"Oh, they're all right, messmate," growled Tom Fillot. "Fact is, sir,
he ain't quite right about his main truck yet, and I oughtn't to ha' let
him take his trick at the wheel."

"I ought not, you mean, Tom," said Mark, bitterly. "I had no business
to go below."

"Nay, don't say that, sir, 'cause it was your dooty to. Fact is, sir,
we was all so knocked about in the upper works that there ain't a man on
us good for much; and you see poor old Joe Dance's got it bad next to
Mr Russell, sir, only we thought him so much better."

"Yes, I'm better," said the coxswain. "All right again, mate, but I
can't get over it about them blacks. What was it as--"

"Here, what are you doing with that there wheel?" cried Tom Fillot,
rushing at the man, and thrusting him aside. For Dance had suddenly
grown excited, and was turning the spokes first in one direction and
then in another in a most reckless way, while as he was thrust off, he
staggered for a few steps, and then sat down on the wet deck to hold his
head with both hands and rock it to and fro.

"Want to send us ashore among the breakers again?" growled Fillot.

"Nay, my lad, nay. There's something wrong in my head, and it wants
fishing or splicing, sir. It won't go. Them blacks has got in it
somehow, and I can't get 'em out."

"Go below and lie down, Dance," said Mark, gently. "You'll be better
after a good long sleep."

"Sleep, sir? No, I can't sleep. Who's to take my trick at the wheel?
Point or two more, sir; and, Tom Fillot lad, what was it about them
blacks?"

"Help him down below," said Mark, and two of the men lifted the poor
fellow to his feet and then helped him down to the place prepared for
the crew close to the skipper's cabin.

"He'll come round again, sir," said Tom from the wheel. "Spoke or two
loose in his steering gear, that's all. Lucky I got to him in time, or
we should have been ashore hard and fast."

"Was that on a sandbank we struck?" said Mark.

"Yes, sir, twice over; and if the masts had gone it would have been all
over with us. But plenty of sail on and a nice breeze helped us to
scrape off, though my heart was in my mouth all the time."

"The schooner must be wonderfully well-built, Tom."

"Well-built and ill built, sir. First as to timbers, second as to use,
sir. Why, some of our merchant craft would have been shook to pieces
like one o' them card houses as we used to build when we was little
ones."

That morning, as