“Then it was because you didn’t look well, Joe,” said Rodd, in a low hoarse voice, as he made a brave effort to set himself right with the man. “I was frightened—so horribly frightened that I couldn’t stir.”
“Well, and no wonder, sir. Enough to make you. Why, it would have frightened a brass monkey, let alone a man. Look at Ikey Gregg. I believe if you’d ha’ ’eard him you would have found he was calling ‘Mother!’ Poor old chap. There aren’t no way of proving it, as one don’t know how heavy he was afore, but I believe he melted away a bit. Why, we was all like it, sir. It was a regular startler and no mistake.”
“Do you mean honestly that all the men were very much frightened?”
“Why, of course, sir. I telled you I was as bad as bad could be, and my hair stood right up on end—leastwise, it felt as if it did; and I can tell you this: I didn’t feel like that when we were going into action, and that’s saying a good deal, when a fellow didn’t know whether the first sixty-four pounder that was fired wouldn’t send its shot right into his chest. And so you felt regular skeart, did you, sir?”
“Yes, Joe; and it made me ashamed to hear you talking about me to the men as you did.”
“Oh, well, I don’t know as it matters, sir. I said just what I thought, and I rather like to hear what you say, because it seems to brighten me up a bit.”
“Why? How?”
“Oh, because it makes me feel that I wasn’t quite such a cur as I thought I was. There, it’s all right, sir, and I suppose it’s quite nat’ral for any one to feel afraid when there’s something really worth feeling afraid on. I dare say we should both be just as bad again if that thing was to shove its head out of the water again close by here.”
“Then you don’t think I was such a coward, Joe?”
“You! You a coward! Tchah! Let me hear any fellow say you are, and I’ll hit him in the eye. But there, it’s just as if that thing knowed we were all ready and waiting for it, and so it won’t show. I’m beginning to wish that the skipper would send everybody but the watch for their spell below; but I don’t suppose he will, and so we must make the best of it. But if I was you, sir, and didn’t belong to the crew, I should just slip off below and turn into my bunk till breakfast-time in the morning. What do you say?”