He followed the Captain, who had walked forward to the bow, where the picking-up gear cumbered the deck.
This consisted of a huge drum moved by cogwheels and worked through the picking-up engine by steam from the main boilers. On it would be wound the grapnel rope used for grappling for cable over the wheel let into the bow just at the point where in ordinary ships the heel of the bowsprit is grasped by the knightheads.
The Captain inspected this machine with attention, pressing on the cogs of the driving wheel with his thumb as though they were soft and he wished to discover how much they would dent; then, standing off a bit, he looked at it with his head on one side, as a knowing purchaser might look at a horse.
“Wants a drop of lubricating oil,” said Shiner tentatively.
“Gallons,” replied the Captain. He turned to the picking-up engine and pulled the lever over. This he did several times, releasing it and then pulling it over again as if for the gloomy pleasure of feeling its defects.
“Well,” said Shiner, “what do you think of the gear and engine?”
“Oh, they’ll work,” said the Captain, “but it will be a good job if they don’t work off their bedplates.”
“They’ll hold tight enough,” said Harman, pressing his foot on the brake of the engine. “There’s nothing wrong with them on the inside. Let’s have a look at the main.”
They came aft past the electrical testing room, and passed down the companionway to the engine room.