"Nothing，nothing……Tellme，howmanymenhaveyouinthatyacht？"

"Twenty—three，besidesthegentry，theowner，hiswifeandaSpanishgentleman——afriendtheypickedupinManila。"

"SoyouwerecomingfromManila？"

"Aye。BoundforBatavia。TheownerwishestostudytheDutchcolonialsystem。Wantstoexposeit，hesays。Onecan’thelphearingalotwhenkeepingwatchaft——youknowhowitis。ThenwearegoingtoCeylontomeetthemail—boatthere。Theownerisgoinghomeashecameout，overlandthroughEgypt。TheyachtwouldreturnroundtheCape，ofcourse。"

"Alady？"saidLingard。"Yousaythereisaladyonboard。Areyouarmed？"

"Notmuch，"repliedCarter，negligently。"Thereareafewmusketsandtwosportinggunsaft；that’saboutall——Ifancyit’stoomuch，ornotenough，"headdedwithafaintsmile。

Lingardlookedathimnarrowly。

"Didyoucomeoutfromhomeinthatcraft？"heasked。

"NotI！Iamnotoneofthemregularyachthands。IcameoutofthehospitalinHongkong。I’vebeentwoyearsontheChinacoast。"

Hestopped，thenaddedinanexplanatorymurmur：

"Opiumclippers——youknow。Nothingofbrassbuttonsaboutme。Myshipleftmebehind，andIwasinwantofwork。ItookthisjobbutIdidn’twanttogohomeparticularly。It’sslowworkaftersailingwitholdRobinsonintheLy—e—moon。Thatwasmyship。

Heardofher，Captain？"

"Yes，yes，"saidLingard，hastily。"Lookhere，Mr。Carter，whichwaywasyourchiefofficertryingforSingapore？ThroughtheStraitsofRhio？"

"Isupposeso，"answeredCarterinaslightlysurprisedtone；

"whydoyouask？"

"Justtoknow……Whatisit，Mr。Shaw？"

"There’sablackcloudrisingtothenorthward，sir，andweshallgetabreezedirectly，"saidShawfromthedoorway。

Helingeredtherewithhiseyesfixedonthedecanters。

"Willyouhaveaglass？"saidLingard，leavinghisseat。"Iwillgoupandhavealook。"

Hewentondeck。Shawapproachedthetableandbegantohelphimself，handlingthebottlesinprofoundsilenceandwithexaggeratedcaution，asifhehadbeenmeasuringoutoffragilevesselsadoseofsomedeadlypoison。Carter，hishandsinhispockets，andleaningback，examinedhimfromheadtofootwithacoolstare。Themateofthebrigraisedtheglasstohislips，andglaringabovetherimatthestranger，drainedthecontentsslowly。

"Youhaveafinenoseforfindingshipsinthedark，Mister，"hesaid，distinctly，puttingtheglassonthetablewithextremegentleness。

"Eh？What’sthat？Isightedyoujustaftersunset。"

"Andyouknewwheretolook，too，"saidShaw，staringhard。

"Ilookedtothewestwardwheretherewasstillsomelight，asanysensiblemanwoulddo，"retortedtheotheralittleimpatiently。"Whatareyoutryingtogetat？"

"Andyouhaveareadytonguetoblowaboutyourself——haven’tyou？"

"Neversawsuchamaninmylife，"declaredCarter，withareturnofhisnonchalantmanner。"Youseemtobetroubledaboutsomething。"

"Idon’tlikeboatstocomesneakingupfromnowhereinparticular，alongsideashipwhenIaminchargeofthedeck。I

cankeepalookoutaswellasanymanoutofhomeports，butI

hatetobecircumventedbymuffledoarsandsuchungentlemanliketricks。Yachtofficer——indeed。Theseseasmustbefullofsuchyachtsmen。Iconsideryouplayedameantrickonme。Itoldmyoldmantherewasnothinginsightatsunset——andnomoretherewas。Ibelieveyoublundereduponusbychance——forallyourboastingaboutsunsetsandbearings。Gammon！Iknowyoucameonblindlyontopofus，andwithmuffledoars，too。D’yecallthatdecent？"

