shipout
to
sea
with
the
first
break
of
dawn
.
Daylight
showed
him
looking
wild
and
ill.
The
mere
getting
clear
of
the
land
took
two
days
,
and
somehow
or
other
they
bumped
slightly
on
a
reef
.
However
,
no
leak
developed
,
and
the
captain
,
growling
“
no
matter
,
”
informed
Mr.
Burns
that
he
had
made
up
his
mind
to
take
the
ship
to
Hong-Kong
and
drydock
her
there
.
At
this
Mr.
Burns
was
plunged
into
despair
.
For
indeed
,
to
beat
up
to
Hong-Kong
against
a
fierce
monsoon
,
with
a
ship
not
sufficiently
ballasted
and
with
her
supply
of
water
not
completed
,
was
an
insane
project
.
But
the
captain
growled
peremptorily
,
“
Stick
her
at
it
,
”
and
Mr.
Burns
,
dismayed
and
enraged
,
stuck
her
at
it
,
and
kept
her
at
it
,
blowing
away
sails
,
straining
the
spars
,
exhausting
the
crew
—
nearly
maddened
by
the
absolute
conviction
that
the
attempt
was
impossible
and
was
bound
to
end
in
some
catastrophe
.
Meantime
the
captain
,
shut
up
in
his
cabin
and
wedged
in
a
corner
of
his
settee
against
the
crazy
bounding
of
the
ship
,
played
the
violin
—
or
,
at
any
rate
,
made
continuous
noise
on
it
.
When
he
appeared
on
deck
he
would
not
speak
and
not
always
answer
when
spoken
to
.
It
was
obvious
that
he
was
ill
in
some
mysterious
manner
,
and
beginning
to
break
up
.
As
the
days
went
by
the
sounds
of
the
violin
became
less
and
less
loud
,
till
at
last
only
a
feeble
scratching
would
meet
Mr.
Burns’
ear
as
he
stood
in
the
saloon
listening
outside
the
door
of
the
captain’s
state-room
.
One
afternoon
in
perfect
desperation
he
burst
into
that
room
and
made
such
a
scene
,
tearing
his
hair
and
shouting
such
horrid
imprecations
that
he
cowed
the
contemptuous
spirit
of
the
sick
man
.
The
water-tanks
were
low
,
they
had
not
gained
fifty
miles
in
a
fortnight
.
She
would
never
reach
Hong-Kong
.
It
was
like
fighting
desperately
toward
destruction
for
the
ship
and
the
men
.
This
was
evident
without
argument
.
Mr.
Burns
,
losing
all
restraint
,
put
his
face
close
to
his
captain’s
and
fairly
yelled
:
“
You
,
sir
,
are
going
out
of
the
world
.
But
I
can’t
wait
till
you
are
dead
before
I
put
the
helm
up
.
You
must
do
it
yourself
.
You
must
do
it
now
!
”
The
man
on
the
couch
snarled
in
contempt
.
“
So
I
am
going
out
of
the
world
—
am
I
?
”
“
Yes
,
sir
—
you
haven’t
many
days
left
in
it
,
”
said
Mr.
Burns
calming
down
.
“
One
can
see
it
by
your
face
.
”
“
My
face
,
eh
?
.
.
.
Well
,
put
up
the
helm
and
be
damned
to
you
.
”
Burns
flew
on
deck
,
got
the
ship
before
the
wind
,
then
came
down
again
composed
,
but
resolute
.
“
I’ve
shaped
a
course
for
Pulo
Condor
,
sir
,
”
he
said
.
“
When
we
make
it
,
if
you
are
still
with
us
,
you’ll
tell
me
into
what
port
you
wish
me
to
take
the
ship
and
I’ll
do
it
.
”
The
old
man
gave
him
a
look
of
savage
spite
,
and
said
those
atrocious
words
in
deadly
,
slow
tones
.
“
If
I
had
my
wish
,
neither
the
ship
nor
any
of
you
would
ever
reach
a
port
.
And
I
hope
you
won’t
.
”
Mr.
Burns
was
profoundly
shocked
.
I
believe
he
was
positively
frightened
at
the
time
.
It
seems
,
however
,
that
he
managed
to
produce
such
an
effective
laugh
that
it
was
the
old
man’s
turn
to
be
frightened
.
He
shrank
within
himself
and
turned
his
back
on
him
.
“
And
his
head
was
not
gone
then
,
”
Mr.
Burns
assured
me
excitedly
.
“
He
meant
every
word
of
it
.
”
“
Such
was
practically
the
late
captain’s
last
speech
.
No
connected
sentence
passed
his
lips
afterward
.
That
night
he
used
the
last
of
his
strength
to
throw
his
fiddle
over
the
side
.
No
one
had
actually
seen
him
in
the
act
,
but
after
his
death
Mr.
Burns
couldn’t
find
the
thing
anywhere
.
The
empty
case
was
very
much
in
evidence
,
but
the
fiddle
was
clearly
not
in
the
ship
.
And
where
else
could
it
have
gone
to
but
overboard
?
”
“
Threw
his
violin
overboard
!
”
I
exclaimed
.
“
He
did
,
”
cried
Mr.
Burns
excitedly
.
“
And
it’s
my
belief
he
would
have
tried
to
take
the
ship
down
with
him
if
it
had
been
in
human
power
.
He
never
meant
her
to
see
home
again
.
He
wouldn’t
write
to
his
owners
,
he
never
wrote
to
his
old
wife
,
either
—
he
wasn’t
going
to
.
He
had
made
up
his
mind
to
cut
adrift
from
everything
.
That’s
what
it
was
.
He
didn’t
care
for
business
,
or
freights
,
or
for
making
a
passage
—
or
anything
.
He
meant
to
have
gone
wandering
about
the
world
till
he
lost
her
with
all
hands
.
”
Mr.
Burns
looked
like
a
man
who
had
escaped
great
danger
.
For
a
little
he
would
have
exclaimed
:
“
If
it
hadn’t
been
for
me
!
”
And
the
transparent
innocence
of
his
indignant
eyes
was
underlined
quaintly
by
the
arrogant
pair
of
moustaches
which
he
proceeded
to
twist
,
and
as
if
extend
,
horizontally
.
I
might
have
smiled
if
I
had
not
been
busy
with
my
own
sensations
,
which
were
not
those
of
Mr.
Burns
.
I
was
already
the
man
in
command
.
My
sensations
could
not
be
like
those
of
any
other
man
on
board
.
In
that
community
I
stood
,
like
a
king
in
his
country
,
in
a
class
all
by
myself
.
I
mean
an
hereditary
king
,
not
a
mere
elected
head
of
a
state
.
I
was
brought
there
to
rule
by
an
agency
as
remote
from
the
people
and
as
inscrutable
almost
to
them
as
the
Grace
of
God
.
And
like
a
member
of
a
dynasty
,
feeling
a
semimystical
bond
with
the
dead
,
I
was
profoundly
shocked
by
my
immediate
predecessor
.
That
man
had
been
in
all
essentials
but
his
age
just
such
another
man
as
myself
.
Yet
the
end
of
his
life
was
a
complete
act
of
treason
,
the
betrayal
of
a
tradition
which
seemed
to
me
as
imperative
as
any
guide
on
earth
could
be
.
It
appeared
that
even
at
sea
a
man
could
become
the
victim
of
evil
spirits
.
I
felt
on
my
face
the
breath
of
unknown
powers
that
shape
our
destinies
.
Not
to
let
the
silence
last
too
long
I
asked
Mr.
Burns
if
he
had
written
to
his
captain’s
wife
.
He
shook
his
head
.
He
had
written
to
nobody
.
In
a
moment
he
became
sombre
.
He
never
thought
of
writing
.
It
took
him
all
his
time
to
watch
incessantly
the
loading
of
the
ship
by
a
rascally
Chinese
stevedore
.
