lf about her; but when shortly afterwards I
heard him hail some of the sailors on the forecastle and ask them to
help him down from the foretop, I began to think that the selfish fellow
was coming to join his wife.

At first the sailors took no notice of his request, but on his repeating
it with the promise of paying them handsomely for their services, two
of them, Burke and Sandon, swung themselves along the netting into the
shrouds, and were soon at his side.

A long discussion ensued. The men evidently were asking more than Mr.
Kear was inclined to give, and at one time if seemed as though the
negotiation would fall through altogether. But at length the bargain
was struck, and I saw Mr. Kear take a bundle of paper dollars from his
waistcoat pocket, and hand a number of them over to one of the men,
The man counted them carefully, and from the time it took him, I should
think that he could not have pocketed anything less than a hundred
dollars.

The next business was to get Mr. Kear down from the foretop, and
Burke and Sandon proceeded to tie a rope round his waist, which they
afterwards fastened to the forestay; then, in a way which provoked
shouts of laughter from their mates, they gave the unfortunate man a
shove, and sent him rolling down like a bundle of dirty clothes on to
the forecastle.

I was quite mistaken as to his object. Mr. Kear had no intention of
looking after his wife, but remained by the side of Silas Huntly until
the gathering darkness hid them both from view.

As night drew on, the wind grew calmer, but the sea remained very rough.
The moon had been up ever since four in the afternoon, though she only
appeared at rare intervals between the clouds. Some long lines of vapour
on the horizon were tinged with a rosy glare that foreboded a strong
breeze for the morrow, and all felt anxious to know from which quarter
the breeze would come, for any but a north-easter would bear the frail
raft on which we were to embark far away from land.

About eight o'clock in the evening Curtis mounted to the main-top but
he seemed preoccupied and anxious, and did not speak to any one. He
remained for a quarter of an hour, then after silently pressing my hand,
he returned to his old post.

I laid myself down in the narrow space at my disposal, and tried to
sleep; but my mind was filled with strange forebodings, and sleep was
impossible. The very calmness of the atmosphere was oppressive; scarcely
a breath of air