Part 11 (2/2)

”Eh?” said Jaskett, in the interval.

Stubbins continued, without noticing the query. He appeared to be answering some half-formed thought in his own brain, rather than Jaskett:

”Things is queer--an' it's been a bad job tonight. I don't savvy one bit what Williams was sayin' of hup aloft. I've thought sometimes he'd somethin' on 'is mind--”

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.”

VI

_Another Man to the Wheel_

The conversation had slacked off. We were all moody and shaken, and I know I, for one, was thinking some rather troublesome thoughts.

Suddenly, I heard the sound of the Second's whistle. Then his voice came along the deck:

”Another man to the wheel!”

”'e's singin' out for some one to go aft an' relieve ther wheel,” said Quoin, who had gone to the door to listen. ”Yer'd better 'urry up, Plummer.”

”What's ther time?” asked Plummer, standing up and knocking out his pipe. ”Must be close on ter four bells, 'oo's next wheel is it?”

”It's all right, Plummer,” I said, getting up from the chest on which I had been sitting. ”I'll go along. It's my wheel, and it only wants a couple of minutes to four bells.”

Plummer sat down again, and I went out of the fo'cas'le. Reaching the p.o.o.p, I met Tammy on the lee side, pacing up and down.

”Who's at the wheel?” I asked him, in astonishment.

”The Second Mate,” he said, in a shaky sort of voice. ”He's waiting to be relieved. I'll tell you all about it as soon as I get a chance.”

I went on aft to the wheel.

”Who's that?” the Second inquired.

”It's Jessop, Sir,” I answered.

He gave me the course, and then, without another word, went forrard along the p.o.o.p. On the break, I heard him call Tammy's name, and then for some minutes he was talking to him; though what he was saying, I could not possibly hear. For my part, I was tremendously curious to know why the Second Mate had taken the wheel. I knew that if it were just a matter of bad steering on Tammy's part, he would not have dreamt of doing such a thing. There had been something queer happening, about which I had yet to learn; of this, I felt sure.

Presently, the Second Mate left Tammy, and commenced to walk the weather side of the deck. Once he came right aft, and, stooping down, peered under the wheel-box; but never addressed a word to me. Sometime later, he went down the weather ladder on to the main-deck. Directly afterwards, Tammy came running up to the lee side of the wheel-box.

”I've seen it again!” he said, gasping with sheer nervousness.

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