weaker or stronger, when, after straining
his eyes for some time, to understand what was going on at that midnight
hour, in that hidden place, he saw who was the workman and what was his
occupation.

It was Joseph Wylie, the mate. His profile was illuminated by the candle,
and looked ghastly. He had in his hands an auger of enormous size, and
with this he was drilling a great hole through the ship's side, just
below the water-mark; an act, the effect of which would be to let the sea
bodily into the ship and sink her, with every soul on board, to the
bottom of the Pacific Ocean.

"I was stupefied; and my hairs stood on end, and my tongue clove to my
jaws."

Thus does one of Virgil's characters describe the effect his mind
produced upon his body in a terrible situation.

Mr. Hazel had always ridiculed that trite line as a pure exaggeration;
but he altered his opinion after that eventful night.

When he first saw what Wylie was doing, _obstupuit,_ he was merely
benumbed; but, as his mind realized the fiendish nature of the act, and
its tremendous consequences, his hair actually bristled, and for a few
minutes at least he could not utter a word.

In that interval of stupor, matters took another turn. The auger went in
up to the haft. Then Wylie caught up with his left hand a wooden plug he
had got ready, jerked the auger away, caught up a hammer, and swiftly
inserted the plug.

Rapid as he was, a single jet of water came squirting viciously in. But
Wylie lost no time; he tapped the plug smartly with his hammer several
times, and then, lifting a mallet with both hands, rained heavy blows on
it that drove it in, and shook the ship's side.

Then Hazel found his voice, and he uttered an ejaculation that made the
mate look round; he glared at the man who was glaring at him, and,
staggering backward, trod on the light, and all was darkness and dead
silence.

All but the wash of the sea outside, and that louder than ever.

But a short interval sufficed to restore one of the parties to his
natural self-possession.

"Lord, sir," said Wylie, "how you startled me! You should not come upon a
man at his work like that. We might have had an accident."

"What were you doing?" said Hazel, in a voice that quavered in spite of
him.

"Repairing the ship. Found a crack or two in her inner skin. There, let
me get a light, and I'll explain it to you, sir."

He groped his way out, and invited Mr. Hazel into his cabin. There