been ratherterrifying to you. However, that sort of thing will not occur again--unless he happens to have another of them--for I have the weapon now,and intend to retain possession of it until we are able to take ourleave of him, which I hope will be ere long. Meanwhile, I am going awayin a boat, for about half an hour, to take a man--or, it may be, awoman--off that wreckage that we were trying to reach this morning whenwe sighted this brig. It is still quite close at hand, and I shall notbe gone very long. And during my absence Purchas will look after youand see that you come to no harm. He is a good fellow, in his way, andwill not allow our mad friend to interfere with you."
"Thank you," she answered, with a shade of the old hauteur in the tonesof her voice; "I am not in the least afraid. Mad though the man may be,I do not think he will attempt to molest me."
"No," acknowledged Leslie, who had not failed to observe Potter'sundisguised admiration of the girl, "to be perfectly frank with you, Ido not think he will. Ah, here come the men who are going with me inthe boat. I must say _au revoir_!"
"Good-bye, for the present," answered Miss Trevor; "I hope you will besuccessful."
"Now then, lads," said Leslie, as the men came aft and began to cast offthe gripes, "we have no time to lose. The sun will set in another tenminutes, and then it will very soon be dark. We must look lively, or weshall not reach that wreckage without having a troublesome search forit. Ah, that is all right," as he stood on the rail and looked into theboat, "I see that her gear is all in her, and that you have kept hertight by leaving s
ome water in her. We may as well get rid of thatwater before we lower her."
And so saying, he stepped into the little craft, and, pulling out theplug, allowed the water to run off.
"We are all ready for lowerin', sir," sang out one of the men,presently.
"Then lower at once," answered Leslie, as he pushed back the plug intoits place, "and then jump down into her as quickly as you like."
In another moment the boat squelched gently into the water; the mentumbled over the brig's low side into her and unhooked the tackleblocks; the man who was going to pull the bow oar raised it in his handsand with it bore the boat's bow off the ship's side; the other three menthrew out their oars; and Leslie crying, "Give way, men," as he graspedthe yoke lines, the little craft started on her errand of mercy, headingstraight for the wreckage, the bearings of which in relation to the fastsetting sun, Leslie had very carefully taken just before the boat waslowered.
It was at this moment absolutely a flat calm; there was not the faintestbreath of air stirring anywhere in the great dome of cloudless sky thatoverarched the brig; the swell had subsided until it was scarcelyperceptible; and the whole surface of the sea gleamed like a polishedmirror, faithfully reflecting the rich blue of the sky to the eastward--against which the commonplace little brig, illumined by the brilliantruddy orange light of the setting sun, glowed like a gem of exquisitebeauty--while away to the westward it repeated with equal fidelity theburning glories of the dying day.
The sun was just vanishing beneath the horizon when Leslie caught hisfirst glimpse of the raft from the stern-sheets of the boat, in which hestood, instead of sitting, in order that he might extend his horizon asmuch as possible. For the next five minutes he was able to steer by theglow of the sunset in the sky; but by the end of this time the glow hadfaded to a tender grey, and the night descended upon them almost withthe rapidity of a falling curtain. The western sky no longer afforded abeacon to steer by, and Leslie found himself obliged to turn round andsteer backwards, as it were, by the brig. But in the fast gatheringgloom she soon became too indefinite an object to be reliable, Lesliewas therefore obliged to face about once more and select a star for hisguidance.
The men had been pulling with a will for a full half-hour when suddenlythe man who was wielding the bow oar arrested his movements, holding hisdripping blade just clear of the surface of the water, as he cried--
"Hark! did ye hear that, sir?"
"What?" demanded Leslie.
The other three men suspended their efforts as the first man replied--
"Why, I thought I heard somebody singin' out, somewheres. Ay, I wasright," he continued, as a faint "Hillo!" came pealing softly across thedarkling surface of the water.
"Hillo!" answered Leslie, sending a stentorian shout ahead through hishollow hands.
"Boat ahoy!" came the answering shout.
"Give way briskly, men," cried Leslie; "the sound seems to be comingfrom straight ahead. We shall get a sight of something now in a fewminutes."
The men resumed their pulling with a will, encouraged by the fact thatthe shouts kept up by the unseen man were rapidly becoming clearer, moreaudible, and evidently nearer. Suddenly a dark mass loomed up ahead andanother cry told them that they were close aboard the wreckage.
