Clayton had stopped for something to quench his thirst. He didn't know what to make of the strange reception he received by the sailors in The Cellar. It was as though he entered a room filled with lunatics. Once he started to recount the tale of his rescue at Bald Head Cliffs emotions went from peculiar to a feeling of impending doom. As quickly as the weather changes in Maine was as fast as the sentiment had changed in The Cellar. The mood swiftly turned from jovial and boisterous to dispirited and hushed. Now indiscernible whispers filled the air.