. Master Rockafellar's voyage . ought I, settingmy teeth, let the ruffians fall upon me if theywill. If my life is to be taken it shall not be forthe want of an English arm to defend it. I jumped on to the deck, went stealthily to thefoot of the steps and listened. The man yawnedagain, and I heard the tread of his foot as hemoved, whence I suspected him to be the yellowboatswain, the others being unshod, though to besure there were shoes enough in the tween decksfor them had they a mind to help themselves. AsI sent a look up through the lifted corner oftarpaulin over the hatch I spied the deli
. Master Rockafellar's voyage . ought I, settingmy teeth, let the ruffians fall upon me if theywill. If my life is to be taken it shall not be forthe want of an English arm to defend it. I jumped on to the deck, went stealthily to thefoot of the steps and listened. The man yawnedagain, and I heard the tread of his foot as hemoved, whence I suspected him to be the yellowboatswain, the others being unshod, though to besure there were shoes enough in the tween decksfor them had they a mind to help themselves. AsI sent a look up through the lifted corner oftarpaulin over the hatch I spied the delicate,illusive grey of daybreak in the air, and so speedywas the coming of the dawn that it lay broad withthe sun close under the rim of the horizon ere I 188 MASTER ROCKAFELLARS VOYAGE. could form a resolution whilst listening to makesure that he who was on deck continued aloneThen hearing him yawn again and no sound of theothers reaching my ears, I mounted the steps andgained the deck. It was the Portuguese boatswain, as I had. imagined. He was in the act of seating himseltmuch in the same place where I had seen himsleeping when I boarded the vessel ; but he in-stantly saw me as I arose, and remained motion-less and rigid as though blasted by a flash o LA MULETTE. 189 lightning. His jaw dropped, his hideous littleeyes protruded bright with horror and fright fromtheir sockets, and his yellow face changed into asort of greenish tint like mottled soap or thecountenance of a man in a fit. No doubt hesupposed me a spectre, rising as I did in that wayout of the cabin when the rogue would imagine mea hundred miles off, or floating a corpse in thewater, and I dare say but for the paralysis of terrorthat had fixed his jaw some pious sentences wouldhave dropped from him. For my part I hung inthe wind undecided, at a loss to act. I sent alook over my shoulder to observe if the otherswere about, and the movement of my head seemedlike the release of him from the constraint of myeye. He lea
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