In
this
Mr.
Burns
gave
me
the
first
glimpse
of
the
real
chief
mate’s
soul
which
dwelt
uneasily
in
his
body
.
He
mused
,
then
hastened
on
with
gloomy
force
.
“
Yes
!
The
captain
died
as
near
noon
as
possible
.
I
looked
through
his
papers
in
the
afternoon
.
I
read
the
service
over
him
at
sunset
and
then
I
stuck
the
ship’s
head
north
and
brought
her
in
here
.
I
—
brought
—
her
—
in
.
”
He
struck
the
table
with
his
fist
.
“
She
would
hardly
have
come
in
by
herself
,
”
I
observed
.
“
But
why
didn’t
you
make
for
Singapore
instead
?
”
His
eyes
wavered
.
“
The
nearest
port
,
”
he
muttered
sullenly
.
I
had
framed
the
question
in
perfect
innocence
,
but
his
answer
(
the
difference
in
distance
was
insignificant
)
and
his
manner
offered
me
a
clue
to
the
simple
truth
.
He
took
the
ship
to
a
port
where
he
expected
to
be
confirmed
in
his
temporary
command
from
lack
of
a
qualified
master
to
put
over
his
head
.
Whereas
Singapore
,
he
surmised
justly
,
would
be
full
of
qualified
men
.
But
his
naive
reasoning
forgot
to
take
into
account
the
telegraph
cable
reposing
on
the
bottom
of
the
very
Gulf
up
which
he
had
turned
that
ship
which
he
imagined
himself
to
have
saved
from
destruction
.
Hence
the
bitter
flavour
of
our
interview
.
I
tasted
it
more
and
more
distinctly
—
and
it
was
less
and
less
to
my
taste
.
“
Look
here
,
Mr.
Burns
,
”
I
began
very
firmly
.
“
You
may
as
well
understand
that
I
did
not
run
after
this
command
.
It
was
pushed
in
my
way
.
I’ve
accepted
it
.
I
am
here
to
take
the
ship
home
first
of
all
,
and
you
may
be
sure
that
I
shall
see
to
it
that
every
one
of
you
on
board
here
does
his
duty
to
that
end
.
This
is
all
I
have
to
say
—
for
the
present
.
”
He
was
on
his
feet
by
this
time
,
but
instead
of
taking
his
dismissal
he
remained
with
trembling
,
indignant
lips
,
and
looking
at
me
hard
as
though
,
really
,
after
this
,
there
was
nothing
for
me
to
do
in
common
decency
but
to
vanish
from
his
outraged
sight
.
Like
all
very
simple
emotional
states
this
was
moving
.
I
felt
sorry
for
him
—
almost
sympathetic
,
till
(
seeing
that
I
did
not
vanish
)
he
spoke
in
a
tone
of
forced
restraint
.
“
If
I
hadn’t
a
wife
and
a
child
at
home
you
may
be
sure
,
sir
,
I
would
have
asked
you
to
let
me
go
the
very
minute
you
came
on
board
.
”
I
answered
him
with
a
matter-of-course
calmness
as
though
some
remote
third
person
were
in
question
.
“
And
I
,
Mr.
Burns
,
would
not
have
let
you
go
.
You
have
signed
the
ship’s
articles
as
chief
officer
,
and
till
they
are
terminated
at
the
final
port
of
discharge
I
shall
expect
you
to
attend
to
your
duty
and
give
me
the
benefit
of
your
experience
to
the
best
of
your
ability
.
”
Stony
incredulity
lingered
in
his
eyes
:
but
it
broke
down
before
my
friendly
attitude
.
With
a
slight
upward
toss
of
his
arms
(
I
got
to
know
that
gesture
well
afterward
)
he
bolted
out
of
the
cabin
.
We
might
have
saved
ourselves
that
little
passage
of
harmless
sparring
.
Before
many
days
had
elapsed
it
was
Mr.
Burns
who
was
pleading
with
me
anxiously
not
to
leave
him
behind
;
while
I
could
only
return
him
but
doubtful
answers
.
The
whole
thing
took
on
a
somewhat
tragic
complexion
.
And
this
horrible
problem
was
only
an
extraneous
episode
,
a
mere
complication
in
the
general
problem
of
how
to
get
that
ship
—
which
was
mine
with
her
appurtenances
and
her
men
,
with
her
body
and
her
spirit
now
slumbering
in
that
pestilential
river
—
how
to
get
her
out
to
sea
.
Mr.
Burns
,
while
still
acting
captain
,
had
hastened
to
sign
a
charter-party
which
in
an
ideal
world
without
guile
would
have
been
an
excellent
document
.
Directly
I
ran
my
eye
over
it
I
foresaw
trouble
ahead
unless
the
people
of
the
other
part
were
quite
exceptionally
fair-minded
and
open
to
argument
.
Mr.
Burns
,
to
whom
I
imparted
my
fears
,
chose
to
take
great
umbrage
at
them
.
He
looked
at
me
with
that
usual
incredulous
stare
,
and
said
bitterly
:
“
I
suppose
,
sir
,
you
want
to
make
out
I’ve
acted
like
a
fool
?
”
I
told
him
,
with
my
systematic
kindliness
which
always
seemed
to
augment
his
surprise
,
that
I
did
not
want
to
make
out
anything
.
I
would
leave
that
to
the
future
.
And
,
sure
enough
,
the
future
brought
in
a
lot
of
trouble
.
There
were
days
when
I
used
to
remember
Captain
Giles
with
nothing
short
of
abhorrence
.
His
confounded
acuteness
had
let
me
in
for
this
job
;
while
his
prophecy
that
I
“
would
have
my
hands
full
”
coming
true
,
made
it
appear
as
if
done
on
purpose
to
play
an
evil
joke
on
my
young
innocence
.
Yes
.
I
had
my
hands
full
of
complications
which
were
most
valuable
as
“
experience
.
”
People
have
a
great
opinion
of
the
advantages
of
experience
.
But
in
this
connection
experience
means
always
something
disagreeable
as
opposed
to
the
charm
and
innocence
of
illusions
.
I
must
say
I
was
losing
mine
rapidly
.
But
on
these
instructive
complications
I
must
not
enlarge
more
than
to
say
that
they
could
all
be
resumed
in
the
one
word
:
Delay
.
A
mankind
which
has
invented
the
proverb
,
“
Time
is
money
,
”
will
understand
my
vexation
.
The
word
“
Delay
”
entered
the
secret
chamber
of
my
brain
,
resounded
there
like
a
tolling
bell
which
maddens
the
ear
,
affected
all
my
senses
,
took
on
a
black
colouring
,
a
bitter
taste
,
a
deadly
meaning
.
“
I
am
really
sorry
to
see
you
worried
like
this
.
Indeed
,
I
am
.
.
.
.
”
It
was
the
only
humane
speech
I
used
to
hear
at
that
time
.
And
it
came
from
a
doctor
,
appropriately
enough
.
A
doctor
is
humane
by
definition
.
But
that
man
was
so
in
reality
.
His
speech
was
not
professional
.
I
was
not
ill.
But
other
people
were
,
and
that
was
the
reason
of
his
visiting
the
ship
.
He
was
the
doctor
of
our
Legation
and
,
of
course
,
of
the
Consulate
,
too
.
He
looked
after
the
ship’s
health
,
which
generally
was
poor
,
and
trembling
,
as
it
were
,
on
the
verge
of
a
break-up
.
Yes
.
The
men
ailed
.
And
thus
time
was
not
only
money
,
but
life
as
well
.
I
had
never
seen
such
a
steady
ship’s
company
.
As
the
doctor
remarked
to
me
:
“
You
seem
to
have
a
most
respectable
lot
of
seamen
.
”
Not
only
were
they
consistently
sober
,
but
they
did
not
even
want
to
go
ashore
.
