her thought he had
heard the splash of a canoe paddle. There was no obvious reason this
should bother him, but he was bothered and after a few minutes got up
and put on a thin jacket. On deck it was very hot and he felt the warmth
of the iron plates through his slippers. In West Africa one puts on
slippers as soon as one gets out of bed, for fear of the jigger insect
that bores into one's foot. A gentle land breeze blew across the lagoon
and the air was hot and damp like steam. Lister smelt river mud and
aromatic forest.

There was no moon, but he saw the dark hull rise and fall, and the flash
of phosphorescent foam where the swell washed across the deck. In the
distance, the surf rumbled and now and then there was a peal of thunder.
Lister wondered why he had left his berth. He was tired and needed
sleep, for he had been occupied all day at the pump, which was not
running well. Recently he had been conscious of a nervous strain and
things that were not important annoyed him; then he often woke at night,
feeling that some danger threatened.

Walking along the deck he found a white sailor sitting on the windlass
drum. The man did not move until Lister touched his arm.

"Did you hear something not very long since, Watson?"

"No, sir," said the other with a start. "Now and then a fish splashed
and she got her cable across the stem. Links rattled. That was all."

Lister thought the man had slept, but it was not important, since there
was no obvious necessity for keeping anchor watch.

"Did you hear something, sir?" the other inquired.

"I don't know. I imagine I did!"

The sailor laughed, as if he understood. "A queer country; I've been
here before! Beautiful, bits of it; shining surf, yellow sands, and
palms, but it plays some funny tricks with white men. About half of them
at the factories get addled brains if they stay long. Believe in things
the bushmen believe, ghosts and magic, and such. Perhaps it's the
climate, but on this coast you get fancies you get nowhere else. I'd
sooner take look-out on the fo'cas'le in a North Sea gale than keep
anchor watch in an African calm."

Lister nodded. He thought the man felt lonely and wanted to talk and he
sympathized. There was something insidious and daunting about the
African coast. He walked round the deck and then returning to his room
presently went to sleep.

At daybreak he heard angry voices and going out found Brown storming
about the deck. Two white sailors h