_ CHAPTER NINE.
All at once, just as our life at sea was as calm and peaceful as could be, Captain Berriman grew quite queer in his manner. He was pleasant enough to the passengers, and I never had an unkind word from him, but he was most tyrannical to a number of the men, ordering them about, making them set fresh sail, take it down, and altering his orders half-a-dozen times over, till the men used to go about muttering, and more than once I heard words spoken about him that were startling, to say the least.
One evening when it was very dark, the moon not having risen, I was looking over the side and down into the calm, black water which was as full of tiny specks of light as the sky above me, and every now and then these little glittering points beneath the surface would be driven here and there as if a fish had swum sharply by. It was all so beautiful, to watch point after point gliding about lower and lower till all was jet black, that I had forgotten everything, heard nothing, till all at once just behind me I heard Mr Brymer say--
"Of course it is very unpleasant for me. I'm afraid the men will not stand much more of it. Do you think he is going mad?"
There was a pause for a few moments, and then Mr Frewen said--
"No; I feel sure that it is only a temporary trouble due to the heat and over-anxiety about the ship."
"But he is getting worse; and twice over to-day I felt as if I ought to shut him up in his cabin and take charge altogether."
"No, I should not do that," said Mr Frewen, "so long as nothing serious goes wrong. If he really gets too bad, I suppose I must help you by justifying your proceedings in superseding him."
"For the owners' sake, of course."
"Of course. It is a very serious position for us both. But there, he may be better to-morrow. If not, we must hope for the improvement when we get further south."
"Then you would not take command?"
"Certainly not, under the present circumstances."
"Halloa!" cried Mr Brymer--"a spy! Who's that--Walters?"
"No, sir; it is I."
"And what are you doing there, listening?"
"I was watching the phosphorescence of the sea, sir, and you came and stood close to me and began talking."
"And you heard?" said Mr Frewen.
"Every word, sir."
"And do you know that we were talking about Mr Denning?" said the mate.
"No; you were talking about the captain."
They were silent for a few moments, and then Mr Frewen spoke.
"Look here, Dale," he said, "this is a delicate matter. You have seen that Captain Berriman is ill?"
"I thought he was very strange, and a bit cross sometimes."
"Far worse than that. Look here, Dale, if you go chattering about what you have heard," said Mr Brymer, "you may make a great deal of mischief."
"I am not likely to talk about it to anybody unless it be to Mr Denning," I said, feeling a little hurt.
"Then pray don't mention it to him. It would only make him and his sister uneasy," cried Mr Frewen, quickly.
"I'm afraid they've seen enough for themselves," said Mr Brymer. "Look here, youngster, I shall speak plainly to you, because you are a sensible lad. If you spoke about what we have said, and it reached Captain Berriman's ear now he is in that excitable state, he would immediately think I was conspiring against him, go frantic, and there might be terrible mischief. So don't say a word, even to your messmate, or he'll go chattering to that French scoundrel and the rest of the men. By the way, Dale, let me give you a word of advice. I don't like the way in which young Walters is going on. It is not becoming for a midshipman or apprentice to make friends too readily with the sailors. Don't you follow his example."
"I don't sir," I said indignantly.
"Softly, my lad; I've seen you talking a good deal with that old fellow Hampton, and the two men with him."
"Oh yes; I have talked to them a good deal," I said: "but it was only when we were on the watch, and I wanted them to tell me something about the sea."
"Ah, well, be careful, my lad. Here, shake hands. I'm not cross with you, for you have behaved uncommonly well since you've been on board. There, that will do."
"Good-night, Dale," said Mr Frewen, kindly; "a still tongue maketh a wise head, my lad."
They walked on, and disappeared in the darkness directly, while I stood with my back to the bulwarks and my hands in my pockets, thinking about what they had said, and recalling the little things I had thought nothing of at the time, but which came back now looking to be big things. Yes, I remembered the captain had certainly been rather strange in his manner sometimes. Why, of course, Mr Denning had said to his sister that the captain need not be so disagreeable to the men.
I was just wondering what would happen, and then thinking that it would not make much difference if Mr Brymer were captain, and that it would be better perhaps for Captain Berriman to lie by and be attended by Mr Frewen, when I heard a sound over my head--something like a low hiss.
"Some kind of night-bird," I thought. But the next moment I felt quite startled, for the sound was repeated, and I knew now that it was some one whispering. Then, as I stood quite still in the darkness, with the glow coming from the cabin-windows and from the binnacle-light, there was a faint rushing up above, and a little off to my left, and directly after I knew what it was,--somebody's feet on the ratlines coming down from the main-top.
There was no sail being made or reduced, and it seemed strange for any one to be up there, and it had just struck me that perhaps it was Captain Berriman, who had seen Mr Brymer and Mr Frewen talking together and had gone up to listen, when, so close to me that I wondered I was not seen, somebody stepped down on to the top of the bulwarks, and then swung himself softly on to the deck; then crouching down close under the side, he crept forward swiftly and was gone.
"That couldn't have been the captain," I thought; "the step was too light. It was some one quite active."
I was thinking of going forward to try and make out, when there was another rustling noise above, which recalled the whispering that had passed out of my mind for the moment; then the rustling continued, and some one else came down, stepped lightly on the deck, and stood perfectly still as if looking about to see if any one was near.
It was so dark that I could not make out who it was till he walked aft not very far from where I stood, and a few moments later I saw who it was, for his figure came between my eyes and the glow from the cabin-windows.