"Oars!" commanded Leslie. The men ceased pulling, and the individualupon the wreckage shouted--
"Boat ahoy! you'll have to pull right round this raffle, and come up ont'other side afore you'll be able to take me off. You can't getalongside of me from where you are; there's too much yard-arm andsplintered spar stickin' out in that direction. And I daren't jumpoverboard and swim to you, for I've been blockaded all day by sharks--see, there's one of them now, close alongside of ye!"
And looking over the side, the crew of the boat beheld, revealed as ashape of fire in the highly phosphorescent sea, a monster of fullytwenty feet in length or more, swimming rapidly along, a few feet belowthe surface; while, some half-a-dozen yards away, a second suddenlyrevealed his presence.
"All right," answered Leslie, "stay where you are; we will pull round tothe other side."
So said, so done; and five minutes later they had got the man--the onlyoccupant of the wreckage as it proved--safe aboard the boat, and werepulling back towards the brig, now barely discernible as a small, faint,indistinct dark blot against the blue-black, star-spangled sky, with heranchor light hoisted to the gaff-end as a guide to the returning rescueparty.
The rescued man proved to be--as Leslie had already guessed from thefellow's manner of speech--one of the foremast hands of the _GoldenFleece_. Like Leslie, he had been dragged under when the ship wentdown, but in his downward journey had encountered what proved to be aloose cork fender, to which he had clung desperately. The buoyancy ofthe fender was sufficient to immediately check his descent into thedepths, and ultimately to take him back to the surface, where he foundhimself close alongside a mass of top-hamper, consisting of the ship'sfore-topmast with all attached, that had torn itself adrift from thewreck when she went down; and to this he had at once swam, and takenrefuge upon it. He told a pathetic tale of the despair that had seizedhim, when, at dawn, he had found himself the sole survivor, as hesupposed, of the catastrophe; and of the alternations of hope anddespair that had been his throughout the day when the brig appeared insight, drifted up to within three short miles of him, and there laybecalmed. The most distressing part of his experience, perhaps,consisted in the fact that, although an excellent swimmer, and quitecapable of covering the distance between himself and the brig, he hadfound himself beset by a school of sharks, and therefore dared notforsake the refuge of the wreckage, and take to the water.
Upon the return of the boat to the brig, Leslie learned from the matethat Potter was still in his bunk, and that the dazed feeling resultingfrom the blow that he had sustained when thrown against the rail stillseemed to be as acute as ever. Purchas, indeed, seemed to be growingrather anxious about him; and eagerly inquired of Leslie whether thelatter happened to know anything about medicine; as he thought the timehad arrived when something ought to be done to help the man back to hissenses. Medicine, however, was a branch of science about which Lesliehappened to know little or nothing; but he readily acceded to Purchas'ssuggestion that he should have a look at the patient; and accordingly--although by this time a substantial meal was set out upon the brig'scabin table, and the ex-lieutenant felt himself quite prepared to doample justice to it--he forthwith descended to the cabin in which theskipper was lying; and, having knocked at the door without getting areply, entered.
It was the same cabin in which he himself had enjoyed some hours ofsleep after his long spell in the water, and Potter was lying stretchedat full length upon the bunk that he had previously occupied. A smalloil lamp, screwed to the bulkhead, afforded a fairly good light, by theaid of which Leslie saw that the man was lying with his eyes wide-open,and the eyeballs turned slightly upward, apparently staring at the deckabove him. But the gaze was without intelligence; and the fellowappeared to be quite unconscious of his surroundings, for he took nonotice whatever of Leslie's entrance; nor did the eyes waver in theleast when the latter spoke to him, Leslie laid his hand upon theforehead of his late antagonist, and found it cool to the touch,although clammy with perspiration. Then he laid his fingers upon theman's wrist, and felt for his pulse, which appeared to be normal.Beyond the dazed condition which the man exhibited, there did not appearto be much the matter with him; and when at length Leslie left him andentered the main cabin--at the table of which he found Purchas and MissTrevor seated, discussing the viands before them--he said as much;adding his opinion that the condition in which he found the skipperwould probably end in sleep, and that the man would no doubt be allright in the morning. The conversation then turned to other matters,the mate remarking that he supposed the skipper's indisposition meant anall-night job on deck for him (the mate); whereupon Leslie expressed hisreadiness to take charge of a watch until Potter should be able toresume duty--an offer w
hich Purchas gladly accepted. It was arrangedthat, as the preceding night had been a very trying one for Leslie, heshould take the middle watch; and accordingly, when the meal was over,as Miss Trevor, pleading fatigue, retired to the cabin that Potter hadgiven up to her, Leslie sought the seclusion of his quarters in thelongboat, which had been made ready for him, and was soon wrapped insound and dreamless sleep.
