"By the grace of the good Lord, I never rips up a sailor for slack jaw aboard the Lord's special appointed ship. Maybe we'll settle the matter of leaving later on," said the ruffian.
"Let there be an end of this talk, sir," said Sackett. "Get your men to work, Mr. Andrews, and you, Mr. Rolling, get the passengers out of that boat and stand by to try to find the leak. I don't intend to have any more of this eternal bickering."
Miss Sackett was helped aboard again. As she stepped on deck she whispered, "There's no use, Mr. Rolling. We will have to get out. The only trouble is that the water is gaining slowly in the cabin, and I'm afraid for papa."
"It's a pity he won't desert her," I answered; "but if we get away, Andrews and the rest will be more apt to help him honestly. They won't while we're here, and he won't force any of his men to stay and obey orders, as he should. If he only would, we might get the ship in before a week more of it."
"It's his way," said the girl. "He believes no captain has the right to endanger his men for gain. You couldn't take him by force, for he'd make things warm after he got ashore. If we could only get some of the water out of her and get away, he could get her in with England, Journegan, Daniels, and Dalton. Your two men added would make seven. These men could handle the canvas and steer her as well as twelve."
I didn't like to tell her that the devil himself would hardly be safe in the same ship with Andrews. It was quite possible that the ruffian would turn to and do good work for his share of the salvage when he got clear of the rest of us, for the amount would be large and tempting. Sackett would be of more service to him alive than dead.
"We'll get at the leak this afternoon, if it's possible," I said, and the young girl went back to her stateroom.
XIV
It was with anything but rising spirits that Chips went at the leak. He had a frame slung outboard some fifteen feet from the ship's side, supported by guys from the mainmast and jury foremast. It was after eight bells in the afternoon before this was finished, and then Sackett and he went out on it to study the ship's bilge through the calm water. It was almost flat calm, but the Sovereign had steering way enough to turn her side to the slanting sun, letting the light shine under her copper. She was so deep, however, nothing could be made out on the smooth green surface that showed like a started plank end. Only here and there a lump or protuberance appeared, showing a bunch of marine growth, or a bent edge of a plate where it had started to rip off. The water of the Indian Ocean is always remarkably clear, and this day during the still weather it was like liquid air. Objects were as distinctly visible three or four fathoms below the surface as those at a corresponding distance on deck.
I joined Sackett and Chips on the frame, and studied the ship's bilge the entire length of her waist. In about half an hour we shifted to starboard and, by dint of handling the canvas, got her head around so that the sun shone under this side. Nothing showed like a leak.