ny things about the hulk we saw with greater
clearness, so that we scanned her with a fresh interest. Then the man in
the look-out waved a morning greeting to us, the which we returned very
heartily, and, even as we did so, there came a second figure beside the
man, and waved some white matter, perchance a handkerchief, which is like
enough, seeing that it was a woman, and at that, we took off our head
coverings, all of us, and shook them at her, and after this we went to
our breakfast; having finished which, the bo'sun dressed our hurts, and
then, setting the man, who had lost his fingers, to watch, he took the
rest of us, excepting him that was bitten in the arm, down to collect
fuel, and so the time passed until near dinner.

When we returned to the hill-top, the man upon the look-out told us that
they in the ship had heaved not less than four separate times upon the
big rope, the which, indeed, they were doing at that present minute; and
it was very plain to see that the ship had come nearer even during the
short space of the morning. Now, when they had made an end of tautening
the rope, I perceived that it was, at last, well clear of the weed
through all its length, being at its lowest part nigh twenty feet above
the surface, and, at that, a sudden thought came to me which sent me
hastily to the bo'sun; for it had occurred to me that there existed no
reason why we should not pay a visit to those aboard the hulk. But when I
put the matter to him, he shook his head, and, for awhile, stood out
against my desire; but, presently, having examined the rope, and
considering that I was the lightest of any in the island, he consented,
and at that I ran to the carrier which had been hauled across to our
side, and got me into the chair. Now, the men, so soon as they perceived
my intention, applauded me very heartily, desiring to follow; but the
bo'sun bade them be silent, and, after that, he lashed me into the chair,
with his own hands, and then signaled to those in the ship to haul upon
the small rope; he, in the meanwhile, checking my descent towards the
weeds, by means of our end of the hauling-line.

And so, presently, I had come to the lowest part, where the bight of the
rope dipped downward in a bow towards the weed, and rose again to the
mizzenmast of the hulk. Here I looked downward with somewhat fearful
eyes; for my weight on the rope made it sag somewhat lower than seemed to
me comfortable, and I had a very lively re