My Danish Sweetheart, Volume 3 of 3

m-coloured masses; the sun shone out of the wide lakes of moist blue, and the sea turned from the cold and sick

d falling waters, with the hot sun sliding westwards and the barque stemming the sea afresh under all clo

drop a little trickling of silver into the dark sea under her; the clouds had vanished, and the stars sho

ked! His manner was distressingly caressing. Helga kept hold of my arm, and meanwhile I, true to that posture I had maintained for the past three days, listened or sent my thoughts elsewhere, rarely speaking. In the course of his

lieve I could not mistake. Nakier in particular listened with attention, and looked at

had been causing me some anxious thought, and I broke a

ught the

for beef, for beef, for nothing but beef, and I say yes-beef one day, pork another; beef for your bodies and pork for your souls. I shall conquer them; and what a triumph it will be! Though I should mak

an example of pure logic. I listened, wondering that a man who could talk as he did could be crazy enough to attempt so perilous an experiment as the attempting to win his crew over to his own views of religion by as dangerous an i

in a word. I then briefly and quietly related what had pas

speak, his bland utterance: the moon gave but little light, as I have said, and I could

heard, when aroused-you may not be afraid, but yo

ed by your courageous friend's apprehension. My duty is exceedingly simple. I must do what is right.

peak, just breathlessly whisperin

uiet smoke on deck. After the uproar of the past three days, the serenity of the night was exquisitely soothing. The moon shone in a curl of silver; the canvas soared in pallid visible spaces starwards; there was a pleasant rippling sound of gently stirred waters alongside, and the soft westerly night-wind fanned the cheek w

n o'clock. He was not to be accosted while on that duty; and my dislike of the mate had not been lessened by the few words which had passed between us since the day when the Cape steamer had gone by, and by my observation of his fawning behaviour to the Captain. I briefly exclaimed that it was a fin

like an echo from the sea, and I caught a faint reverberation of them in the hollow canvas. It was half-

s, and, partially unclothing myself in the dark, got into my bunk and lay for a little watching the dance of a phantom star or two in the dim black round of the scuttle close against my head, sleepily wondering how long th

eating heavily upon the bul

went the blows of a massive fist or handspike. 'For Gor' a'mighty's s

m, disguised as it was by horror

in a flash, and I was wide awake and conscious of the man

g further to attire myself, dropped from my bunk and made with

cabins, without even the dim gleam the porth

you, Abraha

almost in my ear, and, lift

e killed the mate, and by this tim

e's J

only kn

ed? Do you g

I'll tell ye about it-but it's awful to be a-talking

exertion, and his voice faltered as

the clear voice of H

ess here. Let us in-dress yourself by feeling for your clothes-the Malays have risen upon t

e heard save near and distant noises rising out of the vessel as she heeled on the long westerl

is open,'

Helga's berth, the position of which, as he had never before been in this part

he mine-like blindness of this interior that was untouched b

has happened!'

Abraham!

he answered. 'Ain't there no lantern here? If there's a

ied. 'I hear

ng of planks with naked feet to my fancy, that had been terrified by Abraham's sudden horribl

?' hoarsely whi

n. Helga, can we l

d 'Yes'-she

, that I may see where t

h a thrill of fear following upon the haste I had made through imagination of one of those yellow-skins crouching outside with naked knife in

d Helga. 'We have not wronged the

braham. 'Ain't there nothen here to sarve as weap

ow, man, tell it!' I cried, i

I lay secretly a-watching 'em, smelling mischief. Then a couple of 'em went on deck, and the rest lay down. Nothen happened for some time. Meanwhile Oi lay woide awake, listening and watching. 'Twas about seven bells, Oi reckon, when someone-Oi think it was Nakier-calls softly down through the hatch, and instantly all the fellows, who as I could ha' swore was sound asleep, dropped from their hammocks like one man, and the fok'sle was empty. I loo

action with a fling of his fingers from the wrist; and, inde

have murdered the C

seemed two gangs of 'em. Oi run for my life

king at me with fixed eyes, yet she

drank with them? It would be bad enough if they were white men; but how stands our case, do you think, i

' crie

hing was audible to me saving my

d the sound of a

, 'twill be too hard. Fust wan, then another, and now nowt but me left of our li

s in a hole?' said I. 'If they clap the

an navigate the s

n tell 'ee from recollecting of the questi

that light there-are we to be butchered with empty hands, looking at them without a lift of our arms, unl

hree of us!'

