er medical attendant understand his destination,
than he sent away his plate untouched at dinner--refused his wine--
talked movingly of broken constitutions, a predisposition to anasarea,
and the deceitful and dangerous appearances of florid health. At
supper, he pronounced himself a lost man, held out his brawny fist to
whomsoever would choose to feel his pulse, and sent for the first
assistant-surgeon to make him up a tremendous quantity of prescriptions,
to be exhibited the ensuing night--to whatever fish might be so
unfortunate as to be swimming alongside. After this display, and whilst
he was languidly sipping a tumbler of barley-water, the Honourable Mr
B, our junior luff, was loud in his complaints of being, what he called,
fairly entrapped; when Dr Thompson, in a feeble and tremulous voice,
read him a long lecture on patriotism, obedience to the dictates of
duty, and self-devotion, finishing thus:--"By Heaven, show me the man
that flinches from his duty, and I'll show you whatever may be his
outward bearing, a craven at heart! I am very ill--I feel that I am
fast sinking into a premature grave--but what of that. I should be but
too happy if I could make my dying struggles subservient to my country.
My body, Mr Farmer--Mr Wade, this poor temple of mine contains an
insidious enemy--a strange, a dreadful, and a wasting disease. It is
necessary for the sake of medical science, for my country's good, for
the health of the world at large, that my death, which will speedily
happen, should take place in England, in order that after dissolution I
may be dissected by the first operators, viewed by the most intelligent
of the faculty, and thus another light be placed on the present dark
paths of curative knowledge. My symptoms are momentarily growing worse.
Gentlemen, messmates, friends, I must leave you for the night, and too
soon, I fear, for ever; but never shrink your duty. If they be the last
words that I shall utter to you--humble though I be--I may venture to
hold myself up to you as a pattern of self-devotion. God bless you
all--good night--and never shirk your duty."

Of course, the company to whom this was addressed, were infinitely
amused at this display, and the third-lieutenant observed mournfully,
"Now there's no chance for me. The fat rogue is going to invalid
himself. I suppose that I need not trouble my liver to be diseased just
now, for the hypocrite won't allow another man in the ship to be sick