"IfIdidmuffletheoarsitwasforagoodreason。Iwantedtoslippastacovewheresomenativecraftweremoored。Thatwascommonprudenceinsuchasmallboat，andnotarmed——asIam。I

sawyourightenough，butIhadnointentiontostartleanybody。

Takemywordforit。"

"Iwishyouhadgonesomewhereelse，"growledShaw。"Ihatetobeputinthewrongthroughaccidentanduntruthfulness——there！

Here’smyoldmancallingme——"

HeleftthecabinhurriedlyandsoonafterwardLingardcamedown，andsatagainfacingCarteracrossthetable。Hisfacewasgravebutresolute。

"Weshallgetthebreezedirectly，"hesaid。

"Then，sir，"saidCarter，gettingup，"ifyouwillgivemebackthatletterIshallgooncruisingaboutheretospeaksomeothership。Itrustyouwillreportuswhereveryouaregoing。"

"IamgoingtotheyachtandIshallkeeptheletter，"answeredLingardwithdecision。"Iknowexactlywheresheis，andImustgototherescueofthosepeople。It’smostfortunateyou’vefalleninwithme，Mr。Carter。Fortunateforthemandfortunateforme，"headdedinalowertone。

"Yes，"drawledCarter，reflectively。"Theremaybeatidybitofsalvagemoneyifyoushouldgetthevesseloff，butIdon’tthinkyoucandomuch。Ihadbetterstayouthereandtrytospeaksomegunboat——"

"Youmustcomebacktoyourshipwithme，"saidLingard，authoritatively。"Nevermindthegunboats。"

"Thatwouldn’tbecarryingoutmyorders，"arguedCarter。"I’vegottospeakahomeward—boundshiporaman—of—war——that’splainenough。Iamnotanxioustoknockaboutfordaysinanopenboat，but——letmefillmyfresh—waterbreaker，Captain，andIwillbeoff。"

"Nonsense，"saidLingard，sharply。"You’vegottocomewithmetoshowtheplaceand——andhelp。I’lltakeyourboatintow。"

Carterdidnotseemconvinced。Lingardlaidaheavyhandonhisshoulder。

"Lookhere，youngfellow。IamTomLingardandthere’snotawhitemanamongtheseislands，andveryfewnatives，thathavenotheardofme。Myluckbroughtyouintomyship——andnowI’vegotyou，youmuststay。Youmust！"

Thelast"must"burstoutloudandsharplikeapistol—shot。

Cartersteppedback。

"Doyoumeanyouwouldkeepmebyforce？"heasked，startled。

"Force，"repeatedLingard。"Itrestswithyou。Icannotletyouspeakanyvessel。Youryachthasgoneashoreinamostinconvenientplace——forme；andwithyourboatssentoffhereandthere，youwouldbringeveryinfernalgunboatbuzzingtoaspotthatwasasquietandretiredastheheartofmancouldwish。Youstrandingjustonthatspotofthewholecoastwasmybadluck。

AndthatIcouldnothelp。Youcominguponmelikethisismygoodluck。AndthatIhold！"

Hedroppedhisclenchedfist，bigandmuscular，inthelightofthelampontheblackcloth，amongsttheglitterofglasses，withthestrongfingersclosedtightuponthefirmfleshofthepalm。

HeleftitthereforamomentasifshowingCarterthatluckhewasgoingtohold。Andhewenton：

"Doyouknowintowhathornet’snestyourstupidpeoplehaveblundered？Howmuchd’yethinktheirlivesareworth，justnow？

Notabrassfarthingifthebreezefailsmeforanothertwenty—fourhours。Youmaywellopenyoureyes。Itisso！Anditmaybetoolatenow，whileIamarguingwithyouhere。"