ldly sweeping the little hole of a cabi

ds, 'and I'll take the whole 'leven whilst ye both sit down and look on. But all of them at wanst-all dronk with rag

re loose,' said I, 'but wh

eck!' suddenly

n here. There must be two of us for them to

n you. They know that I am acquainted with navigation-they have always

gripped her arm, and brought

two men to do!' said I. 'We

terms. Unless there be a navigator among them, what can they do with the ship

p until they'd made an end of you and me, and then she'd be left alone aboard this wessel-alone, I mean,

nglish spirit was coming back with the weakening of the ho

y eye was taken by the glance of lamp or candle flame in t

!' cr

as a very soft tapping, as t

hat showed; for I believed this soft knocking-this soundless approach-a Malay ruse, and my veins tingled wi

! Open, master! I

ier!' excla

it?' I

ay. Do not fear. Our work is done. We w

u are there out

Nakier,' h

The most of you have naked feet. A whole arm

done; it is allee right, I say. See, you tink I am not alone: you

e fell upon the deck close to my feet. I pounced upon it as a cat

shout; 'it'll be bloodier yet, now I've got

when Abraham flung open the little cabin door I was prepared for a rush of dusky shapes, and to find myself grappling-but not for life, since death I knew to be certain, armed as every creature of them was with the deadly blade of the sailor's

body here but N

light showed plainly, and whose handsome features had the modest look, the

ly, he kill him. The mate is kill-w

mate?' thun

Captain and Misser Jones. They treat us like dog, and we bite like dog,' he added,

ou want?'

allee swear on de Koran not to hurt yo

ng, not knowi

e trusted,'

others?

o nothing w

of us. But

she repeated, with an

He perceived my irresolution, and, once again putting down the bull's-eye lamp on

ld stab his heart, 'before dat good, kind, clever lady be harm. Oh, you may trust us! We hab done our work. Mr. Wise, he be Capt'n; you be gentleman-passengaire; you live upstair and be very much comfortable. De beau

am. 'Nakier, I shall stick to this here knife. Where'

st him. 'Come, Helga! Nakier, pick up that bull's-eye and le

ull sound of distant artillery as the barque leaned from side to side. The cuddy lamp was brightly burning, and the first glance I sent through the open door showed me the whole of the crew, as I for the instant supposed-though I afterwards found that one of them was at the wheel-standing at the table, ranged on either hand of it, all as motionless as a company of soldiers drawn up on parade. Every dark face was

en are a

at the hip, and placed it upon the table. Nakier again spoke, pronouncing the words with a passionate gesture, on which Punmeamootty gathered the knives into one of t

we were startled by

pping backwards and looking straight up, he

ad,' came down the leather-lunged

ried Abraham. 'It's all roi

make me believe

t perceive the black knob of his hea

cob,' I cried. 'All da

mate and chucked him overboard, and if I hadn't take

ah!' shrieked Nakier. 'Come d

e Captain?'

wered Nakier. 'It is

is sudden, shocking, bloody tragedy was heightened by Nakier's cool and easy acceptance of the deed, as though the two m

clear as a bell into the silent towering heights. 'You,

mely happy in that it was unintelligible to

' I heard Jacob say, and a few moments after his figure,

shed it down on to the planks, and with the utmost agitation of voice and manner

't ye stop it? Whoy didn't ye tell the Capt'n what you seed and knowed? Froight! Whoy, I moight ha' died in that there top and

to act his part. But though it appeared a very ecstasy of rage in him, the outbreak seemed wholly due to revulsion of feeling. Nakier stood motionlessly eyeing

ter, lady? Misser Wise, it is allee

nk close against the coaming or ledge of the door of the Captain's cabin. It was the short, wild, startled sidewa

licately-shaped hand as though he scraped. He then addressed one of the fe

crew by losing them their knives-it would also imply profound distrust on our part. I also considered that, if they designed to kill us, they would be able to manage that business very well without their knives-for there was the carpenter's tool-chest forward, which would supply them with plenty of deadly weapons, not to mention the cabin knives, whic

g his hand upon the Captain's chair, exclaimed, b

weet mees

hiteness, but her eyes shone spiritedly as she ran them over the coloured faces of the queer figures erect on either hand the table, and never at any time since the

essed himself in I did not then, and still do not, know. The effect of his speech was to cause the whole of them to extend their arms towards us with the forefingers of both hands

this, Nakier?

ur brodders, sah. It is my

oke again to them, whereupon every man levelled his forefingers, as b

d Abraham, wiping his forehead. 'Who

, half of reproach, half of encouragement. 'Punmeamootty hab gon