, I'm jolly glad it wasn't I who said that. Don't the skipper
take it coolly now? But he'll give old Dishy a talking-to for it when
he gets him alone."

Mr Reardon's face was not visible to us, but we could see his
movements, which were, so to speak, fidgety, for he began to walk up and
down hastily, and once or twice I heard him mutter--

"How could I be such a fool?"

A dead chill had settled down upon the ship, and I felt as I stood there
as if eight or nine years had suddenly dropped away from me--that I was
a little child again, and that I should like to creep below somewhere
out of sight, or sit down and cry and sob.

For it was such a horrible lesson to me of the nearness of death, and I
felt as if it was impossible for it all to be true--that it must be some
terrible dream.

And now for the first time it dawned upon me that I had a liking for the
strange, simple-hearted Chinaman, who had always shown himself to be
frank, honest, and brave in our service. He had been comic and
peculiar, but always devoted to me as a faithful servant; and now, just
too as I was joining in the mirth against him, instead of being
indignant on behalf of one who had been insulted by the men's horseplay,
he was as it were snatched from life to death.

I was brought back to the present by a voice at my ear--

"Poor old Ching! I am sorry, Gnat."

"Yes, and so am I."

I had not seen my messmates all through the trouble, and now they
appeared close to me in the darkness in a way which made me start.

I turned to them, and I don't know how it was, but as we three stood
there in the darkness, which was hardly relieved by a lantern here and
there, Barkins held out his hand and shook mine, holding it tightly
without letting go. Directly after, Smith took my other hand to give it
a warm, strong pressure; and then we three parted without a word more,
Barkins going one way, Smith another, while I went to the stern rail and
leaned my arms upon it, and then rested my chin upon my arms to gaze out
over the rushing water at the two blue stars.

But they were not there now. They had burned out some time before, and
I could see nothing, only take it for granted that the boats were being
slowly rowed back against the heavy tide, our anchor-lights acting as
their guide.

"Is it possible that they have found him after all?" I thought, and for
a minute I was hopeful. But once more the hope died out, for I knew
well enough that if the