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Events had come in such a hustling throng that in sober truth I had scarcely yet had time to realize our position. Now as my eye went to the men aloft loosening the sails, and the fellows below bawling out at the sheets and halliards, I could find a moment for reflection. If Broadwater had been murdered, it was hard to imagine, by the hearty, careless behaviour and half-jocose airs of the crew, that they knew of it. Yet if murder had been done it would be sheer idleness to feign that the men could be ignorant of it. There was always the fellow at the wheel to stand looking on as a witness. If Broadwater had made away with himself, the splash of him as he went overboard must have been a distinct sound fit to catch any ear, even above all such surly, weltering noises as were rising out of the blackness last night, from the forecastle head to the binnacle; unless indeed the old man, with the sleek, secret, wary cunning of the sailor who had gone to his account in the English Channel, had slipped in the darkness into the lee main-chains, and then softly dropped into the sea.

But this was to suppose that he had destroyed himself, an idea not to be entertained for the space of a breath in the face of the memory of a nature which proved him to have been so grossly of the earth, that one would as soon think of a hog terminating its existence. No! if he were out of the ship, then he was a murdered man ; which being past all doubt, I entered into some swift speculations as to the manner of his death; and there being no hint upon the gleaming platform of the deck of the use of the knife, I concluded that he had been stunned and dropped overboard whilst still insensible. One man could have done this. Heavy as the square form of old Broadwater was, one pair of hands might have sufficed to drag the breathless body to the rail, and with vigorous upheaval swing it into a somersault over the bulwarks. Guilt, like terror, will often put a grip of steel into

nerveless fingers.

But it was not to be supposed there were no witnesses to this crime. Broadwater was not

the man to let the watch on deck skulk even in the blackest hour; therefore there would have been most of the sailors on the move as observers of all that could happen, from the forecastle to where the quarter-deck began; whilst aft was the helmsman with eyes for the rest of the ship there. Broadwater had been murdered, and all hands knew it! My heart turned sick and cold in me at the bare recollection of what had occurred during our execrable voyage, from the hour of Cooper's suicide to this moment; and I turned with a sense of faintness to the rail, and lay over it a minute or two to recover myself, halfdistraught by the conflict of emotions which surged up into my head.

I felt a hand upon my shoulder. I started vehemently at the touch from my bitter mood of apprehension, and confronted Miss Grant.

"There can be no objection to my coming on deck, Mr. Musgrave?" she exclaimed.

"None," I answered; "the men have promised not to trouble either of us. We must trust them-we cannot do otherwise."

I

She looked at me earnestly. don't doubt I was worn and haggard enough to account for her concerned, inquiring gaze. She was very pale, but I instantly noticed an expression of decision in her face as of a mind that has formed a resolution from which nothing is to divert it. Her black eyes looked at me with a full, steadfast shining. It was manifest that the true spirit of this girl, which had been bowed a little as I had last night remarked, had recovered its old natural, erect, heroic posture.

"Let us walk," she said. "It cannot matter that the men should see us together conversing. They must know we do so below when out of sight of them."

"A moment," I exclaimed. "Mr. Mole!" I sung out, "get topmast and

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"Ay, ay, sir!" He re-echoed my orders promptly. Had he been mate throughout he could not have fitted the post more intelligently, nor exhibited shrewder perception of the dignity of the berth he filled in his manner of calling to the men, that was as good as saying to them, "I'm still your shipmate, lads; but don't forget that I'm mister also!"

Miss Grant and 1 fell to pacing the weather - deck, speaking low, and taking care to slew round for our forward pace whilst the fellow at the helm was still a little way off. We spoke of the disappearance of Broadwater. She did not doubt with me that he had been murdered, and that the whole of the crew were acquainted with the deed. I said to her: "But glance at them, Miss Grant; see how nimbly they run about; hear the cheeriness in their voices, and the occasional laugh! It is hard to believe they can be conscious that a second dreadful crime was committed in this ship in the dark hours of the morning."

"You will find it was the deed of one man," she answered; "the others feel themselves guiltless, and are happy because they are free. But who is the criminal? Is it Charles, do you think?"

"I dare not think," I exclaimed. "As it is, he must regard us as witnesses to his murder of the mate. His dread of Broadwater may be extended to us for the same reason. I am infinitely bothered infinitely bothered," I exclaimed, with an involuntary clenching of my fist to a fit of exasperation that came to me with the thought of the horrible muddle we were in, and my helplessness and my inability to perceive the least gleam of light upon the heavy surrounding gloom.

She looked at me with a light smile, and said with a sort of peremptoriness, fascinating for its spirit and kindness:

"If I can be cool, you must be so. Mr. Musgrave, I really do not feel the least bit afraid; certainly I have no fear for our lives. The hearts in those men are not black; they are not pirates; at least they are not pirates yet! They are wretched human creatures, who have been driven to this by ill-treatment, and now that the captain is gone they will stay their hands. Indeed, I have no fear. The future, to be sure, is a gloomy problem, but have not we courage enough between us to wait until it is solved?" She continued to look at me, preserving her light smile.

