第12章

"Isupposeyouthinkit’smydoing？"heasked，sharply，withoutlookingup。

Cartersurveyedhimwithacandidlycuriousgaze。"Well，Captain，Mrs。Traversdidletonabittomeaboutourchief—officer’sboat。You’vestoppedit，haven’tyou？HowshegottoknowGodonlyknows。Shewassorryshespoke，too，butitwasn’tsomuchofnewstomeasshethought。Icanputtwoandtwotogether，sometimes。Thoserockets，lastnight，eh？IwishedIhadbittenmytongueoutbeforeItoldyouaboutourfirstgig。ButIwastakenunawares。Wasn’tI？Iputittoyou：wasn’tI？AndsoI

toldherwhensheaskedmewhatpassedbetweenyouandmeonboardthisbrig，nottwenty—fourhoursago。Thingslookdifferentnow，allofasudden。Enoughtoscareawoman，butsheisthebestmanofthemallonboard。Theothersarefairlyoffthechumpbecauseit’sabitdarkandsomethinghashappenedtheyain’tusedto。Butshehassomethingonhermind。Ican’tmakeherout！"Hepaused，wriggledhisshouldersslightly——"NomorethanIcanmakeyouout，"headded。

"That’syourtrouble，isit？"saidLingard，slowly。

"Aye，Captain。Isitallcleartoyou？Stoppingboats，kidnappinggentlemen。That’sfuninaway，only——Iamayoungstertoyou——butisitallcleartoyou？OldRobinsonwasn’tparticular，youknow，andhe——"

"Clearerthandaylight，"criedLingard，hotly。"Ican’tgiveup——"

Hecheckedhimself。Carterwaited。Theflarebearersstoodrigid，turningtheirfacesawayfromtheflame，andintheplayofgleamsatitsfootthemastnearby，likealoftycolumn，ascendedinthegreatdarkness。Alotofropesranupslantingintoadarkvoidandwerelosttosight，buthighaloftabraceblockgleamedwhite，theendofayard—armcouldbeseensuspendedintheairandasifglowingwithitsownlight。Theskyhadcloudedoverthebrigwithoutabreathofwind。

"Giveup，"repeatedCarterwithanuneasyshuffleoffeet。

"Nobody，"finishedLingard。"Ican’t。It’sasclearasdaylight。

Ican’t！No！Nothing！"

Hestaredstraightoutafar，andafterlookingathimCarterfeltmovedbyabitofyouthfulintuitiontomurmur，"That’sbad，"inatonethatalmostinspiteofhimselfhintedatthedawningofabefoggedcompassion。

Hehadasenseofconfusionwithinhim，thesenseofmysterywithout。HehadneverexperiencedanythinglikeitallthetimewhenservingwitholdRobinsonintheLy—e—moon。Andyethehadseenandtakenpartinsomequeerdoingsthatwerenotcleartohimatthetime。Theyweresecretbuttheysuggestedsomethingcomprehensible。Thisaffairdidnot。Ithadsomehowasubtletythataffectedhim。Hewasuneasyasiftherehadbeenabreathofmagiconeventsandmengivingtothiscomplicationofayachtingvoyageasignificanceimpossibletoperceive，butfeltinthewords，inthegestures，intheevents，whichmadethemallstrangely，obscurelystartling。

Hewasnotonewhocouldkeeptrackofhissensations，andbesideshehadnottheleisure。HehadtoanswerLingard’squestionsaboutthepeopleoftheyacht。No，hecouldn’tsayMrs。

Traverswaswhatyoumaycallfrightened。Sheseemedtohavesomethinginhermind。Oh，yes！Thechapswereinafunk。Wouldtheyfight？Anybodywouldfightwhendriventoit，funkornofunk。Thatwashisexperience。Naturallyonelikedtohavesomethingbetterthanahandspiketodoitwith。Still——InthepauseCarterseemedtoweighwithcomposurethechancesofmenwithhandspikes。

