\"Nothing，nothing……Tellme，howmanymenhaveyouinthatyacht？\"
\"Twenty—three，besidesthegentry，theowner，hiswifeandaSpanishgentleman——afriendtheypickedupinManila。\"
\"SoyouwerecomingfromManila？\"
\"Aye。BoundforBatavia。TheownerwishestostudytheDutchcolonialsystem。Wantstoexposeit，hesays。Onecan’thelphearingalotwhenkeepingwatchaft——youknowhowitis。ThenwearegoingtoCeylontomeetthemail—boatthere。Theownerisgoinghomeashecameout，overlandthroughEgypt。TheyachtwouldreturnroundtheCape，ofcourse。\"
\"Alady？\"saidLingard。\"Yousaythereisaladyonboard。Areyouarmed？\"
\"Notmuch，\"repliedCarter，negligently。\"Thereareafewmusketsandtwosportinggunsaft；that’saboutall——Ifancyit’stoomuch，ornotenough，\"headdedwithafaintsmile。
Lingardlookedathimnarrowly。
\"Didyoucomeoutfromhomeinthatcraft？\"heasked。
\"NotI！Iamnotoneofthemregularyachthands。IcameoutofthehospitalinHongkong。I’vebeentwoyearsontheChinacoast。\"
Hestopped，thenaddedinanexplanatorymurmur：
\"Opiumclippers——youknow。Nothingofbrassbuttonsaboutme。Myshipleftmebehind，andIwasinwantofwork。ItookthisjobbutIdidn’twanttogohomeparticularly。It’sslowworkaftersailingwitholdRobinsonintheLy—e—moon。Thatwasmyship。
Heardofher，Captain？\"
\"Yes，yes，\"saidLingard，hastily。\"Lookhere，Mr。Carter，whichwaywasyourchiefofficertryingforSingapore？ThroughtheStraitsofRhio？\"
\"Isupposeso，\"answeredCarterinaslightlysurprisedtone；
\"whydoyouask？\"
\"Justtoknow……Whatisit，Mr。Shaw？\"
\"There’sablackcloudrisingtothenorthward，sir，andweshallgetabreezedirectly，\"saidShawfromthedoorway。
Helingeredtherewithhiseyesfixedonthedecanters。
\"Willyouhaveaglass？\"saidLingard，leavinghisseat。\"Iwillgoupandhavealook。\"
Hewentondeck。Shawapproachedthetableandbegantohelphimself，handlingthebottlesinprofoundsilenceandwithexaggeratedcaution，asifhehadbeenmeasuringoutoffragilevesselsadoseofsomedeadlypoison。Carter，hishandsinhispockets，andleaningback，examinedhimfromheadtofootwithacoolstare。Themateofthebrigraisedtheglasstohislips，andglaringabovetherimatthestranger，drainedthecontentsslowly。
\"Youhaveafinenoseforfindingshipsinthedark，Mister，\"hesaid，distinctly，puttingtheglassonthetablewithextremegentleness。
\"Eh？What’sthat？Isightedyoujustaftersunset。\"
\"Andyouknewwheretolook，too，\"saidShaw，staringhard。
\"Ilookedtothewestwardwheretherewasstillsomelight，asanysensiblemanwoulddo，\"retortedtheotheralittleimpatiently。\"Whatareyoutryingtogetat？\"
\"Andyouhaveareadytonguetoblowaboutyourself——haven’tyou？\"
\"Neversawsuchamaninmylife，\"declaredCarter，withareturnofhisnonchalantmanner。\"Youseemtobetroubledaboutsomething。\"
\"Idon’tlikeboatstocomesneakingupfromnowhereinparticular，alongsideashipwhenIaminchargeofthedeck。I
cankeepalookoutaswellasanymanoutofhomeports，butI
hatetobecircumventedbymuffledoarsandsuchungentlemanliketricks。Yachtofficer——indeed。Theseseasmustbefullofsuchyachtsmen。Iconsideryouplayedameantrickonme。Itoldmyoldmantherewasnothinginsightatsunset——andnomoretherewas。Ibelieveyoublundereduponusbychance——forallyourboastingaboutsunsetsandbearings。Gammon！Iknowyoucameonblindlyontopofus，andwithmuffledoars，too。D’yecallthatdecent？\"
