‘They think she struck on a reef when we shipped the big sea,’ whispered the cabin-boy.

‘Hold your jaw, boy!’ said the boatswain.

All the same, the cabin-boy’s words passed from mouth to mouth; a little chuckle was heard here and there; the men’s faces became more and more ludicrously uneasy, and their suppressed laughter was on the point of bursting forth.  Then the steersman was seen to nudge the skipper in the side.

‘Yes; but then you must whisper to me,’ said the latter.

The steersman nodded, and then the skipper turned to the crew and solemnly spoke as follows: 

’Yes, this time, fortunately, everything went well; but now I hope that each of you will have learnt how dangerous it is to lend an ear to these juvenile agitators, who can never be quiet and let evolution, as the steersman says, pursue its natural course.  I yielded to your wishes this time, it is true, but not because I approved of your insane rashness; it was simply that I might convince you by—­by the logic of events.  And see—­how did things go?  Certainly we have, as by a miracle, been spared the worst; but now we lie here, outside our safe haven, our old anchorage, which we have forsaken to be tossed about on the turbulent waters of the unknown and the untried.  But, believe me, henceforth you will find both our excellent steersman and your captain at our post, guarding against such crude, immature projects.  And if things go badly with us in days to come, you must all remember that it is entirely your own fault; we wash our hands of the matter.’

Thereupon he strode through the men, who respectfully fell back to let him pass.  The steersman, who had really whispered, dried his eyes and followed.  They both disappeared in the cabin.

* * * * *

There was much strife in the forecastle that day, and it grew worse after.

The brig’s happy days were all over.  Dissension and discontent, suspicion and obstinacy, converted the narrow limits of the forecastle into a veritable hell.

Only skipper and steersman seemed to thrive well under all this.  The general dissatisfaction did not affect them; for they, of course, were not to blame.

None thought of any change.  The crew had done what they could, and the skipper, on his part, had also been accommodating.

Now they might keep their minds at rest.  The brig lay in a dangerous place, but now she would have to lie—­and there she lies to this day.

A DINNER.

There was a large dinner-party at the merchant’s.  The judge had made a speech in honour of the home-coming of the student, the eldest son of the house, and the merchant had replied with another in honour of the judge; so far all was well and good.  And yet one could see that the host was disquieted about something.  He answered inconsequentially, decanted Rhine wine into port, and betrayed absence of mind in all manner of ways.