Starboard a little—so—steady—starboard—larboard a little—steady—steady!”
So he issued his commands, which I breathlessly obeyed; till, all of a sudden, he cried: “Now, my hearty, luff!" And I put the helm hard up and the Hispaniola swung round rapidly and ran stem on for the lowwooded shore.
The excitement of these last maneuvers had somewhat interfered with the watch I had kept hitherto, sharply enough, upon the cockswain. Even then I was still so much interested, waiting for the ship to touch, that I had quite forgot the peril that hung over my head, and stood craning over the starboard bulwarks and watching the ripples spreading wide before the bows. I might have fallen without a struggle for my life, had not a sudden disquietude seized upon me and made me turn my head. Perhaps I had heard a creak or seen his shadow moving with the tail of my eye; perhaps it was an instinct like a cat’s, but, sure enough, when I looked round, there was Hands, already halfway toward me, with the dirk in his right hand.
We must both have cried out aloud when our eyes met, but while mine was the shrill cry of terror, his was a roar of fury like a charging bull’s. At the same instant he threw himself forward and I leaped sideways toward the bows. As I did so I left hold of the tiller, which sprung sharp to leeward; and I think this saved my life, for it struck Hands across the chest, and stopped him, for the moment, dead.
