him."

"Tut tut tut!" muttered Mr Frewen. "What is this,--fishing-line?"

"That's it, sir," said Dumlow. "It's right enough, there arn't no knobs
on it, and it stopped the bleeding fine."

"Difficult work here, Dale," Mr Frewen whispered to me. "One need have
well-educated fingers--what surgeons call the _tactus eruditus_--to work
like this in the dark."

"Terrible," I replied, and I noticed how his voice trembled. For he
seemed to me to be doing everything he could to keep himself from
dwelling upon those we had left in the ship.

"Hurt you, my man?" he said to Dumlow.

"Oh, it tingles a bit, sir; but here, stop, hold hard a minute. None o'
them games."

"What games? I don't understand you."

"No takin' advantage of a poor helpless fellow as trusts yer, doctor!"

"Explain yourself, man."

"Explain myself, sir? How?"

"Tell me what you mean."

"I mean, I want you to tell me what you mean, sir."

"To dress your wound."

"Ay, but you're a-doing of something with that 'ere other hand."

"No, my man, no."

"Arn't got a knife in't then?"

"Certainly not. Why?"

"Dumlow thinks you were going to cut his leg off, sir," I said, feeling
amused in spite of our terrible position.

"Course I did," growled the man. "I've been telled as there's nothing a
doctor likes better than to have a chance o' chopping off a man's legs
or wings, and I don't mean to go hoppin' about on one leg and a timber
toe, and so I tells yer flat."

"I'm not going to cut your leg off, Dumlow."

"Honour, sir?"

"Honour, my man."

"Honour bright, sir?"

"On my word as a gentleman."

"Thankye, sir, but if it's all the same to you, I'd rather as you said
honour bright."

"Well then, honour bright. There, I am not going to do any more to you
now; I must dress the wound by daylight."

"Won't bleed any more, sir, will it?"

"Not now."

"That'll 'bout do then, sir, thank ye kindly."

"You are welcome, my man," said the doctor, and then, "What is it?" for
I had grasped his arm.

"I want you to tell me about Walters," I whispered. "Feel his pulse
first."

He turned from me and bent down over my messmate, who lay in the bottom
of the boat perfectly motionless.

I could not see what he did, but listened attentively, not for the sake
of hearing his movements, but so as to hear a sigh or moan from that
unhappy lad.

"Well?" I said excitedly.

"I can tell you nothing yet," said Mr Frewen, as I thought, evasively.