CHAPTER VII.
AN INTERVIEW ON THE BRIDGE Although Mr.Lillyworth knew very well that Pink Mulgrum was deaf and dumb, he "jawed" at him as though his hearing was as perfect as his own, doubtless forgetting for the moment his infirmity.
"Draw up the bight, and lace it tighter," exclaimed the second lieutenant, intermixing an expletive at each end of the sentence.

"Oh, you can't hear me!" he shouted, as though the fact that the scullion could not hear him had suddenly come to his mind.

"Well, it is a nice thing to talk to a deaf man!" Dave could see that Mulgrum also seemed to forget that his ears were closed to all sounds, for he redoubled his efforts to haul the screen into its place.
"I could not hear anything that was of any consequence," the steward heard the deaf mute say in a lower tone than his companion used.
"Couldn't you hear anything ?" asked Mr.Lillyworth, making a spring at the canvas as though he was disgusted with the operations of his companion on the bridge.
"Only what I have just told you," replied Mulgrum.
"But you were at the door when the captain and the first lieutenant were talking together in the cabin," continued the officer in a low tone.
"But they were talking about me, as I told you before," answered the scullion, rather impatiently, as though he too had a mind of his own.
"Wasn't anything said about the operations of the future ?" demanded Mr.
Lillyworth.
"Not a word; but you know as well as I do that the captain has sealed orders which he will not see before to-morrow.

I heard him tell his father that he was to open the envelope in latitude 38," said the supernumerary.
"You must contrive some way to hear the captain when he reads his orders," continued the second lieutenant.

"He will be likely to have Mr.Flint with him when he opens the envelope." "It will be difficult," replied Mulgrum, and Dave could imagine that he saw him shake his head.