Under the influence of favouring breezes and bright skies the Walrus1 swept gaily2 over the ocean at the beginning of her voyage, with “stuns’ls slow and aloft, royals and sky-scrapers,” according to Captain Stride. At least, if these were not the exact words he used, they express pretty well what he meant, namely, a “cloud of canvas.”
But this felicitous3 state of things did not last. The tropics were reached, where calms prevailed with roasting heat. The Southern Atlantic was gained, and gales4 were met with. The celebrated5 Cape6 was doubled, and the gales, if we may say so, were trebled. The Indian Ocean was crossed, and the China Seas were entered, where typhoons blew some of the sails to ribbons, and snapped off the topmasts like pipe-stems. Then she sailed into the great Pacific, and for a time the Walrus sported pleasantly among the coral islands.
During all this time, and amid all these changes, Charlie Brooke, true to his character, was the busiest and most active man on board. Not that his own special duties gave him much to do, for, until the vessel7 should reach port, these were rather light; but our hero—as Stride expressed it—“must always be doing.” If he had not work to do he made it—chiefly in the way of assisting other people. Indeed there was scarcely a man or boy on board who did not have the burden of his toil8, whatever it was, lightened in consequence of young Brooke’s tendency to put his powerful shoulder voluntarily to the wheel. He took the daily observations with the captain, and worked out the ship’s course during the previous twenty-four hours. He handled the adze and saw with the carpenter, learned to knot and splice9, and to sew canvas with the bo’s’n’s mate, commented learnedly and interestingly on the preparation of food with the cook, and spun10 yarns11 with the men on the forecastle, or listened to the long-winded stories of the captain and officers in the cabin. He was a splendid listener, being much more anxious to ascertain14 exactly the opinions of his friends and mates than to advance his own. Of course it followed that Charlie was a favourite.
With his insatiable desire to acquire information of every kind, he had naturally, when at home, learned a little rough-and-tumble surgery, with a slight smattering of medicine. It was not much, but it proved to be useful as far as it went, and his “little knowledge” was not “dangerous,” because he modestly refused to go a single step beyond it in the way of practice, unless, indeed, he was urgently pressed to do so by his patients. In virtue15 of his attainments16, real and supposed, he came to be recognised as the doctor of the ship, for the Walrus carried no medical man.
“Look here, Brooke,” said the only passenger on board—a youth of somewhat delicate constitution, who was making the voyage for the sake of his health,—“I’ve got horrible toothache. D’you think you can do anything for me?”
“Let’s have a look at it,” said Charlie, with kindly17 interest, though he felt half inclined to smile at the intensely lugubrious18 expression of the youth’s face.
“Why, Raywood, that is indeed a bad tooth; nothing that I know of will improve it. There’s a cavern19 in it big and black enough to call to remembrance the Black Hole of Calcutta! A red-hot wire might destroy the nerve, but I never saw one used, and should not like to try it.”
“Horrible!” exclaimed Raywood. “I’ve been mad with pain all the morning, and can’t afford to be driven madder. Perhaps, somewhere or other in the ship there may be a—a—thingumy.”
“A whatumy?” inquired the other.
“Easily,” said Charlie, with a smile. “I’ve got a pair of forceps—always carry them in case of need, but never use them unless the patient is very bad, and must have it out.”
Poor Raywood protested, with another groan20, that his was a case in point, and it must come out; so Charlie sought for and found his forceps.
“Oh no. Only a moment or—”
A fearful yell, followed by a gasp23, announced to the whole ship’s company that a crisis of some sort had been passed by some one, and the expert though amateur dentist congratulated his patient on his deliverance from the enemy.
Only three of the ship’s company, however, had witnessed the operation. One was Dick Darvall, the seaman24 who chanced to be steering25 at the time, and who could see through the open skylight what was being enacted26 in the cabin. Another was the captain, who stood beside him. The third was the cabin-boy, Will Ward27, who chanced to be cleaning some brasses28 about the skylight at the time, and was transfixed by what we may style delightfully29 horrible sensations. These three watched the proceedings30 with profound interest, some sympathy, and not a little amusement.
