'Oldroyd! Where away's the gig?'
'Close on the starboard bow, sir!'
'How close?'
'Two cable's lengths, sir. She's pulling for us now.'
'Steer for her while you've steerage way.'
'Aye aye, sir.'
How long would it take the gig under oars to cover a quarter of a mile? Hornblower feared anticlimax, feared a sudden revulsion of feeling among the Spaniards at this late moment. Mere waiting might occasion it, and he must not stand merely idle. He could still hear the motion of the galley through the water, and he turned to Jackson.
'This ship carries her way well, Jackson, doesn't she?' he said, and he made himself laugh as he spoke, as if everything in the world was a matter of sublime certainty.
'Aye, sir, I suppose she does, sir,' said the startled Jackson; he was fidgeting nervously with his pistols.
'And look at the man there,' went on Hornblower, pointing to a galley slave. 'Did you ever see such a beard in your life?'