tion on the subject.

Presently, my glance fell upon Williams, the man who had spoken to me
about "shadders." He was sitting in his bunk, smoking, and making no
effort to join in the talk.

I went across to him.

"What do you think of it, Williams?" I asked. "Do _you_ think the Second
Mate really saw anything?"

He looked at me, with a sort of gloomy suspicion; but said nothing.

I felt a trifle annoyed by his silence; but took care not to show it.
After a few moments, I went on.

"Do you know, Williams, I'm beginning to understand what you meant that
night, when you said there were too many shadows."

"Wot yer mean?" he said, pulling his pipe from out of his mouth, and
fairly surprised into answering.

"What I say, of course," I said. "There _are_ too many shadows."

He sat up, and leant forward out from his bunk, extending his hand and
pipe. His eyes plainly showed his excitement.

"'ave yer seen--" he hesitated, and looked at me, struggling inwardly to
express himself.

"Well?" I prompted.

For perhaps a minute he tried to say something. Then his expression
altered suddenly from doubt, and something else more indefinite, to a
pretty grim look of determination.

He spoke.

"I'm blimed," he said, "ef I don't tike er piy-diy out of 'er, shadders
or no shadders."

I looked at him, with astonishment.

"What's it got to do with your getting a pay-day out of her?" I asked.

He nodded his head, with a sort of stolid resolution.

"Look 'ere," he said.

I waited.

"Ther crowd cleared"; he indicated with his hand and pipe towards the
stern.

"You mean in 'Frisco?" I said.

"Yus," he replied; "'an withart er cent of ther piy. I styied."

I comprehended him suddenly.

"You think they saw," I hesitated; then I said "shadows?"

He nodded; but said nothing.

"And so they all bunked?"

He nodded again, and began tapping out his pipe on the edge of his
bunk-board.

"And the officers and the Skipper?" I asked.

"Fresh uns," he said, and got out of his bunk; for eight bells was
striking.

IV

_The Fooling with the Sail_

It was on the Friday night, that the Second Mate had the watch aloft
looking for the man up the main; and for the next five days little else
was talked about; though, with the exception of Williams, Tammy and
myself, no one seemed to think of treating the matter seriously. Perhaps
I should not exclude Quoin, who still persisted, on every occasion, that
there was a