by some adventurous vision....

He slept, at last, dreamlessly; and in the morning, when they came to
him, he told them what he wished to do.

"Call the men aft," he said. "I'll speak to them. We'll see what their
will is."

Mark mocked him. "Ask the men, is it?" he exclaimed. "Let them vote,
you'll be saying. Are you master of the ship, man; or just first
selectman, that you'd call a town meeting on the high seas?"

"I'll talk with the men," said Joel stubbornly.

Varde strode forward angrily. "You'll talk with us," he said. "Yes or no.
Now. What is it?"

They were in the main cabin. Joel looked at Varde steadily for an
instant; then he said: "I'm going on deck. You'll come...."

Priss, in the door of the after cabin, a frightened and trembling little
figure, called to him: "Joel. Joel. Don't...."

He said, without turning: "Stay in your cabin, Priscilla." And then he
passed between Varde and Finch, at the foot of the companion, and turned
his back upon them and went steadily up the steep, ladder-like stair.
Varde made a convulsive movement to seize his arm; but Mark touched the
man, held him with his eyes, whispered something....

They had left old Hooper on deck. He and Aaron Burnham were standing in
the after house when Joel saw them. Joel said to the third mate: "Mr.
Hooper, tell the men to lay aft."

Mark had come up at Joel's heels; and Hooper looked past Joel to Mark for
confirmation. And Mark smiled mirthlessly, and approved. "Yes, Mr.
Hooper, call the men," he said. "We're to hold a town meeting."

Old Hooper's slow brain could not follow such maneuvering; nevertheless,
he bellowed a command. And the harpooners from the steerage, and the men
from forecastle and fore deck came stumbling and crowding aft. The men
stopped amidships; and Joel went toward them a little ways, until he was
under the boat house. The mates stood about him, the harpooners a little
to one side; and Mark leaned on the rail at the other side of the deck,
watching, smiling.... The revolvers were in his belt; the rifles leaned
against the after rail. He polished the butt of one of the revolvers
while he watched and smiled....

Joel said, without preamble: "Men, the mates tell me that you've heard of
my brother's pearls."

The men looked at one another, and at the mates. They were a jumbled lot,
riff-raff of all the seas, Cape Verders, Islanders, a Cockney or two, a
Frenchman, two or three Norsemen, and a backbone of New Engla