The Wreck of the Golden Mary | Page 8

known that he was near me when he was silent, without putting out my
arm and touching him, than I should if he had turned in and been fast
asleep below. We were not so much looking out, all of us, as listening
to the utmost, both with our eyes and ears.
Next day, I found that the mercury in the barometer, which had risen
steadily since we cleared the ice, remained steady. I had had very good

observations, with now and then the interruption of a day or so, since
our departure. I got the sun at noon, and found that we were in Lat. 58
degrees S., Long. 60 degrees W., off New South Shetland; in the
neighbourhood of Cape Horn. We were sixty-seven days out, that day.
The ship's reckoning was accurately worked and made up. The ship did
her duty admirably, all on board were well, and all hands were as smart,
efficient, and contented, as it was possible to be.
When the night came on again as dark as before, it was the eighth night
I had been on deck. Nor had I taken more than a very little sleep in the
day-time, my station being always near the helm, and often at it, while
we were among the ice. Few but those who have tried it can imagine
the difficulty and pain of only keeping the eyes open--physically
open--under such circumstances, in such darkness. They get struck by
the darkness, and blinded by the darkness. They make patterns in it,
and they flash in it, as if they had gone out of your head to look at you.
On the turn of midnight, John Steadiman, who was alert and fresh (for I
had always made him turn in by day), said to me, "Captain Ravender, I
entreat of you to go below. I am sure you can hardly stand, and your
voice is getting weak, sir. Go below, and take a little rest. I'll call you if
a block chafes." I said to John in answer, "Well, well, John! Let us wait
till the turn of one o'clock, before we talk about that." I had just had one
of the ship's lanterns held up, that I might see how the night went by
my watch, and it was then twenty minutes after twelve.
At five minutes before one, John sang out to the boy to bring the
lantern again, and when I told him once more what the time was,
entreated and prayed of me to go below. "Captain Ravender," says he,
"all's well; we can't afford to have you laid up for a single hour; and I
respectfully and earnestly beg of you to go below." The end of it was,
that I agreed to do so, on the understanding that if I failed to come up
of my own accord within three hours, I was to be punctually called.
Having settled that, I left John in charge. But I called him to me once
afterwards, to ask him a question. I had been to look at the barometer,
and had seen the mercury still perfectly steady, and had come up the
companion again to take a last look about me--if I can use such a word
in reference to such darkness--when I thought that the waves, as the

Golden Mary parted them and shook them off, had a hollow sound in
them; something that I fancied was a rather unusual reverberation. I
was standing by the quarter-deck rail on the starboard side, when I
called John aft to me, and bade him listen. He did so with the greatest
attention. Turning to me he then said, "Rely upon it, Captain Ravender,
you have been without rest too long, and the novelty is only in the state
of your sense of hearing." I thought so too by that time, and I think so
now, though I can never know for absolute certain in this world,
whether it was or not.
When I left John Steadiman in charge, the ship was still going at a great
rate through the water. The wind still blew right astern. Though she
was making great way, she was under shortened sail, and had no more
than she could easily carry. All was snug, and nothing complained.
There was a pretty sea running, but not a very high sea neither, nor at
all a confused one.
I turned in, as we seamen say, all standing. The meaning of that is, I did
not pull my clothes off--no, not even so much as my coat: though I did
my shoes, for my feet were badly swelled with the deck. There was a
little swing-lamp alight in my cabin. I thought, as I looked at it before
shutting my eyes, that I was