\"IfIdidmuffletheoarsitwasforagoodreason。Iwantedtoslippastacovewheresomenativecraftweremoored。Thatwascommonprudenceinsuchasmallboat，andnotarmed——asIam。I
sawyourightenough，butIhadnointentiontostartleanybody。
Takemywordforit。\"
\"Iwishyouhadgonesomewhereelse，\"growledShaw。\"Ihatetobeputinthewrongthroughaccidentanduntruthfulness——there！
Here’smyoldmancallingme——\"
HeleftthecabinhurriedlyandsoonafterwardLingardcamedown，andsatagainfacingCarteracrossthetable。Hisfacewasgravebutresolute。
\"Weshallgetthebreezedirectly，\"hesaid。
\"Then，sir，\"saidCarter，gettingup，\"ifyouwillgivemebackthatletterIshallgooncruisingaboutheretospeaksomeothership。Itrustyouwillreportuswhereveryouaregoing。\"
\"IamgoingtotheyachtandIshallkeeptheletter，\"answeredLingardwithdecision。\"Iknowexactlywheresheis，andImustgototherescueofthosepeople。It’smostfortunateyou’vefalleninwithme，Mr。Carter。Fortunateforthemandfortunateforme，\"headdedinalowertone。
\"Yes，\"drawledCarter，reflectively。\"Theremaybeatidybitofsalvagemoneyifyoushouldgetthevesseloff，butIdon’tthinkyoucandomuch。Ihadbetterstayouthereandtrytospeaksomegunboat——\"
\"Youmustcomebacktoyourshipwithme，\"saidLingard，authoritatively。\"Nevermindthegunboats。\"
\"Thatwouldn’tbecarryingoutmyorders，\"arguedCarter。\"I’vegottospeakahomeward—boundshiporaman—of—war——that’splainenough。Iamnotanxioustoknockaboutfordaysinanopenboat，but——letmefillmyfresh—waterbreaker，Captain，andIwillbeoff。\"
\"Nonsense，\"saidLingard，sharply。\"You’vegottocomewithmetoshowtheplaceand——andhelp。I’lltakeyourboatintow。\"
Carterdidnotseemconvinced。Lingardlaidaheavyhandonhisshoulder。
\"Lookhere，youngfellow。IamTomLingardandthere’snotawhitemanamongtheseislands，andveryfewnatives，thathavenotheardofme。Myluckbroughtyouintomyship——andnowI’vegotyou，youmuststay。Youmust！\"
Thelast\"must\"burstoutloudandsharplikeapistol—shot。
Cartersteppedback。
\"Doyoumeanyouwouldkeepmebyforce？\"heasked，startled。
\"Force，\"repeatedLingard。\"Itrestswithyou。Icannotletyouspeakanyvessel。Youryachthasgoneashoreinamostinconvenientplace——forme；andwithyourboatssentoffhereandthere，youwouldbringeveryinfernalgunboatbuzzingtoaspotthatwasasquietandretiredastheheartofmancouldwish。Youstrandingjustonthatspotofthewholecoastwasmybadluck。
AndthatIcouldnothelp。Youcominguponmelikethisismygoodluck。AndthatIhold！\"
Hedroppedhisclenchedfist，bigandmuscular，inthelightofthelampontheblackcloth，amongsttheglitterofglasses，withthestrongfingersclosedtightuponthefirmfleshofthepalm。
HeleftitthereforamomentasifshowingCarterthatluckhewasgoingtohold。Andhewenton：
\"Doyouknowintowhathornet’snestyourstupidpeoplehaveblundered？Howmuchd’yethinktheirlivesareworth，justnow？
Notabrassfarthingifthebreezefailsmeforanothertwenty—fourhours。Youmaywellopenyoureyes。Itisso！Anditmaybetoolatenow，whileIamarguingwithyouhere。\"
