At the noise made by Brand, Turk, followed by Harry, rushed back into the hold.
"What is the matter?"
"Nothing," gasped Brand; "nothing at all."
There were big drops of sweat upon his brow, his eyes protruded, while great, purple rings spread around them.
"Nothing," said Turk; "ay, ay, now, but there must be something the matter with ye, Cap. D'ye feel hungry?"
Perceiving that he must make some excuse, Brand puzzled himself trying to think of some plausible one.
"The fact is," said he, "I believe what we've gone through has unstrung my nerves. I thought I felt a snake around my legs, when it was nothing but a coil of rope."
His auditors believed him all the more readily that they had by this time concluded that the man, like most all thoroughly selfish people, was a coward.
In a short time they were out of the schooner, when Brand, who had previously lagged, was now the foremost.