CHAPTER SIX 



On Passage 



THE TWENTY-FOUR HOURS delay had soured the captain 

 and angered the mates and the general temper of the 

 ship's company was not improved by the absence of a 

 good sailing breeze. The ship was still in sight of the 

 harbour when Jonathan and the steward carried the mid- 

 day meal aft to the officers' quarters where the atmosphere 

 struck Jonathan as being very tense. 



None of these matters had much effect upon the boy to 

 whom everything was so new and exciting; but as he 

 emerged from the after hatchway bearing a pile of dirty 

 dishes he was confronted with what he could only believe 

 at first was a horrible vision. Staring at him from over 

 the gunvv^ale of the larboard whaleboat was the black- 

 bearded, sleep puffed face of Nathaniel Sykes. 



'So you 'ave chose to ship along with old Nat, 'ave you, 

 young Jonah? Well, well, let's 'ope we 'ave a merry time 

 together.' 



The voice of the mate on watch bellowed from aft, 'Get 

 your lazy carcass out of that boat and turn to at once,' 

 and Sykes climbed slowly out on to the deck. 



The dreaded secret of the murder in the wood lay heavy 

 on the boy's spirit but he remembered his vow of silence, 

 which even though made to a blackguard like Sykes 

 could not be broken without loss of honour. Chimoo he 

 knew came from the same village as the murdered brave 



