"Wake Mr. Stedman, will you?" said he, "and we will go and
take a look at her."
"You can see nothing but the lights," said Bradley, as he left
the room; "it's a black night, sir."
Stedman was not new from the sight of men and ships of war,
and came in half dressed and eager.
"Do you suppose it's the big canoe Messenwah spoke of?" he
said.
"I thought of that," said Gordon.
The three men fumbled their way down the road to the plaza,
and saw, as soon as they turned into it, the great outlines
and the brilliant lights of an immense vessel, still more
immense in the darkness, and glowing like a strange monster of
the sea, with just a suggestion here and there, where the
lights spread, of her cabins and bridges. As they stood on
the shore, shivering in the cool night-wind, they heard the
bells strike over the water.
"It's two o'clock," said Bradley, counting.
"Well, we can do nothing, and they cannot mean to do much
to-night," Albert said. "We had better get some more sleep,
and, Bradley, you keep watch and tell us as soon as day
breaks."
"Aye, aye, sir," said the sailor.
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