"Whatdoyouwanttofightusfor？"heasked，suddenly。

Lingardstarted。

"Idon’t，"hesaid；"Iwouldn’tbeaskingyou。"

"There’snosayingwhatyouwoulddo，Captain，"repliedCarter；

"itisn’ttwenty—fourhourssinceyouwantedtoshootme。"

"IonlysaidIwould，ratherthanletyougoraisingtroubleforme，"explainedLingard。

"Onenightisn’tlikeanother，"mumbledCarter，"buthowamItoknow？Itseemstomeyouaremakingtroubleforyourselfasfastasyoucan。"

"Well，supposingIam，"saidLingardwithsuddengloominess。

"WouldyourmenfightifIarmedthemproperly？"

"What——foryouorforthemselves？"askedCarter。

"Forthewoman，"burstoutLingard。"Youforgetthere’sawomanonboard。Idon’tcareTHATfortheircarcases。"

Carterponderedconscientiously。

"Notto—night，"hesaidatlast。"There’soneortwogoodmenamongstthem，buttherestarestruckallofaheap。Notto—night。Givethemtimetogetsteadyabitifyouwantthemtofight。"

Hegavefactsandopinionswithamixtureofloyaltyandmistrust。Hisownstatepuzzledhimexceedingly。Hecouldn’tmakeoutanything，hedidnotknowwhattobelieveandyethehadanimpulsivedesire，aninspireddesiretohelptheman。Attimesitappearedanecessity——atotherspolicy；betweenwhilesagreatfolly，whichperhapsdidnotmatterbecausehesuspectedhimselfofbeinghelplessanyway。Thenhehadmomentsofanger。Inthosemomentshewouldfeelinhispocketthebuttofaloadedpistol。

Hehadprovidedhimselfwiththeweapon，whendirectedbyMrs。

Traverstogoonboardthebrig。

"Ifhewantstointerferewithme，I’llletdriveathimandtakemychanceofgettingaway，"hehadexplainedhurriedly。

HerememberedhowstartledMrs。Traverslooked。Ofcourse，awomanlikethat——notusedtohearsuchtalk。Thereforeitwasnouselisteningtoher，exceptforgoodmanners’sake。Oncebittwiceshy。Hehadnomindtobekidnapped，nothe，norbulliedeither。

"Ican’tlethimnabme，too。Youwillwantmenow，Mrs。

Travers，"hehadsaid；"andIpromiseyounottofireofftheoldthingunlesshejollywellforcesmeto。"

Hewasyouthfullywiseinhisresolutionnottogivewaytoherentreaties，thoughherextraordinaryagitationdidstaggerhimforamoment。Whentheboatwasalreadyonitswaytothebrig，herememberedhercallingoutafterhim：

"Youmustnot！Youdon’tunderstand。"

Hervoicecomingfaintlyinthedarknessmovedhim，itresembledsomuchacryofdistress。

"Giveway，boys，giveway，"heurgedhismen。

Hewaswise，resolute，andhewasalsoyouthfulenoughtoalmostwishitshould"cometoit。"Andwithforesightheeveninstructedtheboat’screwtokeepthegigjustabaftthemainriggingofthebrig。

"Whenyouseemedropintoherallofasudden，shoveoffandpullfordearlife。"

Somehowjustthenhewasnotsoanxiousforashot，butheheldonwithadeterminedmentalgrasptohisfineresolution，lestitshouldslipawayfromhimandperishinaseaofdoubts。

"Hadn’tIbettergetbacktotheyacht？"heasked，gently。

Gettingnoanswerhewentonwithdeliberation：

"Mrs。Traversorderedmetosaythatnomatterhowthiscameaboutsheisreadytotrustyou。Sheiswaitingforsomekindofanswer，Isuppose。"

"Readytotrustme，"repeatedLingard。Hiseyeslitupfiercely。

Everyswayofflarestossedslightlytoandfrothemassyshadowsofthemaindeck，wherehereandtherethefigureofamancouldbeseenstandingverystillwithaduskyfaceandglitteringeyeballs。

