s right as you can get. I'm friendly with
'em, of course; but I've got my eyes open, and they don't go nigh that
hatch while I'm on deck."

"Do you think we can trust the cook, Bob?" I said in a low voice, for
we were not far from the galley, which was smoking away as methodically
as if there were no such thing as a mutiny on board.

Bob gave me a very slow wink.

"Suet," he said in a whisper.

"What?"

"Suet, sir. That's 'bout what he's made on. Sort of soft fat man.
There's no harm in him, only softness. Think of a fellow being so
scared that he goes and shuts hisself up and drinks hisself into a state
o' muddle so as not to know what's going on. Why, if one's got to be
drowned, one wants to make a bit of a fight for it. Never say die, my
lad. Life in a mussel, you know. Oh, there's no harm in old
bile-the-pot, only I shouldn't like to depend on him in a row, though he
could do us a lot o' good."

"How?" I said, laughing, as I thought of Bob's low estimate of his
fighting powers.

"Lot of ways, my lad. Cook's got a good many advantages, you see.
Red-hot pokers is one; pots and kettles o' boiling water's another,
without counting the long sharp knives; but he won't do nothing, and I
must. Don't walk too near the wild beasts' cage, my lad, I'm going
aft."

He went steadily aft to mount the poop-deck, while being near the galley
I strolled towards it to have a few words with the man of suet, and as
he welcomed me with a simple placid smile, I felt that Bob Hampton's
estimate of his character was pretty correct, and that it would be bad
policy to trust much to him in a time of peril.

"Well," I said, "been to the captain?"

"Yes, Mr Dale, sir, and have taken him a beautiful basin of broth. Let
me give you one."

"No, not now," I said, though I felt tempted to say yes. "Did you take
Mr Walters his provisions?"

"I did, sir, with Mr Brymer looking on all the time."

"Does he seem very bad?"

"Well, sir, he pulled a long face, but I don't think there's much the
matter with him. He can eat readily enough."

"I say, cook," I half whispered, "you were a good deal on deck?"

"No, sir, not much, I was busy here. The crew ate a deal."

"But you knew about Mr Walters being shut up in the cable-tier?"

The cook glanced uneasily toward the forecastle-hatch and shook his
head.

"They can't hear you," I said, "and even if they could they can't get at
you."

"I don't know, sir," he whispered;