"And there's another out there," and he pointed again with the handful
of shakins. "There's another a little further aft," I muttered. "Where?--where?" he asked. "There," I said, and pointed. "That's four," he whispered. "Four of them!" I said nothing; but continued to stare. They appeared to me to be a
great way down in the sea, and quite motionless. Yet, though their
outlines were somewhat blurred and indistinct, there was no mistaking
that they were very like exact, though shadowy, representations of
vessels. For some minutes we watched them, without speaking. At last
Tammy spoke. "They're real, right enough," he said, in a low voice. "I don't know," I answered. "I mean we weren't mistaken this morning," he said. "No," I replied. "I never thought we were." Away forrard, I heard the Second Mate, returning aft. He came nearer,
and saw us. "What's up now, you two?" he called, sharply. "This isn't clearing up!" I put out my hand to warn him not to shout, and draw the attention of
the rest of the men. He took several steps towards me. "What is it? what is it?" he said, with a certain irritability; but in a
lower voice. "You'd better take a look over the side, Sir," I replied. My tone must have given him an inkling that we had discovered something
fresh; for, at my words, he made one spring, and stood on the spar,
alongside of me. "Look, Sir," said Tammy. "There's four of them." The Second Mate glanced down, saw something and bent sharply forward. "My God!" I heard him mutter, under his breath. After that, for some half-minute, he stared, without a word. "There are two more out there, Sir," I told him, and indicated the place
with my finger. It was a little time before he managed to locate these and when he did,
he gave them only a short glance. Then he got down off the spar, and
spoke to us. "Come down off there," he said, quickly. "Get your brooms and clear up. Don't say a word!--It may be nothing." He appeared to add that last bit, as an afterthought, and we both knew
it meant nothing. Then he turned and went swiftly aft. "I expect he's gone to tell the Old Man," Tammy remarked, as we went
forrard, carrying the mat and his sinnet. "H'm," I said, scarcely noticing what he was saying; for I was full of
the thought of those four shadowy craft, waiting quietly down there. We got our brooms, and went aft. On the way, the Second Mate and the
Skipper passed us. They went forrard too by the fore brace, and got up
on the spar. I saw the Second point up at the brace and he appeared to
be saying something about the gear. I guessed that this was done
purposely, to act as a blind, should any of the other men be looking. Then the Old Man glanced down over the side, in a casual sort of manner;
so did the Second Mate. A minute or two later, they came aft, and went
back, up on to the poop. I caught a glimpse of the Skipper's face as he
passed me, on his return. He struck me as looking worried--bewildered,
perhaps, would be a better word. Both Tammy and I were tremendously keen to have another look; but when
at last we got a chance, the sky reflected so much on the water, we
could see nothing below. We had just finished sweeping up when four bells went, and we cleared
below for tea. Some of the men got chatting while they were grubbing. "I 'ave 'eard," remarked Quoin, "as we're goin' ter shorten 'er down
afore dark." "Eh?" said old Jaskett, over his pannikin of tea. Quoin repeated his remark. "'oo says so?" inquired Plummer. "I 'eard it from ther Doc," answered Quoin, "'e got it from ther
Stooard." "'ow would 'ee know?" asked Plummer. "I dunno," said Quoin. "I 'spect 'e's 'eard 'em talkin' 'bout it arft." Plummer turned to me. "'ave you 'eard anythin', Jessop?" he inquired. "What, about shortening down?" I replied. "Yes," he said. "Weren't ther Old Man talkin' ter yer, up on ther poop
this mornin'?" "Yes," I answered. "He said something to the Second Mate about
shortening down; but it wasn't to me." "They are!" said Quoin, "'aven't I just said so?" At that instant, one of the chaps in the other watch, poked his head in
through the starboard doorway. "All hands shorten sail!" he sung out; at the same moment the Mate's
whistle came sharp along the decks. Plummer stood up, and reached for his cap. "Well," he said. "It's evydent they ain't goin' ter lose no more of us!" Then we went out on deck. It was a dead calm; but all the same, we furled the three royals, and
then the three t'gallants. After that, we hauled up the main and
foresail, and stowed them. The crossjack, of course, had been furled
some time, with the wind being plumb aft. It was while we were up at the foresail, that the sun went over the edge
of the horizon. We had finished stowing the sail, out upon the yard, and
I was waiting for the others to clear in, and let me get off the
foot-rope. Thus it happened that having nothing to do for nearly a
minute, I stood watching the sun set, and so saw something that
otherwise I should, most probably, have missed. The sun had dipped
nearly half-way below the horizon, and was showing like a great, red
dome of dull fire. Abruptly, far away on the starboard bow, a faint mist
drove up out of the sea. It spread across the face of the sun, so that
its light shone now as though it came through a dim haze of smoke. Quickly, this mist or haze grew thicker; but, at the same time,
separating and taking strange shapes, so that the red of the sun struck
through ruddily between them. Then, as I watched, the weird mistiness
collected and shaped and rose into three towers. These became more
definite, and there was something elongated beneath them. The shaping
and forming continued, and almost suddenly I saw that the thing had
taken on the shape of a great ship. Directly afterwards, I saw that it
was moving. It had been broadside on to the sun. Now it was swinging. The bows came round with a stately movement, until the three masts bore
in a line. It was heading directly towards us. It grew larger; but yet
less distinct. Astern of it, I saw now that the sun had sunk to a mere
line of light. Then, in the gathering dusk it seemed to me that the ship
was sinking back into the ocean. The sun went beneath the sea, and the
thing I had seen became merged, as it were, into the monotonous greyness
of the coming night. A voice came to me from the rigging. It was the Second Mate's. He had
been up to give us a hand. "Now then, Jessop," he was saying. "Come along! come along!" I turned quickly, and realised that the fellows were nearly all off the
yard. "i, i, Sir," I muttered, and slid in along the foot-rope, and went down
on deck. I felt fresh dazed and frightened. A little later, eight bells went, and, after roll call, I cleared up, on
to the poop, to relieve the wheel. For a while as I stood at the wheel
my mind seemed blank, and incapable of receiving impressions. This
sensation went, after a time, and I realised that there was a great
stillness over the sea.