Carterstolehishandwarilyintohisbreastpocket：

"Well，Captain，"hesaid。Hewasnotgoingtobebullied，lettheowner’swifetrustwhomsheliked。

"Haveyougotanythinginwritingformethere？"askedLingard，advancingapace，exultingly。

Carter，alert，steppedbacktokeephisdistance。Shawstaredfromtheside；hisrubicundcheeksquivered，hisroundeyesseemedstartingoutofhishead，andhismouthwasopenasthoughhehadbeenreadytochokewithpent—upcuriosity，amazement，andindignation。

"No！Notinwriting，"saidCarter，steadilyandlow。

Lingardhadtheairofbeingawakenedbyashout。Aheavyanddarkeningfrownseemedtofalloutofthenightuponhisforeheadandswiftlypassedintothenightagain，andwhenitdeparteditlefthimsocalm，hisglancesolucid，hismiensocomposedthatitwasdifficulttobelievetheman’shearthadundergonewithinthelastsecondthetrialofhumiliationandofdanger。Hesmiledsadly：

"Well，youngman，"heaskedwithakindofgood—humouredresignation，"whatisityouhavethere？Aknifeorapistol？"

"Apistol，"saidCarter。"Areyousurprised，Captain？"Hespokewithheatbecauseasenseofregretwasstealingslowlywithinhim，asstealthily，asirresistiblyastheflowingtide。"Whobeganthesetricks？"Hewithdrewhishand，empty，andraisedhisvoice。"YouareuptosomethingIcan’tmakeout。You——youarenotstraight。"

Theflaresheldonhighstreamedrightupwithoutswaying，andinthatinstantofprofoundcalmtheshadowsonthebrig’sdeckbecameasstillasthemen。

"Youthinknot？"saidLingard，thoughtfully。

Carternodded。Heresentedtheturnoftheincidentandthegrowingimpulsetosurrendertothatman。

"Mrs。Traverstrustsmethough，"wentonLingardwithgentletriumphasifadvancinganunanswerableargument。

"Soshesays，"gruntedCarter；"Iwarnedher。She’sababy。

They’reallasinnocentasbabiesthere。Andyouknowit。AndI

knowit。I’veheardofyourkind。Youwoulddumpthelotofusoverboardifitservedyourturn。That’swhatIthink。"

"Andthat’sall。"

Carternoddedslightlyandlookedaway。Therewasasilence。

Lingard’seyestravelledoverthebrig。Thelightedpartofthevesselappearedinbrightandwaveringdetailwalledandcanopiedbythenight。Hefeltalightbreathonhisface。Theairwasstirring，buttheShallows，silentandlostinthedarkness，gavenosoundoflife。

ThisstillnessoppressedLingard。Theworldofhisendeavoursandhishopesseemeddead，seemedgone。Hisdesireexistedhomelessintheobscuritythathaddevouredhiscornerofthesea，thisstretchofthecoast，hiscertitudeofsuccess。Andhereinthemidstofwhatwasthedomainofhisadventuroussoultherewasalostyoungsterreadytoshoothimonsuspicionofsomeextravaganttreachery。Camereadytoshoot！That’sgood，too！Hewastoowearytolaugh——andperhapstoosad。Alsothedangerofthepistol—shot，whichhebelievedreal——theyoungarerash——irritatedhim。Thenightandthespotwerefullofcontradictions。Itwasimpossibletosaywhointhisshadowywarfarewastobeanenemy，andwhoweretheallies。Soclosewerethecontactsissuingfromthiscomplicationofayachtingvoyage，thatheseemedtohavethemallwithinhisbreast。

"Shootme！Heisquiteuptothattrick——damnhim。YetIwouldtrusthimsoonerthananymaninthatyacht。"

SuchwerehisthoughtswhilehelookedatCarter，whowasbitinghislips，inthevexationofthelongsilence。Whentheyspokeagaintoeachothertheytalkedsoberly，withasenseofrelief，asiftheyhadcomeintocoolairfromanoverheatedroomandwhenCarter，dismissed，wentintohisboat，hehadpracticallyagreedtothelineofactiontracedbyLingardforthecrewoftheyacht。Hehadagreedasifinimplicitconfidence。Itwasoneoftheabsurditiesofthesituationwhichhadtobeacceptedandcouldneverbeunderstood。

