'
"'Frightening the sea-sarpint?' ses Joe, trembling all over, an' turning
very white.
"'If I see that face o' yours over the side agin, my lad,' ses the
skipper very fierce, 'I'll give it a black eye. Now cut!'
"Joe cut, an' the skipper, having worked off some of his ill-temper,
went aft again and began to chat with the mate quite pleasant like. I
was down below at the time, an' didn't know anything about it for hours
arter, and then I heard it from one o' the firemen. He comes up to me
very mysterious like, an' ses, 'Bill,' he ses, 'you're a pal o' Joe's;
come down here an' see what you can make of 'im.'
"Not knowing what he meant, I follered 'im below to the engine-room, an'
there was Joe sitting on a bucket staring wildly in front of 'im, and
two or three of 'em standing round looking at 'im with their 'eads on
one side.
"'He's been like that for three hours,' ses the second engineer in a
whisper, 'dazed like.'
"As he spoke Joe gave a little shudder; 'Frighten the sea-sarpint!' ses
he, 'O Lord!'
"'It's turned his brain,' ses one o' the firemen, 'he keeps saying
nothing but that.'
"'If we could only make 'im cry,' ses the second engineer, who had a
brother what was a medical student, 'it might save his reason. But how
to do it, that's the question.
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