“Gone below, sir.”
But that did the business for me. My imagination began to construct dangers out of nothing, and they multiplied faster than I could keep the run of them. All at once I imagined I saw shoal water ahead! The wave of coward agony that surged through me then came near dislocating every joint in me. All my confidence in that crossing vanished. I seized the bell-rope; dropped it, ashamed; seized it again; dropped it once more; clutched it tremblingly once again, and pulled it so feebly that I could hardly hear the stroke myself. Captain and mate sang out instantly, and both together:
“Starboard lead there! and quick about it!” This was another shock. I began to climb the wheel like a squirrel; but I would hardly get the boat started to port before I would see new dangers on that side, and away I would spin to the other; only to find perils accumulating to starboard, and be crazy to get to port again. Then came the leadsman’s sepulchral cry:
“D-e-e-p four!”
Deep four in a bottomless crossing! The terror of it took my breath away.
“M-a-r-k three! M-a-r-k three! Quarter-less-three! Half twain!”
This was frightful! I seized the bell-rope and stopped the engines.
“Quarter twain! Quarter twain! Mark twain!”
I was helpless. I did not know what in the world to do. I was quaking from head to foot, and I could have hung my hat on my eyes, they stuck out so far.
“Quarter-less-twain! Nine-and-a-half!”