“Whenitcomestothat，“commentedBurgess，“whyshouldtheyanchoroffhere，’steadoftakin’herinbytheinlet？Ifthere’sanybodyaboardtheyain’tshowedthemselvesyet。Shemighthavebeenleakin’，butshedon’tlookit。Setsupoutofwaterprettywell。
Well，we’llknowinafewminutes。Hitherup，boys！“
Therowers“hitherup“andthedorymovedfaster。ThenBurgess，puttinghishandtohismouth，hailed。
“Shipahoy！“heroared。“Ahoy！“
Noreply。
“Ahoythebrig！“bellowedBurgess。“What’sthematteraboardthere？Allhandsasleep？“
Stillnoanswer。ThophandBillpulledmoreslowlynow。Burgessnoddedtothem。
“Standby！“heordered。“Easy！Wayenough！Letherrun。“
Thedoryslackenedspeed，turnedinobediencetothesteeringoar，andslidundertheforequarteroftheanchoredvessel。Ellery，lookingup，sawhernameinbatteredgiltlettersabovehishead——
theSanJose。
“Standby，Thoph！“shoutedCharlie。“S’poseyoucanjumpandgrabherforechains？Holdhersteady，Bill。Now，Thoph！That’sthetime！“
Thophhadjumped，seizedthechains，andwasscramblingaboard。A
momentlaterheappearedattherailamidships，aropeinhishand。
Thedorywasbroughtalongsideandmadefast；thenoneaftertheotherthemenintheboatclimbedtothebrig’sdeck。
“Ahoy！“yelledBurgess。“Allhandsondeck！tumbleup，youlubbers！Humph！Sheisabandoned，sureandsartin。“
“Yup，“assentedBill。“Herboatsaregone。See？Guessthatexplainsthelongboatonthebeach，Charlie。“
“Cal’lateitdoes；butitdon’texplainwhytheylefther。Sheain’tleakin’nonetospeakof，that’ssure。Rides’slight’safeather。Christmas！lookatthemdecks；dirtyhogs，whoevertheywas。“
Thedecksweredirty，andthesails，sloppilyfurled，weredirtylikewise。Thebrig，assherolledandjerkedatheranchorrope，wasdirty——andunkemptfromstemtostern。ToEllery’smindshemadealonesomepicture，evenundertheclear，winterskyandbrightsunshine。
Thophledthewayaft。Thecabincompaniondoorwasopenandtheypeereddown。
“Phew！“sniffedBurgess。“Sheain’tnocolognebottle，isshe？
Well，comeonbelowandlet’sseewhat’llwesee。“
Thecabinwasa“mess，“asBillexpressedit。Thefloorwascoveredwithscatteredheapsofriff-raff，oilskins，coats，emptybottles，andpapers。Onthetableaboxstood，itshingedlidthrownback。
“Medicinechest，“saidBurgess，examiningit。“Andrumbottlesaplenty。Somebody’sbeensick，Ishouldn’twonder。“
Theministeropenedthedoorofoneofthelittlestaterooms。Thelightwhichshonethroughthedirtyandtightlyclosed“bull’s-eye“
windowshowedatumbledbunk，theblanketssoiledandstreaked。
Thesmellwasstifling。
“Say，fellers，“whisperedThoph，“Idon’tlikethismuchmyself。
I’mforgettin’ondeckwheretheair’sbetter。Somethin’shappenedaboardthiscraft，somethin’serious。“
CharlieandBillnoddedanemphaticaffirmative。
“Hadn’twebetterlookaboutalittlemore？“askedEllery。
“There’sanotherstateroomthere。“
Heopenedthedoorofitashespoke。Itwas，ifpossible，inaworseconditionthanthefirst。Andtheodorwasevenmoreoverpowering。
“Skipper’sroom，“observedBurgess，peepingin。“Andthatbunkain’tbeensleptinforweeks。Seethemildewonthemclothes。
Phew！I’mfairsicktomystomach。Comeoutofthis。“
