'n, very stately; but I
could see he was looking a trifle foolish.

"At twelve o'clock in the day, the fust mate got a cough, and every time
he coughed it seemed to act upon the skipper, and make him madder and
madder. Now that it was broad daylight, Mr. McMillan didn't seem to
be so creepy as the night before, an' I could see the cap'n was only
waiting for the slightest excuse to get into our proper course again.

"'That's a nasty, bad cough o' yours, Mr. Salmon,' ses he, eyeing the
mate very hard.

"'Yes, a nasty, irritating sort o' cough, sir,' ses the other; 'it
worries me a great deal. It's this going up nor'ards what's sticking in
my throat,' ses he.

"The cap'n give a gulp, and walked off, but he comes back in a minute,
and ses he--

"'Mr. Salmon, I should think it a great pity to lose a valuable officer
like yourself, even to do good to others. There's a hard ring about
that cough I don't like, an' if you really think it's going up this bit
north, why, I don't mind putting the ship in her course again.'

"Well, the mate thanked him kindly, and he was just about to give the
orders when one o' the men who was at the masthead suddenly shouts out--

"'Ahoy! Small boat on the port bow!'

"The cap'n started as if he'd been shot, and ran up the rigging with his
glasses. He came down again almost direckly, and his face was all in a
glow with pleasure and excitement.

"'Mr. Salmon,' ses he, 'here's a small boat with a lug sail in the
middle o' the Atlantic, with one pore man lying in the bottom of her.
What do you think o' my warning now?'

"The mate didn't say anything at first, but he took the glasses and
had a look, an' when he came back anyone could see his opinion of the
skipper had gone up miles and miles.

"'It's a wonderful thing, sir,' ses he, 'and one I'll remember all my
life. It's evident that you've been picked out as a instrument to do
this good work.'

"I'd never heard the fust mate talk like that afore, 'cept once when he
fell overboard, when he was full, and stuck in the Thames mud. He
said it was Providence; though, as it was low water, according to the
tide-table, I couldn't see what Providence had to do with it myself.
He was as excited as anybody, and took the wheel himself, and put the
ship's head for the boat, and as she came closer, our boat was slung
out, and me and the second mate and three other men dropped into her,
an' pulled so as to meet the other.

"'Never mind the boat; w