Part 39 (1/2)
”It's a sha hard all day, that we cannot have an uninterrupted night's sleep,” I coer now? from a blind man?” she queried
”I shall never be able to trust him,” I averred, ”and far less now that he is blind The liability is that his part helplessness will nant than ever I knohat I shall do to-e the schooner off the beach And each night e come ashore in the boat, Mr Wolf Larsen will be left a prisoner on board So this will be the last night we have to stand watch, and because of that it will go the easier”
We were awake early and just finishi+ng breakfast as daylight came
”Oh, Humphrey!” I heard Maud cry in dis at the Ghost I followed her gaze, but could see nothing unusual She looked at me, and I looked inquiry back
”The shears,” she said, and her voice treain, but could not see theely
She put her hand syin over again”
”Oh, believe ; I could not hurt a fly,” I smiled back bitterly ”And the worst of it is, he knows it You are right If he has destroyed the shears, I shall do nothing except begin over again”
”But I'll stand my watch on board hereafter,” I blurted out a moment later ”And if he interferes-”
”But I dare not stay ashore all night alone,” Maud was saying when I came back to myself ”It would be so much nicer if he would be friendly with us and help us We could all live coely, for the destruction of my beloved shears had hit me hard ”That is, you and I will live aboard, friendly or not with Wolf Larsen”
”It's childish,” I laughed later, ”for hiry over them, for that matter”
But my heart smote me e climbed aboard and looked at the havoc he had done The shears were gone altogether The guys had been slashed right and left The throat-halyards which I had rigged were cut across through every part And he knew I could not splice A thought struck me I ran to the windlass It would not work He had broken it We looked at each other in consternation Then I ran to the side The one He had found the lines which held them, and cast them adrift
Tears were in Maud's eyes, and I do believe they were for me I could have weptthe Ghost? He had done his ell I sat down on the hatch-co and rested my chin on my hands in black despair
”He deserves to die,” I cried out; ”and God forgive h to be his executioner”
But Maud was by h , ”There, there; it will all coht”
I reainst her; and truly I beca fount of power to me What did it matter? Only a set-back, a delay The tide could not have carried the masts far to seaward, and there had been no wind It meant merely more work to find them and tow them back And besides, it was a lesson I knehat to expect He ht have waited and destroyed our work more effectually e had more accolanced up He was strolling leisurely along the poop on the port side
”Take no notice of hi to see hoe take it Don't let him know that we know We can deny hiht-and carry them in your hand”
And then we played hide-and-seek with the blind man As he came up the port side we slipped past on the starboard; and from the poop atched him turn and start aft on our track
He must have known, so” very confidently, and waited, for the greeting to be returned Then he strolled aft, and we slipped forward
”Oh, I know you're aboard,” he called out, and I could see him listen intently after he had spoken