Page:The Dark Frigate (Hawes).djvu/125

the side. ’T will cool his hot pride, of which it seems he hath full measure.”

“Yea, yea!”

As the master paced the deck, back and forth and back and forth, the Old One walked at his side — for he was a shrewd schemer and had calculated his part well — until the master’s gorge rose. ‘‘I must return to the cabin,” he said at last, ‘‘and overhaul my journal.”

“I will bear you company.”

“No, no!”

The Old One smiled as if in deprecation; but as the master turned away, the smile broadened to a grin.

Boatswain Marsham and the one-eyed carpenter who wore a beard like a goat’s were on their way to the forehold. The cook and his mate were far down in the cookroom. Ten men in the watch below were sound asleep — but Martin Barwick, the eleventh man in the watch, was on deck, and of the eleven rescued men not one was below. With Captain Candle safe in his cabin and busied over his journal, there were left from the company of the Rose of Devon eight men and the mate, and one man of the eight was at the helm. These the Old One counted as he took a turn on the quarter-deck.

The Old One and his men were refreshed by a night of sleep and restored by good food. To all appearances, without care or thought to trouble them, they ruffled about the deck. One was standing just behind the mate; two were straying toward the steerage.

“Thy boatswain is a brave lad,” the Old One said to the mate, and stepping in front of him, he spread his legs and folded his arms.

The mate nodded. He had less liking for their guest, if it were possible, than the captain.