Hetappedthetablewithhisknuckles，andtheglasses，wakingup，jingledathin，plaintivefinaletohisspeech。Carterstoodleaningagainstthesideboard。Hewasamazedbytheunexpectedturnoftheconversation；hisjawdroppedslightlyandhiseyesneverswervedforamomentfromLingard’sface。Thesilenceinthecabinlastedonlyafewseconds，buttoCarter，whowaitedbreathlessly，itseemedverylong。Andallatonceheheardinit，forthefirsttime，thecabinclocktickdistinctly，inpulsatingbeats，asthoughalittleheartofmetalbehindthedialhadbeenstartedintosuddenpalpitation。
\"Agunboat！\"shoutedLingard，suddenly，asifhehadseenonlyinthatmoment，bythelightofsomevividflashofthought，allthedifficultiesofthesituation。\"Ifyoudon’tgobackwithmetherewillbenothingleftforyoutogobackto——verysoon。Yourgunboatwon’tfindasingleship’sriborasinglecorpseleftforalandmark。Thatshewon’t。Itisn’tagunboatskipperyouwant。Iamthemanyouwant。Youdon’tknowyourluckwhenyouseeit，butIknowmine，Ido——and——lookhere——\"
HetouchedCarter’schestwithhisforefinger，andsaidwithasuddengentlenessoftone：
\"Iamawhitemaninsideandout；Iwon’tletinoffensivepeople—
—andawoman，too——cometoharmifIcanhelpit。AndifIcan’thelp，nobodycan。Youunderstand——nobody！There’snotimeforit。
ButIamlikeanyothermanthatisworthhissalt：Iwon’tlettheendofanundertakinggobytheboardwhilethereisachancetoholdon——andit’slikethis——\"
Hisvoicewaspersuasive——almostcaressing；hehadholdnowofacoatbuttonandtuggedatitslightlyashewentoninaconfidentialmanner：
\"Asitturnsout，Mr。Carter，Iwould——inamannerofspeaking——I
wouldassoonshootyouwhereyoustandasletyougotoraiseanalarmalloverthisseaaboutyourconfoundedyacht。Ihaveotherlivestoconsider——andfriends——andpromises——and——andmyself，too。Ishallkeepyou，\"heconcluded，sharply。
Carterdrewalongbreath。Onthedeckabove，thetwomencouldhearsoftfootfalls，shortmurmurs，indistinctwordsspokenneartheskylight。Shaw’svoicerangoutloudlyingrowlingtones：
\"Furltheroyals，youtindal！\"
\"It’sthequeerestoldgo，\"mutteredCarter，lookingdownontothefloor。\"Youareastrangeman。IsupposeImustbelievewhatyousay——unlessyouandthatfatmateofyoursareacoupleofescapedlunaticsthatgotholdofabrigbysomemeans。Why，thatchapuptherewantedtopickaquarrelwithmeforcomingaboard，andnowyouthreatentoshootmeratherthanletmego。NotthatIcaremuchaboutthat；forsometimeorotheryouwouldgethangedforit；andyoudon’tlooklikeamanthatwillendthatway。Ifwhatyousayisonlyhalftrue，IoughttogetbacktotheyachtasquickaseverIcan。Itstrikesmethatyourcomingtothemwillbeonlyasmallmercy，anyhow——andImaybeofsomeuse——Butthisisthequeerest……MayIgoinmyboat？\"
\"Asyoulike，\"saidLingard。\"There’sarainsquallcoming。\"
\"Iaminchargeandwillgetwetalongofmychaps。Giveusagoodlongline，Captain。\"
\"It’sdonealready，\"saidLingard。\"Youseemasensiblesailormanandcanseethatitwouldbeuselesstotryandgivemetheslip。\"
\"Foramansoreadytoshoot，youseemverytrustful，\"drawledCarter。\"IfIcutadriftinasquall，Istandaprettyfairchancenottoseeyouagain。\"
\"Youjusttry，\"saidLingard，drily。\"Ihaveeyesinthisbrig，youngman，thatwillseeyourboatwhenyoucouldn’tseetheship。YouareofthekindIlike，butifyoumonkeywithmeI
willfindyou——andwhenIfindyouIwillrunyoudownassurelyasIstandhere。\"
Carterslappedhisthighandhiseyestwinkled。
\"BytheLordHarry！\"hecried。\"Ifitwasn’tforthemenwithme，Iwouldtryforsport。Youaresococksureaboutthelotyoucando，Captain。Youwouldaggravateasaintintoopenmutiny。\"
