“That will do, men!” he said, somewhat sharply.

I heard the watch start to go forrard.  There came a mutter of talk from them.  Then the Second Mate answered the Old Man.  He could not have known that I was near enough to overhear him.

“It’s Jessop, Sir.  He must have seen something; but we mustn’t frighten the crowd more than need be.”

“No,” said the Skipper’s voice.

They turned and came up the ladder, and I ran back a few steps, as far as the skylight.  I heard the Old Man speak as they came up.

“How is it there are no lamps, Mr. Tulipson?” he said, in a surprised tone.

“I thought there would be no need up here, Sir,” the Second Mate replied.  Then he added something about saving oil.

“Better have them, I think,” I heard the Skipper say.

“Very good, Sir,” answered the Second, and sung out to the time-keeper to bring up a couple of lamps.

Then the two of them walked aft, to where I stood by the skylight.

“What are you doing, away from the wheel?” asked the Old Man, in a stern voice.

I had collected my wits somewhat by now.

“I won’t go, Sir, till there’s a light,” I said.

The Skipper stamped his foot, angrily; but the Second Mate stepped forward.

“Come!  Come, Jessop!” he exclaimed.  “This won’t do, you know!  You’d better get back to the wheel without further bother.”

“Wait a minute,” said the Skipper, at this juncture.  “What objection have you to going back to the wheel?” he asked.

“I saw something,” I said.  “It was climbing over the taffrail, Sir—­”

“Ah!” he said, interrupting me with a quick gesture.  Then, abruptly:  “Sit down! sit down; you’re all in a shake, man.”

I flopped down on to the skylight seat.  I was, as he had said, all in a shake, and the binnacle lamp was wobbling in my hand, so that the light from it went dancing here and there across the deck.

“Now,” he went on.  “Just tell us what you saw.”

I told them, at length, and while I was doing so, the time-keeper brought up the lights and lashed one up on the sheerpole in each rigging.

“Shove one under the spanker boom,” the Old Man sung out, as the boy finished lashing up the other two.  “Be smart now.”

“i, i, Sir,” said the ’prentice, and hurried off.

“Now then,” remarked the Skipper when this had been done “You needn’t be afraid to go back to the wheel.  There’s a light over the stern, and the Second Mate or myself will be up here all the time.”

I stood up.

“Thank you, Sir,” I said, and went aft.  I replaced my lamp in the binnacle, and took hold of the wheel; yet, time and again, I glanced behind and I was very thankful when, a few minutes later, four bells went, and I was relieved.

Though the rest of the chaps were forrard in the fo’cas’le, I did not go there.  I shirked being questioned about my sudden appearance at the foot of the poop ladder; and so I lit my pipe and wandered about the maindeck.  I did not feel particularly nervous, as there were now two lanterns in each rigging, and a couple standing upon each of the spare top-masts under the bulwarks.