"DoItalkstraightnow？"hadaskedLingard。

"Itseemsstraightenough，"assentedCarterwithanairofreserve；"Iwillworkwithyousofaranyhow。"

"Mrs。Traverstrustsme，"remarkedLingardagain。

"BytheLordHarry！"criedCarter，givingwaysuddenlytosomelatentconviction。"Iwaswarningheragainstyou。Say，Captain，youareadevilofaman。Howdidyoumanageit？"

"Itrustedher，"saidLingard。

"Didyou？"criedtheamazedCarter。"When？How？Where——"

"Youknowtoomuchalready，"retortedLingard，quietly。"Wastenotime。Iwillbeafteryou。"

Carterwhistledlow。

"There’sapairofyouIcan’tmakeout，"hecalledback，hurryingovertheside。

Shawtookthisopportunitytoapproach。Beginningwithhesitation："Awordwithyou，sir，"thematewentontosayhewasarespectableman。Hedeliveredhimselfinaringing，unsteadyvoice。Hewasmarried，hehadchildren，heabhorredillegality。Thelightplayedabouthisobesefigure，hehadflunghismushroomhatonthedeck，hewasnotafraidtospeakthetruth。Thegreymoustachestoodoutaggressively，hisglanceswereuneasy；hepressedhishandstohisstomachconvulsively，openedhisthick，shortarmswide，wishedittobeunderstoodhehadbeenchief—officerofhomeships，withaspotlesscharacterandhehoped"quiteuptohiswork。"Hewasapeaceableman，nonemore；disposedtostretchapointwhenit"cametoadifferencewithniggersofsomekind——theyhadtobetaughtmannersandreason"andhewasnotaverseatapinchto——butherewerewhitepeople——gentlemen，ladies，nottospeakofthecrew。Hehadneverspokentoasuperiorlikethisbefore，andthiswasprudence，hisconviction，apointofview，apointofprinciple，aconscioussuperiorityandaburstofresentmenthoardedthroughyearsagainstallthesuccessiveandunsatisfactorycaptainsofhisexistence。Thereneverhadbeensuchanopportunitytoshowhecouldnotbeputupon。Hehadoneofthemonastringandhewasgoingtoleadhimadance。Therewascourage，too，init，sincehebelievedhimselffallenunawaresintotheclutchesofaparticularlydesperatemanandbeyondthereachoflaw。

Acertainsmallamountofcalculationenteredtheaudacityofhisremonstrance。Perhaps——itflasheduponhim——theyacht’sgentrywillhearIstoodupforthem。Thiscouldconceivablybeofadvantagetoamanwhowantedaliftintheworld。"Ownerofayacht——badlyscared——agentleman——moneynothingtohim。"

ThereuponShawdeclaredwithheatthathecouldn’tbeanaccessoryeitherafterorbeforethefact。Thosethatneverwenthome——whohadnothingtogotoperhaps——heinterjected，hurriedly，coulddoastheyliked。Hecouldn’t。Hehadawife，afamily，alittlehouse——paidfor——withdifficulty。Hefollowedthesearespectablyoutandhome，allregular，notvagabondinghereandthere，chummingwiththefirstniggerthatcamealongandlayingtrapsforhisbetters。

Oneofthetwoflarebearerssighedathiselbow，andshiftedhisweighttotheotherfoot。

Thesetwohadbeenkeepingsoperfectlystillthatthemovementwasasstartlingasifastatuehadchangeditspose。Afterlookingattheoffenderwithcoldmalevolence，Shawwentontospeakoflaw—courts，oftrials，andofthelibertyofthesubject；thenhepointedoutthecertitudeandtheinconvenienceofbeingfoundout，affectingforthemomentthedispassionatenessofwisdom。