Hiseasygoodhumourhadreturned；butafterashortburstoflaughter，hebecameserious。
\"Neverfear，\"hesaid，\"Iwon’tslipaway。Ifthereistobeanythroat—cutting——asyouseemtohint——minewillbethere，too，I
promiseyou，and……\"
Hestretchedhisarmsout，glancedatthem，shookthemalittle。
\"Andthispairofarmstotakecareofit，\"headded，inhisold，carelessdrawl。
utthemasterofthebrigsittingwithbothhiselbowsonthetable，hisfaceinhishands，hadfallenunexpectedlyintoameditationsoconcentratedandsoprofoundthatheseemedneithertohear，see，norbreathe。Thesightofthatman’scompleteabsorptioninthoughtwastoCarteralmostmoresurprisingthananyotheroccurrenceofthatnight。Hadhisstrangehostvanishedsuddenlyfrombeforehiseyes，itcouldnothavemadehimfeelmoreuncomfortablyaloneinthatcabinwherethepertinaciousclockkepttickingofftheuselessminutesofthecalmbeforeitwould，withthesamesteadybeat，begintomeasuretheaimlessdisturbanceofthestorm。
III
Afterwaitingamoment，Carterwentondeck。Thesky，thesea，thebrigitselfhaddisappearedinadarknessthathadbecomeimpenetrable，palpable，andstifling。Animmensecloudhadcomeuprunningovertheheavens，asiflookingforthelittlecraft，andnowhungoverit，arrested。Tothesouththerewasalividtremblinggleam，faintandsad，likeavanishingmemoryofdestroyedstarlight。Tothenorth，asiftoprovetheimpossible，anincrediblyblackerpatchoutlinedonthetremendousblacknessoftheskytheheartofthecomingsquall。Theglimmersinthewaterhadgoneoutandtheinvisibleseaallaroundlaymuteandstillasifithaddiedsuddenlyoffright。
Cartercouldseenothing。Hefeltabouthimpeoplemoving；heheardtheminthedarknesswhisperingfaintlyasiftheyhadbeenexchangingsecretsimportantorinfamous。Thenighteffacedevenwords，anditsmysteryhadcapturedeverythingandeverysound——
hadleftnothingfreebuttheunexpectedthatseemedtohoveraboutone，readytostretchoutitsstealthyhandinatouchsudden，familiar，andappalling。Eventhecarelessdispositionoftheyoungex—officerofanopium—clipperwasaffectedbytheominousaspectofthehour。Whatwasthisvessel？Whatwerethosepeople？Whatwouldhappento—morrow？Totheyacht？Tohimself？Hefeltsuddenlywithoutanyadditionalreasonbutthedarknessthatitwasapoorshow，anyhow，adashedpoorshowforallhands。Theirrationalconvictionmadehimfalterforasecondwherehestoodandhegrippedtheslideofthecompanionwayhard。
Shaw’svoicerightclosetohisearrelievedandclearedhistroubledthoughts。
\"Oh！it’syou，Mister。Comeupatlast，\"saidthemateofthebrigslowly。\"Itappearswe’vegottogiveyouatownow。Ofalltherumin—cidents，thisbeatsall。Aboatsneaksupfromnowhereandturnsouttobealong—expectedfriend！Foryouareoneofthemfriendstheskipperwasgoingtomeetsomewherehere。Ain’tyounow？Come！Iknowmorethanyoumaythink。Areweoffto——youmayjustaswelltell——offto——h’mha……youknow？\"
\"Yes。Iknow。Don’tyou？\"articulatedCarter，innocently。
Shawremainedveryquietforaminute。
\"Where’smyskipper？\"heaskedatlast。
\"Ilefthimdownbelowinakindoftrance。Where’smyboat？\"
\"Yourboatishangingastern。AndmyopinionisthatyouareasuncivilasI’veprovedyoutobeuntruthful。Egzz—actly。\"
