orders."

"Yes, sir."

I paced a turn or two on the poop and saw him take up his position
face forward with his elbow in the ratlines of the mizzen-rigging
before I went below. The mate's faint snoring was still going on
peacefully. The cuddy lamp was burning over the table on which
stood a vase with flowers, a polite attention from the ship's
provision merchant--the last flowers we should see for the next
three months at the very least. Two bunches of bananas hung from
the beam symmetrically, one on each side of the rudder-casing.
Everything was as before in the ship--except that two of her
captain's sleeping-suits were simultaneously in use, one motionless
in the cuddy, the other keeping very still in the captain's
stateroom.

It must be explained here that my cabin had the form of the capital
letter L the door being within the angle and opening into the short
part of the letter. A couch was to the left, the bed-place to the
right; my writing-desk and the chronometers' table faced the door.
But any one opening it, unless he stepped right inside, had no view
of what I call the long (or vertical) part of the letter. It
contained some lockers surmounted by a bookcase; and a few clothes,
a thick jacket or two, caps, oilskin coat, and such like, hung on
hooks. There was at the bottom of that part a door opening into my
bath-room, which could be entered also directly from the saloon.
But that way was never used.

The mysterious arrival had discovered the advantage of this