"And is now going out to sea - to sea - to sea!" The third went
out in three surges, making a clean sweep of a boat, which turned
bottom up and sank in the darkening troughs alongside, while the
broken falls whipped the davits.

"That's all there is to it," seethed the white water roaring through
the scuppers. "There's no animus in our proceedings. We're only
meteorological corollaries."

"Is it going to get any worse?" said the bow-anchor chained down
to the deck, where he could only breathe once in five minutes.

"Not knowing, can't say. Wind may blow a bit by midnight.
Thanks awfully. Good-bye."

The wave that spoke so politely had travelled some distance aft,
and found itself all mixed up on the deck amidships, which was a
well-deck sunk between high bulwarks. One of the bulwark-plates,
which was hung on hinges to open outward, had swung out, and
passed the bulk of the water back to the sea again with a clean
smack.

"Evidently that's what I'm made for," said the plate, closing
again with a sputter of pride. "Oh, no, you don't, my friend!"
The top of a wave was trying to get in from the outside, but as
the plate did not open in that direction, the defeated water
spurted back.

"Not bad for five-sixteenths of an inch," said the bulwark-plate.
"My work, I see, is laid down for the night"; and it began opening