"Therewillbefifteenyearsingaolattheendofthisjobforeverybody，"saidShaw，"andIhaveaboythatdon’tknowhisfatheryet。Finethingsforhimtolearnwhenhegrowsup。Theinnocentaredeadcertainheretocatchitalongwithyou。Themissuswillbreakherheartunlessshestarvesfirst。Homesoldup。"

Hesawamysteriousiniquityinadangerousrelationtohimselfandbegantolosehishead。Whathereallywantedwastohavehisexistenceleftintact，forhisowncherishingandpride。Itwasamoralaspiration，butinhisalarmthenativegrossnessofhisnaturecameclatteringoutlikeadeviloutofatrap。Hewouldblowthegaff，split，giveawaythewholeshow，hewouldbackuphonestpeople，kissthebook，saywhathethought，letalltheworldknow……andwhenhepausedtodrawbreath，allaroundhimwassilentandstill。BeforetheimpetusofthatrespectablepassionhiswordswerescatteredlikechaffdrivenbyagaleandrushedheadlongintothenightoftheShallows。Andinthegreatobscurity，imperturbable，itheardhimsayhe"washedhishandsofeverything。"

"Andthebrig？"askedLingard，suddenly。

Shawwaschecked。Forasecondtheseamaninhiminstinctivelyadmittedtheclaimoftheship。

"Thebrig。Thebrig。She’srightenough，"hemumbled。Hehadnothingtosayagainstthebrig——nothe。Shewasn’tlikethebigshipshewasusedto，butofherkindthebestcraftheever……Andwithabrusquereturnuponhimself，heprotestedthathehadbeendecoyedonboardunderfalsepretences。Itwasasbadasbeingshanghaiedwheninliquor。Itwas——uponhissoul。Andintoacraftnextthingtoapirate！ThatwasthenameforitorhisownnamewasnotShaw。Hesaidthisglaringowlishly。Lingard，perfectlystillandmute，boretheblowswithoutasign。

Thesillyfussofthatmansearedhisverysoul。Therewasnoendtothisplagueoffoolscomingtohimfromtheforgottenendsoftheearth。Afellowlikethatcouldnotbetold。Noonecouldbetold。Blindtheycameandblindtheywouldgoout。Headmittedreluctantly，butwithoutdoubt，thatasifpushedbyaforcefromoutsidehewouldhavetotryandsavetwoofthem。Tothisendheforesawtheprobableneedofleavinghisbrigforatime。Hewouldhavetoleaveherwiththatman。Themate。Hehadengagedhimhimself——tomakehisinsurancevalid——tobeablesometimestospeak——tohavenearhim。Whowouldhavebelievedsuchafool—mancouldexistonthefaceofthesea！Who？Leavethebrigwithhim。

Thebrig！

Eversincesunset，thebreezekeptoffbytheheatofthedayhadbeentryingtore—establishinthedarknessitsswayovertheShoals。Itsapproacheshadbeenheardinthenight，itspatientmurmurs，itsfoiledsighs；butnowasurprisinglyheavypuffcameinafreerushasif，farawaytheretothenorthward，thelastdefenceofthecalmhadbeenvictoriouslycarried。Theflamesbornedownstreamedbluishly，horizontalandnoisyattheendoftallsticks，likeflutteringpennants；andbehold，theshadowsonthedeckwentmadandjostledeachotherasiftryingtoescapefromadoomedcraft，thedarkness，heldupdome—likebythebrilliantglare，seemedtotumbleheadlonguponthebriginanoverwhelmingdownfall，themenstoodswayingasifreadytofallundertheruinsofablackandnoiselessdisaster。Theblurredoutlinesofthebrig，themasts，therigging，seemedtoshudderintheterrorofcomingextinction——andthenthedarknessleapedupwardagain，theshadowsreturnedtotheirplaces，themenwereseendistinct，swarthy，withcalmfaces，withglitteringeyeballs。Thedestructioninthebreathhadpassed，wasgone。

Adiscordofthreevoicesraisedtogetherinadrawlingwailtrailedonthesuddenimmobilityoftheair。

