In the meantime, you know, I had been staring like mad down through the water at the huge, shadowy mast just below me.  I had traced out bit by bit, until now I could clearly see the jackstay, running along the top of the royal mast; and, you know, the royal itself was set.

But, you know, what was getting at me more than anything, was a feeling that there was movement down in the water there, among the rigging.  I thought I could actually see, at times, things moving and glinting faintly and rapidly to and fro in the gear.  And once, I was practically certain that something was on the royal-yard, moving in to the mast; as though, you know, it might have come up the leech of the sail.  And this way, I got a beastly feeling that there were things swarming down there.

Unconsciously, I must have leant further and further out over the side, staring; and suddenly—­good Lord! how I yelled—­I overbalanced.  I made a sweeping grab, and caught the fore brace, and with that, I was back in a moment upon the spar.  In the same second, almost, it seemed to me that the surface of the water above the submerged truck was broken, and I am sure now, I saw something a moment in the air against the ship’s side —­a sort of shadow in the air; though I did not realise it at the time.  Anyway, the next instant, Tammy gave out an awful scream, and was head downwards over the rail, in a second.  I had an idea then that he was jumping overboard.  I collared him by the waist of his britchers, and one knee, and then I had him down on the deck, and sat plump on him; for he was struggling and shouting all the time, and I was so breathless and shaken and gone to mush, I could not have trusted my hands to hold him.  You see, I never thought then it was anything but some influence at work on him; and that he was trying to get loose to go over the side.  But I know now that I saw the shadow-man that had him.  Only, at the time, I was so mixed up, and with the one idea in my head, I was not really able to notice anything, properly.  But, afterwards, I comprehended a bit (you can understand, can’t you?) what I had seen at the time without taking in.

And even now looking back, I know that the shadow was only like a faint-seen greyness in the daylight, against the whiteness of the decks, clinging against Tammy.

And there was I, all breathless and sweating, and quivery with my own tumble, sitting on the little screeching beggar, and he fighting like a mad thing; so that I thought I should never hold him.

And then I heard the Second Mate shouting and there came running feet along the deck.  Then many hands were pulling and hauling, to get me off him.

“Bl—­y cowyard!” sung out someone.

“Hold him!  Hold him!” I shouted.  “He’ll be overboard!”

At that, they seemed to understand that I was not ill-treating the youngster; for they stopped manhandling me, and allowed me to rise; while two of them took hold of Tammy, and kept him safe.