“What is it?” said Shard as though nothing were wrong.

Then Old Frank said what he had come to say:  “We want to know what you be going to do.”

And the men nodded grimly.

“Get water for the oxen,” said Captain Shard, “as the swine won’t have rum, and they’ll have to work for it, the lazy beasts.  Up anchor!”

And at the word water a look came into their faces like when some wanderer suddenly thinks of home.

“Water!” they said.

“Why not?” said Captain Shard.  And none of them ever knew that but for those geese, that slanted their necks and suddenly twisted downwards, they would have found no water that night nor ever after, and the Sahara would have taken them as she has taken so many and shall take so many more.  All that night they followed their new course:  at dawn they found an oasis and the oxen drank.

And here, on this green acre or so with its palm-trees and its well, beleaguered by thousands of miles of desert and holding out through the ages, here they decided to stay:  for those who have been without water for a while in one of Africa’s deserts come to have for that simple fluid such a regard as you, O reader, might not easily credit.  And here each man chose a site where he would build his hut, and settle down, and marry perhaps, and even forget the sea; when Captain Shard having filled his tanks and barrels peremptorily ordered them to weigh anchor.  There was much dissatisfaction, even some grumbling, but when a man has twice saved his fellows from death by the sheer freshness of his mind they come to have a respect for his judgment that is not shaken by trifles.  It must be remembered that in the affair of the dropping of the wind and again when they ran out of water these men were at their wits’ end:  so was Shard on the last occasion, but that they did not know.  All this Shard knew, and he chose this occasion to strengthen the reputation that he had in the minds of the men of that bad ship by explaining to them his motives, which usually he kept secret.  The oasis he said must be a port of call for all the travellers within hundreds of miles:  how many men did you see gathered together in any part of the world where there was a drop of whiskey to be had!  And water here was rarer than whiskey in decent countries and, such was the peculiarity of the Arabs, even more precious.  Another thing he pointed out to them, the Arabs were a singularly inquisitive people and if they came upon a ship in the desert they would probably talk about it; and the world having a wickedly malicious tongue would never construe in its proper light their difference with the English and Spanish fleets, but would merely side with the strong against the weak.

And the men sighed, and sang the capstan song and hoisted the anchor and yoked the oxen up, and away they went doing their steady knot, which nothing could increase.  It may be thought strange that with all sail furled in dead calm and while the oxen rested they should have cast anchor at all.  But custom is not easily overcome and long survives its use.  Rather enquire how many such useless customs we ourselves preserve:  the flaps for instance to pull up the tops of hunting-boots though the tops no longer pull up, the bows on our evening shoes that neither tie nor untie.  They said they felt safer that way and there was an end of it.