He was called at midnight by Purchas, who reported to him with someuneasiness that there was no change in the skipper's condition. Thenight was still beautifully fine, and the weather a flat calm; there wastherefore nothing calling for Leslie's immediate attention, and hereadily assented to Purchas's urgent solicitation that he should takeanother look at the patient, and say what he thought of his condition.Upon descending to the stuffy little cabin he found that, as the matehad reported, there was no marked change in Potter's condition; he stilllay, as before, without movement, his unseeing eyes upturned, andapparently quite unconscious of the presence of the two men who bentover him. The only difference noticeable to Leslie was that the man'sbreathing seemed to be somewhat stertorous.
"Well, what d'ye think of him?" anxiously demanded Purchas, when atlength Leslie raised himself from his examination.
"To be quite candid with you, Purchas," answered Leslie, "I scarcelyknow what to think; but I am afraid the man's condition is somewhat moreserious than I thought it to be when I last visited him. I must confessthat I do not like this long spell of wakefulness combined withunconsciousness of his surroundings. What is actually wrong I am sorrythat I cannot say, but the symptoms appear to me to point to an injuryof the brain. You have a medicine-chest on board, I suppose?"
"Oh yes," answered Purchas. "It is in the skipper's cabin."
"Um!" remarked Leslie. "That is awkward. We cannot very well gainaccess to it just now without disturbing Miss Trevor; and I do not thinkthat the case is urgent enough to demand that we should do that. Butto-morrow morning, as soon as the young lady is out of her cabin, wewill get that medicine-chest and overhaul the book of directions that Ihave no doubt we shall find in it; and perhaps we shall discover adescription of symptoms somewhat similar to those exhibited by yourskipper. And, if so, we will try the remedies recommended. Now I wouldadvise you to turn in; and don't worry about the skipper, for I have nodoubt that we shall be able to pull him round all right. And perhapsthis will be a lesson to him to keep his temper under somewhat bettercontrol."
"Well, I'm sure I hope it will," answered Purchas. "If it does that, Ishan't be sorry that this has happened; for I can tell you, Mr Leslie,that when the `old man' gets his back up, as he did this afternoon,things grow pretty excitin' aboard this hooker. Well, good night; andif anything happens atween this and eight bells, you might give me acall--not but what I expect you're a far better sailor-man than what Iam."
"Oh, that's all right," laughed Leslie; "I think you may trust me totake care of this three-decker of yours. But if anything happens, and Ifind myself at a loss, I will not fail to call you. Good night!"
And, so saying, Leslie left the cabin and, making his way up on deck,took a sailor-like look at the brilliantly star-lit sky that stretchedcloudless all round the brig from zenith to horizon, as he thoughtfullyfilled and lit his pipe.
To tell the truth, he was less easy in his mind touching Potter'scondition than he had allowed Purchas to see. That the man wassomething more than merely stunned was now undeniable; and although theinjury might not in itself be serious, the complete ignorance of Purchasand himself in relation to medical and surgical matters might possiblylead to wrong treatment that, in its turn, might result in complicationsending, who could say where? Of course the man had only himself tothank for it; his conduct had been provocative to the last degree; yetLeslie had been animated by no vindictive feeling when he had attackedthe man, still less had he intended to inflict any serious injury uponhim; he had, indeed, acted solely in self-defence in taking the fellow'srevolver away from him; and as to the violence that had accompanied theact--well he himself considered it perfectly excusable under thecircumstances; and so, he believed, would any unprejudiced person.Nevertheless, he regretted the incident; he would much rather that ithad not happened; and while dismissing the subject from his mind, forthe moment, he resolved that henceforth he would keep himself muchbetter in hand in his dealings with the man.
The calm continued throughout Leslie's watch; and when at eight bells heturned over the charge of the deck to Purchas, the brig, save for anoccasional lazy and almost imperceptible heave on the now invisibleswell, was as motionless as a house.
