k of so
great a length of line meant the stress of some tons. And later I saw
that the bo'sun was growing anxious; for he went over to the rock around
which he had made fast the rope, and examined the knots, and those places
where he had parceled it, and after that he walked to the place where it
went over the edge of the cliff, and here he made a further scrutiny; but
came back presently, seeming not dissatisfied.

Then, in a while, the darkness came down upon us, and we lighted our
fires and prepared for the night, having the watches arranged as on the
preceding nights.

XV

Aboard the Hulk

Now when it came to my watch, the which I took in company with the big
seaman, the moon had not yet risen, and all the island was vastly dark,
save the hill-top, from which the fires blazed in a score of places, and
very busy they kept us, supplying them with fuel. Then, when maybe the
half of our watch had passed, the big seaman, who had been to feed the
fires upon the weed side of the hill-top, came across to me, and bade me
come and put my hand upon the lesser rope; for that he thought they in
the ship were anxious to haul it in so that they might send some message
across to us. At his words, I asked him very anxiously whether he had
perceived them waving a light, the which we had arranged to be our method
of signaling in the night, in the event of such being needful; but, to
this, he said that he had seen naught; and, by now, having come near the
edge of the cliff, I could see for myself, and so perceived that there
was none signaling to us from the hulk. Yet, to please the fellow, I put
my hand upon the line, which we had made fast in the evening to a large
piece of rock, and so, immediately, I discovered that something was
pulling upon it, hauling and then slackening, so that it occurred to me
that the people in the vessel might be indeed wishful to send us some
message, and at that, to make sure, I ran to the nearest fire, and,
lighting a tuft of weed, waved it thrice; but there came not any
answering signal from those in the ship, and at that I went back to feel
at the rope, to assure myself that it had not been the pluck of the wind
upon it; but I found that it was something very different from the wind,
something that plucked with all the sharpness of a hooked fish, only that
it had been a mighty great fish to have given such tugs, and so I knew
that some vile thing out in the darkness of the weed was fast to