out the gale, and she'll put back
right enough. Mister Jacob isn't the one to desert friends. He'll have
learned from Harry Doe how it stands with us, and he'll just say,
''Bout ship'; that's what Mr. Jacob will say. I've no fear of it at
all. I'm only wondering what sort of shore-play is to keep us amused
until we sight the ship again."

Well, they looked doleful enough; but not a man among them complained.
'Tis that way with seamen all the world over. Put them face to face
with death and some will laugh, and some will curse, and some talk
nonsense; but never a man wears his heart upon his sleeve or tells you
that he's afraid. And so it was that morning. They understood, I do
believe, as well as I did, what the consequences of the gale might be.
They were no fools, to imagine that a man could get from Ken's Island
to San Francisco in any cockleshell the beach might show him. But none
of them talked about it; none charged me with it; they just put their
hands in their pockets like brave fellows who had made up their minds
already to a very bad job; and be sure I was not the one to give a
different turn to it. The ship had gone; the Lord only knew when she
would come back again. It was not for me to be crying like a child for
that which neither I nor any man could make good.

"Well," said I, "the ship's gone, sure enough, and hard words won't
bring her back again. What Mister Jacob can do for his friends, that, I
know, will be done. We must leave it to him and look after ourselves
far as this place is concerned. You won't forget that the crew
downstairs will be ready enough to ask after our health and spirits if
we give them a look in, and my word is for lying-to here until night
comes or the ship is sighted. It must be a matter of hours, anyway. The
gale's abating; a landsman would know as much as that."

They said, "Aye, aye," to it, and Peter Bligh put in a word of his
humour.

"The ship's gone, sure enough," said he; "but that's more than you can
say for my appetite! Bear or dog, I'm not particular, captain; but a
good steak of something would come handy, and the sooner the better.
'Twere enough to bring tears to a man's eyes to think of all the good
grub that's gone aboard with Harry Doe. Aye, 'tis a wonderful thing is
hunger, and the gift of the Lord along with good roast beef and pork
sausages. May-be you find yourself a bit peckish, captain?"

I answered "Yes," though that was far from the truth, for what wi