Ondeck，inthesunlight，theyheldanotherconsultation。
“QueerestbusinesseverIsee，“observedCharlie。“Inever——“
“Iseesomethin’likeitonce，“interruptedBill。“DownintheGulf’twas。IwasontheoldFishhawk。EbenSalters’sdadfromovertoBayportskipperedher。WepickedupaWestInjyschooner，derelict，abandonedsameasthisone，butnotanchored，ofcourse。
Yellerjackwasthetroubleaboardherand——Whereyoubound，Thoph？“
“Goin’totakeasquintatthefo’castle，“repliedTheophilus，movingforward。Theministerfollowedhim。
Thefo’castlehatchwaywasblackandgrim。Ellerykneltandpeereddown。Heretherewaspracticallynolightatallandtheairwasfoulerthanthatinthecabin。
“Seeanything，Mr。Ellery？“askedThoph，lookingoverhisshoulder。
“No，Idon’tseeanything。ButIthought——“
Heseemedtobelistening。
“Whatdidyouthink？“
“Nothing。I——“
“Holdon！youain’tgoin’downthere，beyou？Iwouldn’t。Notellin’whatyoumightfind。Well，allright。Iain’tcurious。
I’llstayuphereandyoucanreport。“
Hesteppedoverandleanedagainsttherail。Billcameacrossthedeckandjoinedhim。
“Where’sCharlie？“askedThoph。
“Gonebacktothecabin，“wastheanswer。“Thoughtlikelyhemightfindsomeofherpapersorsomethin’toputusonthetrack。I
toldhimtoheaveahead；Ididn’twantnopartofit。Toomuchlikethatyeller-jackschoonertosuitme。What’sbecomeoftheparson？“
Thophpointedtotheopenhatch。
“Downyonder，explorin’thefo’castle，“hereplied。“Hecanhavethejob，forallme。Phew！Say，Bill，whatISthiswe’vestruck，anyhow？“
Ellerydescendedthealmostperpendicularladdergingerly，holdingonwithbothhands。Atitsfoothestoppedandtriedtoaccustomhiseyestothedarkness。
Aroomperhapstenfeetlong，somuchhecouldmakeout。Thefloorstrewn，likethatofthecabin，withheapsofclothingandoddsandends。Moreshapesofclotheshangingupandswayingwiththerollofthebrig。Alittlewindowhighupattheend，blackwithdirt。
Andcavities，bunksinrows，alongthewalls。Ahorriblehole。
Hetookasteptowardthecenteroftheroom，bendinghisheadtoavoidhittingthefo’castlelantern。Theninoneofthebunkssomethingstirred，somethingalive。Hestartedviolently，controlledhimselfwithaneffort，andstumbledtowardthesound。
“Whatisit？“hewhispered。“Whoisit？Isanyonethere？“
Agroanansweredhim。Thenavoice，weakandquavering，said：
“Gimmeadrink！Gimmeadrink！Can’tnoneofyouGod-forsakendevilsgivemeadrink？“
Hestoopedoverthebunk。Amanwaslyinginit，crumpledintoadreadfulheap。Hestoopedlower，looked，andsawtheman’sface。
Therewasashoutfromthedeck，or，rather，ayell。Thenmoreyellsandthesoundofrunningfeet。
“Mr。Ellery！“screamedBurgess，atthehatchway。“Mr。Ellery，fortheAlmighty’ssake，comeuphere！Comeoutofthatthisminute。
Quick！“
Theministerknewwhatwascoming，wassureofitashesteppedtothefootoftheladder，hadknownittheinstanthesawthatface。
“Mr。Ellery！“shriekedBurgess。“Mr。Ellery，areyouthere？“
“Yes，I’mhere，“answeredtheminister，slowly。Hewasfightingwithallhismighttokeephisnervesundercontrol。Hisimpulsewastoleapupthosesteps，rushacrossthatdeck，springintothedoryandrow，anywheretogetawayfromthehorrorofthatforecastle。