Carterstumbledtowardthetaffrailandinthefirststephemadecamefullagainstsomebodywhoglidedaway。Itseemedtohimthatsuchanightbringsmentoalowerlevel。Hethoughtthathemighthavebeenknockedontheheadbyanybodystrongenoughtoliftacrow—bar。Hefeltstrangelyirritated。Hesaidloudly，aiminghiswordsatShawwhomhesupposedsomewherenear：
\"Andmyopinionisthatyouandyourskipperwillcometoasuddenbadendbefore——\"
\"Ithoughtyouwereinyourboat。Haveyouchangedyourmind？\"
askedLingardinhisdeepvoiceclosetoCarter’selbow。
Carterfelthiswayalongtherail，tillhishandfoundalinethatseemed，inthecalm，tostreamoutofitsownaccordintothedarkness。Hehailedhisboat，anddirectlyheardthewashofwateragainstherbowsasshewashauledquicklyunderthecounter。Thenheloomedupshapelessontherail，andthenextmomentdisappearedasifhehadfallenoutoftheuniverse。
Lingardheardhimsay：
\"Catchholdofmyleg，John。\"Therewerehollowsoundsintheboat；avoicegrowled，\"Allright。\"
\"Keepclearofthecounter，\"saidLingard，speakinginquietwarningtonesintothenight。\"Thebrigmaygetalotofsternwayonhershouldthissquallnotstrikeherfairly。\"
\"Aye，aye。Iwillmind，\"wasthemutteredanswerfromthewater。
Lingardcrossedovertotheportside，andlookedsteadilyatthesootymassofapproachingvapours。Afteramomenthesaidcurtly，\"Braceupfortheporttack，Mr。Shaw，\"andremainedsilent，withhisfacetothesea。Asound，sorrowfulandstartlinglikethesighofsomeimmensecreature，travellingacrossthestarlessspace，passedabovetheverticalandloftysparsofthemotionlessbrig。
Itgrewlouder，thensuddenlyceasedforamoment，andthetautriggingofthebrigwasheardvibratingitsanswerinasingingnotetothisthreateningmurmurofthewinds。Alongandslowundulationliftedthelevelofthewaters，asiftheseahaddrawnadeepbreathofanxioussuspense。Thenextminuteanimmensedisturbanceleapedoutofthedarknessuponthesea，kindlinguponitalividclearnessoffoam，andthefirstgustofthesquallboardedthebriginastingingflickofrainandspray。Asifoverwhelmedbythesuddennessofthefierceonset，thevesselremainedforaseconduprightwhereshefloated，shakingwithtremendousjerksfromtruckstokeel；whilehighupinthenighttheinvisiblecanvaswasheardrattlingandbeatingaboutviolently。
Then，withaquickdoublereport，asofheavyguns，bothtopsailsfilledatonceandthebrigfelloverswiftlyonherside。Shawwasthrownheadlongagainsttheskylight，andLingard，whohadencircledtheweatherrailwithhisarm，feltthevesselunderhisfeetdartforwardsmoothly，andthedeckbecomelessslanting——thespeedofthebrigrunningoffalittlenow，easingtheoverturningstrainofthewinduponthedistendedsurfacesofthesails。Itwasonlythefinenessofthelittlevessel’slinesandtheperfectshapeofherhullthatsavedthecanvas，andperhapsthespars，byenablingthereadycrafttogetwayuponherselfwithsuchlightning—likerapidity。LingarddrewalongbreathandyelledjubilantlyatShawwhowasstrugglingupagainstwindandraintohiscommander’sside。
\"She’lldo。Holdoneverything。\"
