“Silence, sir! who spoke to you?” snapped the mate. “Wait till your advice is asked.”
“Tommy Smith’s quite right, sir,” growled Wriggs.
“Silence, sir.”
“Right, sir, but I stands by my mate,” growled Wriggs.
“Now, then, Mr Panton, I am waiting. Quick!”
“I cannot let you go into that terrible danger without making another protest,” cried Drew. “Mr Rimmer, we have done everything that man could do in the way of trying to save the poor lad’s life.”
“Possibly, Mr Drew, but I have not done all I mean to do. Now, then, Mr Panton, forward.”
The gentleman addressed stepped forward at once, and with the mate and the six men who had accompanied him close behind entered the curtain of mist, invisible now save as increasing the darkness and shutting out the sparkling stars.
“No, no, don’t you go, Smith,” cried Drew just then, as the sailor made a movement to follow the others.
“But he’ll think I’m scared, sir, if I don’t go,” cried Smith.