Sail Ho! Part 16

No one spoke till he had disappeared, and then the captain shook his head.

"Poor chap," he said, with a sigh. "Here, Dale, Walters, carry the fish to the cook; Hampton--Dumlow, swabs and a bucket."

"Keep tight hold," I cried to my companion, who was holding the head of the fish by a loop of yarn pa.s.sed through its gills, while I carried it by getting a good grip of the thin tail.

"Do you want to carry it yourself?"

"Not at all. Too heavy."

Just then the fish began to quiver as if it were all steel spring, and waggled its tail so sharply that it flung off my grasp, and once more I offended Walters, for the fish fell across his feet.

"There!" he cried, "you can't deny that. You did it on purpose. A filthy, slimy thing!"

As he stood there with both his hands clenched I thought he was going to strike me; but even if he had it would have made no difference, I should have been obliged to laugh, and laugh I did, till as I was wiping my eyes I found that Jarette the French sailor was close up and looking at me keenly.

"Here, Barney Blane," I said, "take hold."

The man grinned and came and helped me bear it away to the cook, after which I put away the tackle, hanging it to dry before giving it back to its owner.

CHAPTER NINE.

All at once, just as our life at sea was as calm and peaceful as could be, Captain Berriman grew quite queer in his manner. He was pleasant enough to the pa.s.sengers, and I never had an unkind word from him, but he was most tyrannical to a number of the men, ordering them about, making them set fresh sail, take it down, and altering his orders half-a-dozen times over, till the men used to go about muttering, and more than once I heard words spoken about him that were startling, to say the least.

One evening when it was very dark, the moon not having risen, I was looking over the side and down into the calm, black water which was as full of tiny specks of light as the sky above me, and every now and then these little glittering points beneath the surface would be driven here and there as if a fish had swum sharply by. It was all so beautiful, to watch point after point gliding about lower and lower till all was jet black, that I had forgotten everything, heard nothing, till all at once just behind me I heard Mr Brymer say--

"Of course it is very unpleasant for me. I'm afraid the men will not stand much more of it. Do you think he is going mad?"

There was a pause for a few moments, and then Mr Frewen said--

"No; I feel sure that it is only a temporary trouble due to the heat and over-anxiety about the ship."

"But he is getting worse; and twice over to-day I felt as if I ought to shut him up in his cabin and take charge altogether."

"No, I should not do that," said Mr Frewen, "so long as nothing serious goes wrong. If he really gets too bad, I suppose I must help you by justifying your proceedings in superseding him."

"For the owners' sake, of course."

"Of course. It is a very serious position for us both. But there, he may be better to-morrow. If not, we must hope for the improvement when we get further south."

"Then you would not take command?"

"Certainly not, under the present circ.u.mstances."

"Halloa!" cried Mr Brymer--"a spy! Who's that--Walters?"

"No, sir; it is I."

"And what are you doing there, listening?"

"I was watching the phosph.o.r.escence of the sea, sir, and you came and stood close to me and began talking."

"And you heard?" said Mr Frewen.

"Every word, sir."

"And do you know that we were talking about Mr Denning?" said the mate.

"No; you were talking about the captain."

They were silent for a few moments, and then Mr Frewen spoke.

"Look here, Dale," he said, "this is a delicate matter. You have seen that Captain Berriman is ill?"

"I thought he was very strange, and a bit cross sometimes."

"Far worse than that. Look here, Dale, if you go chattering about what you have heard," said Mr Brymer, "you may make a great deal of mischief."

"I am not likely to talk about it to anybody unless it be to Mr Denning," I said, feeling a little hurt.

"Then pray don't mention it to him. It would only make him and his sister uneasy," cried Mr Frewen, quickly.

"I'm afraid they've seen enough for themselves," said Mr Brymer. "Look here, youngster, I shall speak plainly to you, because you are a sensible lad. If you spoke about what we have said, and it reached Captain Berriman's ear now he is in that excitable state, he would immediately think I was conspiring against him, go frantic, and there might be terrible mischief. So don't say a word, even to your messmate, or he'll go chattering to that French scoundrel and the rest of the men.

By the way, Dale, let me give you a word of advice. I don't like the way in which young Walters is going on. It is not becoming for a midshipman or apprentice to make friends too readily with the sailors.

Don't you follow his example."

"I don't sir," I said indignantly.

"Softly, my lad; I've seen you talking a good deal with that old fellow Hampton, and the two men with him."

"Oh yes; I have talked to them a good deal," I said: "but it was only when we were on the watch, and I wanted them to tell me something about the sea."

"Ah, well, be careful, my lad. Here, shake hands. I'm not cross with you, for you have behaved uncommonly well since you've been on board.

There, that will do."

"Good-night, Dale," said Mr Frewen, kindly; "a still tongue maketh a wise head, my lad."

They walked on, and disappeared in the darkness directly, while I stood with my back to the bulwarks and my hands in my pockets, thinking about what they had said, and recalling the little things I had thought nothing of at the time, but which came back now looking to be big things. Yes, I remembered the captain had certainly been rather strange in his manner sometimes. Why, of course, Mr Denning had said to his sister that the captain need not be so disagreeable to the men.

I was just wondering what would happen, and then thinking that it would not make much difference if Mr Brymer were captain, and that it would be better perhaps for Captain Berriman to lie by and be attended by Mr Frewen, when I heard a sound over my head--something like a low hiss.

"Some kind of night-bird," I thought. But the next moment I felt quite startled, for the sound was repeated, and I knew now that it was some one whispering. Then, as I stood quite still in the darkness, with the glow coming from the cabin-windows and from the binnacle-light, there was a faint rushing up above, and a little off to my left, and directly after I knew what it was,--somebody's feet on the ratlines coming down from the main-top.

There was no sail being made or reduced, and it seemed strange for any one to be up there, and it had just struck me that perhaps it was Captain Berriman, who had seen Mr Brymer and Mr Frewen talking together and had gone up to listen, when, so close to me that I wondered I was not seen, somebody stepped down on to the top of the bulwarks, and then swung himself softly on to the deck; then crouching down close under the side, he crept forward swiftly and was gone.

"That couldn't have been the captain," I thought; "the step was too light. It was some one quite active."

I was thinking of going forward to try and make out, when there was another rustling noise above, which recalled the whispering that had pa.s.sed out of my mind for the moment; then the rustling continued, and some one else came down, stepped lightly on the deck, and stood perfectly still as if looking about to see if any one was near.