Shawtriedtospeak。Heswallowedgreatmouthfulsoftepidwaterwhichthewinddrovedownhisthroat。Thebrigseemedtosailthroughundulatingwavesthatpassedswishingbetweenthemastsandsweptoverthedeckswiththefiercerushandnoiseofacataract。Fromeverysparandeveryropearaggedsheetofwaterstreamedflickingtoleeward。Theoverpoweringdelugeseemedtolastforanage；becameunbearable——and，allatonce，stopped。Inacoupleofminutestheshowerhadrunitslengthoverthebrigandnowcouldbeseenlikeastraightgreywall，goingawayintothenightunderthefiercewhisperingofdissolvingclouds。Thewindeased。Tothenorthward，lowdowninthedarkness，threestarsappearedinarow，leapinginandoutbetweenthecrestsofwaveslikethedistantheadsofswimmersinarunningsurf；andtheretreatingedgeofthecloud，perfectlystraightfromeasttowest，slippedalongthedomeoftheskylikeanimmensehemispheric，ironshutterpivotingdownsmoothlyasifoperatedbysomemightyengine。Aninspiringandpenetratingfreshnessflowedtogetherwiththeshimmeroflight，throughtheaugmentedgloryoftheheaven，agloryexalted，undimmed，andstrangelystartlingasifanewworldhadbeencreatedduringtheshortflightofthestormycloud。Itwasareturntolife，areturntospace；theearthcomingoutfromunderapalltotakeitsplaceintherenewedandimmensescintillationoftheuniverse。
Thebrig，heryardsslightlycheckedin，ranwithaneasymotionunderthetopsails，jibanddriver，pushingcontemptuouslyasidetheturbulentcrowdofnoisyandagitatedwaves。Asthecraftwentswiftlyaheadsheunrolledbehindherovertheuneasydarknessoftheseaabroadribbonofseethingfoamshotwithwispygleamsofdarkdiscsescapingfromundertherudder。Farawayastern，attheendofalinenothickerthanablackthread，whichdippednowandthenitslongcurveintheburstingfroth，atoy—likeobjectcouldbemadeout，elongatedanddark，racingafterthebrigoverthesnowywhitenessofherwake。
Lingardwalkedaft，and，withbothhishandsonthetaffrail，lookedeagerlyforCarter’sboat。Thefirstglancesatisfiedhimthattheyacht’sgigwastowingeasilyattheendofthelongscopeofline，andheturnedawaytolookaheadandtoleewardwithasteadygaze。ItwasthenhalfanhourpastmidnightandShaw，relievedbyWasub，hadgonebelow。Beforehewent，hesaidtoLingard，\"Iwillbeoff，sir，ifyou’renotgoingtomakemoresailyet。\"\"Notyetforawhile，\"hadansweredLingardinapreoccupiedmanner；andShawdepartedaggrievedatsuchaneglectofmakingthebestofagoodbreeze。
Onthemaindeckdark—skinnedmen，whoseclothingclungtotheirshiveringlimbsasiftheyhadbeenoverboard，hadfinishedrecoilingthebraces，andclearingthegear。Thekassab，afterhavinghungthefore—topsailhalyardsinthebecket，struttedintothewaisttowardarowofmenwhostoodidlywiththeirshouldersagainstthesideofthelongboatamidships。Hepassedalonglookingupcloseatthestolidfaces。Roomwasmadeforhim，andhetookhisplaceattheend。
\"Itwasagreatrainandamightywind，Omen，\"hesaid，dogmatically，\"butnowindcaneverhurtthisship。ThatIknewwhileIstoodmindingthesailwhichisundermycare。\"
Adullandinexpressivemurmurwasheardfromthemen。Overthehighweatherrail，atoppingwaveflungintotheireyesahandfulofheavydropsthatstunglikehail。Therewerelowgroansofindignation。Amansighed。Anotheremittedaspasmodiclaughthroughhischatteringteeth。Noonemovedaway。Thelittlekassabwipedhisfaceandwentoninhiscrackedvoice，totheaccompanimentoftheswishingsoundsmadebytheseasthatsweptregularlyasternalongtheship’sside。
\"Haveyouheardhimshoutatthewind——louderthanthewind？I
haveheard，beingfarforward。Andbefore，too，inthemanyyearsIservedthiswhitemanIhaveheardhimoftencrymagicwordsthatmakeallsafe。Ya—wa！Thisistruth。AskWasubwhoisaHaji，evenasIam。\"
