very greasy shirt frill.
"Well, well, give me your pulse, my friend. Better a blister on the
neck than a round shot at your feet, hey? I near upon gave you up
when they brought you aboard--upon my word I did." The Major
groaned. "You seemed a humane man, sir," he answered feebly.
"Spare me your blisters and get me put ashore, for pity's sake!"

The doctor shook his head. "My good fellow, we weighed an hour ago
with a fresh northerly breeze. I haven't been on deck, but by the
cant of her we must be clear of the Sound already and hauling up for
Portsmouth."

"On your peril you detain me, sir! I'll have your fool of a captain
broken for this--cashiered, sir--kicked out of the service, by
Heaven! I am a Justice of the Peace, I tell you!"

"And _coram_," put in Mr. Sturge, "and _custalorum_. He'll make a
Star-Chamber matter of it. . . . The poor fellow's raving, I tell
you. A curse on your inhumanity! But I can wait for my revenge at
Portsmouth. Approach, fellows, and knock off those gyves."

"Justice of the Peace!" echoed Ben Jope, paying no attention whatever
to Mr. Sturge, but turning on Bill Adams with round, wondering eyes.
"I _told_ you he was something out o' the common. And you ain't had
no more sense than to knock him over the head with a cutlass!"

"I did not," protested Bill Adams. "He took it accidental, you being
otherwise engaged; an' I stuck to the creatur', thinkin' as how you
_wanted_ him."

"But _why_ should I want him?"

"Damned if I know. If it comes to that"--Bill Adams jerked a thumb
towards the hammock containing Mr. Sturge--"what d'ye want _him_
for?"

"Oh, _him_?" answered Mr. Jope with a grin. "In a gale off
Pernambuco--"

"What on earth are you two talking about?" asked the surgeon, who had
seated himself on the deck and, with the lantern between his feet,
was busily preparing a blister.

"Beggin' your pardon, sir, but you haven't been on deck yet?
You haven't _seen_ the ducks we brought aboard last night?"

"My good man, can I be in two places at once? I have been up all
night with Mr. Wapshott, and the devil of a time he's given me.
When they brought me this poor fellow, I hadn't time to do more than
order him into hammock--indeed I hadn't. Now, then"--he stood on his
feet again and addressed the marine--"fetch me a basin of water and
I'll bathe his head."

"Is Mr. Wapshott bad, sir?" asked Ben Jope.

"H'm," the surgeon hesitated. "Well, I don't mind admittin