Hetappedthetablewithhisknuckles，andtheglasses，wakingup，jingledathin，plaintivefinaletohisspeech。Carterstoodleaningagainstthesideboard。Hewasamazedbytheunexpectedturnoftheconversation；hisjawdroppedslightlyandhiseyesneverswervedforamomentfromLingard’sface。Thesilenceinthecabinlastedonlyafewseconds，buttoCarter，whowaitedbreathlessly，itseemedverylong。Andallatonceheheardinit，forthefirsttime，thecabinclocktickdistinctly，inpulsatingbeats，asthoughalittleheartofmetalbehindthedialhadbeenstartedintosuddenpalpitation。

"Agunboat！"shoutedLingard，suddenly，asifhehadseenonlyinthatmoment，bythelightofsomevividflashofthought，allthedifficultiesofthesituation。"Ifyoudon’tgobackwithmetherewillbenothingleftforyoutogobackto——verysoon。Yourgunboatwon’tfindasingleship’sriborasinglecorpseleftforalandmark。Thatshewon’t。Itisn’tagunboatskipperyouwant。Iamthemanyouwant。Youdon’tknowyourluckwhenyouseeit，butIknowmine，Ido——and——lookhere——"

HetouchedCarter’schestwithhisforefinger，andsaidwithasuddengentlenessoftone：

"Iamawhitemaninsideandout；Iwon’tletinoffensivepeople—

—andawoman，too——cometoharmifIcanhelpit。AndifIcan’thelp，nobodycan。Youunderstand——nobody！There’snotimeforit。

ButIamlikeanyothermanthatisworthhissalt：Iwon’tlettheendofanundertakinggobytheboardwhilethereisachancetoholdon——andit’slikethis——"

Hisvoicewaspersuasive——almostcaressing；hehadholdnowofacoatbuttonandtuggedatitslightlyashewentoninaconfidentialmanner：

"Asitturnsout，Mr。Carter，Iwould——inamannerofspeaking——I

wouldassoonshootyouwhereyoustandasletyougotoraiseanalarmalloverthisseaaboutyourconfoundedyacht。Ihaveotherlivestoconsider——andfriends——andpromises——and——andmyself，too。Ishallkeepyou，"heconcluded，sharply。

Carterdrewalongbreath。Onthedeckabove，thetwomencouldhearsoftfootfalls，shortmurmurs，indistinctwordsspokenneartheskylight。Shaw’svoicerangoutloudlyingrowlingtones：

"Furltheroyals，youtindal！"

"It’sthequeerestoldgo，"mutteredCarter，lookingdownontothefloor。"Youareastrangeman。IsupposeImustbelievewhatyousay——unlessyouandthatfatmateofyoursareacoupleofescapedlunaticsthatgotholdofabrigbysomemeans。Why，thatchapuptherewantedtopickaquarrelwithmeforcomingaboard，andnowyouthreatentoshootmeratherthanletmego。NotthatIcaremuchaboutthat；forsometimeorotheryouwouldgethangedforit；andyoudon’tlooklikeamanthatwillendthatway。Ifwhatyousayisonlyhalftrue，IoughttogetbacktotheyachtasquickaseverIcan。Itstrikesmethatyourcomingtothemwillbeonlyasmallmercy，anyhow——andImaybeofsomeuse——Butthisisthequeerest……MayIgoinmyboat？"

"Asyoulike，"saidLingard。"There’sarainsquallcoming。"

"Iaminchargeandwillgetwetalongofmychaps。Giveusagoodlongline，Captain。"

"It’sdonealready，"saidLingard。"Youseemasensiblesailormanandcanseethatitwouldbeuselesstotryandgivemetheslip。"

"Foramansoreadytoshoot，youseemverytrustful，"drawledCarter。"IfIcutadriftinasquall，Istandaprettyfairchancenottoseeyouagain。"

"Youjusttry，"saidLingard，drily。"Ihaveeyesinthisbrig，youngman，thatwillseeyourboatwhenyoucouldn’tseetheship。YouareofthekindIlike，butifyoumonkeywithmeI

willfindyou——andwhenIfindyouIwillrunyoudownassurelyasIstandhere。"

