"They're haft with Jock, and Svenson!" Stubbins had hesitated an instant
before saying the name. "Yes," I replied. "That's what it must have been, right enough." "I kind of knew it all ther time," he said. I stepped in through the doorway, and struck a match. Stubbins followed,
guiding Jacobs before him, and, together, we got him into his bunk. We
covered him up with his blankets, for he was pretty shivery. Then we
came out. During the whole time, he had not spoken a word. As we went aft, Stubbins remarked that he thought the business must have
made him a bit dotty. "It's driven him clean barmy," he went on. "He don't hunderstand a word
that's said ter him." "He may be different in the morning," I answered. As we neared the poop, and the crowd of waiting men, he spoke again:

"They've put 'em hinter ther Second's hempty berth." "Yes," I said. "Poor beggars." We reached the other men, and they opened out, and allowed us to get
near the door. Several of them asked in low tones, whether Jacobs was
all right, and I told them, "Yes"; not saying anything then about his
condition. I got close up to the doorway, and looked into the berth. The lamp was
lit, and I could see, plainly. There were two bunks in the place, and a
man had been laid in each. The Skipper was there, leaning up against a
bulkshead. He looked worried; but was silent--seeming to be mooding in
his own thoughts. The Second Mate was busy with a couple of flags, which
he was spreading over the bodies. The First Mate was talking, evidently
telling him something; but his tone was so low that I caught his words
only with difficulty. It struck me that he seemed pretty subdued. I got
parts of his sentences in patches, as it were. "...broken," I heard him say. "And the Dutchman...."

"I've seen him," the Second Mate said, shortly. "Two, straight off the reel," said the Mate "...three in...."

The Second made no reply. "Of course, yer know ... accident." The First Mate went on. "Is it!" the Second said, in a queer voice. I saw the Mate glance at him, in a doubtful sort of way; but the Second
was covering poor old Jock's dead face, and did not appear to notice his
look. "It--it--" the mate said, and stopped. After a moment's hesitation, he said something further, that I could not
catch; but there seemed a lot of funk in his voice. The Second Mate appeared not to have heard him; at any rate, he made no
reply; but bent, and straightened out a corner of the flag over the
rigid figure in the lower bunk. There was a certain niceness in his
action which made me warm towards him. "He's white!" I thought to myself. Out loud, I said:

"We've put Jacobs into his bunk, Sir." The Mate jumped; then whizzed round, and stared at me as though I had
been a ghost. The Second Mate turned also; but before he could speak,
the Skipper took a step towards me. "Is he all right?" he asked. "Well, Sir," I said. "He's a bit queer; but I think it's possible he may
be better, after a sleep." "I hope so, too," he replied, and stepped out on deck. He went towards
the starboard poop ladder, walking slowly. The Second went and stood by
the lamp, and the Mate, after a quick glance at him, came out and
followed the Skipper up on to the poop. It occurred to me then, like a
flash, that the man had stumbled upon a portion of the _truth_. This
accident coming so soon after that other! It was evident that, in his
mind, he had connected them. I recollected the fragments of his remarks
to the Second Mate. Then, those many minor happenings that had cropped
up at different times, and at which he had sneered. I wondered whether
he would begin to comprehend their significance--their beastly, sinister
significance. "Ah! Mr. Bully-Mate," I thought to myself. "You're in for a bad time if
you've begun to understand." Abruptly, my thoughts jumped to the vague future before us. "God help us!" I muttered. The Second Mate, after a look round, turned down the wick of the lamp,
and came out, closing the door after him. "Now, you men," he said to the Mate's watch, "get forrard; we can't do
anything more. You'd better go and get some sleep." "i, i, Sir," they said, in a chorus. Then, as we all turned to go forrard, he asked if anyone had relieved
the look-out. "No, sir," answered Quoin. "Is it yours?" the Second asked. "Yes, Sir," he replied. "Hurry up and relieve him then," the Second said. "i, i, Sir," the man answered, and went forrard with the rest of us. As we went, I asked Plummer who was at the wheel. "Tom," he said. As he spoke, several spots of rain fell, and I glanced up at the sky. It
had become thickly clouded. "Looks as if it were going to breeze up," I said. "Yes," he replied. "We'll be shortenin' 'er down 'fore long." "May be an all-hands job," I remarked. "Yes," he answered again. "'Twon't be no use their turnin' in, if it
is." The man who was carrying the lantern, went into the fo'cas'le, and we
followed. "Where's ther one, belongin' to our side?" Plummer asked. "Got smashed hupstairs," answered Stubbins. "'ow were that?" Plummer inquired. Stubbins hesitated. "The Second Mate dropped it," I replied. "The sail hit it, or
something." The men in the other watch seemed to have no immediate intention of
turning-in; but sat in their bunks, and around on the chests. There was
a general lighting of pipes, in the midst of which there came a sudden
moan from one of the bunks in the forepart of the fo'cas'le--a part that
was always a bit gloomy, and was more so now, on account of our having
only one lamp. "Wot's that?" asked one of the men belonging to the other side. "S--sh!" said Stubbins. "It's him." "'oo?" inquired Plummer. "Jacobs?" "Yes," I replied. "Poor devil!" "Wot were 'appenin' w'en yer got hup _ther'_?" asked the man on the
other side, indicating with a jerk of his head, the fore royal. Before I could reply, Stubbins jumped up from his sea-chest. "Ther Second Mate's whistlin'!" he said. "Come hon," and he ran out on
deck. Plummer, Jaskett and I followed quickly. Outside, it had started to rain
pretty heavily. As we went, the Second Mate's voice came to us through
the darkness. "Stand by the main royal clewlines and buntlines," I heard him shout,
and the next instant came the hollow thutter of the sail as he started
to lower away. In a few minutes we had it hauled up. "Up and furl it, a couple of you," he sung out. I went towards the starboard rigging; then I hesitated. No one else had
moved. The Second Mate came among us. "Come on now, lads," he said. "Make a move. It's got to be done." "I'll go," I said. "If someone else will come." Still, no one stirred, and no one answered. Tammy came across to me. "I'll come," he volunteered, in a nervous voice. "No, by God, no!" said the Second Mate, abruptly. He jumped into the main rigging himself. "Come along, Jessop!" he
shouted. I followed him; but I was astonished. I had fully expected him to get on
to the other fellows' tracks like a ton of bricks. It had not occurred
to me that he was making allowances.