William Hope Hodgson

“ Tom chipped in, pretty warm. "I wasn't asleep; an' the sail did bloomin' well hit me."
"Don't you be impertinent, young feller," said Jaskett.
I joined in again.
"There's another thing, Stubbins," I said. "The gasket Tom was hanging by, was on the after side of the yard. That looks as if the sail might have flapped it over? If there were wind enough to do the one, it seems to me that it might have done the other."
"Do you mean that it was hunder ther yard, or hover ther top?" he asked. ”

“ Stubbins was speaking again. He was arguing the matter with one of the other men.
"You see, with there bein' no wind, scarcely, ther thing's himpossible, an' yet--"
The other man interrupted with some remark I did not catch.
"No," I heard Stubbins say. "I'm hout of my reckonin'. I don't savvy it one bit. It's too much like a damned fairy tale."
"Look at his wrist!" I said.
Tom held out his right hand and arm for inspection. It was considerably swollen where the rope had been round it.
"Yes," admitted Stubbins. "That's right enough; but it don't tell you nothin'." ”

“ The Second Mate's voice interrupted me, abruptly:
"Now then, up there! Are you going to keep us waiting all night? One of you come down and give us a pull with the ha'lyards. The other stay up and light up the gear." ”

“ I nodded.
"It would have been all hup with Tom, if it hadn't been for ther gasket."
He paused. After a moment, he went on again.
"That was honly three or four nights ago!"
"Well," said Plummer. "What are yer drivin' at?"
"Nothin'," answered Stubbins. "Honly it's damned queer. Looks as though ther ship might be unlucky, after all."
"Well," agreed Plummer. "Things 'as been a bit funny lately; and then there's what's 'appened ter-night. I shall 'ang on pretty tight ther next time I go aloft."
Old Jaskett took his pipe from his mouth, and sighed. ”

“ Stubbins answered. "All ther same, I hain't sure he _was_ swearin' at ther Second Mate. I thought at first he'd gone dotty an' was cussin' him; but somehow it don't seem likely, now I come to think. It don't stand to reason he should go to cuss ther man. There was nothin' to go cussin' about. What's more, he didn't seem ter be talkin' down to us on deck-- what I could make hout. 'sides, what would he want ter go talkin' to ther Second about his pay-day?" ”

“ Then, after a pause of about half a minute, he said this:
"Who was he sayin' that to?"
"Eh?" said Jaskett, again, with a puzzled expression.
"I was thinkin'," said Stubbins, knocking out his pipe on the edge of the chest. "P'raps you're right, hafter all." ”