"Let's boil him down, Tom."
"Boil away, Jack."
So Captain Brazier was allowed to simmer a while in the brains of Jack
Jewell, and lo! he came to the top of the pot as Captain Breezy. The
name worked gradually aft. The boatswain got hold of it, the gunners
also, then the officers and skipper himself.
The Captain didn't mind it a bit.
Captain Breezy of H.M.S. _Breezy_ sounded smart. From bowsprit, then, to
binnacle the _Breezy_ really was a smart ship.
Surgeon McTavish, M.D., of the great Northern University of Aberdeen,
had been the very last officer to join the ship. He came soon after Kep
had left on the day of his visit.
Everyone had been wondering what manner of man the surgeon would turn
out to be, and small innocent bets were made on the subject.
Mr. Sneyd, the assistant-paymaster, who was small himself, and wore a
little nut-cracker of a face that would have done for a door-knocker,
betted he was a short chap and red-haired, and couldn't speak
intelligible English.
The marine officer said he was blue-faced and bulbous-nosed.
The engineer lieutenant thought that he could not know much, coming from
so heathenish a country as Scotland.
"I don't bet," said Bertram Wynn, the first lieutenant, "but let me tell
you, gentlemen, that proportionately more clever and scientific men come
from the Scottish Universities than from any three English ones put
together."
Well, at all events it was evident that his would-be messmates did not
expect a very great deal out of the doctor. He would be disappointing.
His traps came on board hours before he himself did.
Little Mr. Sneyd came down below with very big eyes in his head.
"By gum!" he cried. "I've seen the doctor's traps and I've lost my
little bet. Run in to his cabin, Sodjer, and see them."
The marine officer, who was still very young and therefore obedient,
disappeared.
"Well, Sodjer?"
"I'm puzzled. Guess I'll lose my bet. Here are some of his things that
I saw his servant putting away.
"Item:--Two Highland broadswords.
"Item:--A full kilt Highland dress, including dirks and sporrans,
brogues and a bonnet and crest, and skean dhu mounted in cairngorm.
(The kilt is presumedly a clan McTavish tartan one.)
"Item:--A set of great Highland bagpipes."
"Oh, Lord!" cried Guilford the second lieutenant, putting his fingers
mechanically to his ears, "go on, Sodjer."
"Item:--A pair of dumb-bells, the fellows you've got to put up you
know--80 lbs. each. And," added Sodjer, "my bet's lost, for no man with
a bulbous nose could put up things like that."
"Heave round, Sodjer. Anything more?"
"Item:--About fifty volumes of scientific books including the British
Encyclopaedia."
"My bet's lost!" This from the engineer while the first lieutenant
smiled.
"Item:--A ram's head snuff box. Twisted horns, tips mounted with silver
and cairngorm.
"Item:--A big Bible. It is very likely--
"'The big ha' Bible ance his father's pride.'"
Well, when the surgeon himself did appear, he certainly commanded
respect. He was handsome as well as well-built. Indeed among the
others he appeared a perfect Hercules as he undoubtedly was an athlete.
Englishmen cannot help admiring an athlete no matter what his nation may
be. Then his uniform fitted him well. He appeared to have been melted
and poured into it, while little Sneyd's seemed to have been put on with
the aid of a hay fork.
The surgeon's smile was a winning one, and there was a quintessence of
kindliness lying half asleep in his dark-blue eyes that was very
pleasant to behold.
He saluted the first lieutenant most respectfully, and the two men shook
hands.
"Glad you've come at last, Surgeon McTavish We shall be friends. You
are, I hear, a man of scientific attainments, and I dabble in science
myself a little."