I went on aft to the wheel.

“Who’s that?” the Second inquired.

“It’s Jessop, Sir,” I answered.

He gave me the course, and then, without another word, went forrard along the poop.  On the break, I heard him call Tammy’s name, and then for some minutes he was talking to him; though what he was saying, I could not possibly hear.  For my part, I was tremendously curious to know why the Second Mate had taken the wheel.  I knew that if it were just a matter of bad steering on Tammy’s part, he would not have dreamt of doing such a thing.  There had been something queer happening, about which I had yet to learn; of this, I felt sure.

Presently, the Second Mate left Tammy, and commenced to walk the weather side of the deck.  Once he came right aft, and, stooping down, peered under the wheel-box; but never addressed a word to me.  Sometime later, he went down the weather ladder on to the main-deck.  Directly afterwards, Tammy came running up to the lee side of the wheel-box.

“I’ve seen it again!” he said, gasping with sheer nervousness.

“What?” I said.

“That thing,” he answered.  Then he leant across the wheel-box, and lowered his voice.

“It came over the lee rail—­up out of the sea,” he added, with an air of telling something unbelievable.

I turned more towards him; but it was too dark to see his face with any distinctness.  I felt suddenly husky.  “My God!” I thought.  And then I made a silly effort to protest; but he cut me short with a certain impatient hopelessness.

“For God’s sake, Jessop,” he said, “do stow all that!  It’s no good.  I must have someone to talk to, or I shall go dotty.”

I saw how useless it was to pretend any sort of ignorance.  Indeed, really, I had known it all along, and avoided the youngster on that very account, as you know.

“Go on,” I said.  “I’ll listen; but you’d better keep an eye for the Second Mate; he may pop up any minute.”

For a moment, he said nothing, and I saw him peering stealthily about the poop.

“Go on,” I said.  “You’d better make haste, or he’ll be up before you’re half-way through.  What was he doing at the wheel when I came up to relieve it?  Why did he send you away from it?”

“He didn’t,” Tammy replied, turning his face towards me.  “I bunked away from it.”

“What for?” I asked.

“Wait a minute,” he answered, “and I’ll tell you the whole business.  You know the Second Mate sent me to the wheel, after that—­” He nodded his head forrard.

“Yes,” I said.