amidships that froze my marrow; it was not that the pinnace hung perpendicularly by the fore-tackle, and had shot out those who had swarmed aboard her before she was lowered, as a cart shoots a load of bricks. It was bad enough to see the whole boat-load struggling, floundering, sinking in the sea; for selfish eyes (and which of us is all unselfish at such a time?) there was a worse sight yet; for I saw all this across an impassable gulf of fire.
The quarter-deck had caught: it was in flames to
tone made me draw him to the rail.
“But how do you know? You didn’t have another look, did you?”
“Lots of looks-at the stars. He couldn’t keep me from consulting them; and I’m just as certain of it as I’m certain that we’ve a cargo aboard which we’re none of us supposed to know anything about.”
The