st in my mind; finding, however, that he did not
allude to it; I asked him point blank.

"What was the matter in the night, Curtis?"

He looked at me steadily, but made no reply.

"What was it?" I repeated. "M. Letourneur and myself were both of us
disturbed by a very unusual commotion overhead."

"Oh, a mere nothing," he said at length; "the man at the helm had made a
false move, and we had to pipe hands to brace the ship a bit; but it was
soon all put to rights. It was nothing, nothing at all."

I said no more; but I cannot resist the impression that Robert Curtis
has not acted with me in his usual straightforward manner.

CHAPTER VIII.

OCTOBER 15th to OCTOBER 18th.--The wind is still in the north-east.
There is no change in the "Chancellor's" course, and to an unprejudiced
eye all would appear to be going on as usual. But I have an uneasy
consciousness that something is not quite right. Why should the
hatchways be so hermetically closed as though a mutinous crew was
imprisoned between decks? I cannot help thinking too that there is
something in the sailors so constantly standing in groups and breaking
off their talk so suddenly whenever we approach; and several times I
have caught the word "hatches" which arrested M. Letourneur's attention
on the night of the disturbance.

On the 15th, while I was walking on the forecastle, I overheard one of
the sailors, a man named Owen say to his mates,--

"Now I just give you all warning that I am not going to wait until the
last minute. Every one for himself, say I."

"Why, what do you mean to do?" asked Jynxstrop, the cook.

"Pshaw!" said Owen, "do you suppose that longboats were only made for
porpoises?"

Something at that moment occurred to interrupt the conversation, and I
heard no more. It occurred to me whether there was not some conspiracy
among the crew, of which probably Curtis had already detected the
symptoms. I am quite aware that some sailors are most rebelliously
disposed, and require to be ruled with a rod of iron.

Yesterday and to-day I have observed Curtis remonstrating somewhat
vehemently with Captain Huntly, but there is no obvious result arising
from their interviews; the Captain apparently being bent upon some
purpose, of which it is only too manifest that the mate decidedly
disapproves.

Captain Huntly is undoubtedly labouring under strong nervous excitement;
and M. Letourneur has more than once remarked how silent he has become
at m