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"We should change places," said I, feeling a trifle of colour in my cheeks; you have twenty-fold my heart. Yet I should feel less worried, I believe, if I were alone here. It is my duty to see you safely to Rio-I embarked for no other purpose."

"But supposing I were alone! said she.

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"Ha!" I exclaimed ; "and yet I don't know. I believe your nature would top the whole difficulty as a sea-bird tops a surge big enough to founder a line-of-battle ship. Indeed the mere circumstance of your being alone might win you more consideration from the sailors than they would show you with a male companion to look after you."

"Well, Mr. Musgrave," said she, and her voice still maintained its character of peremptoriness that rendered it, to my ear at all events, not a little engaging by the quality of half-conscious coquetry that I found in it, "bemoaning our position will not help it. I am certain you will yet discharge the obligation you generously, most generously, undertook; and how Alexander will thank you when he hears of our adventures, and of your heavy anxieties, my heart tells me."

She laid her hand upon her breast as she spoke; the Spanish blood in her indeed was confessed in many of her gestures. And though her accent was entirely English, yet perhaps in

her choice of words you missed the ease and simplicity you would expect in a girl whose blood and lifelong surroundings were purely British. "A plague on Alexander!" thought I. It had come, somehow or other, to my never being able to hear her mention his name without a feeling in me that she was a bit maladroit in referring to it. "A plague on him!" I repeated to myself, spite of the glowing glance she shot at me through the fringes of her white lids, as if to an instant's curiosity as to what was passing in my mind.

"Under Heaven, Miss Grant," I answered, "I hope indeed to be able to discharge my obligation, though 'tis a word that I don't like-indeed, it is quite the other way. But," said I, with a touch of impatience, "this is no time for ceremonies of speech. We are talking of Rio and Alexander; and here, confound it! are we heading away on a crow's course for Cuba."

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Why do the men want to go to Cuba?" she asked.

"I may find out," I answered; "at present I have not the least idea. The West Indies, to be sure, suggest piracy; but that dream is gone. If the cross-bones and skull be not hauled down and stowed away, they are scarce now flying half-mast high. No! yonder livelies will not put this ship to any felonious use! I am to give them notice when we are within a day's sail of the island. That sounds queer they don't name a port."

"It will all come right, Mr. Musgrave," she exclaimed.

I viewed her with an admiration I could not disguise. It was not only the challenge of her pale, resolved. beauty just then; it was the high courage, giving her faith in the future, that won my eyes to her with an expression in them that must have conveyed more than the message I intended; for her own gaze drooped to it on a sudden, and went away seawards with the merest flutter of a smile upon her lips.

CHAPTER XX.

WE ARE SPOKEN.

PRESENTLY the men had packed studding-sails to the royal yards upon the brig. But I took notice that the crew did not intend to wash the decks down; and that I might satisfy myself on a head or two concerning the ship's discipline, and what was expected of me, I called to Mole, having Miss Grant still at my side. There was little of the cut-throat in the appearance of the seaman as he approached and stood before us, civil, but with a determined manner running through his respectfulness. He was indeed as fine a specimen of an English sailor as one could wish to see; tall, muscular, well-shaped, and with the grace begotten by years of rolling decks in every posture and movement; eyes full of sensibility, a cheek burnt by many months of high suns, and handsome features which seemed the manlier for the shaggy cast his thick, plentiful hair gave them.

"Mr. Mole," said I, "I am captain by the wish and consent of the crew, but have no ambition to venture a step further than they require me to walk. I therefore propose to give no orders until I have ascertained their views. They will work the ship, of course, brace the yards about to the wind, and make and shorten sail, and the like. And what more?"

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'Nothing more, sir," he answered, promptly. So I might have guessed! "There'll be no money to take up, Mr. Musgrave," he continued, “and he's a good dog that'll work for a bare bone."

"There'd be money enough to earn though," said I, "should you feel disposed to turn to and make a salvage job of this business. Here's a brig without a commander, with her hold full of mixed commodities-"

He raised his hand with a glance forward. "No, sir. All hands is agreed. If we could stick the bloom

ing hooker up for Lunnon town in a twenty-four hours' ratch, we'd sooner see her chiveying her hell-born skipper and mate that way," pointing down with a wild romantic gesture, "than handle a brace for her salvation." He took a steadier grip of the deck with his feet, so to speak, and looked at me as much as to say, "Hold to your first kind of questions."

"Then," said I, "I am expected to do nothing but navigate the brig?"

"To Cuba! Yes, sir; that, if you please, along with looking after her in dirty weather, for we know from Mr. Gordon that you're sailor enough for most things that can happen at sea."

