reproof braced the whole crew like a
cold douche.

The boat came alongside with perfect neatness, and the boy officer
stepped on board, where he was respectfully greeted by Wicks.

"You the master of this ship?" he asked.

"Yes, sir," said Wicks. "Trent is my name, and this is the _Flying Scud_
of Hull."

"You seem to have got into a mess," said the officer.

"If you'll step aft with me here, I'll tell you all there is of it,"
said Wicks.

"Why, man, you're shaking!" cried the officer.

"So would you, perhaps, if you had been in the same berth," returned
Wicks; and he told the whole story of the rotten water, the long calm,
the squall, the seamen drowned, glibly and hotly, talking, with his head
in the lion's mouth, like one pleading in the dock. I heard the same
tale from the same narrator in the saloon in San Francisco; and even
then his bearing filled me with suspicion. But the officer was no
observer.

"Well, the captain is in no end of a hurry," said he; "but I was
instructed to give you all the assistance in my power, and signal back
for another boat if more hands were necessary. What can I do for you?"

"O, we won't keep you no time," replied Wicks cheerily. "We're all
ready, bless you--men's chests, chronometer, papers, and all."

"Do you mean to leave her?" cried the officer. "She seems to me to lie
nicely; can't we get your ship off?"

"So we could, and no mistake; but how we're to keep her afloat's another
question. Her bows is stove in," replied Wicks.

The officer coloured to the eyes. He was incompetent, and knew he was;
thought he was already detected, and feared to expose himself again.
There was nothing further from his mind than that the captain should
deceive him; if the captain was pleased, why, so was he. "All right," he
said. "Tell your men to get their chests aboard."

"Mr. Goddedaal, turn the hands to to get the chests aboard," said Wicks.

The four Currency Lasses had waited the while on tenter-hooks. This
welcome news broke upon them like the sun at midnight; and Hadden burst
into a storm of tears, sobbing aloud as he heaved upon the tackle. But
the work went none the less briskly forward; chests, men, and bundles
were got over the side with alacrity; the boat was shoved off; it moved
out of the long shadow of the _Flying Scud_, and its bows were pointed
at the passage.

So much, then, was accomplished. The sham wreck had passed muster; they
were clear of her, they were safe