always carried a surgeon. Compelled to by law. Of course one couldn't
let a man die for lack of attention; but if he was in Captain Evans'
shoes, he would send in a report with a formal protest appended. Do
everything courteously and in due form but--be firm! That was the
trouble with sea-going officers--they were not firm with their
employers. He himself, he was frank to say, had often given owners a
piece of his mind, and no doubt he had suffered for it. And why? Simply
because he got no support. Now he knew I wouldn't take any silly offence
if he mentioned a personal matter, but really for Captain Evans to send
an engineer ashore in a boat was in the highest degree unprofessional.
It was a job for an executive officer, obviously. Not that he wished to
criticise--far from it--but _verb. sap_ as they say at Oxford and
Cambridge. A word to the right man, mind you, was worthy any amount of
useless argument with--well, he wouldn't mention any names, but I knew
what he meant, no doubt.

"How long this enchanted imbecile would have continued his monologue I
shouldn't care to say, if Jack had not called me down to help get young
Siddons into his bunk. The collar-bone, broken more than once at
football, would knit nicely, he said, and he had put a couple of neat
stitches in the gash over the eye. Made him shout, Jack admitted as he
washed his hands with carbolic soap, but what was a little pain compared
with being disfigured for life? He reckoned it would heal up and leave
no more than a faint scar. What did I reckon he was doing, eh? Funny for
him to leave the boat. Very unusual. What did I think?

"'Didn't he give you any explanation?' I enquired.

"'Well, I suppose you can call it an explanation,' said Jack, 'in a way.
He said he went ashore for a few minutes on a private matter, and he
would appreciate it if I took his word. I'm supposed to keep the matter
private, too, so keep your trap shut, Fred. Fact is,' he went on, 'it's
that gel's at the bottom of it. He's one of those young fellers who take
it hard when they do take it. What they call in novvels hopeless
passion.'

"I was surprised at Jack's penetration. Indeed I was surprised at his
allusion to what he called 'novvels' for he had never, so far as I knew,
read any. Perhaps he had taken a surreptitious squint at some of the
exemplary serials which Mrs. Evans affected.

"'Then you won't take any action?' I said.

"'Why should I? He's had an accident, that's al