,
I dare say, the peculiar vividness and strength and absolute blasphemy of his
metaphors. The cause of it all, as near as I could make out, was that the man,
who was mate, had gone on a debauch before leaving San Francisco, and then had
the poor taste to die at the beginning of the voyage and leave Wolf Larsen
short-handed.
    It should be unnecessary to state, at least to my friends, that I was
shocked. Oaths and vile language of any sort had always been repellent to me. I
felt a wilting sensation, a sinking at the heart, and, I might just as well say,
a giddiness. To me, death had always been invested with solemnity and dignity.
It had been peaceful in its occurrence, sacred in its ceremonial. But death in
its more sordid and terrible aspects was a thing with which I had been
unacquainted till now. As I say, while I appreciated the power of the terrific
denunciation that swept out of Wolf Larsen's mouth, I was inexpressibly shocked.
The scorching torrent was enough to wither the face of the corpse. I should not
have been surprised if the wet black beard had frizzled and curled and flared up
in smoke and flame. But the dead man was unconcerned. He continued to grin with
a sardonic humor, with a cynical mockery and defiance. He was master of the
situation.
 

                                  Chapter III

Wolf Larsen ceased swearing as suddenly as he had begun. He relighted his cigar
and glanced around. His eyes chanced upon the cook.
    »Well, Cooky?« he began, with a suaveness that was cold and of the temper of
steel.
    »Yes, sir,« the cook eagerly interpolated, with appeasing and apologetic
servility.
    »Don't you think you've stretched that neck of yours just about enough? It's
unhealthy, you know. The mate's gone, so I can't afford to lose you too. You
must be very, very careful of your health, Cooky. Understand?«
    His last word, in striking contrast with the smoothness of his previous
utterance, snapped like the lash of a whip. The cook quailed under it.
    »Yes, sir,« was the meek reply, as the offending head disappeared into the
galley.
    At this sweeping rebuke, which the cook had only pointed, the rest of the
crew became uninterested and fell to work at one task or another. A number of
men, however, who were lounging about a companionway between the galley and the
hatch, and who did not seem to be