Part 33 (1/2)

”If there are,” I said. ”You can pray to G.o.d that they won't stumble across us. It strikes me that whether they're ghosts, or not ghosts, they're blood-gutted pirates.

”It seems horrible,” he said solemnly, ”to be talking seriously like this, about--you know, about such things.”

”I've tried to stop thinking that way,” I told him. ”I've felt I should go cracked, if I didn't. There's d.a.m.ned queer things happen at sea, I know; but this isn't one of them.”

”It seems so strange and unreal, one moment, doesn't it?” he said. ”And the next, you _know_ it's really true, and you can't understand why you didn't always know. And yet they'd never believe, if you told them ash.o.r.e about it.”

”They'd believe, if they'd been in this packet in the middle watch this morning,” I said.

”Besides,” I went on. ”They don't understand. We didn't ... I shall always feel different now, when I read that some packet hasn't been heard of.”

Tammy stared at me.

”I've heard some of the old sh.e.l.lbacks talking about things,” he said.

”But I never took them really seriously.”

”Well,” I said. ”I guess we'll have to take this seriously. I wish to G.o.d we were home!”

”My G.o.d! so do I,” he said.

For a good while after that, we both worked on in silence; but, presently, he went off on another tack.

”Do you think we'll really shorten her down every night before it gets dark?” he asked.

”Certainly,” I replied. ”They'll never get the men to go aloft at night, after what's happened.”

”But, but--supposing they _ordered_ us aloft--” he began.

”Would you go?” I interrupted.

”No!” he said, emphatically. ”I'd jolly well be put in irons first!”

”That settles it, then,” I replied. ”You wouldn't go, nor would any one else.”

At this moment the Second Mate came along.

”Shove that mat and that sinnet away, you two,” he said. ”Then get your brooms and clear up.”

”i, i, Sir,” we said, and he went on forrard.

”Jump on the house, Tammy,” I said. ”And let go the other end of this rope, will you?”

”Right” he said, and did as I had asked him. When he came back, I got him to give me a hand to roll up the mat, which was a very large one.

”I'll finish stopping it,” I said. ”You go and put your sinnet away.”

”Wait a minute,” he replied, and gathered up a double handful of shakins from the deck, under where I had been working. Then he ran to the side.

”Here!” I said. ”Don't go dumping those. They'll only float, and the Second Mate or the Skipper will be sure to spot them.”