“You’re the luckiest fellow that ever drew breath, I believe,” said the second mate, finally. “You stay abed here till morning. Then you can go forward and talk to the captain. It’s almost unbelievable.”
And I scarce believed it myself—at least, not while I was so lightheaded and weak. But being a husky fellow my strength quickly came back to me, and the care of the kind fellows in the fo’castle set me on my pins the next day. I had a brief interview with Captain Si Somes—a long, cadaverous, hatchet-faced man who barked his words at one as though he did not like to waste either voice or words.
“So Cap’n Joe didn’t try to pick ye up?”
“I reckon he couldn’t. It was blowing pretty hard just then.”
“That’s like the old murderer,” he snapped. “Didn’t clew down his tops’ls quick enough of course. He means to beat me if he kin.”
“Yes, sir,” I said.
“Well, he won’t. We’ll pick him up if the wind keeps this a-way.”
“No chance of my getting back to her I sp’ose?” I suggested.
“To the Gullwing?”
“Yes, sir.”