“Gone!” I heard several voices say, and then our watch began to go slowly forrard, while one or two of the other, started to replace the hatch.

Tammy pointed, and nudged me.

“See, Jessop,” he said.  “What is it?”

“What?” I asked.

“That queer shadow,” he replied.  “Look!”

And then I saw what he meant.  It was something big and shadowy, that appeared to be growing clearer.  It occupied the exact place—­so it seemed to me—­in which Jock had disappeared.

“Look at it!” said Tammy, again.  “It’s getting bigger!”

He was pretty excited, and so was I.

I was peering down.  The thing seemed to be rising out of the depths.  It was taking shape.  As I realised what the shape was, a queer, cold funk took me.

“See,” said Tammy.  “It’s just like the shadow of a ship!”

And it was.  The shadow of a ship rising out of the unexplored immensity beneath our keel.  Plummer, who had not yet gone forrard, caught Tammy’s last remark, and glanced over.

“What’s ’e mean?” he asked.

“That!” replied Tammy, and pointed.

I jabbed my elbow into his ribs; but it was too late.  Plummer had seen.  Curiously enough, though, he seemed to think nothing of it.

“That ain’t nothin’, ’cept ther shadder er ther ship,” he said.

Tammy, after my hint, let it go at that.  But when Plummer had gone forrard with the others, I told him not to go telling everything round the decks, like that.

“We’ve got to be thundering careful!” I remarked.  “You know what the Old Man said, last watch!”

“Yes,” said Tammy.  “I wasn’t thinking; I’ll be careful next time.”

A little way from me the Second Mate was still staring down into the water.  I turned, and spoke to him.

“What do you make it out to be, Sir?” I asked.

“God knows!” he said, with a quick glance round to see whether any of the men were about.

He got down from the rail, and turned to go up on to the poop.  At the top of the ladder, he leant over the break.

“You may as well ship that gangway, you two,” he told us.  “And mind, Jessop, keep your mouth shut about this.”

“i, i, Sir,” I answered.

“And you too, youngster!” he added and went aft along the poop.

Tammy and I were busy with the gangway when the Second came back.  He had brought the Skipper.

“Right under the gangway, Sir” I heard the Second say, and he pointed down into the water.

For a little while, the Old Man stared.  Then I heard him speak.

“I don’t see anything,” he said.

At that, the Second Mate bent more forward and peered down.  So did I; but the thing, whatever it was, had gone completely.

“It’s gone, Sir,” said the Second.  “It was there right enough when I came for you.”

About a minute later, having finished shipping the gangway, I was going forrard, when the Second’s voice called me back