"
"Do you mean to leave her?" cried the officer. "She
seems to me to lie nicely; can't we get your ship off?"
"So we could, and no mistake; but how we're to keep her
afloat's another question. Her bows is stove in,"
replied Wicks.
The officer coloured to the eyes. He was incompetent,
and knew he was; thought he was already detected, and
feared to expose himself again. There was nothing
further from his mind than that the captain should
deceive him; if the captain was pleased, why, so was
he. "All right," he said. "Tell your men to get their
chests aboard."
"Mr. Goddedaal, turn the hands to to get the chests
aboard," said Wicks.
The four Currency Lasses had waited the while on
tenter-hooks. This welcome news broke upon them like
the sun at midnight; and Hadden burst into a storm of
tears, sobbing aloud as he heaved upon the tackle. But
the work went none the less briskly forward; chests,
men, and bundles were got over the side with alacrity;
the boat was shoved off; it moved out of the long
shadow of the FLYING SCUD, and its bows were
pointed at the passage.
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