Care
was
taken
to
expose
them
as
little
as
possible
to
the
sun
.
They
were
employed
on
light
work
under
the
awnings
.
And
the
humane
doctor
commended
me
.
“
Your
arrangements
appear
to
me
to
be
very
judicious
,
my
dear
Captain
.
”
It
is
difficult
to
express
how
much
that
pronouncement
comforted
me
.
The
doctor’s
round
,
full
face
framed
in
a
light-coloured
whisker
was
the
perfection
of
a
dignified
amenity
.
He
was
the
only
human
being
in
the
world
who
seemed
to
take
the
slightest
interest
in
me
.
He
would
generally
sit
in
the
cabin
for
half
an
hour
or
so
at
every
visit
.
I
said
to
him
one
day
:
“
I
suppose
the
only
thing
now
is
to
take
care
of
them
as
you
are
doing
till
I
can
get
the
ship
to
sea
?
”
He
inclined
his
head
,
shutting
his
eyes
under
the
large
spectacles
,
and
murmured
:
“
The
sea
.
.
.
undoubtedly
.
”
The
first
member
of
the
crew
fairly
knocked
over
was
the
steward
—
the
first
man
to
whom
I
had
spoken
on
board
.
He
was
taken
ashore
(
with
choleric
symptoms
)
and
died
there
at
the
end
of
a
week
.
Then
,
while
I
was
still
under
the
startling
impression
of
this
first
home-thrust
of
the
climate
,
Mr.
Burns
gave
up
and
went
to
bed
in
a
raging
fever
without
saying
a
word
to
anybody
.
I
believe
he
had
partly
fretted
himself
into
that
illness
;
the
climate
did
the
rest
with
the
swiftness
of
an
invisible
monster
ambushed
in
the
air
,
in
the
water
,
in
the
mud
of
the
river-bank
.
Mr.
Burns
was
a
predestined
victim
.
I
discovered
him
lying
on
his
back
,
glaring
sullenly
and
radiating
heat
on
one
like
a
small
furnace
.
He
would
hardly
answer
my
questions
,
and
only
grumbled
.
Couldn’t
a
man
take
an
afternoon
off
duty
with
a
bad
headache
—
for
once
?
That
evening
,
as
I
sat
in
the
saloon
after
dinner
,
I
could
hear
him
muttering
continuously
in
his
room
.
Ransome
,
who
was
clearing
the
table
,
said
to
me
:
“
I
am
afraid
,
sir
,
I
won’t
be
able
to
give
the
mate
all
the
attention
he’s
likely
to
need
.
I
will
have
to
be
forward
in
the
galley
a
great
part
of
my
time
.
”
Ransome
was
the
cook
.
The
mate
had
pointed
him
out
to
me
the
first
day
,
standing
on
the
deck
,
his
arms
crossed
on
his
broad
chest
,
gazing
on
the
river
.
Even
at
a
distance
his
well-proportioned
figure
,
something
thoroughly
sailor-like
in
his
poise
,
made
him
noticeable
.
On
nearer
view
the
intelligent
,
quiet
eyes
,
a
well-bred
face
,
the
disciplined
independence
of
his
manner
made
up
an
attractive
personality
.
When
,
in
addition
,
Mr.
Burns
told
me
that
he
was
the
best
seaman
in
the
ship
,
I
expressed
my
surprise
that
in
his
earliest
prime
and
of
such
appearance
he
should
sign
on
as
cook
on
board
a
ship
.
“
It’s
his
heart
,
”
Mr.
Burns
had
said
.
“
There’s
something
wrong
with
it
.
He
mustn’t
exert
himself
too
much
or
he
may
drop
dead
suddenly
.
”
And
he
was
the
only
one
the
climate
had
not
touched
—
perhaps
because
,
carrying
a
deadly
enemy
in
his
breast
,
he
had
schooled
himself
into
a
systematic
control
of
feelings
and
movements
.
When
one
was
in
the
secret
this
was
apparent
in
his
manner
.
After
the
poor
steward
died
,
and
as
he
could
not
be
replaced
by
a
white
man
in
this
Oriental
port
,
Ransome
had
volunteered
to
do
the
double
work
.
“
I
can
do
it
all
right
,
sir
,
as
long
as
I
go
about
it
quietly
,
”
he
had
assured
me
.
But
obviously
he
couldn’t
be
expected
to
take
up
sick-nursing
in
addition
.
Moreover
,
the
doctor
peremptorily
ordered
Mr.
Burns
ashore
.
With
a
seaman
on
each
side
holding
him
up
under
the
arms
,
the
mate
went
over
the
gangway
more
sullen
than
ever
.
We
built
him
up
with
pillows
in
the
gharry
,
and
he
made
an
effort
to
say
brokenly
:
“
Now
—
you’ve
got
—
what
you
wanted
—
got
me
out
of
—
the
ship
.
”
“
You
were
never
more
mistaken
in
your
life
,
Mr.
Burns
,
”
I
said
quietly
,
duly
smiling
at
him
;
and
the
trap
drove
off
to
a
sort
of
sanatorium
,
a
pavilion
of
bricks
which
the
doctor
had
in
the
grounds
of
his
residence
.
I
visited
Mr.
Burns
regularly
.
After
the
first
few
days
,
when
he
didn’t
know
anybody
,
he
received
me
as
if
I
had
come
either
to
gloat
over
an
enemy
or
else
to
curry
favour
with
a
deeply
wronged
person
.
It
was
either
one
or
the
other
,
just
as
it
happened
according
to
his
fantastic
sickroom
moods
.
Whichever
it
was
,
he
managed
to
convey
it
to
me
even
during
the
period
when
he
appeared
almost
too
weak
to
talk
.
I
treated
him
to
my
invariable
kindliness
.
Then
one
day
,
suddenly
,
a
surge
of
downright
panic
burst
through
all
this
craziness
.
If
I
left
him
behind
in
this
deadly
place
he
would
die
.
He
felt
it
,
he
was
certain
of
it
.
But
I
wouldn’t
have
the
heart
to
leave
him
ashore
.
He
had
a
wife
and
child
in
Sydney
.
He
produced
his
wasted
forearms
from
under
the
sheet
which
covered
him
and
clasped
his
fleshless
claws
.
He
would
die
!
He
would
die
here
.
.
.
.
He
absolutely
managed
to
sit
up
,
but
only
for
a
moment
,
and
when
he
fell
back
I
really
thought
that
he
would
die
there
and
then
.
I
called
to
the
Bengali
dispenser
,
and
hastened
away
from
the
room
.
Next
day
he
upset
me
thoroughly
by
renewing
his
entreaties
.
I
returned
an
evasive
answer
,
and
left
him
the
picture
of
ghastly
despair
.
The
day
after
I
went
in
with
reluctance
,
and
he
attacked
me
at
once
in
a
much
stronger
voice
and
with
an
abundance
of
argument
which
was
quite
startling
.
He
presented
his
case
with
a
sort
of
crazy
vigour
,
and
asked
me
finally
how
would
I
like
to
have
a
man’s
death
on
my
conscience
?
He
wanted
me
to
promise
that
I
would
not
sail
without
him
.
I
said
that
I
really
must
consult
the
doctor
first
.
He
cried
out
at
that
.
The
doctor
!
Never
!
That
would
be
a
death
sentence
.
The
effort
had
exhausted
him
.
He
closed
his
eyes
,
but
went
on
rambling
in
a
low
voice
.
I
had
hated
him
from
the
start
.
The
late
captain
had
hated
him
,
too
.
Had
wished
him
dead
.
Had
wished
all
hands
dead
.
.
.
.
“
What
do
you
want
to
stand
in
with
that
wicked
corpse
for
,
sir
?
He’ll
have
you
,
too
,
”
he
ended
,
blinking
his
glazed
eyes
vacantly
.
