but the boy told them to throw the last cord of wood overboard , billet by billet , and no two billets at once . and when the last billet of wood fell , they heard a deep groaning , as though some one were dying hard , and when all was quiet once more , the whole sea was the color of blood , as far as eye could reach . when they reached land , the captain and the quartermasters spoke of writing to their wives . " that is something you might just as well let be , " said the cabin - boy , " seeing that you no longer have any wives . "
they did not know the wives planned to kill them .
why did the captain and quartermasters want to write to their wives ?
why did the captain and quartermasters want to write to their wives ?