If Andrews had weapons, which I had reason to believe he had since his show of a revolver upon the captain's table, there would be six armed men against thirteen and a woman, for I had no reason to doubt Sackett was to be done away with if the rest were.
I pondered while I ate the cold junk and ship's bread, listening to Andrews holding forth to Mr. Bell and Journegan upon the fallacy of trusting to a power that was highly unintelligible.
"For instance," said he, "for why should I give thanks fer this stinkin' junk meat when I don't know but what Dalton, there, has put his dirty hands on it an' pisened it fit to kill? How do I know if he washes his hands afore cookin', hey? Look at them warts an' tell me if they ain't ketchin'. Jest think of a stomach full o' warts. Is that anything to be thankful for, I'd like to know."
The idea amused Journegan, but it set me to thinking about the medicine chest in spite of myself. Sackett scowled while this sort of talk went on, but said nothing to bring forth an outbreak from Andrews. I wondered why he did not try to get his men with him and clap the fellow in irons. There was every reason to believe they would have obeyed him at first, but he hesitated for some religious purpose better known to himself, until the fellow had obtained such a sway over the crew that it was now doubtful if it could be done without an open fight between them and the men he had to back him.
Sackett announced to me that we had made no westing to speak of, on account of the ship now being in the southeasterly set of the Agullas current. We had drifted along with the topsail and two staysails drawing from the main, and a sort of trysail set from a preventer-stay leading aft. In spite of this amount of canvas the breeze had been so light that the sunken ship had not made a mile in two hours. It was disheartening, but if we could only get at the leak and stop some of the water from flowing into her, we might get her up a bit and then she would move faster. Her hatch-combings were high, and the sea had not washed clear over them yet, while her high strakes would be all the tighter, now that they had been under water for days. This seemed to be a very fair argument, but, while the skipper talked, my eyes were upon the glass case at the end of the cabin, where a row of bottles showed through the front and above the wooden frames. They contained the drugs usually carried aboard ship, and while the skipper talked to me I wondered if there were any poisons in that case which would be of service to Andrews. When we were through, the captain and I left the cabin, for there had been no watches at meals; all had eaten together in order to facilitate matters of cooking, the men only eating at different times from the officers.
As we passed up the after-companionway, I looked into the case and endeavored to interest the skipper in drugs for the men in case of sickness. He showed me a bottle of arnica, one of squibbs, another of peppermint, and many other drugs used as simple remedies. At the end of a long row was one containing a white powder, unlabelled. I picked it up and opened the vial, thinking to taste it to see if it was quinine. Its weight, however, made me certain this could not be, and I was just about to put a bit on my tongue when Sackett stopped me.
"It's bichloride of mercury. Don't taste it," said he.
I was not much of a chemist; for a mate's knowledge of the atomic theory must necessarily be slight.
"What's that?" I asked.
"Oh, a poison. I only keep it for vermin and certain skin diseases. It's too deadly to keep around, though, and I've a notion to heave it overboard--"
"Steamer on starboard quarter, sir," came the cry of England, who was at the wheel.
We were bounding up the companionway in an instant, and looking to the northward as soon as our feet struck the deck. There, sure enough, was a dark smudge of smoke on the horizon.
"Get the glass," said Sackett.
He took it and gazed hard at the dark streak.
"I can just make out her mastheads. She seems to be coming along this way,'" he said, after a moment.
All hands gathered upon the poop and watched the smoke. Those who hadn't had their dinner, hastily went below and came up again with the junk in their hands, munching it as they stood gazing after the rising mastheads. Soon the funnel of the steamer rose above the horizon, and showed that she was standing almost directly parallel to our course. We had run up a distress signal from the main, and now all waited until the stranger should make it out and send a boat or heave to. Our own boat was towing astern, so Sackett had her drawn up to the mizzen channels, ready for the men to get aboard. Miss Sackett came from below and announced that she was ready to accompany the boat.
"If you are silly enough to stay, papa, I can't help it," she said. "I am tired of sitting around in a cabin with my feet in the water, eating stuff fit for pigs. I think you really ought to give the old boat up."
"So do I, Missy," said Andrews. "I can't think of any good a-coming to the old man by staying aboard a craft half sunken like this one. I think your girl is giving you good advice, Captain Sackett."
"I think you heard me state just how I felt about the matter, Mr. Andrews," replied the captain. "If you're disposed to quit, you can go in the boat."
"Oh, no," said the ruffian, "I intend to stay." And he lent such emphasis to the last word that Sackett gave him a sharp glance to see if he meant anything more.
In half an hour the steamer was passing abreast, and we were in the boat rowing hard to head her off. We set a signal on our mast forward, and pulled desperately, but she never even slowed down, passing along half a mile distant on the calm ocean. She must have seen us, for the day was bright and cloudless as could be. We hailed and waved until she was a speck to the westward, leaving us alone again save for the sunken ship under our lee.
"It's just the way with a Dago," said Jenks. "They always leaves a fellow just when they shouldn't, and when I first seen that yaller flag I felt pretty sure we'd come in fer somethin' like this."