What's up?" asked Trask.

Jarrow made no reply, but stepped off the forecastle head with a
noise of wet, swishing oilskins, and fumbled for a minute. Then the
lantern in the forestay bobbed down and up, and he came back to
where Trask stood.

Presently the captain struck a match, and twisted his head to one
side to light a cigar, his eyes peering at him over the flame.

"Didn't do much good to keep quiet so you could sleep," said
Jarrow, grinning into the flame. Then he puffed hard at the cigar.

"Naturally, I'm filled with expectation about the island," said
Trask. He knew Jarrow was none too cordial, and seemed bent on
showing disapproval of Trask's being abroad.

"You better git some sleep," said Jarrow.

"Do you look for bad weather?" asked Trask.

"Yes," said Jarrow, with sudden heartiness. "I look for anything in
these latitudes at this season. At ten o'clock the barometer showed
a disturbance of the diurnal range. It's below maximum."

"Typhoon?"

"Maybe. But I'm takin' no chances. I've got the crew out with a
kedge anchor, up in that channel behind the reef, to haul in there
if things look bad. Lie snug as a bug in a rug. That reef's a
natural breakwater."

"Then the boat took out a kedge?"

"Yes."

"Did Mr. Peth go, too?"

"Why, yes, Mr. Peth he's out there. He's got an anchor laid out in
the boat, to buoy it. He's sounding along inside the reef. We'll
take a hawser out in the mornin', but if the weather falls, we can
make fast right away. He'll run a heavin' line from the buoy so we
can find it in the dark. I take it you're satisfied, Mr. Trask?"

"Satisfied? Certainly." Trask was surprised at the sharpness and
obvious animus in Jarrow's question. His tone, despite the fact
that he spoke scarcely above a whisper, carried a sneer. Trask was
on the point of asking Jarrow if he had ever questioned his methods
of navigation or seamanship, but he held his tongue for it was no
time to precipitate a quarrel.

Trask suspected that Jarrow had overheard him in some remark about
the delay of the schooner getting up to the island, or had caught
disapproval in his manner that afternoon. It was natural enough for
a sailing master to resent the slightest implication that he was
not efficient, and Trask was not so much concerned with Jarrow's
hidden meaning on that score as with his covert acknowledgment that
he had been watchful of Trask's attitude. It was something to know
that Jarrow was keen enough to