“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.”