ntness and weariness had been all that
was the matter; but now that the excitement was over, the collapse came;
and the men sat down listlessly and sulkily by twos and threes upon the
deck, starting and wincing when they heard some poor fellow below cry
out under the surgeon's knife; or murmuring to each other that all was
lost. Drew tried in vain to rouse them, telling them that all depended
on rigging a jury-mast forward as soon as possible. They answered only
by growls; and at last broke into open reproaches. Even Will Cary's
volatile nature, which had kept him up during the fight, gave way, when
Yeo and the carpenter came aft, and told Amyas in a low voice--

"We are hit somewhere forward, below the water-line, sir. She leaks a
terrible deal, and the Lord will not vouchsafe to us to lay our hands on
the place, for all our searching."

"What are we to do now, Amyas, in the devil's name?" asked Cary,
peevishly.

"What are we to do, in God's name, rather," answered Amyas, in a low
voice. "Will, Will, what did God make you a gentleman for, but to know
better than those poor fickle fellows forward, who blow hot and cold at
every change of weather!"

"I wish you'd come forward and speak to them, sir," said Yeo, who had
overheard the last words, "or we shall get naught done."

Amyas went forward instantly.

"Now then, my brave lads, what's the matter here, that you are all
sitting on your tails like monkeys?"

"Ugh!" grunts one. "Don't you think our day's work has been long enough
yet, captain?"

"You don't want us to go in to La Guayra again, sir? There are enough of
us thrown away already, I reckon, about that wench there."

"Best sit here, and sink quietly. There's no getting home again, that's
plain."

"Why were we brought out here to be killed?"

"For shame, men!" cries Yeo; "you're no better than a set of
stiff-necked Hebrew Jews, murmuring against Moses the very minute after
the Lord has delivered you from the Egyptians."

Now I do not wish to set Amyas up as a perfect man; for he had his
faults, like every one else; nor as better, thank God, than many and
many a brave and virtuous captain in her majesty's service at this very
day: but certainly he behaved admirably under that trial. Drake had
trained him, as he trained many another excellent officer, to be as
stout in discipline, and as dogged of purpose, as he himself was: but
he had trained him also to feel with and for his men, to make allowances