“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.