g her bends, and about her rudder; of strange
sighings and moanings aloft; and of the low murmur of men's voices as
the watch clustered under the shelter of the towering forecastle,
discussing, mayhap, like their superiors aft, the prospects of the
voyage.

The Captain peered about him on either side of the ship, anon stooping
to send his glances forward into the darkness beyond the heaving bows;
then he hailed the lookouts upon the forecastle, demanding in sharp,
imperative tones whether there were sail of any kind in sight. The
answer was in the negative.

"Well, my masters," said he, turning to Stukely and Chichester, "you see
how it is; there is nothing in sight; and every mile that we travel
lessens your chance of our falling in with anything into which we can
transfer you. If this good breeze holds--as I trust in God that it
will--we shall be off Falmouth shortly after midnight, but much too far
out to render it at all likely that we shall sight any of its fishing
craft; and, once to the westward of Falmouth, your last chance of
getting ashore will be gone. Now, what say ye? Will ye, without more
ado, up and join us? I talked the matter over with my partners while
you were changing your duds before supper, and I can find room in the
ship for both of you. We have no surgeon with us, so that berth will
fit you finely, Mr Stukely; while, as for you, my young son of Anak,"
turning to Chichester, "a lad of your thews and sinews can always earn
his keep aboard ship. But I can offer ye something better than the
berth of ship's boy; we have but one carpenter among us, and I will
gladly take you on with the rating of carpenter's mate, if that will
suit ye. Iss, fegs, that I will! Now, what say ye? Shall us call it a
bargain, and have done wi' it?"

"So far as I am concerned, you certainly may--if Dick will join, too,"
answered Stukely. "I will not let him go ashore alone to answer for the
loss of the boat; for the accident which caused the plight in which you
found us was at least as much my fault as his. But I do not believe
that we are going to have the chance to get ashore, therefore--what say
you, Dick, shall we accept Captain Marshall's very generous offer, and
so settle the matter?"

"I am not thinking of the boat--Gramfer Heard is rich enough to bear the
loss of her without feeling it--but it is my uncle that I'm troubling
about. I am afraid that he will be greatly distressed at my sudden and
unacc