the happenings in the story, began every one to listen. Thus we heard a
sound which had escaped us in the noise of the growling without the
vessel, and the interest of the reading.

For a space we kept very silent, no man doing more than let the breath go
in and out of his body, and so each one of us knew that something moved
without, in the big cabin. In a little, something touched upon our door,
and it was, as I have mentioned earlier, as though a great swab rubbed
and scrubbed at the woodwork. At this, the men nearest unto the door came
backwards in a surge, being put in sudden fear by reason of the Thing
being so near; but the bo'sun held up a hand, bidding them, in a low
voice, to make no unneedful noise. Yet, as though the sounds of their
moving had been heard, the door was shaken with such violence that we
waited, everyone, expecting to see it torn from its hinges; but it stood,
and we hasted to brace it by means of the bunk boards, which we placed
between it and the two great chests, and upon these we set a third chest,
so that the door was quite hid.

Now, I have no remembrance whether I have put down that when we came
first to the ship, we had found the stern window upon the larboard side
to be shattered; but so it was, and the bo'sun had closed it by means of
a teak-wood cover which was made to go over it in stormy weather, with
stout battens across, which were set tight with wedges. This he had done
upon the first night, having fear that some evil thing might come upon us
through the opening, and very prudent was this same action of his, as
shall be seen. Then George cried out that something was at the cover of
the larboard window, and we stood back, growing ever more fearful because
that some evil creature was so eager to come at us. But the bo'sun, who
was a very courageous man, and calm withal, walked over to the closed
window, and saw to it that the battens were secure; for he had knowledge