“There’s no knowin’ when all hands may be called, an’ while the old man has got such a lively bee in his bonnet I wouldn’t like to be missin’ when wanted.”
“But it isn’t reasonable to keep us here all day on a stretch, without food, when there are so many aboard who must be idling,” I cried, hotly.
“I grant you that, lad; but it’s the captain’s business to send orders that you be relieved.”
“If you’ll stand here five minutes, I’ll tell the captain what you are doing, and why we pressed you into service,” Simon said, eagerly, whereupon I, believing that one of the prisoners was probably lurking about close at hand ready for mischief, understood that it would not be safe for Stubbs to remain on duty alone unless we had first warned him of the possible danger.
“Stubbs shall stay here with me, and you may go on deck, Simon,” I cried, giving my comrade a look which I hoped he would understand as meaning that he was to acquaint his father with what we had learned.
The lad nodded his head as if in reply to my glance, and, without waiting for the sailor’s permission, ran up the ladder at full speed.
I asked Stubbs if the men still felt disturbed by last night’s occurrences, whereupon he replied, in a tone which plainly told that he thought me a simple for venturing such a question:
“After you’ve seen a thing, an’ heard a thing speak, how’re you goin’ to get it out of your head, simply because the captain gives the command that you must? We’ll allow that the carryin’ away of the topmast on a Friday didn’t signify nothin’, an’ that Josh Seabury is way off his reckonin’ when he holds that it was a warnin’ for us to bring this ’ere cruise to an end. That leaves us free an’ clear up to last night, when that bloomin’ thing popped out of the fore-hatchway. Now you’ll agree, as must every honest man, that shadows don’t show white, an’ stars can’t throw out any light when the mist covers ’em entirely. It couldn’t be anything more or less than a ghost, lad.”
“But there are no such things, Stubbs!” I cried, hoping to convince myself by speaking in a loud tone. “No one but a foolish old shellback like Master Joshua would ever allow that there are ghosts.”