Carterslappedhisthighandhiseyestwinkled。

"BytheLordHarry！"hecried。"Ifitwasn’tforthemenwithme，Iwouldtryforsport。Youaresococksureaboutthelotyoucando，Captain。Youwouldaggravateasaintintoopenmutiny。"

Hiseasygoodhumourhadreturned；butafterashortburstoflaughter，hebecameserious。

"Neverfear，"hesaid，"Iwon’tslipaway。Ifthereistobeanythroat—cutting——asyouseemtohint——minewillbethere，too，I

promiseyou，and……"

Hestretchedhisarmsout，glancedatthem，shookthemalittle。

"Andthispairofarmstotakecareofit，"headded，inhisold，carelessdrawl。

utthemasterofthebrigsittingwithbothhiselbowsonthetable，hisfaceinhishands，hadfallenunexpectedlyintoameditationsoconcentratedandsoprofoundthatheseemedneithertohear，see，norbreathe。Thesightofthatman’scompleteabsorptioninthoughtwastoCarteralmostmoresurprisingthananyotheroccurrenceofthatnight。Hadhisstrangehostvanishedsuddenlyfrombeforehiseyes，itcouldnothavemadehimfeelmoreuncomfortablyaloneinthatcabinwherethepertinaciousclockkepttickingofftheuselessminutesofthecalmbeforeitwould，withthesamesteadybeat，begintomeasuretheaimlessdisturbanceofthestorm。

III

Afterwaitingamoment，Carterwentondeck。Thesky，thesea，thebrigitselfhaddisappearedinadarknessthathadbecomeimpenetrable，palpable，andstifling。Animmensecloudhadcomeuprunningovertheheavens，asiflookingforthelittlecraft，andnowhungoverit，arrested。Tothesouththerewasalividtremblinggleam，faintandsad，likeavanishingmemoryofdestroyedstarlight。Tothenorth，asiftoprovetheimpossible，anincrediblyblackerpatchoutlinedonthetremendousblacknessoftheskytheheartofthecomingsquall。Theglimmersinthewaterhadgoneoutandtheinvisibleseaallaroundlaymuteandstillasifithaddiedsuddenlyoffright。

Cartercouldseenothing。Hefeltabouthimpeoplemoving；heheardtheminthedarknesswhisperingfaintlyasiftheyhadbeenexchangingsecretsimportantorinfamous。Thenighteffacedevenwords，anditsmysteryhadcapturedeverythingandeverysound——

hadleftnothingfreebuttheunexpectedthatseemedtohoveraboutone，readytostretchoutitsstealthyhandinatouchsudden，familiar，andappalling。Eventhecarelessdispositionoftheyoungex—officerofanopium—clipperwasaffectedbytheominousaspectofthehour。Whatwasthisvessel？Whatwerethosepeople？Whatwouldhappento—morrow？Totheyacht？Tohimself？Hefeltsuddenlywithoutanyadditionalreasonbutthedarknessthatitwasapoorshow，anyhow，adashedpoorshowforallhands。Theirrationalconvictionmadehimfalterforasecondwherehestoodandhegrippedtheslideofthecompanionwayhard。

Shaw’svoicerightclosetohisearrelievedandclearedhistroubledthoughts。

"Oh！it’syou，Mister。Comeupatlast，"saidthemateofthebrigslowly。"Itappearswe’vegottogiveyouatownow。Ofalltherumin—cidents，thisbeatsall。Aboatsneaksupfromnowhereandturnsouttobealong—expectedfriend！Foryouareoneofthemfriendstheskipperwasgoingtomeetsomewherehere。Ain’tyounow？Come！Iknowmorethanyoumaythink。Areweoffto——youmayjustaswelltell——offto——h’mha……youknow？"

"Yes。Iknow。Don’tyou？"articulatedCarter，innocently。

Shawremainedveryquietforaminute。

"Where’smyskipper？"heaskedatlast。

"Ilefthimdownbelowinakindoftrance。Where’smyboat？"

