my
condition. The man, however, reported the fact of my return to
consciousness; and shortly afterward Wilson, the surgeon, came down to
see me.

Wilson's "bedside manner" was somewhat bluff, but, nevertheless,
judicious; for I had once heard him say, in a confidential moment, that
he always, upon principle, made light of his patients' aches and
ailments, as he had discovered, by long experience, that this had a good
effect upon the invalids, causing them to believe that there was never
anything very seriously wrong with them, and thus calling in the aid of
their imagination to assist in the curative process. This was
illustrated in his behaviour toward me upon the occasion of which I am
now speaking. He came and stood by the side of my hammock, looking down
upon me with a whimsical expression as he took my wrist in his hand and
pressed his fingers lightly upon my pulse.

"Put out your tongue," he ordered abruptly, and I did so obediently. He
glanced at it for a few seconds, then remarked:

"Humph! not much the matter with you, I see. How d'ye feel?"

I explained that my head was giving me excruciating pain, and that I
felt burnt-up with fever and thirst; at which he laughed.

"Pooh! pooh!" he exclaimed, "that's nothing. Thank your lucky stars
that you have got off so lightly as you have. Some of the poor fellows
here have lost a limb or two, while others of the boarding party have
lost the number of their mess altogether. Yours is simply a broken
head; and, since your skull appears to be abnormally thick, I daresay it
will very soon mend again. Aches badly, does it? Ah, well, that is an
excellent sign; but perhaps you had better remain on the sick list for a
few days, and keep to your hammock until the pain passes off--no good
going on duty while you are blind with headache, you know. And--yes,
now that I am here and you are awake I may as well look at your wound
again."

He walked over to the screen, put his head round the end of it, and
called sharply:

"Sentry, pass the word for Mr Burroughs to come to me; and ask him to
bring a basin of hot water, a sponge, a roll of bandage, and anything
else he thinks I am likely to want. Tell him that I am going to dress
Mr Delamere's head."

Then, returning to my side, he drew out his penknife and with quick,
gentle fingers proceeded to cut away a number of stitches that kept the
bandage in place, and when at length he had unwound it he flung it
deftly a