"And sarve him jolly well right," growled Hampton, looking at me as I
hurried forward to where Captain Berriman was following up one of the
sailors, who, with his hand to his bleeding cheek, was gazing fiercely
at his officer and backing away toward the forecastle.
"Yes," shouted the captain, "get down below and don't show yourself to
me again to-day, you scoundrel. Call yourself a sailor, and haven't
learned the first line of a sailor's catechism--obedience to his
officer."
The captain's face was flushed and the veins in his brow were knotted,
but the aspect of his countenance changed directly, as in backing away
from him the man did not allow for the heaving of the ship, and the
consequence was that he stumbled, tried to save himself, and then fell
heavily and rolled over into the lee-scuppers, but picked himself up and
then hurried forward and out of sight.
As I looked back at the captain, it was to see his rugged face twinkling
now with mirth, and he turned to Mr Frewen the doctor, who had hurried
on deck at the noise.
"There, doctor," he said, "you see the old Burgh Castle wouldn't rest
easy, and see her skipper insulted. Pitched the scoundrel off his legs.
That comes of having these mongrel sort of fellows aboard. He's half a
Frenchman. Shipped in a hurry. An insolent dog. Got my blood up; for
as long as I walk this deck, right or wrong, I'll be obeyed. Perhaps I
ought to have put him in irons though, instead of being so handy with my
fists. You'll have to go and stick half-a-yard of plaster on his cheek:
it's cut."
"What was the matter?" said the doctor, as soon as the captain gave him
an opportunity.
"Brymer told him and another of the men to go up aloft, and he refused.
I heard him, and ordered him to go at once, and he said, loud enough for
Miss Denning to hear--never mind what. Here she comes;--and I knocked
him down."
"Ah, my dear young lady," he continued, taking off his cap, "I apologise
to you for that scene. But a captain must be master of his ship."
"I am very sorry too," she replied sadly. "It seemed so shocking for
you to strike the man."
"Now, now, now, my dear, don't you scold me, an old fellow who has to
play the part of father to you and your brother on this voyage. It was
a pity perhaps, but I was obliged. But there, there, it's all over
now."
"Hope it be," grumbled a voice behind me, and I turned sharply to see
that Hampton was close alongside. "Yes, sir," he said again, "I hope it
be, but chaps who wears earrings has got tempers like spiteful women,
and that chap Jarette arn't the sort to forget a blow."
"Did the captain hit him very hard?" I said, after a glance over my
shoulder, to see that the officers were walking aft talking to Miss
Denning.
"Hard? Did the skipper hit him hard, sir? What says you, Barney, and
you, Neb Dumlow?"
This was to the two sailors who were generally pretty close to his
heels, all three men being thorough messmates, and having, as I
afterwards learned, sailed together for years.
"Did he hit him hard?" said Barney, slowly, and giving his mouth a rub
with the back of his hand.
"That's what I said, messmate; don't get chewin' o' my words over five
hundred times to show off afore our young orficer. Did he hit him
hard?"
"Orfle!" said Barney.
"Then why didn't you say so afore, 'stead o' getting into bad habits,
a-saying things for the sake o' talking. Now, Neb Dumlow, just look the
young gent straight in the face and say what you thinks."
"Couldn't ha' hit him no harder," growled the great fellow in his deep
bass voice.
"Not with one hand," acquiesced Hampton; "but you needn't ha' screwed
both your eyes out o' sight to say it, matey. Bad habit o' hisn, sir,"
he continued, turning to me, "but I'm a-trying to break him on it.
Neb's a good sort o' chap if you could straighten his eyes; arn't you
Neb?"
"Dunno," growled the man.
"Then it's a good job for you as I do, mate. Ay, the skipper did give
Master Jarette a floorer, and I'm sorry for it."
"Why," I said, "if he deserved it?"
"Well, you see, sir, it's like this; if me or Neb or Barney there had
scared one of the officers, and the skipper had knocked us down, why, we
shouldn't ha' liked it--eh, mates?"
"No," came in a growl.
"Course not; but then we're Englishmen, and knowing as we was in the
wrong, why, next day we should have forgot all about it."
"Ay, ay," growled Dumlow, and Barney nodded his acquiescence.
"But strikes me, sir--you needn't tell the skipper I says so, because
p'r'aps I'm wrong--strikes me as that chap won't forget it, and I should
be sorry for there to be any more rows with ladies on board, 'cause they
don't like it. But I say, sir!"
"Yes, Hampton," I replied.
"I thought as Mr Walters as had been to sea afore was going to put you
through it all. When's he going to show on deck?"
"Oh, he'll come up as soon as he's well enough," I said.
"If I was skipper, he'd be well enough now," said the sailor, roughly.
"More you gives way to being sea-sick, more you may. I don't say as
it's nice, far from it; but if a man shows fight, he soon gets too many
for it. Here's him been a voyage, and you arn't. He lies below, below,
below in his bunk, and you goes about just as if you was at home."
"Because I haven't been ill," I said, laughing.
"No, sir, you arn't; but if I was you, I'd soon go down and cure him."
"How?" I said, expecting to hear of some good old remedy.
"Physic, sir."
"Yes, what physic?" I said.
"Bucket o' water, sir,--take a hair o' the dog as bit you, as the Scotch
chaps say,--fresh dipped."
"Rubbish, Bob Hampton; how could he drink a bucket of salt water?"
"Who said anything about drinking it, sir? I meant as lotion, `Outward
application only,' as Mr Frewen puts on his bottles o' stuff
sometimes."
"What! bathe him with salt water?"
"Yes, sir, on'y we calls it dowsin'. Sharp and sudden like. Furst
dollop fails, give him another, and keep it up till he walks on deck to
get dry; then call me to swab up the cabin, and he's all right."
"I'll tell Mr Walters what you say, Hampton."
"No, sir, I wouldn't do that; 'cause if you do, he'll have his knife
into me. I on'y meant it as good advice. He on'y wants rousin' up.
Why, if you was to set some of us to rattle a chain over his head, and
then make a rash, and you went down and telled him the ship was sinking,
he'd be quite well, thank ye, and come on deck and look out for a place
in the first boat."
"You're too hard upon him," I said, and not liking to hear the man talk
in this way, which sounded like an attempt to, what my father used to
call, curry favour, I went aft to find that the invalid passenger, Mr
John Denning, had been helped out on to the poop-deck by his sister and
the steward, and was now having a cane-chair lashed for him close up by
the mizzen-mast.
He beckoned as he caught sight of me, just as he was being lowered into
his place, and I went up slowly, for the captain and Mr Frewen were by
his side, and as I approached I heard him say rather irritably--
"Thank you, doctor. If I feel unwell I will ask you to help me. I'm
quite right, only half-suffocated by being down so long."
"Very good, Mr Denning. I only thought you might wish to avail
yourself of my services."
"Thank you; yes--of course."