"Yourboatishangingastern。AndmyopinionisthatyouareasuncivilasI’veprovedyoutobeuntruthful。Egzz—actly。"

Carterstumbledtowardthetaffrailandinthefirststephemadecamefullagainstsomebodywhoglidedaway。Itseemedtohimthatsuchanightbringsmentoalowerlevel。Hethoughtthathemighthavebeenknockedontheheadbyanybodystrongenoughtoliftacrow—bar。Hefeltstrangelyirritated。Hesaidloudly，aiminghiswordsatShawwhomhesupposedsomewherenear：

"Andmyopinionisthatyouandyourskipperwillcometoasuddenbadendbefore——"

"Ithoughtyouwereinyourboat。Haveyouchangedyourmind？"

askedLingardinhisdeepvoiceclosetoCarter’selbow。

Carterfelthiswayalongtherail，tillhishandfoundalinethatseemed，inthecalm，tostreamoutofitsownaccordintothedarkness。Hehailedhisboat，anddirectlyheardthewashofwateragainstherbowsasshewashauledquicklyunderthecounter。Thenheloomedupshapelessontherail，andthenextmomentdisappearedasifhehadfallenoutoftheuniverse。

Lingardheardhimsay：

"Catchholdofmyleg，John。"Therewerehollowsoundsintheboat；avoicegrowled，"Allright。"

"Keepclearofthecounter，"saidLingard，speakinginquietwarningtonesintothenight。"Thebrigmaygetalotofsternwayonhershouldthissquallnotstrikeherfairly。"

"Aye，aye。Iwillmind，"wasthemutteredanswerfromthewater。

Lingardcrossedovertotheportside，andlookedsteadilyatthesootymassofapproachingvapours。Afteramomenthesaidcurtly，"Braceupfortheporttack，Mr。Shaw，"andremainedsilent，withhisfacetothesea。Asound，sorrowfulandstartlinglikethesighofsomeimmensecreature，travellingacrossthestarlessspace，passedabovetheverticalandloftysparsofthemotionlessbrig。

Itgrewlouder，thensuddenlyceasedforamoment，andthetautriggingofthebrigwasheardvibratingitsanswerinasingingnotetothisthreateningmurmurofthewinds。Alongandslowundulationliftedthelevelofthewaters，asiftheseahaddrawnadeepbreathofanxioussuspense。Thenextminuteanimmensedisturbanceleapedoutofthedarknessuponthesea，kindlinguponitalividclearnessoffoam，andthefirstgustofthesquallboardedthebriginastingingflickofrainandspray。Asifoverwhelmedbythesuddennessofthefierceonset，thevesselremainedforaseconduprightwhereshefloated，shakingwithtremendousjerksfromtruckstokeel；whilehighupinthenighttheinvisiblecanvaswasheardrattlingandbeatingaboutviolently。

Then，withaquickdoublereport，asofheavyguns，bothtopsailsfilledatonceandthebrigfelloverswiftlyonherside。Shawwasthrownheadlongagainsttheskylight，andLingard，whohadencircledtheweatherrailwithhisarm，feltthevesselunderhisfeetdartforwardsmoothly，andthedeckbecomelessslanting——thespeedofthebrigrunningoffalittlenow，easingtheoverturningstrainofthewinduponthedistendedsurfacesofthesails。Itwasonlythefinenessofthelittlevessel’slinesandtheperfectshapeofherhullthatsavedthecanvas，andperhapsthespars，byenablingthereadycrafttogetwayuponherselfwithsuchlightning—likerapidity。LingarddrewalongbreathandyelledjubilantlyatShawwhowasstrugglingupagainstwindandraintohiscommander’sside。

"She’lldo。Holdoneverything。"

