But the hours of darkness passed in peace; the men who still
remained at their duty toiling hard at the pumps, whose clinking
and clanking at intervals through the dreary night dismally
resounded through the ship.
"At sunrise the Captain went forward, and knocking on the deck,
summoned the prisoners to work; but with a yell they refused.
Water was then lowered down to them, and a couple of handfuls
of biscuit were tossed after it; when again turning the key upon
them and pocketing it, the Captain returned to the quarter-deck.
Twice every day for three days this was repeated; but on the fourth
morning a confused wrangling, and then a scuffling was heard,
as the customary summons was delivered; and suddenly four men
burst up from the forecastle, saying they were ready to turn to.
The fetid closeness of the air, and a famishing diet, united perhaps
to some fears of ultimate retribution, had constrained them to
surrender at discretion. Emboldened by this, the Captain reiterated
his demand to the rest, but Steelkilt shouted up to him a terrific
hint to stop his babbling and betake himself where he belonged.
On the fifth morning three others of the mutineers bolted up into
the air from the desperate arms below that sought to restrain them.
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