"
At that moment I heard a noise, one familiar to seamen; that of an oar
falling in a boat. So completely was my mind bent on other and distant
scenes, that at first I felt no surprise, as if we were in a harbour
surrounded by craft of various sizes, coming and going at all
hours. But a second thought destroyed this illusion, and I looked
eagerly about me. Directly on our weather-bow, distant perhaps a
cable's length, I saw a small sail, and I could distinguish it
sufficiently well to perceive it was a proa. I sang out "Sail ho! and
close aboard!"
Mr. Marble was on his feet in an instant. He afterwards told me that
when he opened his eyes, for he admitted this much to me in
confidence, they fell directly on the stranger. He was too much of a
seaman to require a second look, in order to ascertain what was to be
done. "Keep the ship away--keep her broad off!" he called out to the
man at the wheel. "Lay the yards square--call all hands, one of you
--Captain Robbins, Mr. Kite, bear a hand up; the bloody proas are
aboard us!" The last part of this call was uttered in a loud voice,
with the speaker's head down the companion-way. It was heard plainly
enough below, but scarcely at all on deck.
In the mean time, everybody was in motion. It is amazing how soon
sailors are wide awake when there is really anything to do! It
appeared to me that all our people mustered on deck in less than a
minute, most of them with nothing on but their shirts and
trowsers.
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