Shawtriedtospeak。Heswallowedgreatmouthfulsoftepidwaterwhichthewinddrovedownhisthroat。Thebrigseemedtosailthroughundulatingwavesthatpassedswishingbetweenthemastsandsweptoverthedeckswiththefiercerushandnoiseofacataract。Fromeverysparandeveryropearaggedsheetofwaterstreamedflickingtoleeward。Theoverpoweringdelugeseemedtolastforanage；becameunbearable——and，allatonce，stopped。Inacoupleofminutestheshowerhadrunitslengthoverthebrigandnowcouldbeseenlikeastraightgreywall，goingawayintothenightunderthefiercewhisperingofdissolvingclouds。Thewindeased。Tothenorthward，lowdowninthedarkness，threestarsappearedinarow，leapinginandoutbetweenthecrestsofwaveslikethedistantheadsofswimmersinarunningsurf；andtheretreatingedgeofthecloud，perfectlystraightfromeasttowest，slippedalongthedomeoftheskylikeanimmensehemispheric，ironshutterpivotingdownsmoothlyasifoperatedbysomemightyengine。Aninspiringandpenetratingfreshnessflowedtogetherwiththeshimmeroflight，throughtheaugmentedgloryoftheheaven，agloryexalted，undimmed，andstrangelystartlingasifanewworldhadbeencreatedduringtheshortflightofthestormycloud。Itwasareturntolife，areturntospace；theearthcomingoutfromunderapalltotakeitsplaceintherenewedandimmensescintillationoftheuniverse。

Thebrig，heryardsslightlycheckedin，ranwithaneasymotionunderthetopsails，jibanddriver，pushingcontemptuouslyasidetheturbulentcrowdofnoisyandagitatedwaves。Asthecraftwentswiftlyaheadsheunrolledbehindherovertheuneasydarknessoftheseaabroadribbonofseethingfoamshotwithwispygleamsofdarkdiscsescapingfromundertherudder。Farawayastern，attheendofalinenothickerthanablackthread，whichdippednowandthenitslongcurveintheburstingfroth，atoy—likeobjectcouldbemadeout，elongatedanddark，racingafterthebrigoverthesnowywhitenessofherwake。

Lingardwalkedaft，and，withbothhishandsonthetaffrail，lookedeagerlyforCarter’sboat。Thefirstglancesatisfiedhimthattheyacht’sgigwastowingeasilyattheendofthelongscopeofline，andheturnedawaytolookaheadandtoleewardwithasteadygaze。ItwasthenhalfanhourpastmidnightandShaw，relievedbyWasub，hadgonebelow。Beforehewent，hesaidtoLingard，"Iwillbeoff，sir，ifyou’renotgoingtomakemoresailyet。""Notyetforawhile，"hadansweredLingardinapreoccupiedmanner；andShawdepartedaggrievedatsuchaneglectofmakingthebestofagoodbreeze。

Onthemaindeckdark—skinnedmen，whoseclothingclungtotheirshiveringlimbsasiftheyhadbeenoverboard，hadfinishedrecoilingthebraces，andclearingthegear。Thekassab，afterhavinghungthefore—topsailhalyardsinthebecket，struttedintothewaisttowardarowofmenwhostoodidlywiththeirshouldersagainstthesideofthelongboatamidships。Hepassedalonglookingupcloseatthestolidfaces。Roomwasmadeforhim，andhetookhisplaceattheend。

"Itwasagreatrainandamightywind，Omen，"hesaid，dogmatically，"butnowindcaneverhurtthisship。ThatIknewwhileIstoodmindingthesailwhichisundermycare。"

Adullandinexpressivemurmurwasheardfromthemen。Overthehighweatherrail，atoppingwaveflungintotheireyesahandfulofheavydropsthatstunglikehail。Therewerelowgroansofindignation。Amansighed。Anotheremittedaspasmodiclaughthroughhischatteringteeth。Noonemovedaway。Thelittlekassabwipedhisfaceandwentoninhiscrackedvoice，totheaccompanimentoftheswishingsoundsmadebytheseasthatsweptregularlyasternalongtheship’sside。