“
Mr.
Burns
,
”
I
cried
,
very
much
discomposed
,
“
what
on
earth
are
you
talking
about
?
”
He
seemed
to
come
to
himself
,
though
he
was
too
weak
to
start
.
“
I
don’t
know
,
”
he
said
languidly
.
“
But
don’t
ask
that
doctor
,
sir
.
You
and
I
are
sailors
.
Don’t
ask
him
,
sir
.
Some
day
perhaps
you
will
have
a
wife
and
child
yourself
.
”
And
again
he
pleaded
for
the
promise
that
I
would
not
leave
him
behind
.
I
had
the
firmness
of
mind
not
to
give
it
to
him
.
Afterward
this
sternness
seemed
criminal
;
for
my
mind
was
made
up
.
That
prostrated
man
,
with
hardly
strength
enough
to
breathe
and
ravaged
by
a
passion
of
fear
,
was
irresistible
.
And
,
besides
,
he
had
happened
to
hit
on
the
right
words
.
He
and
I
were
sailors
.
That
was
a
claim
,
for
I
had
no
other
family
.
As
to
the
wife
and
child
(
some
day
)
argument
,
it
had
no
force
.
It
sounded
merely
bizarre
.
I
could
imagine
no
claim
that
would
be
stronger
and
more
absorbing
than
the
claim
of
that
ship
,
of
these
men
snared
in
the
river
by
silly
commercial
complications
,
as
if
in
some
poisonous
trap
.
However
,
I
had
nearly
fought
my
way
out
.
Out
to
sea
.
The
sea
—
which
was
pure
,
safe
,
and
friendly
.
Three
days
more
.
That
thought
sustained
and
carried
me
on
my
way
back
to
the
ship
.
In
the
saloon
the
doctor’s
voice
greeted
me
,
and
his
large
form
followed
his
voice
,
issuing
out
of
the
starboard
spare
cabin
where
the
ship’s
medicine
chest
was
kept
securely
lashed
in
the
bed-place
.
Finding
that
I
was
not
on
board
he
had
gone
in
there
,
he
said
,
to
inspect
the
supply
of
drugs
,
bandages
,
and
so
on
.
Everything
was
completed
and
in
order
.
I
thanked
him
;
I
had
just
been
thinking
of
asking
him
to
do
that
very
thing
,
as
in
a
couple
of
days
,
as
he
knew
,
we
were
going
to
sea
,
where
all
our
troubles
of
every
sort
would
be
over
at
last
.
He
listened
gravely
and
made
no
answer
.
But
when
I
opened
to
him
my
mind
as
to
Mr.
Burns
he
sat
down
by
my
side
,
and
,
laying
his
hand
on
my
knee
amicably
,
begged
me
to
think
what
it
was
I
was
exposing
myself
to
.
The
man
was
just
strong
enough
to
bear
being
moved
and
no
more
.
But
he
couldn’t
stand
a
return
of
the
fever
.
I
had
before
me
a
passage
of
sixty
days
perhaps
,
beginning
with
intricate
navigation
and
ending
probably
with
a
lot
of
bad
weather
.
Could
I
run
the
risk
of
having
to
go
through
it
single-handed
,
with
no
chief
officer
and
with
a
second
quite
a
youth
?
.
.
.
He
might
have
added
that
it
was
my
first
command
,
too
.
He
did
probably
think
of
that
fact
,
for
he
checked
himself
.
It
was
very
present
to
my
mind
.
He
advised
me
earnestly
to
cable
to
Singapore
for
a
chief
officer
,
even
if
I
had
to
delay
my
sailing
for
a
week
.
“
Never
,
”
I
said
.
The
very
thought
gave
me
the
shivers
.
The
hands
seemed
fairly
fit
,
all
of
them
,
and
this
was
the
time
to
get
them
away
.
Once
at
sea
I
was
not
afraid
of
facing
anything
.
The
sea
was
now
the
only
remedy
for
all
my
troubles
.
The
doctor’s
glasses
were
directed
at
me
like
two
lamps
searching
the
genuineness
of
my
resolution
.
He
opened
his
lips
as
if
to
argue
further
,
but
shut
them
again
without
saying
anything
.
I
had
a
vision
so
vivid
of
poor
Burns
in
his
exhaustion
,
helplessness
,
and
anguish
,
that
it
moved
me
more
than
the
reality
I
had
come
away
from
only
an
hour
before
.
It
was
purged
from
the
drawbacks
of
his
personality
,
and
I
could
not
resist
it
.
“
Look
here
,
”
I
said
.
“
Unless
you
tell
me
officially
that
the
man
must
not
be
moved
I’ll
make
arrangements
to
have
him
brought
on
board
tomorrow
,
and
shall
take
the
ship
out
of
the
river
next
morning
,
even
if
I
have
to
anchor
outside
the
bar
for
a
couple
of
days
to
get
her
ready
for
sea
.
”
“
Oh
!
I’ll
make
all
the
arrangements
myself
,
”
said
the
doctor
at
once
.
“
I
spoke
as
I
did
only
as
a
friend
—
as
a
well-wisher
,
and
that
sort
of
thing
.
”
He
rose
in
his
dignified
simplicity
and
gave
me
a
warm
handshake
,
rather
solemnly
,
I
thought
.
But
he
was
as
good
as
his
word
.
When
Mr.
Burns
appeared
at
the
gangway
carried
on
a
stretcher
,
the
doctor
himself
walked
by
its
side
.
The
programme
had
been
altered
in
so
far
that
this
transportation
had
been
left
to
the
last
moment
,
on
the
very
morning
of
our
departure
.
It
was
barely
an
hour
after
sunrise
.
The
doctor
waved
his
big
arm
to
me
from
the
shore
and
walked
back
at
once
to
his
trap
,
which
had
followed
him
empty
to
the
river-side
.
Mr.
Burns
,
carried
across
the
quarter-deck
,
had
the
appearance
of
being
absolutely
lifeless
.
Ransome
went
down
to
settle
him
in
his
cabin
.
I
had
to
remain
on
deck
to
look
after
the
ship
,
for
the
tug
had
got
hold
of
our
towrope
already
.
The
splash
of
our
shore-fasts
falling
in
the
water
produced
a
complete
change
of
feeling
in
me
.
It
was
like
the
imperfect
relief
of
awakening
from
a
nightmare
.
But
when
the
ship’s
head
swung
down
the
river
away
from
that
town
,
Oriental
and
squalid
,
I
missed
the
expected
elation
of
that
striven-for
moment
.
What
there
was
,
undoubtedly
,
was
a
relaxation
of
tension
which
translated
itself
into
a
sense
of
weariness
after
an
inglorious
fight
.
About
midday
we
anchored
a
mile
outside
the
bar
.
The
afternoon
was
busy
for
all
hands
.
Watching
the
work
from
the
poop
,
where
I
remained
all
the
time
,
I
detected
in
it
some
of
the
languor
of
the
six
weeks
spent
in
the
steaming
heat
of
the
river
.
The
first
breeze
would
blow
that
away
.
Now
the
calm
was
complete
.
I
judged
that
the
second
officer
—
a
callow
youth
with
an
unpromising
face
—
was
not
,
to
put
it
mildly
,
of
that
invaluable
stuff
from
which
a
commander’s
right
hand
is
made
.
But
I
was
glad
to
catch
along
the
main
deck
a
few
smiles
on
those
seamen’s
faces
at
which
I
had
hardly
had
time
to
have
a
good
look
as
yet
.
Having
thrown
off
the
mortal
coil
of
shore
affairs
,
I
felt
myself
familiar
with
them
and
yet
a
little
strange
,
like
a
long-lost
wanderer
among
his
kin
.
Ransome
flitted
continually
to
and
fro
between
the
galley
and
the
cabin
.