\"Ihaveseenwhitemen’sshipswiththeirmastsbroken——alsowreckedlikeourownpraus，\"remarkedsadlyalean，lankfellowwhoshiveredbesidethekassab，hanginghisheadandtryingtograsphisshoulderblades。
\"True，\"admittedthekassab。\"TheyareallthechildrenofSatanbuttosomemorefavourisshown。Toobeysuchmenontheseaorinafightisgood。Isawhimwhoismasterherefightwithwildmenwhoeattheirenemies——farawaytotheeastward——andIdealtblowsbyhissidewithoutfear；forthecharmshe，nodoubt，possessesprotecthisservantsalso。IamabelieverandtheStonedOnecannottouchmyforehead。Yettherewardofvictorycomesfromtheaccursed。ForsixyearshaveIsailedwiththatwhiteman；firstasonewhomindstherudder，forIamamanofthesea，borninaprau，andamskilledinsuchwork。Andnow，becauseofmygreatknowledgeofhisdesires，Ihavethecareofallthingsinthisship。\"
Severalvoicesmuttered，\"True。True。\"Theyremainedapatheticandpatient，intherushofwind，undertherepeatedshortflightsofsprays。Theslightrolloftheshipbalancedthemstifflyalltogetherwheretheystoodproppedagainstthebigboat。Thebreezehummingbetweentheinclinedmastsenvelopedtheirdarkandsilentfiguresintheunceasingresonanceofitsbreath。
Thebrig’sheadhadbeenlaidsoastopassalittletowindwardofthesmallislandsoftheCarimatagroup。Theyhadbeentillthenhiddeninthenight，butnowbothmenonthelookoutreportedlandaheadinonelongcry。Lingard，standingtoleewardabreastofthewheel，watchedtheisletfirstseen。Whenitwasnearlyabeamofthebrighegavehisorders，andWasubhurriedofftothemaindeck。Thehelmwasputdown，theyardsonthemaincameslowlysquareandthewetcanvasofthemain—topsailclungsuddenlytothemastafterasingleheavyflap。Thedazzlingstreakoftheship’swakevanished。Thevessellostherwayandbegantodipherbowsintothequicksuccessionoftherunningheadseas。Andateveryslowplungeofthecraft，thesongofthewindwouldswelllouderamongstthewavingspars，withawildandmournfulnote。
Justasthebrig’sboathadbeenswungout，readyforlowering，theyacht’sgighauledupbyitslineappearedtossingandsplashingontheleequarter。Carterstoodupinthesternsheetsbalancinghimselfcleverlytothedisorderedmotionofhiscockleshell。Hehailedthebrigtwicetoknowwhatwasthematter，notbeingablefrombelowandinthedarknesstomakeoutwhatthatconfusedgroupofmenonthepoopwereabout。Hegotnoanswer，thoughhecouldseetheshapeofamanstandingbyhimselfaft，andapparentlywatchinghim。Hewasgoingtorepeathishailforthethirdtimewhenheheardtherattlingoftacklesfollowedbyaheavysplash，aburstofvoices，scramblinghollowsounds——andadarkmassdetachingitselffromthebrig’ssidesweptpasthimonthecrestofapassingwave。Forlessthanasecondhecouldseeontheshimmerofthenightskytheshapeofaboat，theheadsofmen，thebladesofoarspointingupwardwhilebeinggotouthurriedly。Thenallthissankoutofsight，reappearedoncemorefaroffandhardlydiscernible，beforevanishingforgood。
\"Why，they’veloweredaboat！\"exclaimedCarter，fallingbackinhisseat。Herememberedthathehadseenonlyafewhoursagothreenativeprauslurkingamongstthoseveryislands。Foramomenthehadtheideaofcastingofftogoinchaseofthatboat，soastofindout……Findoutwhat？Hegaveuphisideaatonce。Whatcouldhedo？
