, too. That is why he walked the deck with
Fitzgibbon by his side. I could feel the alertness of the man. Yankee
Swope had his finger upon the pulse of his ship. A mutiny, however
sudden, would not catch the master of the _Golden Bough_ napping. That
is what I thought as I watched him, and Boston's vague scheme became
harebrained in my eyes.

The second mate was seldom aft during the two hours I stood at the
wheel. The times he did appear, he engaged in conversation with the
Old Man, beyond my hearing. But near midnight be clumped aft
hurriedly, bringing the tradesmen with him. The strollers happened to
be near me at the moment he appeared, and he came towards them,
speaking.

"Well, sir--he's gone," he said.

So I knew that Nils was dead.

"Very good," said Swope. "And the hands?"

"All quiet, sir."

Mister Lynch's voice was quite respectful, but I fancied I detected in
it a note of contempt.

"There was danger of trouble, even before the boy went out," he went
on. "Morton stood by the door and heard it all." This Morton was the
sailmaker in the starboard watch. "The big Cockney in the port watch
was all for trouble, a rush aft of all hands; he said he had the
backing of my watch. The squareheads were willing; they want revenge.
But the big jasper in my watch, Newman, went into the foc'sle and
squelched the scheme with a word. He clapped a stopper on the
Cockney's jaw, and told the squareheads there was to be no trouble. So
there will be none, Captain."

A black curse slid out of the skipper's mouth. Aye, the man breathed
fury.

"So--he commands for'ard, eh?" he said. "Well, I command aft." He
seemed to think over the matter for a moment, and arrive at a decision.
"Well, Mister, if it doesn't happen to-night, it may happen another
night," he said. "Tell your men to keep their eyes and ears open.
And--better have that body carted aft, and your sailmaker fit him to
canvas. We'll dump him at dawn."

"Very good, sir," replied Lynch, and he went forward again.

The Old Man and the mate immediately went into conference. They moved
over to the rail, and spoke in soft tones, so I overheard nothing they
said. A ray of light from the companion hatch fell upon them, and
watching them furtively, it seemed to me that Captain Swope was laying
down the law to Fitzgibbon, giving him certain orders, to which he at
first objected, and then agreed.

It looked wicked to me, this secretive conversatio