front of his shirt of pleated cambric, his nattily cut
suit of white drill, and the diamond on the little finger of his right
hand, the flash of which I caught as he raised his hand to shield his
eyes from the dazzle of the sun when glancing at the barometer.

I heard his voice--a rather rich, full baritone--addressing the second
mate, but could not distinguish what was said, at that distance and
among the multitudinous noises of the straining ship; and a few minutes
later the door opposite my own, on the other side of the cabin, opened,
and Monsieur Leroy, the chief mate of the ship--to whose slackness of
discipline I was chiefly indebted for being run down during the previous
night--emerged and followed his chief out on deck. I recognised him in
part by his figure, and in part by the fact that he was evidently an
occupant of one of the state-rooms adjoining the main cabin, which would
only be assigned to an officer of rank and consideration. As I now
gained a momentary glimpse of him he appeared to be about thirty-seven
years of age, broadly built, his features almost hidden by the thickly
growing beard, whiskers, and moustache that adorned them, and out of
which gleamed and flashed a pair of resolute but good-natured eyes as
black as the bushy eyebrows that overshadowed them. He was dressed in a
coat and pair of trousers of fine, dark-blue cloth, and, like the
captain, wore no waistcoat. His shirt, thus exposed, however, unlike
that of his superior, was made of coarse linen woven with a narrow blue
stripe in it. Also, like his captain, he wore no stockings on his
slippered feet.

While I was speculating what the captain's behaviour toward me would
probably be, the steward unceremoniously flung open my cabin door, and
in surly tones curtly informed me that the captain desired to see me at
once upon the poop. He stood aside to permit me to pass, waved a
directing hand toward the passage leading out on deck, and then busied
himself in putting a few finishing touches to the arrangement of the
table.

When, in obedience to this summons, I stepped out on deck, the washing
down had been completed and the planks were already practically dry; the
running gear had been carefully coiled down; the brasswork polished;
mops, swabs, and scrubbing-brushes stowed away; and the crew were
mustered on the forecastle, partaking of breakfast. They glanced
curiously at me as I emerged on to the quarter-deck, and one of them
said