It
was
a
pleasure
to
look
at
him
.
The
man
positively
had
grace
.
He
alone
of
all
the
crew
had
not
had
a
day’s
illness
in
port
.
But
with
the
knowledge
of
that
uneasy
heart
within
his
breast
I
could
detect
the
restraint
he
put
on
the
natural
sailor-like
agility
of
his
movements
.
It
was
as
though
he
had
something
very
fragile
or
very
explosive
to
carry
about
his
person
and
was
all
the
time
aware
of
it
.
I
had
occasion
to
address
him
once
or
twice
.
He
answered
me
in
his
pleasant
,
quiet
voice
and
with
a
faint
,
slightly
wistful
smile
.
Mr.
Burns
appeared
to
be
resting
.
He
seemed
fairly
comfortable
.
After
sunset
I
came
out
on
deck
again
to
meet
only
a
still
void
.
The
thin
,
featureless
crust
of
the
coast
could
not
be
distinguished
.
The
darkness
had
risen
around
the
ship
like
a
mysterious
emanation
from
the
dumb
and
lonely
waters
.
I
leaned
on
the
rail
and
turned
my
ear
to
the
shadows
of
the
night
.
Not
a
sound
.
My
command
might
have
been
a
planet
flying
vertiginously
on
its
appointed
path
in
a
space
of
infinite
silence
.
I
clung
to
the
rail
as
if
my
sense
of
balance
were
leaving
me
for
good
.
How
absurd
.
I
failed
nervously
.
“
On
deck
there
!
”
The
immediate
answer
,
“
Yes
,
sir
,
”
broke
the
spell
.
The
anchor-watch
man
ran
up
the
poop
ladder
smartly
.
I
told
him
to
report
at
once
the
slightest
sign
of
a
breeze
coming
.
Going
below
I
looked
in
on
Mr.
Burns
.
In
fact
,
I
could
not
avoid
seeing
him
,
for
his
door
stood
open
.
The
man
was
so
wasted
that
,
in
this
white
cabin
,
under
a
white
sheet
,
and
with
his
diminished
head
sunk
in
the
white
pillow
,
his
red
moustaches
captured
their
eyes
exclusively
,
like
something
artificial
—
a
pair
of
moustaches
from
a
shop
exhibited
there
in
the
harsh
light
of
the
bulkhead-lamp
without
a
shade
.
While
I
stared
with
a
sort
of
wonder
he
asserted
himself
by
opening
his
eyes
and
even
moving
them
in
my
direction
.
A
minute
stir
.
“
Dead
calm
,
Mr.
Burns
,
”
I
said
resignedly
.
In
an
unexpectedly
distinct
voice
Mr.
Burns
began
a
rambling
speech
.
Its
tone
was
very
strange
,
not
as
if
affected
by
his
illness
,
but
as
if
of
a
different
nature
.
It
sounded
unearthly
.
As
to
the
matter
,
I
seemed
to
make
out
that
it
was
the
fault
of
the
“
old
man
”
—
the
late
captain
—
ambushed
down
there
under
the
sea
with
some
evil
intention
.
It
was
a
weird
story
.
I
listened
to
the
end
;
then
stepping
into
the
cabin
I
laid
my
hand
on
the
mate’s
forehead
.
It
was
cool
.
He
was
light-headed
only
from
extreme
weakness
.
Suddenly
he
seemed
to
become
aware
of
me
,
and
in
his
own
voice
—
of
course
,
very
feeble
—
he
asked
regretfully
:
“
Is
there
no
chance
at
all
to
get
under
way
,
sir
?
”
“
What’s
the
good
of
letting
go
our
hold
of
the
ground
only
to
drift
,
Mr.
Burns
?
”
I
answered
.
He
sighed
and
I
left
him
to
his
immobility
.
His
hold
on
life
was
as
slender
as
his
hold
on
sanity
.
I
was
oppressed
by
my
lonely
responsibilities
.
I
went
into
my
cabin
to
seek
relief
in
a
few
hours’
sleep
,
but
almost
before
I
closed
my
eyes
the
man
on
deck
came
down
reporting
a
light
breeze
.
Enough
to
get
under
way
with
,
he
said
.
And
it
was
no
more
than
just
enough
.
I
ordered
the
windlass
manned
,
the
sails
loosed
,
and
the
topsails
set
.
But
by
the
time
I
had
cast
the
ship
I
could
hardly
feel
any
breath
of
wind
.
Nevertheless
,
I
trimmed
the
yards
and
put
everything
on
her
.
I
was
not
going
to
give
up
the
attempt
.
PART
TWO
IV
With
her
anchor
at
the
bow
and
clothed
in
canvas
to
her
very
trucks
,
my
command
seemed
to
stand
as
motionless
as
a
model
ship
set
on
the
gleams
and
shadows
of
polished
marble
.
It
was
impossible
to
distinguish
land
from
water
in
the
enigmatical
tranquillity
of
the
immense
forces
of
the
world
.
A
sudden
impatience
possessed
me
.
“
Won’t
she
answer
the
helm
at
all
?
”
I
said
irritably
to
the
man
whose
strong
brown
hands
grasping
the
spokes
of
the
wheel
stood
out
lighted
on
the
darkness
;
like
a
symbol
of
mankind’s
claim
to
the
direction
of
its
own
fate
.
He
answered
me
.
“
Yes
,
sir
.
She’s
coming-to
slowly
.
”
“
Let
her
head
come
up
to
south
.
”
“
Aye
,
aye
,
sir
.
”
I
paced
the
poop
.
There
was
not
a
sound
but
that
of
my
footsteps
,
till
the
man
spoke
again
.
“
She
is
at
south
now
,
sir
.
”
I
felt
a
slight
tightness
of
the
chest
before
I
gave
out
the
first
course
of
my
first
command
to
the
silent
night
,
heavy
with
dew
and
sparkling
with
stars
.
There
was
a
finality
in
the
act
committing
me
to
the
endless
vigilance
of
my
lonely
task
.
“
Steady
her
head
at
that
,
”
I
said
at
last
.
“
The
course
is
south
.
”
“
South
,
sir
,
”
echoed
the
man
.
I
sent
below
the
second
mate
and
his
watch
and
remained
in
charge
,
walking
the
deck
through
the
chill
,
somnolent
hours
that
precede
the
dawn
.
Slight
puffs
came
and
went
,
and
whenever
they
were
strong
enough
to
wake
up
the
black
water
the
murmur
alongside
ran
through
my
very
heart
in
a
delicate
crescendo
of
delight
and
died
away
swiftly
.
I
was
bitterly
tired
.
The
very
stars
seemed
weary
of
waiting
for
daybreak
.
It
came
at
last
with
a
mother-of-pearl
sheen
at
the
zenith
,
such
as
I
had
never
seen
before
in
the
tropics
,
unglowing
,
almost
gray
,
with
a
strange
reminder
of
high
latitudes
.
The
voice
of
the
look-out
man
hailed
from
forward
:
“
Land
on
the
port
bow
,
sir
.
”
“
All
right
.
”
Leaning
on
the
rail
I
never
even
raised
my
eyes
.
The
motion
of
the
ship
was
imperceptible
.
Presently
Ransome
brought
me
the
cup
of
morning
coffee
.
After
I
had
drunk
it
I
looked
ahead
,
and
in
the
still
streak
of
very
bright
pale
orange
light
I
saw
the
land
profiled
flatly
as
if
cut
out
of
black
paper
and
seeming
to
float
on
the
water
as
light
as
cork
.
But
the
rising
sun
turned
it
into
mere
dark
vapour
,
a
doubtful
,
massive
shadow
trembling
in
the
hot
glare
.
The
watch
finished
washing
decks
.
I
went
below
and
stopped
at
Mr.
