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“Indeed, for if we are to be fed to the sharks, so be it, but I think, as you say, we can offer to work”

Bunky climbed up on a pile of sacks and pushed the hatch door It opened ith a loud squeaking sound and then thu

Evening was upon theh the opening, causing both he and Heather to shield their eyes for the ht, Bunky pulled hih of relief to find no one in their immediate vicinity He slid back down and turned to Heather and whispered, “There now…” He gave her his hand “Use me knee as ye pull yerself up”

Heather was deterue and weakness she felt She took hold of his hand, noting to herself how tightly he held her, how determined he was to ood heart, she thought

She hoisted herself up by planting a foot on his thigh and allowing hi and dragged herself the re flat there as she recouped Luckily, she lay in the shadows and knew she looked more like an eerie blob than a woman

A French crew some space away made a sound and Heather kneould find them She watched as he put a hand to his heart and said, “Nom de dieu!”

Heather closed her eyes as she scurried backwards, further into the shadows This was the moment of truth Would the Frenchman shoot?

Her swift and unexpected o a howl, quite unnerving to her ears, as he fell back into the hole

In French, the crewman exclaimed that only a demon could sound like that, while Bunky’s fall left hinantly that he was ready, quite ready to meet his maker, as this had become more than flesh and blood could bear

Heather hushed him

Bunky found renewed vitality and left the rodent behind him as he scurried out of the open hatch He landed on his belly beside Heather with an “oomph”

“Oh, do be quiet,” Heather said on a hushed note

This series of unexpected and unprecedented phenomena astonished and horrified this particular crewman, who apparently, Heather discovered from his exclamations, was superstitious He seemed riveted in place, his hand still on his heart and screeching enough to bring down sailors from an ocean away, “Ici! Bon dieu ! Ici! Capitaine! Ici, Louis…Satane!”

Apparently the Louis he called had heard hi no chances, called for others to join them

Other crewtheir screeching and horrified mate