"Well, why shouldn't I?" he said. "One likes to see a few exciting
scenes now and then. Life is so dull."
He was holding on by the arms of the chair, for the ship rose and fell,
and rolled a good deal in the short, choppy sea; but he seemed to like
it, and as his sister stood with her hands resting on the back of the
chair, balancing herself and yielding to the motion of the ship, her
eyes brightened, and she gazed away over the foaming sea, where the sun
had come through the clouds, and made the spray sparkle like diamonds as
the waves curled over and broke.
They neither of them spoke to me, and I walked slowly away to see that
the captain had raised his hand.
"You can spend a little time with the sick passenger, Dale," he said; "I
mean when he wants you. Poor fellow, I'm afraid he's in a bad way."
He walked back toward the group by the mizzen as he spoke, and then as
we drew near he changed the conversation.
"Look here, Dale," he said; "you'd better go down and pull your messmate
out of his bunk by the hind leg. Time he was on deck now. And look
here, go and see how that Mr Preddle is. He's keeping below, too, when
a touch of this brisk breeze would set him up. Go down, and tell him
the fish are fighting--ah, fighting--that will be more like the truth.
They're sure to fight. That will bring him on deck."
"Shall I, sir?"
"Yes; off with you."
As I started I saw that Mr Denning was frowning, and that his sister
looked troubled. But it was only a momentary glance, and a minute or
two later I approached the door of Mr Preddle's cabin and knocked.
There was a groan, and in spite of its pitiful nature I could not help
smiling, and I knocked again.
"Come in," I heard in quite a squeak; and then as I opened the door--"Is
that Doctor Frewen?"
"No, sir," I replied. "I've come to ask you to get up and come on
deck."
"On deck! Is there any danger?"
The speaker raised himself upon his elbow, and looked at me eagerly.
"Oh no," I replied; "the sea's going down, and the captain thinks an
hour or two on deck would do you good."
"Too ill, too much prostrated," sighed the great fellow, who lay, as I
thought, like a sick elephant, when he had dropped back on to the
pillow.
"Captain Berriman said something about seeing to your fish, sir."
"My fish! Ah, yes; you shall look at them for me."
"But it really is nice and fresh on deck, sir."
"Yes, for you."
"And it seems to be doing Mr Denning and his sister ever so much good."
Mr Preddle rose suddenly to his elbow.
"Miss--They are not on deck?" he said eagerly. "What, Mr and Miss
Denning?"
"Yes," I said, looking at him wonderingly, for he appeared to be so
excited. "Oh yes; he's sitting up there, looking at the sea, and his
sister's standing by his chair."
"Would--would you mind helping me on with a few of my things, Mr Dale?"
he said hurriedly, as he began to creep out of his berth. "It's so
awkward dressing when the ship sways about so. It makes me feel giddy."
"Oh yes; I'll help you," I said.
"Thank you; it's very kind of you. The captain is quite right, and I'm
not doing what I ought about those fish. I will go and see to them. So
much time and expense was devoted to--oh, my gracious!"
I tried to save him, but he was too heavy, and we went down together
with him half over me; but I didn't feel it much, for he was very soft.
You see he had got one leg half-way into his trousers, when the Burgh
Castle gave a lurch, and bang he went up against the bulk-head, and then
on to the floor.
"Hurt yourself much, sir?" I said, as we both struggled up.
"Oh, horri--no, no, not much, thank you," he muttered. "I--I--haven't
quite got my sea-legs yet, as you sailors call it. That's better. Now
if you wouldn't mind, Mr Dale."
I didn't mind, of course, and I helped him all I could, thinking all the
while he was like a big fat boy we used to have at school, only Mr
Preddle was nearly three times the size. And all the time, though he
must have felt very faint and poorly, he kept a good face upon his
troubles, trying to laugh and make light of them, till I said, merrily--
"That's the way, Mr Preddle. Now, if you get up on deck and don't
think about the ship rolling, you will soon be better."
"Yes," he said; "I believe I should if I only could keep from thinking
about the ship rolling. But it won't let me." This was while he was
rubbing his big, round, smooth face, which looked as good-natured as
possible, though the smile upon it was only forced.
"Oh, but you'll soon get over it," I cried. "I'll stop and help you
up."
"Yes, do please stop," he said hurriedly; "but don't try and help me up.
I'm going to walk up and balance myself. I shall keep close to the
bulwarks, don't you call them, and hold on. Which is the best side?"
"I should go along on the weather side," I replied. "You may get
splashed a bit; but you'll soon learn not to mind that. I've often been
drenched when out in the yacht with father, but one soon got dry again."
