As he spoke, he seized the hand that Alice extended to him, and helped her into the vessel—his heart throbbing with delight as he listened to the praises that she lavished upon the simple accommodations which had been prepared for her.
“It is almost as warm and snug here,” she said, when she had seated herself, “as the cabin of the Montpelier.”
“My eyes!” whispered Stump in Harry’s ear, “it’s a raal pleasure to do any thing for this gal; she takes every thing so ship-shape and sailor-like!”
“I am glad it pleases you, Alice,” said Marline, “but with the help of a few blankets it might have been improved.”
“Indeed, Harry, there is not the least need of them, so far as I am concerned, for I have my cloak, which will keep me warm enough.”
The harpooner was about to reply, when Stump twitched his arm, causing him to turn his head.
The shipkeeper moved to the edge of the ice-raft, by a wink of the eye implying that he desired Marline to follow him. Wondering what he could wish to say to him, of a secret nature, the young man made his way to the side of his companion, who then addressed him in a low voice:
“I didn’t wish to alarm the gal,” said he, “but you can perceive that the tide is changing, and that we’ll soon, on that account, be drifting in a direction that won’t be likely to carry us toward the boats.”
“Ay, ay, that’s true enough,” said the harpooner; “I expected it; but we must trust to Providence.”
“Them that trusts entirely to that,” said Stump, oracularly, “don’t always come out right in the end, which isn’t the fault of Providence, hows’ever, but the fault of them that don’t take advantage of the chances and such like which it offers to ’em to get out of their scrapes. There was a chaplain on board of the Minerva, a craft that I once sailed in, and during a terrific gale that we had, the ship leaked badly and we’d all have gone to Davy Jones, if we had taken the advice of the Bible-man, who wanted us to leave the pumps and pray to God to save the vessel. My eyes! she would have gone down in no time if we’d done that; but the captain was a sensible man, and ordered us to pump away, by which means we saved the craft, which we wouldn’t have done if we had leaned on Providence!”