Show CHAPTER XII Continued Mary felt herself tighten Who says naming no I to sleep amongst A man aaa to sleep and it's easy slide a knife into a man asleep She trying to icare scared he was in a ship once that near and you could imell it coming days It was wanting to get ashore to the gold that was the trouble 1 it's pearls they're talking Pearls as big as And saying that barrel of would make the man rich that aad it safe I don't believe a word of ill that about Corr had any I guess I'd know nobody with any sense would vant that bad-smelling stuff in the so if that's all you're about He looked at her He said m a flat grave not if you want the rest of I've served many's the year at ind I never did see a mate playing and your with his men that harm i come of it in the Mary's pulse She knew j that she had thought this lame without knowing her as she watched Peter lay after day about the She tried to persuade herself that Corkran was afraid it but she could not for- let his and a day or later she repeated part of what ie had said to She did quote Corkran's criticism of but she told Richard about the He was interested in the out he did not ask where she had and he made light of Corkran's are bound to talk when they've nothing else to j he said Since the day he killed the ae and Mary had drawn happily to- t finding pleasure in this new each at ease with the His confident dismissal of fears reassured and their talk turned at random turned to the years in New Bedford Mary laughed at a sudden memory und said- I really hat-you for a while when we were j When Peter gave you my He looked at her in a puzzled have She He shook his guess I'm dumb What was in the Who i was it She looked away from hurt and unhappy because he cad but then she remembered that Peter said Richard kept i that he even read it aloud j to and laughed at it with She turned away from her eyes suddenly hot with and he saw them and caught her arm and wait v Lis- 1 ten Then he for George was just emerging the cabin companion close beside seeing her with tears in her eyes and Richard's hand upon her If George was disturbed by what he had seen he did not show He kept them together in talk with him a When presently left Mary tried to make some but George stopped I don't need to explain to he gently and beginning to get hold of myself There's a jealous devil in me I hate to have any man look at I've made you unhappy because of it more than but I'm whipping it I know you and Corr are eld but I know there's nothing She was so grateful to him that thereafter she loved him more and i more Richard told them one morning at breakfast his plan to cruise a while on the right whale grounds among j the islands off the South American and perhaps fill their casks I before refitting to round Cape Horn homeward bound Peter was eating sawing at the tough salt not raising his eyes He said resentfully horse's tough as Dick It's about time we put in some-where for fresh stores refit before we make up for Cape Richard reminded we've got business to attend to around here first Mat Forbes went on won't j mure than a couple of these fat old bulls to till us bung Richard and then Mat spoke SOftly through the open skylight close Richard leaped toward the He called back to the harpooners to grab a I'll have cook pass along the mess Kid Sharp He scram bled for the and Peter more followed Mary and George went on deck The day was and for the season early spring in these latitudes mild the wind light Mary saw broad streaks of yellowish red upon the water to starboard where the great schools of brit were near the and a moment later a black back showed and twin spouts rose straight as fountains Richard himself was in the main watching the whales now so near the ship that voices aboard were hushed and you play loose boat and nay he mate and I will fasten if we go aloft and keep your eye peeled if they Ready the Peter to no one in Without waiting for an he dropped down into the after decks to find A moment later he came on deck he will take Feik's lend Borst to the mate's You can manage without replied Peter I don't want to tackle a whale with a green man think Corkran knows his Richard said He turned toward the not waiting for any further but George moved quickly toward caught his arm may I go with Mr Richard looked down at grinned and clapped George on the I For the boat yonder was in the he agreed mind you keep And a moment later the three boats were in the Mary from the rail above them called softly George grinned and bending the tub line to the box looked up at her and nodded in a cheerful The boats stepped their masts and under sail crossed the Richard took the Peter close behind Mat Forbes bearing away beyond them to keep beside Mary at the looked after them in muttering as not young Starn-all give Feik something to sicken him He'll always stay astern the lighter if he when it's time to lower and Richard are aren't Isaiah exploded wouldn't they after they're like do he She turned to him in and he said 1 I they not at a he assured they must She was wholly and her working on his drove him to a loquacity he would He said Must be or they ought to Here the night he Ira told Richard that Pete wa even his own Me and Hiram was there and heard him Old Ira told Richard he'd heir only a dollar to Realizing he had said too he pointed across the said boats will be on in a min ute turning to found her self shucked and confused by this in credible but as the dis tance between boats and whales nar she forgot what Isaiah had said in the excitement of the imminent Mary saw Big Pip in the bow of Richard's boat half a mile away drive home a CHAPTER XIII She thought for a moment then that Pip had harpooned not one whale but a The great flukes rose and whipped from side to side wilh terrible The boat backed the sail and mast cam Richard and Big Pip were changing ends Isaiah cackled In shrill saw Pip mux it They don't take to Look at him cut for And then in a whistling For the boat yonder was in the Then the bow seemed for no reason to break off in small and then men and were in the lost in a shuddering confusion of torn water and flying and a great black body swinging to and She had forgotten She saw his boat the sail the oars springing He was at the steering leaning making the boat swerve toward the fighting Mat well away from was racing toward the Peter's boat shot In alongside the black She saw Corkran in the bow the harpoon She had an instant's pride in Peter This time at least he had not Then she saw Corkran drive home one iron and then Mary saw then that Corkran was in fact his shoulders pivoting like a boxer's as he drove the keen shaft The whale in the instant after these new irons struck him had rolled a giving Cork-ran a and he was bold to seize it She saw the and a moment above that turbulence of foam and she saw a red flag of blood like a fountain Isaiah cackled in a sort of gleeful him first that Cork-ran won't ever go ashore Then the whale drove on the thrashing breaching half out of its streaming blood like a crimson Mary watched the men in the Mat's boat reached them and began to pick them pulling man after man over the All of A great relief swept and she held hard to Isaiah's Isaiah said That whale's Her eye swept the water in all directions and saw nowhere a no glistening nothing but Mat's boat yonder now full of and Peter's bobbing on an empty went in too high with that Isaiah and blame He had to work But he went in over the shoulder Right whale's got an air bladder same as a You let the air out and down it He looked at her times I talk I'd ought he admitted 1 I telling you about the mate not being Ira's Richard told me not and he'd give me fits if he found out I but it's Ira married a widow and the mate was her young She wouldn't marry him only if he'd tell folks Pete was his They anybody from He I'd oughtn't told I was kind of worked up at Pete for trying to get out ol She said reassuringly won't tell anyone It's not our is Does Peter supposed He cack led with a going to be some to that smelt when he hears the will read I'd admire to be there to The boats were and they moved to the rail Mat was Peter some distance towing the stove and Peter was standing using the long steering oar instead of the tiller which he might sensibly have preferred for this peaceful return to the Richard faced and he seemed to droop in a broken fashion Mary lifted her hand and called to a greeting without words The boat came and she it Are you George grinned and Rich ard shook his head all ankle's twisted The flukes Just licked me on the But if It hadn't been for Peter it would have been bad The whale was ugly Yet she saw then that he was j more seriously hurt than he had He was needing help to reach the His left arm appeared to j be of little use to and he waa white with Mat best get into some dry clothes and see how bad arm Richard nodded and went and Mary looked after wishing tc follow but George was beside full of trembling With th excitement of the past few minutes She heard him telling hei what he had and tried to and caught broken so near we could have hit him our oars Peter didn't hesitate this time And then she I heard him his boat Will make Richard a little more hu Not quite so sure of She wished to say loyally that an accident might happen to but instead she spoke of Peter glad Peter killed the been feeling so badly about Uncle j Tom was Corkran who killed hi reminded BK |