“Comeup！“calledBurgess。“Hurry！It’sthesmallpox！Thedarnedhooker’srottenwithit。ForGodsakes，comequick！“
Herantotherail，yellingordertoBillandThoph，whowerefranticallybusywiththedory。Ellerybegantoclimbtheladder。
Hisheademergedintotheclean，sweetairblowingacrossthedeck。
Hedrewabreathtotheverybottomofhislungs。
Thenfrombehindandbelowhimcamethevoiceagain。
“Gimmeadrink！“itwailed。“Gimmeadrinkofwater。Ain’toneofyoucussedswabsgotdecencyenoughtofetchmeadrink？I’mdyin’
foradrink，Itellyou。I’mdyin’！“
Theministerstoodstill，hisfeetontheladder。Thethreemenbytherailwereworkinglikemad，theirfaceslividunderthesunburnandtheirhandstrembling。Theypushedeachotheraboutandswore。
Theywerenotcowards，either。Elleryknewthemwellenoughtoknowthat。Burgesshad，thatverywinter，pulledaskiffthroughbrokeniceinthefaceofawickedno’theastertorescueanoldneighborwhosedoryhadbeencapsizedinthebaywhilehewashaulinglobsterpots。ButnowBurgesswasasscaredastherest。
ThophandBillsprangovertherailintotheboat。BurgessturnedandbeckonedtoEllery。
“Comeon！“hecalled。“Whatareyouwaitin’for？“
Theministerremainedwherehewas。
“Areyousure——“hefaltered。
“Sure！Blastitall！Ifoundthelog。Itain’tbeenkeptforafortni’t，butthere’senough。It’ssmallpox，Itellyou。Twomendiedofitthreeweeksago。Theskipperdiedrightafterwards。
Themate——Nowonderthemthatwasleftrunawayassoonastheysightedland。Comeon！Doyouwanttodie，too？“
Fromthepoisonpitatthefootoftheladderthemaninthebunkcalledoncemore。
“Water！“hescreeched。“Water！Areyougoin’toleaveme，youd——ncowards？“
“ForHeavensakes！“criedBurgess，clutchingtherail，“what’sthat？“
Elleryansweredhim。“It’soneofthem，“hesaid，andhisvoicesoundedoddinhisownears。“It’soneofthecrew。“
“Oneofthe——DownTHERE？Hashe——“
“Yes，hehas。“
“Help！help！“screamedthevoiceshrilly。“Areyougoin’toleavemetodieallalone？He-elp！“
Theministerturned。“Hush！“hecalled，inanswertothevoice，“hush！I’llbringyouwaterinaminute。Burgess，“headded，“youandtherestgoashore。Ishallstay。“
“You’llstay？You’llSTAY？WithTHAT？You’recrazyasaloon。
Don’tbeafool，man！Comeon！We’llsendthedoctorandsomebodyelse——someonethat’shadit，maybe，orain’tafraid。IamandI’mgoin’。Don’tbeafool。“
Thoph，fromthedory，shoutedtoknowwhatwasthematter。Elleryclimbedtheladdertothedeckandwalkedovertotherail。Asheapproached，Burgessfellbackafewfeet。
“Thoph，“saidtheminister，addressingthepairinthedory，“thereisasickmandownintheforecastle。Hehasbeenalonethereforhours，Isuppose，certainlysincehisshipmatesranaway。Ifheisleftlongerwithouthelp，，hewillsurelydie。Someonemuststaywithhim。Youandtherestrowashoreandgetthedoctorandwhoeverelseyoucan。I’llstayheretilltheycome。“
Thophandhiscompanionssetupastormofprotest。Itwasfoolish，itwascrazy，themanwoulddieanyhow，andsoon。Theybeggedtheministertocomewiththem。Buthewasfirm。
“Don’tstoptoargue，“heurged。“Hurryandgetthedoctor。“
“Comeon，Charlie，“orderedBill。“Nousetalkin’tohim，he’sset。Comeon！Iwon’tstayalongsidethiscraftanotherminutefornobody。Ifyoubecomin’，come。“