"Brigahoy！Giveusarope！"

Thefirstboat—loadfromtheyachtemergedfloatingslowlyintothepoolofpurplelightwaveringroundthebrigontheblackwater。Twomensqueezedinthebowspulleduncomfortably；inthemiddle，onaheapofseamen’scanvasbags，anothersat，insecure，proppedwithbotharms，stiff—legged，angularlyhelpless。Thelightfromthepoopbroughteverythingoutinluriddetail，andtheboatfloatingslowlytowardthebrighadasuspiciousandpitifulaspect。Theshabbyloadlumberingherlookedsomehowasifithadbeenstolenbythosemenwhoresembledcastaways。InthesternsheetsCarter，standingup，steeredwithhisleg。Hehadasmileofyouthfulsarcasm。

"Heretheyare！"hecriedtoLingard。"You’vegotyourownway，Captain。IthoughtIhadbettercomemyselfwiththefirstpreciouslot——"

"Pullaroundthestern。Thebrig’sontheswing，"interruptedLingard。

"Aye，aye！We’lltrynottosmashthebrig。Wewouldbelostindeedif——fendoffthere，John；fendoff，oldreliable，ifyoucareapinforyoursaltyhide。Iliketheoldchap，"hesaid，whenhestoodbyLingard’ssidelookingdownattheboatwhichwasbeingrapidlyclearedbywhitesandMalaysworkingshouldertoshoulderinsilence。"Ilikehim。Hedon’tbelongtothatyachtingloteither。Theypickedhimupontheroadsomewhere。

Lookattheolddog——carvedoutofaship’stimber——astalkativeasafish——grimasaguttedwreck。That’sthemanforme。Alltheotherstherearemarried，orgoingtobe，oroughttobe，orsorrytheyain’t。Everymanjackofthemhasapetticoatintow——

dashme！Neverheardinallmytravelssuchajabberaboutwivesandkids。Hurryupwithyourdunnage——belowthere！Aye！Ihadnodifficultyingettingthemtoclearoutfromtheyacht。Theyneversawapairofgentsstolenbefore——youunderstand。Itupsetalltheirlittlenotionsofwhatastrandingmeans，hereabouts。

Notthatminearen’tmixedabit，too——andyetI’veseenathingortwo。"

Hisexcitementwasrevealedinthisboyishimpulsetotalk。

"Look，"hesaid，pointingatthegrowingpileofbagsandbeddingonthebrig’squarter—deck。"Look。Don’ttheymeantosleepsoft——anddreamofhome——maybe。Home。Thinkofthat，Captain。

Thesechapscan’tgetclearawayfromit。Itisn’tlikeyouandme——"

Lingardmadeamovement。

"Iranawaymyselfwhensohigh。Myoldman’saTrinitypilot。

That’sajobworthstayingathomefor。Motherwritessometimes，buttheycan’tmissmemuch。There’sfourteenofusaltogether——eightathomeyet。Nofearoftheoldcountryevergettingundermanned——letdiewhomust。Onlyletitbeafairgame，Captain。Let’shaveafairshow。"

Lingardassuredhimbrieflyheshouldhaveit。Thatwastheveryreasonhewantedtheyacht’screwinthebrig，headded。ThenquietandgraveheinquiredwhetherthatpistolwasstillinCarter’spocket。

"Nevermindthat，"saidtheyoungman，hurriedly。"Rememberwhobegan。Tobeshotatwouldn’trilemesomuch——it’sbeingthreatened，don’tyousee，thatwasheavyonmychest。Lastnightisveryfaroffthough——andIwillbehangedifIknowwhatI

meantexactlywhenItooktheoldthingfromitsnail。There。

MoreIcan’tsaytillall’ssettledonewayoranother。Willthatdo？"

Flushingbrickred，hesuspendedhisjudgmentandstayedhishandwiththegenerosityofyouth……

