The After House - Page 59/108

I went down cautiously, and struck a match where Adams had indicated

the spike. It was not there. Nor had Burns picked it up. A

splintered board showed where it had struck, and a smaller

indentation where it had rebounded; but the marlinespike was gone,

and Burns had not seen it. We got a lantern and searched

systematically, without result. Burns turned to me a face ghastly

in the oil light.

"Somebody has it," he said, "and there will be more murder! Oh, my

God, Leslie!"

"When you went back after the alarm, did you count the men?"

"No; Oleson said no one had come forward. They could not have

passed without his seeing them. He has the binnacle lantern and

two other lights."

"And no one came from the after house?"

"No one."

Eight bells rang out sharply. The watch changed. I took the

revolver and Burns's position at the companionway, while Burns went

aft. He lined up the men by the binnacle light, and went over them

carefully. The marlinespike was not found; but he took from the

cook a long meat-knife, and brought both negro and knife forward to

me. The man was almost collapsing with terror. He maintained that

he had taken the knife for self-protection, and we let him go with

a warning.

Dawn brought me an hour's sleep, the first since my awakening in

the storeroom. When I roused, Jones at the wheel had thrown an

extra blanket over me, for the morning was cool and a fine rain was

falling.

The men were scattered around in attitudes of dejection, one or two

of them leaning over the rail, watching the jolly-boat, riding easily

behind us. Jones heard me moving, and turned.

"Your friend below must be pretty bad, sir," he said. "Your

lady-love has been asking for you. I wouldn't let them wake you."

"My--what?"

He waxed apologetic at once.

"That's just my foolishness, Leslie," he said. "No disrespect to

the lady, I'm sure. If it ain't so, it ain't, and no harm done.

If it is so, why, you needn't be ashamed, boy. 'The way of a man

with a maid,' says the Book."

"You should have called me, Jones," I said sharply. "And no

nonsense of that sort with the men."

He looked hurt, but made no reply beyond touching his cap. And,

while I am mentioning that, I may speak of the changed attitude of

the men toward me from the time they put me in charge. Whether the

deference was to the office rather than the man, or whether in

placing me in authority they had merely expressed a general feeling

that I was with them rather than of them, I do not know. I am

inclined to think the former. The result, in any case, was the same.

They deferred to me whenever possible, brought large and small

issues alike to me, served me my food alone, against my protestations,

and, while navigating the ship on their own responsibility, took care

to come to me for authority for everything.