“No,” said Hester firmly, and drawing herself up; “I shall stay.”
“Then you shall, my dear; but,” he added, with a smile, “woman for ever! You’ve won the day: he’s going to have the life-rope.”
The old doubts, which had been growing fainter and which would, no doubt, have been entirely swept away by an explanation, came back more strongly again at Hester’s refusal, and with a feeling of rage and bitterness Dutch raised the helmet, placed it upon his head, and signed to old Rasp to come and screw it on.
This the old fellow did after securing the extra life-line to his belt, but not before Dutch had had a few words with Mr Parkley as to the management of the dynamite and wires.
The men on the look-out could see no sharks, all being apparently quite clear, and at last, when with hatchet and knife in his belt, and the wheel of the air-pump beginning to clank, Dutch moved towards the gangway, trailing after him the long india-rubber tube, there was a loud cheer, and everyone leaned forward in eager excitement.
“Now to solve the problem, Studwick,” said Mr Parkley, who was evidently excited, and who dabbed his face to get rid of the dripping perspiration. “Is it to be luck or ill-luck?”
“That I’ll tell you by-and-by,” said the captain, smiling; and like Mr Wilson and the doctor, he stood up on the bulwarks to help to keep a good lookout for sharks.
“Now look here, Mr Parkley,” said Rasp, who had assumed the management, and dictated as if everything belonged to him, “just you place Mr Jones the mate, here with three men to let that there life-line run softly through their hands when it’s pulled, and to heave in the slack when it isn’t; but when I give the word they’re to run it in with all their might—take hold of it, you know, and run along the deck.”
Hester Pugh’s breath caught, as now, with dilating eyes, she watched her husband, who, as calmly as possible, stepped on to the ladder, and began to descend step by step, till his shoulders were immersed, when he paused for a moment to alter the way in which the tube hung from his helmet; then Rasp, passing it through his hands, and giving a word or two of advice to the men at the pump, the helmet disappeared beneath the surface, and in place of the hissing noise heard as the air escaped from the valve, there came foaming up a continuous stream of bubbles through the limpid water.
The men gave another cheer, and the Cuban, who had crept round close to Hester, looked down over the bulwark, full of curiosity to see what would follow.