“Mind your helm, Darvall,” said the Captain, stifling31 a laugh as the yell referred to burst on his ears.
“Ay, ay, sir,” responded the seaman, bringing his mind back to his duty, as he bestowed32 a wink33 on the brass-polishing cabin-boy.
“He’s up to everything,” said Darvall in a low voice, referring to our hero.
“From pitch-and-toss to manslaughter,” responded the boy, with a broad grin.
“I do believe, Mr Brooke, that you can turn your hand to anything,” said Captain Stride, as Charlie came on deck a few minutes later. “Did you ever study doctoring or surgery?”
“Not regularly,” answered Charlie; “but occasionally I’ve had the chance of visiting hospitals and dissecting-rooms, besides hearing lectures on anatomy34, and I have taken advantage of my opportunities. Besides, I’m fond of mechanics; and tooth-drawing is somewhat mechanical. Of course I make no pretension35 to a knowledge of regular dentistry, which involves, I believe, a scientific and prolonged education.”
“May be so, Mr Brooke,” returned the captain, “but your knowledge seems deep and extensive enough to me, for, except in the matter o’ navigation, I haven’t myself had much schoolin’, but I do like to see a fellow that can use his hands. As I said to my missus, not two days before I left ’er: ‘Maggie,’ says I, ‘a man that can’t turn his hands to anything ain’t worth his salt. For why? He’s useless at sea, an’, by consequence, can’t be of much value on land.’”
“Your reasoning is unanswerable,” returned Charlie, with a laugh.
“Not so sure o’ that,” rejoined the captain, with a modestly dubious36 shake of his head; “leastwise, however unanswerable it may be, my missus always manages to answer it—somehow.”
At that moment one of the sailors came aft to relieve the man-at-the-wheel.
Dick Darvall was a grave, tall, dark, and handsome man of about five-and-twenty, with a huge black beard, as fine a seaman as one could wish to see standing37 at a ship’s helm, but he limped when he left his post and went forward.
“How’s the leg to-day, Darvall!” asked young Brooke, as the man passed.
“Better, sir, thankee.”
“Thankee, sir, I won’t.”
“Now then, Raywood,” said Charlie, descending39 to the cabin, where his patient was already busy reading Maury’s Physical Geography of the Sea, “let’s have a look at the gum.”
“Oh, it’s all right,” said Raywood. “D’you know, I think one of the uses of severe pain is to make one inexpressibly thankful for the mere40 absence of it. Of course there is a little sensation of pain left, which might make me growl41 at other times, but that positively42 feels comfortable now by contrast!”
“There is profound sagacity in your observations,” returned Charlie, as he gave the gum a squeeze that for a moment or two removed the comfort; “there, now, don’t suck it, else you’ll renew the bleeding. Keep your mouth shut.”
With this caution the amateur dentist left the cabin, and proceeded to the fore12-part of the vessel. In passing the steward’s pantry a youthful voice arrested him.
“Oh, please, sir,” said Will Ward, the cabin-boy, advancing with a slate43 in his hand, “I can’t make out the sum you set me yesterday, an’ I’m quite sure I’ve tried and tried as hard as ever I could to understand it.”
“Let me see,” said his friend, taking the slate and sitting down on a locker44. “Have you read over the rule carefully?”
“Yes, sir, I have, a dozen times at least, but it won’t come right,” answered the boy, with wrinkles enough on his young brow to indicate the very depths of puzzlement.
“Fetch the book, Will, and let’s examine it.”
The book was brought, and at his teacher’s request the boy read:—
“Add the interest to the principal, and then multiply by—”
“Multiply?” said Charlie, interrupting. “Look!”
“Oh!” exclaimed the cabin-boy, with a gasp of relief and wide-open eyes, “I’ve divided!”
