his eyes for some time, to understand what was going on at that midnight
hour, in that hidden place, he saw who was the workman and what was his
occupation.

It was Joseph Wylie, the mate. His profile was illuminated by the candle,
and looked ghastly. He had in his hands an auger of enormous size, and
with this he was drilling a great hole through the ship's side, just
below the water-mark; an act, the effect of which would be to let the sea
bodily into the ship and sink her, with every soul on board, to the
bottom of the Pacific Ocean.


"I was stupefied; and my hairs stood on end, and my tongue clove to my
jaws."

Thus does one of Virgil's characters describe the effect his mind
produced upon his body in a terrible situation.

Mr. Hazel had always ridiculed that trite line as a pure exaggeration;
but he altered his opinion after that eventful night.

When he first saw what Wylie was doing, _obstupuit,_ he was merely
benumbed; but, as his mind realized the fiendish nature of the act, and
its tremendous consequences, his hair actually bristled, and for a few
minutes at least he could not utter a word.

In that interval of stupor, matters took another turn. The auger went in
up to the haft. Then Wylie caught up with his left hand a wooden plug he
had got ready, jerked the auger away, caught up a hammer, and swiftly
inserted the plug.