Presently I had a good
sight of them; four brown, seamanlike fellows, standing
by the counter, glass in hand, the centre of a score of
questioners. One was a Kanaka--the cook, I was
informed; one carried a cage with a canary, which
occasionally trilled into thin song; one had his left
arm in a sling, and looked gentleman-like and somewhat
sickly, as though the injury had been severe and he was
scarce recovered; and the captain himself--a red-faced,
blue-eyed, thickset man of five-and-forty--wore a
bandage on his right hand. The incident struck me; I
was struck particularly to see captain, cook, and
foremost hands walking the street and visiting saloons
in company; and, as when anything impressed me, I got
my sketch-book out, and began to steal a sketch of the
four castaways. The crowd, sympathising with my
design, made a clear lane across the room; and I was
thus enabled, all unobserved myself, to observe with a
still growing closeness the face and the demeanour of
Captain Trent.
Warmed by whisky and encouraged by the eagerness of the
bystanders, that gentleman was now rehearsing the
history of his misfortune.
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