"Didn't you catch a bad cold?" he said, out of the towel.
"Oh no."
Then he looked in his little glass as he steadied himself with one hand,
and then in his highly-pitched voice he said, as he looked round at me
with a faint laugh, and passed his hand over his chin--
"It's a very good job, isn't it, that I don't have to shave? I'm sure I
couldn't use a razor with the ship rising and falling like this."
Thud! Whish!
The little round window was darkened for a few moments, and Mr Preddle
held on with both hands.
"What's that?" he cried, excitedly. "Is there any danger?"
"Danger? No," I said with a laugh. "It was only a wave. Good job you
hadn't opened your window. Don't you ever shave, then, sir?"
"No," he said with a sigh; "my beard never came."
"Then it never will," I remember thinking to myself as I looked at his
smooth cheeks and chin, while he carefully combed and brushed his hair
as he stood in his trousers and shirt, and then opened a little box and
took out three neckerchiefs, all different in colour.
"Which one would you wear, Mr Dale?" he said, as he looked up at me.
"Oh, I don't know," I cried merrily; "which you like best--the blue one.
There's plenty of blue sky and blue sea now."
"Yes, you're right," he said, eagerly. "And--you wouldn't mind, would
you?"
"Mind what, sir?"
"Showing me how to tie a sailor's knot. I never could manage it
properly."
I showed him, and then he put on a white waistcoat and a blue serge
jacket, like that worn by a yachting-man, buttoned up tightly, and
looked at me again.
"It's very kind of you to help me," he said; "but do you think it's fine
enough for a straw hat?"
I shook my head as I pictured his round, plump, white face under the
straight brim, and thought how comic it would look.
"I should wear that," I said, pointing to a yachtsman's blue woollen
peaked cap. "There's so much wind, and it will keep on better."
"Of course; you are quite right," he said. "It's because you have had
so much experience of the sea. But it isn't quite so becoming as the
straw, is it?"
I stared at him wonderingly as I thought how vain he must be; but I said
it looked right enough.
"I should keep the straw hat for when we get down into the hot parts,
sir," I said.
"To be sure; so I will. Do you know, that wash seems to have done me a
lot of good, Mr Dale. I really think I feel better."
"Then you'll be all right now, sir. I should get the steward to give me
a basin of soup."
He shuddered, and gave me a look of horror.
"I couldn't touch it," he whispered. "Don't ask me. Not now."
"Wait till you've been on deck a bit, sir."
"Yes, yes," he said, excitedly; and after another look in the glass he
told me he was ready, and we went out to go on deck: but he declined to
go up the steps to where the captain would be with the other passengers,
and said he would go forward to have a look at the fish; but before he
had gone many steps, he altered his mind.
"I do feel better, Mr Dale," he said, with a half-laugh, "and I think I
will go up and pay my respects to the captain and--and the other
passengers," and then, talking eagerly to me about his fish, and
carefully preserving his balance, we went up on the poop-deck, with the
ship gliding along swiftly and more easily.
The captain saw us, and came to meet him along with Mr Brymer, the
first mate, and both shook hands warmly.
"Glad, to see you on deck, sir. There, you've got over your bit of
trouble. It was rather a rough beginning."
"Yes, and of course I'm not much used to the sea, Captain Berriman,"
said Mr Preddle, as he walked on by his side with legs rather widely
apart, I following behind with Mr Brymer.
It seemed to me then that Mr Preddle was managing so as to get up to
where Mr Denning sat with his sister, and the next minute they were
abreast of them, and the captain said in his bluff way--
"There, Mr Denning, another of your fellow-passengers has found out the
advantage of coming on deck."
"Yes," said Mr Preddle, hastily, as he took off his cap to Miss
Denning, and then bowed to her brother. "So fresh and bright after the
clo--clo--clo--Oh dear me!"
I was obliged to laugh, and though Mr Denning looked angry, I saw Miss
Denning turn away to hide a smile, for the captain and Mr Brymer
laughed as merrily as I did. And no wonder, for just as Mr Preddle was
bowing and smiling and talking hurriedly, the ship gave another sudden
lurch; he made a wild grasp at the captain, missed him; another at Mr
Denning's chair; and then sat down involuntarily on the deck, to look up
ruefully at me, his eyes seeming to say, "Oh, how can you laugh!"
"All right, sir, not hurt, I hope?" said the captain, and he and the
first mate helped our stout passenger to rise.
"No, not at all, thanks; sadly awkward though at first," he said, rather
piteously. "Mr Dale--would you mind?"