When, however, Purchas called him at seven bells--thus allowing him timeto wash and dress in readiness for breakfast at eight o'clock, Lesliefound, upon turning out, that while the morning was as gloriously fineas the preceding night had been, the brilliant blue of the sky overheadwas streaked here and there with light touches of cirrus cloud, theforerunners of a breeze that was already wrinkling the surface of theazure sea and causing it to sparkle as though strewed with diamond dustin the wake of the sun, while it just filled the brig's sailssufficiently to keep them asleep and give the old tub steerage-way. Thewatch were just finishing off the task of washing decks; the men goingover the streaming planks with swabs and squeegees, to remove thesuperfluous water, while Purchas, sitting on the stern grating, wasdrying his bare feet with a towel preparatory to drawing on his socksand shoes. Miss Trevor was not visible.
The mate, having bade Leslie good morning, proceeded to inform him thatthe breeze, which was breathing out from the eastward, had come up withthe sun, and that he hoped it would freshen as the day grew older;winding up with an earnest aspiration that it would last long enough torun them into the "Trades." Then, having donned his foot coverings, hedrew Leslie aside, out of hearing of the helmsman, to impart theinformation that, having visited the "old man's" cabin an hourpreviously, he had found him no better, and that he was beginning tofeel "downright anxious" about him.
Hearing this, Leslie proposed that they should both go down together, toinvestigate Potter's condition; and Purchas eagerly acquiescing, theypresently found themselves once more bending over the sick man.
As the mate had said, there was no perceptible change in the skipper'sappearance, save that, as Leslie thought, his breathing was a triflemore stertorous. He was lying in precisely the same attitude that hehad assumed when first placed in the bunk; indeed, the two men agreedthat, so far as they could see, he had not moved a limb from thatmoment. While they stood there together, discussing the man'sdisconcerting condition, faint rustling, as of garments, outside thecabin door, accompanied by light footsteps upon the companion ladder,apprised them of the fact that Miss Trevor was moving, and had gone ondeck; whereupon Leslie went out and followed her. He found her standingjust to windward of the companion, gazing with visible delight at thebrilliant and sparkling scene around her. She had evidently restedwell, for she looked as fresh and wholesome as the morning itself; andalthough her costume was somewhat shrunken, and showed here and therepatches of whitish discolouration from its long immersion in the sea,she still presented a picture of grace calculated to charm the mostfastidious eye.
Lifting his cap, Leslie stepped forward and greeted her, bidding hergood morning, and remarking that he hoped she had slept as well as herappearance seemed to suggest; to which she replied, laughingly, that shehad, and that she hoped she could return the compliment.
"Oh yes," answered Leslie; "I have slept admirably, thanks. I have hadeight hours in, and four hours--the four hours of the middle watch--ondeck, having undertaken to stand watch and watch with Purchas during theskipper's indisposition, the mention of which brings me to the point ofasking you, Miss Trevor, whether you will permit me to enter your cabinfor the purpose of removing a medicine-chest that, I understand from themate, is there."
"Yes, certainly," assented the girl, "you may enter it at once, if youwish, Mr Leslie. I have tidied it up myself this morning, and intendto do so regularly in future; it w
ill provide me with something to do.But you spoke of Captain Potter's indisposition. Is he unwell, then?"
"Why, yes," said Leslie; "he appears to be. The fact is, that he hasnot yet recovered from the blow that he received yesterday evening whenhe forced upon me the disagreeable necessity to disarm him. He has lainunconscious the whole night through, without moving so much as a muscle,so far as one can see; and, to tell you the whole truth, Purchas and Iare beginning to feel more than a trifle uneasy about him. Hence myrequest for permission to have access to the medicine-chest."
"Oh dear, I am _so_ sorry," exclaimed the girl, a note of concern atonce entering her voice. "Pray go at once, Mr Leslie, I beg, and dowhatever you may deem necessary. I _hope_ it will not prove that thecaptain is seriously injured; it will be so--so--very--embarrassing foryou."
"Well," answered Leslie, "of course I should be very sorry if, as yousay, anything serious were to happen; but, even so, the man will onlyhave himself to thank for it."
And, with this attempt to justify himself, Leslie raised his cap again,and vanished down the companion-way.
As his footsteps sounded on the companion ladder, Purchas emerged fromthe cabin occupied by Potter, and joined him.