all of us to see if there were yet
any signs of life in the hulk; but when an hour had gone, we were no
wiser. Therefore, it being folly to waste further time, the bo'sun left
one man to watch from the brow of the hill, charging him very strictly to
keep in such position that he could be seen by any aboard the silent
craft, and so took the rest down to assist him in the repairing of the
boat. And from thence on, during the day, he gave the men a turn each at
watching, telling them to wave to him should there come any sign from the
hulk. Yet, excepting the watch, he kept every man so busy as might be,
some bringing weed to keep up a fire which he had lit near the boat; one
to help him turn and hold the batten upon which he labored; and two he
sent across to the wreck of the mast, to detach one of the futtock
shrouds, which (as is most rare) were made of iron rods. This, when they
brought it, he bade me heat in the fire, and afterwards beat out straight
at one end, and when this was done, he set me to burn holes with it
through the keel of the boat, at such places as he had marked, these
being for the bolts with which he had determined to fasten on the batten.

In the meanwhile, he continued to shape the batten until it was a very
good and true fit according to his liking. And all the while he cried out
to this man and to that one to do this or that; and so I perceived that,
apart from the necessity of getting the boat into a seaworthy condition,
he was desirous to keep the men busied; for they were become so excited
at the thought of fellow creatures almost within hail, that he could not
hope to keep them sufficiently in hand without some matter upon which to
employ them.

Now, it must not be supposed that the bo'sun had no share of our
excitement; for I noticed that he gave ever and anon a glance to the
crown of the far hill, perchance the watchman had some news for us. Yet
the morning went by, and no signal came to tell us that the people in the
ship had design to show themselves to the man upon watch, and so we came
to dinner. At this meal, as might be supposed, we had a second
discussion upon the strangeness of the behavior of those aboard the hulk;
yet none could give any more reasonable explanation than the bo'sun had
given in the morning, and so we left it at that.

Presently, when we had smoked and rested very comfortably, for the bo'sun
was no tyrant, we rose at his bidding to descend once more to the beach.