"Why, it was Walters," I said to myself, and then I began to wonder more and more what it all meant. I ran it over in my mind, but I could not think of any one at all likely to be Walters' companion at night in the main-top; in fact, I could not think of any one at all likely to climb up so high, or even half-way up the shrouds.
"It couldn't have been a cabin passenger," I thought, "for he went forward; nor yet one of the steerage people."
Then I knew, and wondered that I had not thought of him at first.
"Why, it was Jarette," I said to myself. "He's as light and active as a cat."
I waited a bit; and then went slowly right forward and stood for a time with the men at the look-out, to gaze right away into the soft, hot, black darkness, thinking how easily we might run into another vessel, or another vessel run into us. Then setting my face aft, I went back along the starboard side, and made my way, blinking like an owl after being so long in the darkness, into the saloon-cabin, where the passengers were sitting about, some reading, others working, and where on one side I found Mr Denning playing chess with his sister.
Everything looked calm, and as if the people were happy enough, and never thinking it likely there could be any trouble about Captain Berriman or anything else.
But the saloon-cabin was so warm down there in the south that I soon went back on deck to hang over the bulwarks for a time, and then go right aft to look down at the sparkling water, all ablaze now as it seemed to rush from both sides of the rudder, where in the daytime all would be white foam.
I had no duty to perform that night to keep me on deck; but still I lingered, thinking that perhaps the cabin would be terribly hot, as it had been on the previous night, only I dropped off to sleep so soon that the heat did not trouble me.
"And I shall have it all to myself to-night," I thought, "for Walters will have to take his turn in the watch."
At last, half envying him the task of passing a good deal of the night on deck, I took a look round. The saloon-lights were out, and there was no one there; the sailing-lights were up in their places, and the faint glow rose from about the binnacle, just faintly showing the steersman's face. Away forward I could hear the low murmur of conversation where the watch were on duty, and now, for the first time, I yawned, and some one spoke from close behind me and made me start.
"Well," he said, "if you are so drowsy as that, why don't you go to your bunk?"
"Just going, sir," I said, for it was the first mate, Mr Brymer; and now I hurried down, threw off my clothes, and in a very few minutes I was sound asleep.
I suppose it was the heat, for I don't believe that it had anything to do with the coming danger, but at any rate I slept badly that night--an uneasy, troubled kind of sleep, such as I should have expected to have if some one was to come and call me about two bells.
It must have been about that time that I was lying more asleep than awake, but sufficiently conscious to spring up in my berth and say quite aloud--
"Yes; what is it?"
There was no reply, though I could have declared that some one called me. But though there was no reply, I could hear voices. Some one was giving orders in a sharp, angry voice; and directly after, I could hear a scuffling sound, followed by a savage curse uttered in a low voice, and then there was the sound of a fall.
Something was evidently wrong, and for a few moments I was sure that the captain had found out about the conversation which had taken place, and had now taken matters into his hands in no mild fashion. Mr Brymer was the last man I saw on deck, and without doubt that must be he.
I lay there, with the perspiration oozing out of every pore, and listened for the next sounds; but all was still for a few moments. Then there were evidently people running about on deck, and a chill of horror ran through me as I now noticed that something was wrong with the ship. For instead of rising and falling steadily as she glided onward, she was right down in the trough of the sea, and swaying and rolling in a way that was startling. Fully convinced now that we had gone on a rock or a sandbank--being ready to imagine anything in my excitement--I rolled out of my berth and began to hurry on some clothes.
I never dressed more quickly in my life, for as I hastily slipped on my things, there was the sharp report of a gun or pistol, and a loud crash as of a door being burst in. Then the hush and quiet was at an end; there was a piercing shriek, another shot, followed by the sounds of struggling, loud and angry voices, then cries for help; and I made for the deck as quickly as I could, to find all in darkness. But men were running here and there, a sharp voice was giving orders, and then I saw the flash of a pistol or gun. The report came, there was a low groan, and then all at once some one rose as it were out of the darkness and made a blow at me, for I heard the whish of a weapon.
But the blow was made in the dark, and had no effect; but whoever struck now made a dash at me, and I ducked down, leaped sidewise, and with my heart in my mouth ran right forward, with whoever it was in pursuit.
I felt that I knew who it was now as I ran. The captain really had gone mad, and as I ran and heard the steps behind me, fear lent me great speed. Other people had been shot or cut down, and something terrible was going on. So I ran for my life to take refuge with the crew in the forecastle; but as I reached it, there was struggling and fighting going on there, and I crossed the deck to run back aft on the other side, meaning to reach Mr Brymer's cabin or Mr Frewen's if I could.
For a moment I fancied that I had evaded my pursuer, but there was another dash made for me again out of the darkness, and I ran on.
"Look out there, you, sir," cried a voice from behind me; "here comes one."
This told me that there were enemies in front, and I was ready to dart anywhere to avoid whoever tried to stop me.
That there was danger I soon found, for struggling, and oaths, and curses saluted my ears again as I reached the ladder and ran up on to the poop-deck, just as a shout from near the wheel drove me back.
"Got him?" shouted some one.
"No; where is he?"
I was crouching now under the starboard bulwark, and feeling certain that in another minute I should be found, I passed my hand upward, searched about, and found that which I sought, the mizzen-shrouds. The next minute I had caught well hold with both hands, swung up my feet, and went on inboard hand over hand till I was twenty feet above the deck, clinging there in the darkness, and listening to the efforts made--evidently by three or four men--beneath to find out where I could be gone. _