The wound in Bangs' neck, which had been made by a boarding pike, was
not deep, but still it was an ugly cut, and if, as he himself
expressed it, he had not been bull-necked, it would have gone hard
with him.
"Captain, my boy," said he, when the surgeon had finished dressing his
wound, "I'm pretty well patched up now, and feel as good as new,
except a little stiffness, but I'm very thankful I have such a strong
bundle of muscles, or some of the arteries would have been in danger.
Come, and get mended yourself now, and I will hold the light."
A calm had fallen on the sea, which rendered all work unnecessary at
present, and the cabin, which was again used as a cockpit, was filled
with poor fellows waiting to have their wounds dressed. When it came
to my turn I took off my clothes and seated myself on a tub. The
pistol bullet which had struck me, was sticking in the fleshy part of
my left shoulder, just below the skin, and made a small protuberance
resembling a sloe in form and colour. The collar bone which it had
first struck, but glanced off from, to bury itself in the muscles of
the arm, was somewhat injured, and my breast was not a little bruised.
The opening in the skin, caused by the bullet, was so small that one
could hardly introduce a pea into it, and scarcely any blood flowed
therefrom.
"It is a very simple thing, sir," said the surgeon, as he introduced a
small probe into the wound; putting a finger on each side of the ball,
he pressed them together, causing it to fly out.
"It is a lucky thing, captain," said Bangs, "that your collar bone can
bear something, as well as my neck, but this bruise on your breast is
of more consequence; you must go to bed, and take care of yourself."
But there was no bed on which I could lie down. The cabin was filled
with the wounded, and the surgeon had plenty of work before him, for
out of our little crew of forty-two men, nine were killed and eleven
wounded. Accordingly I had a tent erected on deck, in which I and my
friends determined to take up our quarters for the night. It was now
eight o'clock. I could only remain in the tent until I saw my friends
provided for, for my presence was constantly required to direct the
repairing of the injuries we had sustained. The greatest part of our
rigging was shot away, and the tired sailors were busy in mending it
as well as they were able. Our mainmast was much injured near the
deck, and we were obliged as well as circumstances would permit, to
steady it with wooden props. Our foremast had fortunately come off
with a whole skin, but we had received thirteen shots in our hull,
three of them between wind and water.
When all was done that skill and the most determined perseverance
could do, I returned to our tent. Not far from it, near the stern of
the vessel, sat Wagtail, preparing our supper with the help of the
cook. This meal, as you may imagine, was uncommonly simple--salt beef,
biscuits and cold grog, but I doubt if any of us before or since, ever
partook of a meal with such an appetite as we did then. The beef
disappeared as if by magic; the bones were polished off until they
were as white as ivory, whilst the rum sank in the flask like the
quicksilver in a barometer, on the approach of a hurricane.
"Holloa captain," cried Bangs, when he had stopped to take breath,
"how do you feel, my boy?"
"Well, not as easy as I could wish for; this day has been a day of
fearful responsibility to me."
"Just so," replied he, "I shall sleep with a heavy heart myself, for
though I am no butcher by profession, I have this day shed the blood
of more than one fellow creature; it is a dreadful reflection, and
what was it all for, captain? You meet a large vessel in the night,
and sing out 'heave to.' The large vessel says 'I won't.' You say 'You
shall.' The large vessel replies 'I'll be damned if I do.' And
immediately you take measures to make the large vessel heave to, and
thereby some five hundred human beings, who a few hours ago were in
possession of life and health, are now food for fishes."