, and held it out to me.

"No," I said; "I don't want anything to drink. Tell me what became of the
fellows on the wreck. It's my second watch, if I remember right, and I'll
be ready to turn out at eight bells."

"Well," said Trunnell, "where they is an' where they is not, stumps me.
Where a feller goes when he dies is mostly a matter o' guesswork, so I
don't know as I can say eggzackly jest where them fellers is at."

Here he took a long drink, and wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. I
put my gun in my room, and sat down at the cabin table, where he held the
bottle as though undecided whether to take another drink or put it away
in the pantry. Rum appeared to be easy of access on the ship, and I knew
I could get it any time I wanted it.

"Well, ye see, the way of it ware like this," went on the mate. "I
didn't take no stock o' those fellers bein' aboard a ship what had been
afire, so when ye went into stays an' swore to do bloody murder an'
suddin death to them fellers, I didn't let on to the old man. What's the
use? says I. We ain't a-goin' to bring them back noways."

"Weren't they aboard?" I asked.

Trunnell gave me a long, keen look.

"Be ye tellin' o' this yarn, Rolling, or me?" he said.

I asked his pardon for interrupting.

"As I ware a-sayin' afore ye put in your oar, when I hears that ye both
had told the truth o' the matter o' the fight, it appeared to me that
them fellers couldn't be aboard that wrack. I told the old man so, but he
ware fer standin' along after them anyways. Then I ware clean decided
that the wrack had done fer them."

"Wasn't there a sign of them aboard?" I asked again.

"There's such a thing as bein' inquisitive," said Trunnell, looking at me
with his keen little eyes from under their shaggy brows. "Them men ain't
on that wrack--an' I told the skipper so, see?"

He pulled out his sheath-knife, went to the door of the cabin, and flung
it clear of the ship's side. Then he came back.

"There's some such thing as justice on ships, when the fellers go too
far; but discipline is discipline. The sooner ye get that through yer
head, the better. As fer them men with Andrews, they had give up any
right to live afore I got there. I told the old man that the chances were
agin their bein' found there. I comes back and reports that they ain't
there. That's all. Where they is I don't much keer. They is plenty o'
sharrucks in this here ocean, and some parts o' them is most likely
helpi