"Haveyouheardhimshoutatthewind——louderthanthewind？I

haveheard，beingfarforward。Andbefore，too，inthemanyyearsIservedthiswhitemanIhaveheardhimoftencrymagicwordsthatmakeallsafe。Ya—wa！Thisistruth。AskWasubwhoisaHaji，evenasIam。"

"Ihaveseenwhitemen’sshipswiththeirmastsbroken——alsowreckedlikeourownpraus，"remarkedsadlyalean，lankfellowwhoshiveredbesidethekassab，hanginghisheadandtryingtograsphisshoulderblades。

"True，"admittedthekassab。"TheyareallthechildrenofSatanbuttosomemorefavourisshown。Toobeysuchmenontheseaorinafightisgood。Isawhimwhoismasterherefightwithwildmenwhoeattheirenemies——farawaytotheeastward——andIdealtblowsbyhissidewithoutfear；forthecharmshe，nodoubt，possessesprotecthisservantsalso。IamabelieverandtheStonedOnecannottouchmyforehead。Yettherewardofvictorycomesfromtheaccursed。ForsixyearshaveIsailedwiththatwhiteman；firstasonewhomindstherudder，forIamamanofthesea，borninaprau，andamskilledinsuchwork。Andnow，becauseofmygreatknowledgeofhisdesires，Ihavethecareofallthingsinthisship。"

Severalvoicesmuttered，"True。True。"Theyremainedapatheticandpatient，intherushofwind，undertherepeatedshortflightsofsprays。Theslightrolloftheshipbalancedthemstifflyalltogetherwheretheystoodproppedagainstthebigboat。Thebreezehummingbetweentheinclinedmastsenvelopedtheirdarkandsilentfiguresintheunceasingresonanceofitsbreath。

Thebrig’sheadhadbeenlaidsoastopassalittletowindwardofthesmallislandsoftheCarimatagroup。Theyhadbeentillthenhiddeninthenight，butnowbothmenonthelookoutreportedlandaheadinonelongcry。Lingard，standingtoleewardabreastofthewheel，watchedtheisletfirstseen。Whenitwasnearlyabeamofthebrighegavehisorders，andWasubhurriedofftothemaindeck。Thehelmwasputdown，theyardsonthemaincameslowlysquareandthewetcanvasofthemain—topsailclungsuddenlytothemastafterasingleheavyflap。Thedazzlingstreakoftheship’swakevanished。Thevessellostherwayandbegantodipherbowsintothequicksuccessionoftherunningheadseas。Andateveryslowplungeofthecraft，thesongofthewindwouldswelllouderamongstthewavingspars，withawildandmournfulnote。

Justasthebrig’sboathadbeenswungout，readyforlowering，theyacht’sgighauledupbyitslineappearedtossingandsplashingontheleequarter。Carterstoodupinthesternsheetsbalancinghimselfcleverlytothedisorderedmotionofhiscockleshell。Hehailedthebrigtwicetoknowwhatwasthematter，notbeingablefrombelowandinthedarknesstomakeoutwhatthatconfusedgroupofmenonthepoopwereabout。Hegotnoanswer，thoughhecouldseetheshapeofamanstandingbyhimselfaft，andapparentlywatchinghim。Hewasgoingtorepeathishailforthethirdtimewhenheheardtherattlingoftacklesfollowedbyaheavysplash，aburstofvoices，scramblinghollowsounds——andadarkmassdetachingitselffromthebrig’ssidesweptpasthimonthecrestofapassingwave。Forlessthanasecondhecouldseeontheshimmerofthenightskytheshapeofaboat，theheadsofmen，thebladesofoarspointingupwardwhilebeinggotouthurriedly。Thenallthissankoutofsight，reappearedoncemorefaroffandhardlydiscernible，beforevanishingforgood。

"Why，they’veloweredaboat！"exclaimedCarter，fallingbackinhisseat。Herememberedthathehadseenonlyafewhoursagothreenativeprauslurkingamongstthoseveryislands。Foramomenthehadtheideaofcastingofftogoinchaseofthatboat，soastofindout……Findoutwhat？Hegaveuphisideaatonce。Whatcouldhedo？