“That’s so, Will, and there’s a considerable difference between division and multiplication46, as you’ll find all through life,” remarked the teacher, with a peculiar47 lift of his eyebrows48, as he handed back the slate and went on his way.
More than once in his progress “for’ard” he was arrested by men who wished hint to give advice, or clear up difficulties in reference to subjects which his encouragement or example had induced them to take up, and to these claims on his attention or assistance he accorded such a ready and cheerful response that his pupils felt it to be a positive pleasure to appeal to him, though they each professed49 to regret giving him “trouble.” The boatswain, who was an amiable50 though gruff man in his way, expressed pretty well the feelings of the ship’s company towards our hero when he said: “I tell you, mates, I’d sooner be rubbed up the wrong way, an’ kicked down the fore hatch by Mr Brooke, than I’d be smoothed or buttered by anybody else.”
At last the fo’c’sl was reached, and there our surgeon found his patient, Dick Darvall, awaiting him. The stout51 seaman’s leg had been severely52 bruised53 by a block which had fallen from aloft and struck it during one of the recent gales.
“A good deal better to-day,” said Charlie. “Does it pain you much?”
“Not nearly as much as it did yesterday, sir. It’s my opinion that I’ll be all right in a day or two. Seems to me outrageous54 to make so much ado about it.”
“If we didn’t take care of it, my man, it might cost you your limb, and we can’t afford to bury such a well-made member before its time! You must give it perfect rest for a day or two. I’ll speak to the captain about it.”
“I’d rather you didn’t, sir,” objected the seaman. “I feel able enough to go about, and my mates’ll think I’m shirkin’ dooty.”
“There’s not a man a-board as’ll think that o’ Dick Darvall,” growled55 the boatswain, who had just entered and heard the last remark.
“Right, bo’s’n,” said Brooke, “you have well expressed the thought that came into my own head.”
“Have ye seen Samson yet, sir?” asked the boatswain, with an unusually grave look.
“No; I was just going to inquire about him. No worse, I hope?”
“I think he is, sir. Seems to me that he ain’t long for this world. The life’s bin13 too much for him: he never was cut out for a sailor, an’ he takes things so much to heart that I do believe worry is doin’ more than work to drive him on the rocks.”
“I’ll go and see him at once,” said our hero.
Fred Samson, the sick man referred to, had been put into a swing-cot in a berth56 amidships to give him as much rest as possible. To all appearance he was slowly dying of consumption. When Brooke entered he was leaning on one elbow, gazing wistfully through the port-hole close to his head. His countenance57, on which the stamp of death was evidently imprinted58, was unusually refined for one in his station in life.
“I’m glad you have come, Mr Brooke,” he said slowly, as his visitor advanced and took his thin hand.
“My poor fellow,” said Charlie, in a tone of low but tender sympathy, “I wish with all my heart I could do you any good.”
“The sight of your kind face does me good,” returned the sailor, with a pause for breath between almost every other word. “I don’t want you to doctor me any more. I feel that I’m past that, but I want to give you a message and a packet for my mother. Of course you will be in London when you return to England. Will you find her out and deliver the packet? It contains only the Testament59 she gave me at parting and a letter.”
“My dear fellow—you may depend on me,” replied Brooke earnestly. “Where does she live?”
“In Whitechapel. The full address is on the packet. The letter enclosed tells all that I have to say.”
“Yes, yes,” returned the dying man eagerly, “I forgot. Give her my dear love, and say that my last thoughts were of herself and God. She always feared that I was trusting too much in myself—in my own good resolutions and reformation; so I have been—but that’s past. Tell her that God in His mercy has snapped that broken reed altogether, and enabled me to rest my soul on Jesus.”
As the dying man was much exhausted61 by his efforts to speak, his visitor refrained from asking more questions. He merely whispered a comforting text of Scripture62 and left him apparently63 sinking into a state of repose64.