It would have been idle to dispute this high opinion; the result no doubt of poor Gordon's hope that I might take the mate's place, and of his wish to confirm, by his ardent representations of me as a seaman, such satisfaction as the men might feel had I consented to Broadwater's appointment of me. "The crew will find me as dutiful to their desires, Mr. Mole," said I, "as they are faithful to the promises they made me."

"Mr. Musgrave," he exclaimed, "I'll be plain with ye. There'll be no call for you to take any notice of what goes on. The ship's stores aren't over good, and there's no reason why the cook should not tarn to and sarve up a forecastle-mess from time to time out of the cabin's provisions. That there live stock," he continued, pointing to a hencoop, "belongs to you and the lady, I believe, sir?" I said "Yes." 66 Well, it won't be touched; but all the rest we shall take the liberty of claiming for ourselves."

"Of course," I said, "you will do as you please. But what about the liquor?"

"Ye needn't feel consarned about that," he exclaimed, understanding me; "every man's allowance'll be increased, and why not? But there'll be no drinking. If ever you should observe one of the men half so slewed as Broadwater used to be day arter day

and night arter night, the crew'll give ye full consent to have him seized up, and their own hands'll do the rest. No, no, there'll be no drinking. The look-out ain't cheerful enough for the likes o' that sort of jollification. There's one thing, perhaps," he continued, changing his tone from the high, almost angry, energy in which he had been addressing me, "that is proper I should tell 'ee sir. The crew don't want to have nothen to say to any ships that may chance to pass. They desire to keep themselves to themselves."

A thought coming into my head on his saying this, I looked from Miss Grant to him and said: "If a chance offered for this lady and me to transship ourselves, you would not object?"

He answered quickly and sternly, "Mr. Musgrave, there must be no meddling with other vessels. Please to understand that, sir.”

I gave a little involuntary stamp of impatience, but said nothing. Miss Grant's hand stole to my arm with a gentle rebuking pressure of the fingers. The man added, softening his manner, "If you left us, who's to navigate the brig?"

"The ship that received us would lend you a mate."

"Oh, but you don't understand," he exclaimed, with a sour lowering of his face. "Well, sir, 'tis settled, of course

there is to be no conversing with anything that may heave in sight." "I have told you I will do what you ask."

Just then the cook came up to us, to ask if we were ready for breakfast; and simple as the thing was, yet on the top of the shining morning and the quietude of the men, the touch of homeliness in the question put a sort of ease into my mind that was as useful to me just then as a small stroke of good fortune. It half rose to my lips to gratify Mole by inviting him to use the cabin for his meals, and had I been alone in the brig I should have done so; but the thought of him as society for Miss Grant checked my in

tention, though I protest he would have furnished her with out and away better company than ever Broadwater was, whilst it was not to be questioned that he had much more to talk about, having served in many different kinds of ships and visited many lands; whereas I believe Broadwater had passed most of his early life in the coasting-trade, and never weathered either Cape in all the years he had used the sea.

The cook arrived with our breakfast in due course, and made some show of setting the dishes upon the table, as if he had taken more trouble than usual in the cooking of the meal, and was desirous we should value him for it. We were in the cabin waiting for him when he made his appearance, and after preparing the table he asked me if he should attend upon us. I thanked him for his civility, and added that we should be able to do without him, and told him very plainly that any attention he showed us now would not be forgotten by me hereafter. I shall always remember this man for the peculiar dingy pallor of his face, so much like the complexion of the "duff" he cooked for the sailors that no painter could have copied it more inimitably; also for his large, moist eyeballs, whose protrusion gave him a stupid, staring look, whilst at the same time the sky-blue pupils were so bleared with damp and the cloudiness of congestion as to make his wide-open gaze a sort of blind hunt in the direction of what he looked at. Though I had told him we could do without him, he still lingered, as though the novelty of being in the cabin pleased him. I thought I would ask him a question or two.

"Didn't it strike you as odd, cook, that Captain Broadwater should have chosen you to stand watch and watch with him?"

"Why, yes," said he, in his slow, wheezy voice. "I don't know what there was to make him partial to me in that way. He was no more beloved by me than he was by the others. He

had such a choice of foul words as never I heard in a man's mouth afore; 'sides a trick of hazing just proper to break the heart of a cart-horse. Per

haps his feelings made his way towards me through his stomach. He was much in love with that end of him, sir, and yet coarse as a Fin in his eatin' too. He was born in the latitood o' roast pork. Had he been given birth to higher north he'd ha' asked in his prayers for nothen better than slush."

"He must have destroyed himself very cunningly last night, or rather this morning," said I. "No doubt he sneaked overboard into the blackness of the lee channels, and thence dropped." I glanced at him carelessly as I said this.

"Can't tell ye how it happened, I'm sure," he answered. "I was tarned in at the time, as you know. Hope that there bacon's broiled to your liking,

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