Burns’
door
(
he
could
not
bear
to
have
it
shut
)
,
but
hesitated
to
speak
to
him
till
he
moved
his
eyes
.
I
gave
him
the
news
.
“
Sighted
Cape
Liant
at
daylight
.
About
fifteen
miles
.
”
He
moved
his
lips
then
,
but
I
heard
no
sound
till
I
put
my
ear
down
,
and
caught
the
peevish
comment
:
“
This
is
crawling
.
.
.
.
No
luck
.
”
“
Better
luck
than
standing
still
,
anyhow
,
”
I
pointed
out
resignedly
,
and
left
him
to
whatever
thoughts
or
fancies
haunted
his
awful
immobility
.
Later
that
morning
,
when
relieved
by
my
second
officer
,
I
threw
myself
on
my
couch
and
for
some
three
hours
or
so
I
really
found
oblivion
.
It
was
so
perfect
that
on
waking
up
I
wondered
where
I
was
.
Then
came
the
immense
relief
of
the
thought
:
on
board
my
ship
!
At
sea
!
At
sea
!
Through
the
port-holes
I
beheld
an
unruffled
,
sun-smitten
horizon
.
The
horizon
of
a
windless
day
.
But
its
spaciousness
alone
was
enough
to
give
me
a
sense
of
a
fortunate
escape
,
a
momentary
exultation
of
freedom
.
I
stepped
out
into
the
saloon
with
my
heart
lighter
than
it
had
been
for
days
.
Ransome
was
at
the
sideboard
preparing
to
lay
the
table
for
the
first
sea
dinner
of
the
passage
.
He
turned
his
head
,
and
something
in
his
eyes
checked
my
modest
elation
.
Instinctively
I
asked
:
“
What
is
it
now
?
”
not
expecting
in
the
least
the
answer
I
got
.
It
was
given
with
that
sort
of
contained
serenity
which
was
characteristic
of
the
man
.
“
I
am
afraid
we
haven’t
left
all
sickness
behind
us
,
sir
.
”
“
We
haven’t
!
What’s
the
matter
?
”
He
told
me
then
that
two
of
our
men
had
been
taken
bad
with
fever
in
the
night
.
One
of
them
was
burning
and
the
other
was
shivering
,
but
he
thought
that
it
was
pretty
much
the
same
thing
.
I
thought
so
,
too
.
I
felt
shocked
by
the
news
.
“
One
burning
,
the
other
shivering
,
you
say
?
No.
We
haven’t
left
the
sickness
behind
.
Do
they
look
very
ill
?
”
“
Middling
bad
,
sir
.
”
Ransome’s
eyes
gazed
steadily
into
mine
.
We
exchanged
smiles
.
Ransome’s
a
little
wistful
,
as
usual
,
mine
no
doubt
grim
enough
,
to
correspond
with
my
secret
exasperation
.
I
asked
:
“
Was
there
any
wind
at
all
this
morning
?
”
“
Can
hardly
say
that
,
sir
.
We’ve
moved
all
the
time
though
.
The
land
ahead
seems
a
little
nearer
.
”
That
was
it
.
A
little
nearer
.
Whereas
if
we
had
only
had
a
little
more
wind
,
only
a
very
little
more
,
we
might
,
we
should
,
have
been
abreast
of
Liant
by
this
time
and
increasing
our
distance
from
that
contaminated
shore
.
And
it
was
not
only
the
distance
.
It
seemed
to
me
that
a
stronger
breeze
would
have
blown
away
the
contamination
which
clung
to
the
ship
.
It
obviously
did
cling
to
the
ship
.
Two
men
.
One
burning
,
one
shivering
.
I
felt
a
distinct
reluctance
to
go
and
look
at
them
.
What
was
the
good
?
Poison
is
poison
.
Tropical
fever
is
tropical
fever
.
But
that
it
should
have
stretched
its
claw
after
us
over
the
sea
seemed
to
me
an
extraordinary
and
unfair
license
.
I
could
hardly
believe
that
it
could
be
anything
worse
than
the
last
desperate
pluck
of
the
evil
from
which
we
were
escaping
into
the
clean
breath
of
the
sea
.
If
only
that
breath
had
been
a
little
stronger
.
However
,
there
was
the
quinine
against
the
fever
.
I
went
into
the
spare
cabin
where
the
medicine
chest
was
kept
to
prepare
two
doses
.
I
opened
it
full
of
faith
as
a
man
opens
a
miraculous
shrine
.
The
upper
part
was
inhabited
by
a
collection
of
bottles
,
all
square-shouldered
and
as
like
each
other
as
peas
.
Under
that
orderly
array
there
were
two
drawers
,
stuffed
as
full
of
things
as
one
could
imagine
—
paper
packages
,
bandages
,
cardboard
boxes
officially
labelled
.
The
lower
of
the
two
,
in
one
of
its
compartments
,
contained
our
provision
of
quinine
.
There
were
five
bottles
,
all
round
and
all
of
a
size
.
One
was
about
a
third
full
.
The
other
four
remained
still
wrapped
up
in
paper
and
sealed
.
But
I
did
not
expect
to
see
an
envelope
lying
on
top
of
them
.
A
square
envelope
,
belonging
,
in
fact
,
to
the
ship’s
stationery
.
It
lay
so
that
I
could
see
it
was
not
closed
down
,
and
on
picking
it
up
and
turning
it
over
I
perceived
that
it
was
addressed
to
myself
.
It
contained
a
half-sheet
of
notepaper
,
which
I
unfolded
with
a
queer
sense
of
dealing
with
the
uncanny
,
but
without
any
excitement
as
people
meet
and
do
extraordinary
things
in
a
dream
.
“
My
dear
Captain
,
”
it
began
,
but
I
ran
to
the
signature
.
The
writer
was
the
doctor
.
The
date
was
that
of
the
day
on
which
,
returning
from
my
visit
to
Mr.
Burns
in
the
hospital
,
I
had
found
the
excellent
doctor
waiting
for
me
in
the
cabin
;
and
when
he
told
me
that
he
had
been
putting
in
time
inspecting
the
medicine
chest
for
me
.
How
bizarre
!
While
expecting
me
to
come
in
at
any
moment
he
had
been
amusing
himself
by
writing
me
a
letter
,
and
then
as
I
came
in
had
hastened
to
stuff
it
into
the
medicine-chest
drawer
.
A
rather
incredible
proceeding
.
I
turned
to
the
text
in
wonder
.
In
a
large
,
hurried
,
but
legible
hand
the
good
,
sympathetic
man
for
some
reason
,
either
of
kindness
or
more
likely
impelled
by
the
irresistible
desire
to
express
his
opinion
,
with
which
he
didn’t
want
to
damp
my
hopes
before
,
was
warning
me
not
to
put
my
trust
in
the
beneficial
effects
of
a
change
from
land
to
sea
.
“
I
didn’t
want
to
add
to
your
worries
by
discouraging
your
hopes
,
”
he
wrote
.
“
I
am
afraid
that
,
medically
speaking
,
the
end
of
your
troubles
is
not
yet
.
”
In
short
,
he
expected
me
to
have
to
fight
a
probable
return
of
tropical
illness
.
Fortunately
I
had
a
good
provision
of
quinine
.
I
should
put
my
trust
in
that
,
and
administer
it
steadily
,
when
the
ship’s
health
would
certainly
improve
.
I
crumpled
up
the
letter
and
rammed
it
into
my
pocket
.
Ransome
carried
off
two
big
doses
to
the
men
forward
.
As
to
myself
,
I
did
not
go
on
deck
as
yet
.
I
went
instead
to
the
door
of
Mr.
Burns’
room
,
and
gave
him
that
news
,
too
.
It
was
impossible
to
say
the
effect
it
had
on
him
.
At
first
I
thought
that
he
was
speechless
.
His
head
lay
sunk
in
the
pillow
.
