e of the forehead, with the butt-end
of his revolver, holding it by the barrel, felling Harry to the deck
senseless, like a bullock under the poleaxe!

"Some of the crew murmured `Shame!' But the cap'en kept up his
authority. `Silence there!' he cried out. `Down with you, watch below,
if you want to see your bunks to-night, and take that hulking carcass
with you, or I'll throw it overboard!' And then the men went below, and
took poor Black Harry, with them; the vessel was made snug under her
jib, storm staysails, and close-reefed mainsail; and Captain Jarvis, who
hadn't been off the deck, except to fetch his revolver that time, once
in the twenty-four hours, returned to his cabin to have a bit of sleep,
leaving me on the watch; the second officer and boatswain, who acted
also as third mate, having also turned in for a caulk and gone down into
the steerage.

"The sun, which we couldn't see, had set long since, before indeed that
little misunderstanding had occurred about going aloft; and the moon
shone feebly now and then through an occasional opening in the clouds,
which had piled up atop of each other so heavy to windward that they
were like a pall in the sky.

"There was only myself and the steersman aft, the rest of the watch,
which were only five in number altogether, being stowed somewhere under
the bulwarks amidships, trying to get an odd wink if the seas that were
shipping in as the ship's bows fell would let them. Not a sound was to
be heard save the whistle and screech of the wind through the cordage,
and the creak of a block occasionally aloft; and I was looking out at
the weather, wondering how soon the next squall would tackle us, when my
arms were seized by somebody behind me, who held them down close to my
sides, and a gag of a reef-knot or some piece of rope shoved into my
mouth, so that I couldn't cry out.

"`Mr Marling!' says a voice, which I recognised at once as Black
Harry's, whispering in my ear, `you need not fear nothing, only keep
quiet, and no harm will be done to you; but if you tries to make a
noise, why, we'll have to quiet you in a way you won't like!'

"With that, you may be sure, I was as tranquil as a mouse, while they
tied me down to a ring-bolt close by the cabin skylight, so that I
couldn't move; but from my position I could see and hear everything that
went on afterwards, although I couldn't get the gag out of my mouth so
as to be able to speak.

"`Now, men,' I heard Black