Burgess，stillprotesting，clamberedovertherail。Thedoryswungclearofthebrig。Therowerssettledthemselvesforthestroke。
“Betterchangeyourmind，Mr。Ellery，“pleadedCharlie。“Ihatetoleaveyouthisway。Itseemsmean，butI’mamarriedmanwithchildren，liketherestofushere，andIcan’ttakenorisks。
Bettercome，too。No？Well，we’llsendhelpquickastheLord’llletus。BytheAlmighty！“headded，inasuddenburst，“you’vegotmorespunkthanIhave——yes，oranybodyIevercomeacross。I’llsaythatforyou，ifyouareaparson。Giveway，fellers。“
Theoarsdipped，bent，andthedorymovedoff。ThesoundofthecreakingtholepinsshotachillthroughEllery’sveins。Hiskneesshook，andinvoluntarilyacryforthemtocomebackrosetohislips。Buthechokeditdownandwavedhishandinfarewell。Then，nottrustinghimselftolooklongerattherecedingboat，heturnedonhisheelandwalkedtowardtheforecastle。
Thewaterbuttsstoodamidships，notfarfromtheopendoorofthegalley。Enteringthelatterhefoundanemptysaucepan。Thishefilledfromthecask，andthen，withitinhishand，turnedtowardtheblackhatchway。Herewasthegreatesttestofhiscourage。Todescendthatladder，approachthatbunk，andtouchtheterriblecreatureinit，thesewerethetaskshehadsethimselftodo，butcouldhe？
Vaccinationinthosedayswasbynomeanstheuniversalcustomthatitnowis。Andsmallpox，evennow，isadiseasethenameofwhichstrikespanictoacommunity。Theministerhadbeenvaccinatedwhenhewasachild，butthatwas——soitseemedtohim——averylongtimeago。Andthatforecastlewassosaturatedwiththeplaguethattoenteritmeantalmostcertaininfection。Hehadstayedaboardthebrigbecausethepitifulcallforhelphadmadeleavingacowardlyimpossibility。Now，facetoface，andincoldblood，withthealternative，itseemedneithersocowardlyorimpossible。
Themanwoulddieanyhow，soThophhadsaid；wasthereanygoodreasonwhyheshouldriskdying，too，anddyinginthatway？
Hethoughtofagreatmanythingsandofmanypeopleashestoodbythehatchway，waiting；amongothers，hethoughtofhishousekeeper，KeziahCoffin。And，somehow，thethoughtofher，ofherpluck，andherself-sacrifice，weretheveryinspirationsheneeded。“It’sthedutythat’sbeenlaidonme，“Keziahhadsaid，“andit’sahardone，butIdon’trunawayfromit。“Hebegantodescendtheladder。
Thesickmanwasravingindeliriumwhenhereachedhim，butthesoundofthewaterlappingthesidesofthesaucepanbroughthimtohimself。HeseizedEllerybythearmanddrankanddrank。Whenatlasthedesisted，thepanwashalfempty。
Theministerlaidhimgentlybackinthebunkandsteppedtothefootoftheladderforbreath。Thismadehimthinkofthenecessityforairintheplaceandherememberedthelittlewindow。
Itwastightlyclosedandrustedfast。Hewentuptothedeck，foundamarlinspike，and，returning，broketheglass。Asharp，colddraughtsweptthroughtheforecastle，stirringthegarmentshangingonthenails。
Anhourlater，twodoriesbumpedagainstthesideoftheSanJose。
Men，talkinginlowtones，climbedovertherail。Burgesswasoneofthem；ashamedofhispanic，hehadreturnedtoassisttheothersinbringingthebrigantineintoasaferanchoragebytheinlet。