Brace Leigh was half-asleep still as he looked down at his sleeping
brother, and had hard work to collect his thoughts before making out
that it was a brilliant sunny morning, that Dan was busily preparing the
breakfast, and the brig careening over to port as the water rippled by
her bows.
Then everything was plain: there had been no attack in the night, the
breeze had sprung up with the sun, and the brig was gliding at a fair
rate up the river.
But best all and most welcome was the appearance of Sir Humphrey when
Brace descended after going on deck for a refreshing morning bath, the
toilet equipment consisting of a rough towel and a bucket of water
dipped out of the river by one of the men.
For as Brace went to the side of the berth to gaze anxiously in his
brother's face, Sir Humphrey's eyes opened and he stared wonderingly up
into those bent upon him.
"What a horrible dream!" he said slowly. "I dreamed I--Why, it was all
true: I was shot with a poisoned arrow."
"Yes, Free, it's all true enough," said Brace, laying a hand upon the
other's forehead, to find it burning hot.
"Yes, I remember everything now. I felt that I was going to die."
"We were afraid so too."
"But I'm not dead, Brace."
"Not a bit, old fellow. Does your arm hurt much?"
"When I move it. Then it stings. I say, that must be a good, healthy
sign!"
"I should think so."
"But my head aches terribly--it is burning and throbbing."
"Aha! good morning, Sir Humphrey," cried the captain cheerily. "Come,
that's better. Why, you frightened us all last night."
"I am very sorry."
"And I am very glad," said the captain. "Did I hear you say just now
that your head was aching very badly?"
"Yes, terribly."
"Well, don't be uneasy about that. I gave you a strong dose of opium
yesterday, and you've only just slept it off. Never mind about the
head. Let your doctors see your arm."
This was carefully unbandaged, the captain displaying no mean skill.
"Swollen a bit," he said; "the bandages have been drawn too tight. A
nasty hurt; but you're a healthy man, and the wound looks the same.
There's no poison here."
"Do you feel sure?" asked Sir Humphrey, while Brace looked anxiously on.
"Certain, sir. Look for yourself. A bit hot and inflamed, and very
tender to the touch, but quite natural. A poisoned wound would look
very different from that. Here, squire, we'll give it a good bath and a
new bandage and it will be quite easy. We're not going to turn back
from our voyage because our leader has been hurt."
"Your words do me good, captain," said Sir Humphrey, smiling. "A man
cannot help feeling just a bit nervous when he has received such a
wound, can he?"
"Of course not, sir. He wouldn't be a man if he didn't. I don't
suppose a marble image minds much about a chip or its head being knocked
off. But I know I should."
"Should you, captain?" said Brace drily.
"Of course I--No, I shouldn't," cried the captain. "I suppose a fellow
wouldn't think much without his head. But let's talk sense. I'm not a
doctor, Sir Humphrey, but I've had a lot of queer jobs to tackle in my
time, and only lost one patient. He was too much for me. Fell from the
main-top cross-trees and broke his neck. I couldn't set that. But I
did set a broken arm and a broken leg. Made 'em stronger than they were
before. Then I had a chap nipped between a water-cask and the side of
the hold. Broke two of his ribs. I mended him too."
"How did you manage to set the ribs?" said Brace, noting that the
captain's decisive way influenced his brother.
"Made 'em set themselves, squire. I gave him as much as he could eat,
and then made him draw in as much air as he could and hold it while I
put a great broad bandage round him. I had a piece of canvas pierced
with eye-holes, and laced it up tight about his chest with a bit o'
yarn. He came right again in no time. So will you, sir. All you want
for this arm is rest, plenty of cold bathing, and clean bandages.
Nature will soon heal that up. How does the sponging feel?"
"Delightful!" said the patient.
"And what about your head?"
"Very bad."
"Cup of tea will soon set that right, sir; but I meant your thinking
apparatus--let's have some more water, squire. There, I'll hold his arm
over the basin, and you trickle it on from the spout of the can gently.
That'll make the muscles contract healthily and help the swelling to go
down."
"Most comforting!" said Sir Humphrey, with a sigh of relief. "But what
did you mean about my thinking apparatus?"
"Not going to fancy your wound's poisoned, are you?"
"N-no," said the patient, hesitating. "I suppose I need not fidget
about that?"
"Not a bit, sir," said the captain gruffly, as he went on busying
himself about the wound. "I daresay there was something on the
arrow-head, but squire here cleansed the wound beautifully, and you can
see for yourself that this side is all right, and take our word for it
that the other looks just the same. Now, squire, we'll have some of
that lint on, and a light bandage to keep it clean and cool. He'll have
the arm in a sling and hold it still, so that there's no fear of any
more bleeding, and it will heal up again in a very short time."
Sir Humphrey unconsciously sighed again, but it was a sigh of relief and
a few minutes after Dan brought him a cup of tea, of which he partook,
and once more dropped asleep when everything had been done.
"Bit weak," said the captain softly. "Best thing he can do. Sleep's a
fine thing, and it seems the best thing in the world when you've got the
watch and your eyelids keep on sticking together and making you feel as
if you must break up a couple of sticks to turn into props. Now come
and have some breakfast, my lad. I want mine. Eh? what do you say?
We're sailing up?"
"Yes; we're going fast."
"Ever since sunrise, my lad, and we're miles away from where we
anchored, and likely to get miles more ahead by night, so that we may
hope for better anchorage and better sport than we had yesterday.
Hungry?"
"Well, yes," said Brace. "I feel more at ease about my brother."
"That's right," said the captain, sniffing. "I say! ham smells good.
Coffee too. That skinny chap of Briscoe's makes a splendid steward.
You'll feel in better heart still when you've had your breakfast. Sun's
out again."
"Yes," said Brace; "I saw it was a bright morning."
"I didn't mean that: I meant your sun, squire--the one inside a man
which gets clouded over sometimes, and means dumps till it comes out
again and lights him up. Sun's in: a man can't eat. Sun's out: he can.
See?"
"Yes," said Brace, laughing; "I think I shall have an appetite to-day."
The next minute he was proving his words; but his efforts did not bring
him abreast of the captain and the others, though the captain said
afterwards in confidence:
"The passengers did not play such a very bad knife and fork."