ApparentlyitsuitedLingardtobereprievedinthatform。Hebowedhisheadslowly。Itwoulddo。Toleavehislifetothatyoungster’signoranceseemedtoredressthebalanceofhismindagainstalotofsecretintentions。Itwasdistastefulandbitterasanexpiationshouldbe。Healsoheldalifeinhishand；alife，andmanydeathsbesides，butthesewerelikeonesinglefeatherinthescalesofhisconscience。Thatheshouldfeelsowasunavoidablebecausehisstrengthwouldatnopricepermititselftobewasted。Itwouldnotbe——andtherewasanendofit。

Allhecoulddowastothrowinanotherriskintotheseaofrisks。Thuswasheenabledtorecognizethatadropofwaterintheoceanmakesagreatdifference。Hisverydesire，unconquered，butexiled，hadlefttheplacewherehecouldconstantlyhearitsvoice。Hesawit，hesawhimself，thepast，thefuture，hesawitall，shiftingandindistinctlikethoseshapesthestrainedeyeofawandereroutlinesindarkerstrokesuponthefaceofthenight。

X

WhenLingardwenttohisboattofollowCarter，whohadgonebacktotheyacht，Wasub，mastandsailonshoulder，precededhimdowntheladder。Theoldmanleapedinsmartlyandbusiedhimselfingettingthedinghyreadyforhiscommander。

InthatlittleboatLingardwasaccustomedtotraversetheShallowsalone。Shehadashortmastandalug—sail，carriedtwoeasily，floatedinafewinchesofwater。Inherhewasindependentofacrew，and，ifthewindfailed，couldmakehiswaywithapairofscullstakingshortcutsovershoalplaces。

Thereweresomanyisletsandsandbanksthatincaseofsuddenbadweathertherewasalwaysaleetobefound，andwhenhewishedtolandhecouldpullherupabeach，stridingahead，painterinhand，likeagiantchilddraggingatoyboat。WhenthebrigwasanchoredwithintheShallowsitwasinherthathevisitedthelagoon。Once，whencaughtbyasuddenfresheningofthesea—breeze，hehadwadedupashelvingbankcarryingheronhisheadandfortwodaystheyhadrestedtogetheronthesand，whilearoundthemtheshallowwatersragedlividly，andacrossthreemilesoffoamthebrigwouldtimeaftertimedissolveinthemistandre—appeardistinct，noddinghertallsparsthatseemedtotouchaweepingskyoflamentablegreyness。

Wheneverhecameintothelagoontuggingwithbarearms，Jorgenson，whowouldbewatchingtheentranceofthecreekeversinceamuffleddetonationofaguntoseawardhadwarnedhimofthebrig’sarrivalontheShoreofRefuge，wouldmuttertohimself——"Here’sTomcominginhisnutshell。"Andindeedshewasinshapesomewhatlikehalfanutshellandalsointhecolourofherdarkvarnishedplanks。Theman’sshouldersandheadrosehighabovehergunwales；loadedwithLingard’sheavyframeshewouldclimbsturdilythesteepridges，slidesquattingintothehollowsofthesea，or，nowandthen，takeasedateleapoverashortwave。Herbehaviourhadastouttrustworthinessaboutit，andsheremindedoneofasurefootedmountain—ponycarryingoverdifficultgroundaridermuchbiggerthanhimself。

Wasubwipedthethwarts，rangedthemastandsailalongtheside，shippedtherowlocks。Lingardlookeddownathisoldservant’sspareshouldersuponwhichthelightfromabovefellunsteadybutvivid。WasubworkedforthecomfortofhiscommanderandhissinglemindedabsorptioninthattaskflasheduponLingardtheconsolationofanactoffriendliness。TheelderlyMalayatlastliftedhisheadwithadeferentialmurmur；hiswrinkledoldfacewithhalfadozenwiryhairspendulousateachcornerofthedarklipsexpressedakindofwearysatisfaction，andtheslightlyobliqueworneyesstoleadiscreetupwardglancecontainingahintofsomeremotemeaning。Lingardfoundhimselfcompelledbythejusticeofthatobscureclaimtomurmurashesteppedintotheboat：

"Thesearetimesofdanger。"