Avon Fantasy Reader No. 9 — page 92: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

gone again, and I think the mist is thicker. There’s still the sound of — running water out there.” The Captain and the three Mates stood some time along the port rail of the fo’cas’le head, watching through their night-glasses, and listening. Twice the Mate hailed; but there came no reply. There was some talk, among the officers; and I gathered that the Cap- tain was thinking of investigating. - “Clear one of the life-boats, Mr. Gelt,” he said, at last. “The glass is steady; there'll be no wind for hours yet. Pick out half a dozen men. Take ’em out of either watch, if they want to come. I’ll be back when I’ve got my coat.” | : . “Away aft with you, Duprey, and some of you others,” said the Mate. “Get the cover off the port life-boat, and bail her out.” | “1, 1, Sir,” I answered, and went away aft with the others. : We had the boat into the water within twenty minutes, which is good time for a wind-jammer, where boats are generally used as storage recep- tacles for odd gear. , I was one of the men told off to the boat, with two others from our watch, and one from the starboard. | The Captain came down the end of the main tops’l halyards into the boat, and the Third after him. The Third took the tiller, and gave orders to cast off. 7 | We pulled out clear of our vessel, and the Skipper told us to lie on our oars for a moment while he. took his bearings. He leant forward to listen, and we all did the same. The sound of the running water was quite distinct across the quietness; but it struck me as seeming not so loud as earlier. I remember now, that I noticed how plain the mist had become—a sort of warm, wet mist; not a bit thick; but just enough to make the night very dark, and to be visible, eddying slowly in a thin vapour round the port side-light, looking like a red cloudiness swirling lazily through the red glow of the big lamp. There was no other sound at this time, beyond the sound of the running water; and the Captain, after handing something to the Third Mate, gave the order to give-way. | | I was rowing stroke, and close to the officers, and so was able to see dimly that the Captain had passed a heavy revolver over to the Third Mate. “Ho!” I thought to myself, “so the Old Man’s a notion there’s really something dangerous over there.” I slipped a hand quickly behind me, and felt that my sheath knife was clear. We pulled easily for about three or four minutes, with the sound of the water growing plainer somewhere ahead in the darkness; and astern of us, a vague red glowing through the night and vapour, showed where our vessel was lying. ) We were rowing easily, when suddenly the bow-oar muttered “G’lord!” 90 ; (E©) CoOMIIcaooks: