{"id":"01KG8AKT6AXGVTBMFEZ3WNFY8Y","cid":"bafkreiaiixosgygutalm3jpuqh6djerapqsge5k3rpbdsyhufs6b6km2tm","type":"chunk","properties":{"end_line":1830,"extracted_at":"2026-01-30T20:48:15.149Z","extracted_by":"structure-extraction-lambda","label":"Chunk 3","source_file":"01KG89J1H7Y803CZ7X80F0QFHZ","start_line":1746,"text":"mate carelessly observed that they would soon be where look-outs were\r\nentirely unnecessary, the whales he had in his eye (though Flash Jack\r\nsaid they were all in his) being so tame that they made a practice of\r\ncoming round ships, and scratching their backs against them.\r\n\r\nThus went the world of waters with us, some four weeks or more after\r\nleaving Hannamanoo.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nCHAPTER XIII.\r\nOUR DESTINATION CHANGED\r\n\r\n\r\nIt was not long after the death of the two men, that Captain Guy was\r\nreported as fast declining, and in a day or two more, as dying. The\r\ndoctor, who previously had refused to enter the cabin upon any\r\nconsideration, now relented, and paid his old enemy a professional\r\nvisit.\r\n\r\nHe prescribed a warm bath, which was thus prepared. The skylight being\r\nremoved, a cask was lowered down into the cabin, and then filled with\r\nbuckets of water from the ship’s coppers. The cries of the patient,\r\nwhen dipped into his rude bath, were most painful to hear. They at last\r\nlaid him on the transom, more dead than alive.\r\n\r\nThat evening, the mate was perfectly sober, and coming forward to the\r\nwindlass, where we were lounging, summoned aft the doctor, myself, and\r\ntwo or three others of his favourites; when, in the presence of Bembo\r\nthe Mowree, he spoke to us thus:\r\n\r\n“I have something to say to ye, men. There’s none but Bembo here as\r\nbelongs aft, so I’ve picked ye out as the best men for’ard to take\r\ncounsel with, d’ye see, consarning the ship. The captain’s anchor is\r\npretty nigh atrip; I shouldn’t wonder if he croaked afore morning. So\r\nwhat’s to be done? If we have to sew him up, some of those pirates\r\nthere for’ard may take it into their heads to run off with the ship,\r\nbecause there’s no one at the tiller. Now, I’ve detarmined what’s best\r\nto be done; but I don’t want to do it unless I’ve good men to back me,\r\nand make things all fair and square if ever we get home again.”\r\n\r\nWe all asked what his plan was.\r\n\r\n“I’ll tell ye what it is, men. If the skipper dies, all agree to obey\r\nmy orders, and in less than three weeks I’ll engage to have five\r\nhundred barrels of sperm oil under hatches: enough to give every\r\nmother’s son of ye a handful of dollars when we get to Sydney. If ye\r\ndon’t agree to this, ye won’t have a farthing coming to ye.”\r\n\r\nDoctor Long Ghost at once broke in. He said that such a thing was not\r\nto be dreamt of; that if the captain died, the mate was in duty bound\r\nto navigate the ship to the nearest civilized port, and deliver her up\r\ninto an English consul’s hands; when, in all probability, after a run\r\nashore, the crew would be sent home. Everything forbade the mate’s\r\nplan. “Still,” said he, assuming an air of indifference, “if the men\r\nsay stick it out, stick it out say I; but in that case, the sooner we\r\nget to those islands of yours the better.”\r\n\r\nSomething more he went on to say; and from the manner in which the rest\r\nregarded him, it was plain that our fate was in his hands. It was\r\nfinally resolved upon, that if Captain Guy was no better in twenty-four\r\nhours, the ship’s head should be pointed for the island of Tahiti.\r\n\r\nThis announcement produced a strong sensation—the sick rallied—and the\r\nrest speculated as to what was next to befall us; while the doctor,\r\nwithout alluding to Guy, congratulated me upon the prospect of soon\r\nbeholding a place so famous as the island in question.\r\n\r\nThe night after the holding of the council, I happened to go on deck in\r\nthe middle watch, and found the yards braced sharp up on the larboard\r\ntack, with the South East Trades strong on our bow. The captain was no\r\nbetter; and we were off for Tahiti.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nCHAPTER XIV.\r\nROPE YARN\r\n\r\n\r\nWhile gliding along on our way, I cannot well omit some account of a\r\npoor devil we had among us, who went by the name of Rope Yarn, or\r\nRopey.\r\n\r","title":"Chunk 3"},"relationships":[{"peer":"01KG8AJH07MQM35VETZATZ3R3G","peer_type":"chapter","predicate":"in"},{"peer":"01KG89J1H7Y803CZ7X80F0QFHZ","peer_type":"file","predicate":"extractedFrom"},{"peer":"01KG89HMDZKNY753EZE1CJ8HZW","peer_type":"collection","predicate":"collection"},{"peer":"01KG8AKT6027EHP0VV0N6DSX39","peer_type":"chunk","predicate":"prev"},{"peer":"01KG8AKT6AYQEDA848RJQ07HE5","peer_type":"chunk","predicate":"next"}],"ver":2,"created_at":"2026-01-30T20:48:16.586Z","ts":"2026-01-30T20:48:23.613Z","edited_by":{"method":"manual","user_id":"01KFF0H3YRP9ZSM033AM0QJ47H"}}