Then, having bandaged the finger of a man who had carelessly cut himself while using his knife aloft, Charlie returned to the cabin to continue an interrupted discussion with the first mate on the subject of astronomy.
From all which it will be seen that our hero’s tendencies inclined him to be as much as possible “all things to all men.”
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1
walrus
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| n.海象 | |
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2
gaily
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| adv.欢乐地，高兴地 | |
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felicitous
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| adj.恰当的，巧妙的；n.恰当，贴切 | |
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gales
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| 龙猫 | |
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celebrated
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| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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cape
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| n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风 | |
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7
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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toil
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| vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事 | |
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splice
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| v.接合，衔接；n.胶接处，粘接处 | |
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spun
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| v.纺，杜撰，急转身 | |
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11
yarns
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| n.纱( yarn的名词复数 )；纱线；奇闻漫谈；旅行轶事 | |
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12
fore
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| adv.在前面；adj.先前的；在前部的；n.前部 | |
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bin
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| n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件 | |
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14
ascertain
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| vt.发现，确定，查明，弄清 | |
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virtue
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| n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力 | |
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16
attainments
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| 成就，造诣； 获得( attainment的名词复数 )； 达到； 造诣； 成就 | |
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17
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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18
lugubrious
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| adj.悲哀的，忧郁的 | |
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19
cavern
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| n.洞穴，大山洞 | |
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20
groan
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| vi./n.呻吟，抱怨；(发出)呻吟般的声音 | |
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groaned
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| v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦 | |
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22
nervously
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| adv.神情激动地，不安地 | |
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gasp
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| n.喘息，气喘；v.喘息；气吁吁他说 | |
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seaman
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| n.海员，水手，水兵 | |
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steering
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| n.操舵装置 | |
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enacted
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| 制定（法律），通过（法案）( enact的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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ward
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| n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开 | |
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28
brasses
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| n.黄铜( brass的名词复数 )；铜管乐器；钱；黄铜饰品（尤指马挽具上的黄铜圆片） | |
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delightfully
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| 大喜，欣然 | |
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proceedings
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| n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报 | |
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stifling
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| a.令人窒息的 | |
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32
bestowed
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| 赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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wink
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| n.眨眼，使眼色，瞬间；v.眨眼，使眼色，闪烁 | |
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anatomy
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| n.解剖学，解剖；功能，结构，组织 | |
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pretension
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| n.要求；自命，自称；自负 | |
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dubious
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| adj.怀疑的，无把握的；有问题的，靠不住的 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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dressing
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| n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料 | |
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descending
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| n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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41
growl
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| v.（狗等）嗥叫，（炮等）轰鸣；n.嗥叫，轰鸣 | |
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positively
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| adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实 | |
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43
slate
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| n.板岩，石板，石片，石板色，候选人名单；adj.暗蓝灰色的，含板岩的；vt.用石板覆盖，痛打，提名，预订 | |
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44
locker
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| n.更衣箱，储物柜，冷藏室，上锁的人 | |
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45
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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46
multiplication
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| n.增加，增多，倍增；增殖，繁殖；乘法 | |
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47
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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48
eyebrows
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| 眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 ) | |
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49
professed
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| 公开声称的，伪称的，已立誓信教的 | |
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50
amiable
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| adj.和蔼可亲的，友善的，亲切的 | |
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52
severely
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| adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地 | |
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53
bruised
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| [医]青肿的，瘀紫的 | |
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54
outrageous
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| adj.无理的，令人不能容忍的 | |
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55
growled
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| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
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56
berth
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| n.卧铺，停泊地，锚位；v.使停泊 | |
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57
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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58
imprinted
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| v.盖印（imprint的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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testament
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| n.遗嘱；证明 | |
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60
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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61
exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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62
scripture
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| n.经文，圣书，手稿；Scripture:(常用复数)《圣经》，《圣经》中的一段 | |
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63
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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repose
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| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
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