Still, the breeze was light and steady.
Now, seeing the helm thus lashed, I could not but distrust the silence that prevailed.

It conjured up the idea of miscreants concealed below, and meditating treachery; unscrupulous mutineers-- Lascars, or Manilla-men; who, having murdered the Europeans of the crew, might not be willing to let strangers depart unmolested.

Or yet worse, the entire ship's company might have been swept away by a fever, its infection still lurking in the poisoned hull.

And though the first conceit, as the last, was a mere surmise, it was nevertheless deemed prudent to secure the hatches, which for the present we accordingly barred down with the oars of our boat.

This done, we went about the deck in search of water.