His hands, with extended fingers, rose through the mere slice of opening like those of a drowning man above water, and then I could see the glimmer of his eyes as he looked up.
'Are the rest of you well away?'
'Allee standing back! Allee standing back!' he exclaimed piteously.
On this I pulled the hatch open a little wider, Abraham bending over it with the belaying-pin lifted; and, the interstice being now wide enough, I fell to work as quickly as possible to hand down the provisions. These consisted of three or four bags of ship's biscuit and a number of large pieces of boiled salt horse. But the water-cask, or breaker rather, gave me some trouble. What its capacity was I do not know. It was too heavy for me to deal with single-handed. I called Jacob, and together we slung it in a couple of bights of rope, and, rolling it over the coaming, lowered away. It effectually blocked the hatch while it hung in it, and Punmeamootty had to back away to receive it.
This done, I threw down a few pannikins, not knowing but that they might be without a drinking-vessel in the forecastle, then closed the hatch, catching a loud cry from below as I did so; but I dared not pause to ask what it was, and a moment later the cover was securely bolted, with Jacob sitting upon it, leisurely pulling out his pipe, and Abraham and I walking aft.
Some time later than this, bringing the hour to about six o'clock, Helga and I were eating some supper—I give the black tea, the biscuit, and beef of this meal the name they carry at sea—one or the other of us holding the wheel that Abraham might obtain some sleep in the cabin, when the man Jacob, who was trudging a little space of the deck forward, suddenly called to me. I left the wheel in Helga's hands, and made my way to the boatman.
'Oi fear them chaps is a-suffocating below,' said he; 'they're a-knocking desperate hard against the hatch, and their voices has been a-pouring through that there chimney as though their language wor smoke. Hark! and ye'll hear 'em.'
The sound of beating was distinct. I went to the mouth of the funnel, and heard a noise of wailing.
'What is it?' I cried. 'What is wrong with you below?'
'Oh, give us air, sah! give us air!' was the response. 'Some men die; no man he live long downee here.'