Part 32 (1/2)

For a little while, the Old Man stared. Then I heard him speak.

”I don't see anything,” he said.

At that, the Second Mate bent more forward and peered down. So did I; but the thing, whatever it was, had gone completely.

”It's gone, Sir,” said the Second. ”It was there right enough when I came for you.”

About a minute later, having finished s.h.i.+pping the gangway, I was going forrard, when the Second's voice called me back

”Tell the Captain what it was you saw just now,” he said, in a low voice.

”I can't say exactly, Sir,” I replied. ”But it seemed to me like the shadow of a s.h.i.+p, rising up through the water.”

”There, Sir,” remarked the Second Mate to the Old Man. ”Just what I told you.”

The Skipper stared at me.

”You're quite sure?” he asked.

”Yes, Sir,” I answered. ”Tammy saw it, too.”

I waited a minute. Then they turned to go aft. The Second was saying something.

”Can I go, Sir?” I asked.

”Yes, that will do, Jessop,” he said, over his shoulder. But the Old Man came back to the break, and spoke to me.

”Remember, not a word of this forrard!” he said.

”No Sir,” I replied, and he went back to the Second Mate; while I walked forrard to the fo'cas'le to get something to eat.

”Your whack's in the kettle, Jessop,” said Tom, as I stepped in over the washboard. ”An' I got your lime-juice in a pannikin.”

”Thanks,” I said, and sat down.

As I stowed away my grub, I took no notice of the chatter of the others.

I was too stuffed with my own thoughts. That shadow of a vessel rising, you know, out of the profound deeps, had impressed me tremendously. It had not been imagination. Three of us had seen it--really four; for Plummer distinctly saw it; though he failed to recognise it as anything extraordinary.

As you can understand, I thought a lot about this shadow of a vessel.

But, I am sure, for a time, my ideas must just have gone in an everlasting, blind circle. And then I got another thought; for I got thinking of the figures I had seen aloft in the early morning; and I began to imagine fresh things. You see, that first thing that had come up over the side, had come _out of the sea_. And it had gone back. And now there was this shadow vessel-thing--ghost-s.h.i.+p I called it. It was a d.a.m.ned good name, too. And the dark, noiseless men ... I thought a lot on these lines. Unconsciously, I put a question to myself, aloud:

”Were they the crew?”

”Eh?” said Jaskett, who was on the next chest.

I took hold of myself, as it were, and glanced at him, in an apparently careless manner.