He
moved
his
lips
enough
,
however
,
to
assure
me
that
he
was
getting
much
stronger
;
a
statement
shockingly
untrue
on
the
face
of
it
.
That
afternoon
I
took
my
watch
as
a
matter
of
course
.
A
great
over-heated
stillness
enveloped
the
ship
and
seemed
to
hold
her
motionless
in
a
flaming
ambience
composed
in
two
shades
of
blue
.
Faint
,
hot
puffs
eddied
nervelessly
from
her
sails
.
And
yet
she
moved
.
She
must
have
.
For
,
as
the
sun
was
setting
,
we
had
drawn
abreast
of
Cape
Liant
and
dropped
it
behind
us
:
an
ominous
retreating
shadow
in
the
last
gleams
of
twilight
.
In
the
evening
,
under
the
crude
glare
of
his
lamp
,
Mr.
Burns
seemed
to
have
come
more
to
the
surface
of
his
bedding
.
It
was
as
if
a
depressing
hand
had
been
lifted
off
him
.
He
answered
my
few
words
by
a
comparatively
long
,
connected
speech
.
He
asserted
himself
strongly
.
If
he
escaped
being
smothered
by
this
stagnant
heat
,
he
said
,
he
was
confident
that
in
a
very
few
days
he
would
be
able
to
come
up
on
deck
and
help
me
.
While
he
was
speaking
I
trembled
lest
this
effort
of
energy
should
leave
him
lifeless
before
my
eyes
.
But
I
cannot
deny
that
there
was
something
comforting
in
his
willingness
.
I
made
a
suitable
reply
,
but
pointed
out
to
him
that
the
only
thing
that
could
really
help
us
was
wind
—
a
fair
wind
.
He
rolled
his
head
impatiently
on
the
pillow
.
And
it
was
not
comforting
in
the
least
to
hear
him
begin
to
mutter
crazily
about
the
late
captain
,
that
old
man
buried
in
latitude
8
d
20’
,
right
in
our
way
—
ambushed
at
the
entrance
of
the
Gulf
.
“
Are
you
still
thinking
of
your
late
captain
,
Mr.
Burns
?
”
I
said
.
“
I
imagine
the
dead
feel
no
animosity
against
the
living
.
They
care
nothing
for
them
.
”
“
You
don’t
know
that
one
,
”
he
breathed
out
feebly
.
“
No.
I
didn’t
know
him
,
and
he
didn’t
know
me
.
And
so
he
can’t
have
any
grievance
against
me
,
anyway
.
”
“
Yes
.
But
there’s
all
the
rest
of
us
on
board
,
”
he
insisted
.
I
felt
the
inexpugnable
strength
of
common
sense
being
insidiously
menaced
by
this
gruesome
,
by
this
insane
,
delusion
.
And
I
said
:
“
You
mustn’t
talk
so
much
.
You
will
tire
yourself
.
”
“
And
there
is
the
ship
herself
,
”
he
persisted
in
a
whisper
.
“
Now
,
not
a
word
more
,
”
I
said
,
stepping
in
and
laying
my
hand
on
his
cool
forehead
.
It
proved
to
me
that
this
atrocious
absurdity
was
rooted
in
the
man
himself
and
not
in
the
disease
,
which
,
apparently
,
had
emptied
him
of
every
power
,
mental
and
physical
,
except
that
one
fixed
idea
.
I
avoided
giving
Mr.
Burns
any
opening
for
conversation
for
the
next
few
days
.
I
merely
used
to
throw
him
a
hasty
,
cheery
word
when
passing
his
door
.
I
believe
that
if
he
had
had
the
strength
he
would
have
called
out
after
me
more
than
once
.
But
he
hadn’t
the
strength
.
Ransome
,
however
,
observed
to
me
one
afternoon
that
the
mate
“
seemed
to
be
picking
up
wonderfully
.
”
“
Did
he
talk
any
nonsense
to
you
of
late
?
”
I
asked
casually
.
“
No
,
sir
.
”
Ransome
was
startled
by
the
direct
question
;
but
,
after
a
pause
,
he
added
equably
:
“
He
told
me
this
morning
,
sir
,
that
he
was
sorry
he
had
to
bury
our
late
captain
right
in
the
ship’s
way
,
as
one
may
say
,
out
of
the
Gulf
.
”
“
Isn’t
this
nonsense
enough
for
you
?
”
I
asked
,
looking
confidently
at
the
intelligent
,
quiet
face
on
which
the
secret
uneasiness
in
the
man’s
breast
had
thrown
a
transparent
veil
of
care
.
Ransome
didn’t
know
.
He
had
not
given
a
thought
to
the
matter
.
And
with
a
faint
smile
he
flitted
away
from
me
on
his
never-ending
duties
,
with
his
usual
guarded
activity
.
Two
more
days
passed
.
We
had
advanced
a
little
way
—
a
very
little
way
—
into
the
larger
space
of
the
Gulf
of
Siam
.
Seizing
eagerly
upon
the
elation
of
the
first
command
thrown
into
my
lap
,
by
the
agency
of
Captain
Giles
,
I
had
yet
an
uneasy
feeling
that
such
luck
as
this
has
got
perhaps
to
be
paid
for
in
some
way
.
I
had
held
,
professionally
,
a
review
of
my
chances
.
I
was
competent
enough
for
that
.
At
least
,
I
thought
so
.
I
had
a
general
sense
of
my
preparedness
which
only
a
man
pursuing
a
calling
he
loves
can
know
.
That
feeling
seemed
to
me
the
most
natural
thing
in
the
world
.
As
natural
as
breathing
.
I
imagined
I
could
not
have
lived
without
it
.
I
don’t
know
what
I
expected
.
Perhaps
nothing
else
than
that
special
intensity
of
existence
which
is
the
quintessence
of
youthful
aspirations
.
Whatever
I
expected
I
did
not
expect
to
be
beset
by
hurricanes
.
I
knew
better
than
that
.
In
the
Gulf
of
Siam
there
are
no
hurricanes
.
But
neither
did
I
expect
to
find
myself
bound
hand
and
foot
to
the
hopeless
extent
which
was
revealed
to
me
as
the
days
went
on
.
Not
that
the
evil
spell
held
us
always
motionless
.
Mysterious
currents
drifted
us
here
and
there
,
with
a
stealthy
power
made
manifest
only
by
the
changing
vistas
of
the
islands
fringing
the
east
shore
of
the
Gulf
.
And
there
were
winds
,
too
,
fitful
and
deceitful
.
They
raised
hopes
only
to
dash
them
into
the
bitterest
disappointment
,
promises
of
advance
ending
in
lost
ground
,
expiring
in
sighs
,
dying
into
dumb
stillness
in
which
the
currents
had
it
all
their
own
way
—
their
own
inimical
way
.
The
island
of
Koh-ring
,
a
great
,
black
,
upheaved
ridge
amongst
a
lot
of
tiny
islets
,
lying
upon
the
glassy
water
like
a
triton
amongst
minnows
,
seemed
to
be
the
centre
of
the
fatal
circle
.
It
seemed
impossible
to
get
away
from
it
.
Day
after
day
it
remained
in
sight
.
More
than
once
,
in
a
favourable
breeze
,
I
would
take
its
bearings
in
the
fast-ebbing
twilight
,
thinking
that
it
was
for
the
last
time
.
Vain
hope
.
A
night
of
fitful
airs
would
undo
the
gains
of
temporary
favour
,
and
the
rising
sun
would
throw
out
the
black
relief
of
Koh-ring
looking
more
barren
,
inhospitable
,
and
grim
than
ever
.
“
It’s
like
being
bewitched
,
upon
my
word
,
”
I
said
once
to
Mr.
Burns
,
from
my
usual
position
in
the
doorway
.
He
was
sitting
up
in
his
bed-place
.
He
was
progressing
toward
the
world
of
living
men
;
if
he
could
hardly
have
been
said
to
have
rejoined
it
yet
.
He
nodded
to
me
his
frail
and
bony
head
in
a
wisely
mysterious
assent
.
“
Oh
,
yes
,
I
know
what
you
mean
,
”
I
said
.
“
But
you
cannot
expect
me
to
believe
that
a
dead
man
has
the
power
to
put
out
of
joint
the
meteorology
of
this
part
of
the
world
.
Though
indeed
it
seems
to
have
gone
utterly
wrong
.
The
land
and
sea
breezes
have
got
broken
up
into
small
pieces
.
We
cannot
depend
upon
them
for
five
minutes
together
.
”
“
It
won’t
be
very
long
now
before
I
can
come
up
on
deck
,
”
muttered
Mr.
Burns
,
“
and
then
we
shall
see
.
”
Whether
he
meant
this
for
a
promise
to
grapple
with
supernatural
evil
I
couldn’t
tell
.
At
any
rate
,
it
wasn’t
the
kind
of
assistance
I
needed
.
On
the
other
hand
,
I
had
been
living
on
deck
practically
night
and
day
so
as
to
take
advantage
of
every
chance
to
get
my
ship
a
little
more
to
the
southward
.
The
mate
,
I
could
see
,
was
extremely
weak
yet
,
and
not
quite
rid
of
his
delusion
,
which
to
me
appeared
but
a
symptom
of
his
disease
.
At
all
events
,
the
hopefulness
of
an
invalid
was
not
to
be
discouraged
.
I
said
:
“
You
will
be
most
welcome
there
,
I
am
sure
,
Mr.
Burns
.
If
you
go
on
improving
at
this
rate
you’ll
be
presently
one
of
the
healthiest
men
in
the
ship
.
”
This
pleased
him
,
but
his
extreme
emaciation
converted
his
self-satisfied
smile
into
a
ghastly
exhibition
of
long
teeth
under
the
red
moustache
.
“
Aren’t
the
fellows
improving
,
sir
?
”
he
asked
soberly
,
with
an
extremely
sensible
expression
of
anxiety
on
his
face
.
I
answered
him
only
with
a
vague
gesture
and
went
away
from
the
door
.
The
fact
was
that
disease
played
with
us
capriciously
very
much
as
the
winds
did
.
It
would
go
from
one
man
to
another
with
a
lighter
or
heavier
touch
,
which
always
left
its
mark
behind
,
staggering
some
,
knocking
others
over
for
a
time
,
leaving
this
one
,
returning
to
another
,
so
that
all
of
them
had
now
an
invalidish
aspect
and
a
hunted
,
apprehensive
look
in
their
eyes
;
while
Ransome
and
I
,
the
only
two
completely
untouched
,
went
amongst
them
assiduously
distributing
quinine
.
It
was
a
double
fight
.
The
adverse
weather
held
us
in
front
and
the
disease
pressed
on
our
rear
.
I
must
say
that
the
men
were
very
good
.
The
constant
toil
of
trimming
yards
they
faced
willingly
.
But
all
spring
was
out
of
their
limbs
,
and
as
I
looked
at
them
from
the
poop
I
could
not
keep
from
my
mind
the
dreadful
impression
that
they
were
moving
in
poisoned
air
.
Down
below
,
in
his
cabin
,
Mr.
Burns
had
advanced
so
far
as
not
only
to
be
able
to
sit
up
,
but
even
to
draw
up
his
legs
.
Clasping
them
with
bony
arms
,
like
an
animated
skeleton
,
he
emitted
deep
,
impatient
sighs
.
“
The
great
thing
to
do
,
sir
,
”
he
would
tell
me
on
every
occasion
,
when
I
gave
him
the
chance
,
“
the
great
thing
is
to
get
the
ship
past
8
d
20’
of
latitude
.
Once
she’s
past
that
we’re
all
right
.
”
At
first
I
used
only
to
smile
at
him
,
though
,
God
knows
,
I
had
not
much
heart
left
for
smiles
.
But
at
last
I
lost
my
patience
.
“
Oh
,
yes
.
The
latitude
8
d
20’
.
That’s
where
you
buried
your
late
captain
,
isn’t
it
?
”
Then
with
severity
:
“
Don’t
you
think
,
Mr.
Burns
,
it’s
about
time
you
dropped
all
that
nonsense
?
”
He
rolled
at
me
his
deep-sunken
eyes
in
a
glance
of
invincible
obstinacy
.
But
for
the
rest
he
only
muttered
,
just
loud
enough
for
me
to
hear
,
something
about
“
Not
surprised
.
.
.
find
.
.
.
play
us
some
beastly
trick
yet
.
.
.
.
”
Such
passages
as
this
were
not
exactly
wholesome
for
my
resolution
.
The
stress
of
adversity
was
beginning
to
tell
on
me
.
At
the
same
time
,
I
felt
a
contempt
for
that
obscure
weakness
of
my
soul
.
I
said
to
myself
disdainfully
that
it
should
take
much
more
than
that
to
affect
in
the
smallest
degree
my
fortitude
.
I
didn’t
know
then
how
soon
and
from
what
unexpected
direction
it
would
be
attacked
.
It
was
the
very
next
day
.
The
sun
had
risen
clear
of
the
southern
shoulder
of
Koh-ring
,
which
still
hung
,
like
an
evil
attendant
,
on
our
port
quarter
.
It
was
intensely
hateful
to
my
sight
.
During
the
night
we
had
been
heading
all
round
the
compass
,
trimming
the
yards
again
and
again
,
to
what
I
fear
must
have
been
for
the
most
part
imaginary
puffs
of
air
.
Then
just
about
sunrise
we
got
for
an
hour
an
inexplicable
,
steady
breeze
,
right
in
our
teeth
.
There
was
no
sense
in
it
.
It
fitted
neither
with
the
season
of
the
year
nor
with
the
secular
experience
of
seamen
as
recorded
in
books
,
nor
with
the
aspect
of
the
sky
.
Only
purposeful
malevolence
could
account
for
it
.
It
sent
us
travelling
at
a
great
pace
away
from
our
proper
course
;
and
if
we
had
been
out
on
pleasure
sailing
bent
it
would
have
been
a
delightful
breeze
,
with
the
awakened
sparkle
of
the
sea
,
with
the
sense
of
motion
and
a
feeling
of
unwonted
freshness
.
Then
,
all
at
once
,
as
if
disdaining
to
carry
farther
the
sorry
jest
,
it
dropped
and
died
out
completely
in
less
than
five
minutes
.
The
ship’s
head
swung
where
it
listed
;
the
stilled
sea
took
on
the
polish
of
a
steel
plate
in
the
calm
.
I
went
below
,
not
because
I
meant
to
take
some
rest
,
but
simply
because
I
couldn’t
bear
to
look
at
it
just
then
.
The
indefatigable
Ransome
was
busy
in
the
saloon
.
It
had
become
a
regular
practice
with
him
to
give
me
an
informal
health
report
in
the
morning
.
He
turned
away
from
the
sideboard
with
his
usual
pleasant
,
quiet
gaze
.
No
shadow
rested
on
his
intelligent
forehead
.
“
There
are
a
good
many
of
them
middling
bad
this
morning
,
sir
,
”
he
said
in
a
calm
tone
.
“
What
?
All
knocked
out
?
”
“
Only
two
actually
in
their
bunks
,
sir
,
but
—
”
“
It’s
the
last
night
that
has
done
for
them
.
We
have
had
to
pull
and
haul
all
the
blessed
time
.
”
“
I
heard
,
sir
.
I
had
a
mind
to
come
out
and
help
only
,
you
know
.
.
.
.
”
“
Certainly
not
.
You
mustn’t
.
.
.
.
The
fellows
lie
at
night
about
