Now, then, shipmates, dont go for to ax it, said Briant, remaining immovable. Dont I know wots best for ye? Let me spaake to ye now. Did any of ye iver study midsin?
No! cried several with a laugh.
Sure I thought not, continued Phil, with a patronising air, or yed niver ask for the breadkid out o saisin. Now I was in the medical way meself wanceay, ye may laugh, but its thrueI wos prentice to a pothecary, an Ive mixed up more midsins than would pisen the whole popilation of owld Irelandbarrin the praists, av coorse. And didnt I hear the convarse o all the doctors in the place? And wasnt the word alwaysBe rigglar with yer mailsdont ait, avic, more nor three times a day, and not too much, now. Be sparin.
Hah! ye long-winded grampus, interrupted Dick Barnes, impatiently. An warnt the doctors right? Three times a day for sick folk, and six timesor morefor them wots well.
Hear, hear! cried the others, while two of them seized Briant by the neck, and thrust him forcibly towards the after-hatch. Bring up the kid, now; an if ye come without it, look out for squalls.
Och! worse luck, sighed the misused assistant, as he disappeared.
In a few minutes Phil returned with the kid, which was a species of tray filled with broken sea-biscuit, which, when afloat, goes by the name of bread.
This was eagerly seized, for the appetites of sailors are always sharp, except immediately after meals. A quantity of the broken biscuit was put into a strainer, and fried in whale-oil, and the men sat round the kid to enjoy their luxurious feast, and relate their adventuresall of which were more or less marvellous, and many of them undoubtedly true.
The more one travels in this world of ours, and the more one reads of the adventures of travellers upon whose narratives we can place implicit confidence, the more we find that men do not now require, as they did of old, to draw upon their imaginations for marvellous tales of wild, romantic adventure, in days gone by, travellers were few; foreign lands were almost unknown. Not many books were written; and of the few that were, very few were believed. In the present day men of undoubted truthfulness have roamed far and wide over the whole world, their books are numbered by hundreds, and much that was related by ancient travellers, but not believed, has now been fully corroborated. More than that, it is now known that men have every where received, as true, statements which modern discovery has proved to be false, and on the other hand they have often refused to believe what is now ascertained to be literally true.
We would suggest, in passing, that a lesson might be learned from this factnamely, that we ought to receive a statement in regard to a foreign land, not according to the probability or the improbability of the statement itself, but according to the credibility of him who makes it. Ailie Dunning had a trustful disposition; she acted on neither of the above principles. She believed all she heard, poor thing, and therefore had a head pretty well stored with mingled fact and nonsense.
While the men were engaged with their meal, Dr Hopley came on deck and found her leaning over the stern, looking down at the waves which shone with sparkling phosphorescent light. An almost imperceptible breeze had sprung up, and the way made by the vessel as she passed through the water was indicated by a stream of what appeared lambent blue flame.
Looking at the fish, Ailie, as usual? said the doctor as he came up. What are they saying to you to-night?
Im not looking at the fish, answered Ailie; Im looking at the fireno, not the fire; papa said it wasnt fire, but its so like it, I can scarcely call it anything else. What is it, doctor?
It is called phosphorescence, replied the doctor, leaning over the bulwarks, and looking down at the fiery serpent that seemed as if it clung to the ships rudder. But I dare say you dont know what that means. You know what fire-flies and glow-worms are?
Oh! yes; Ive often caught them.
Well, there are immense numbers of very small and very thin jelly-like creatures in the sea, so thin and so transparent that they can scarcely be observed in the water. These Medusae, as they are called, possess the power of emitting light similar to that of the fire-fly. In short, Ailie, they are the fire-flies and glow-worms of the ocean.
The child listened with wonder, and for some minutes remained silent. Before she could again speak, there occurred one of those incidents which are generally spoken of as most unexpected and sudden, but which, nevertheless, are the result of natural causes, and might have been prevented by means of a little care.
The wind, as we have said, was light, so light that it did not distend the sails; the boom of the spanker-sail hung over the stern, and the spanker-braces lay slack along the seat on which Ailie and the doctor knelt. A little gust of wind came: it was not stronga mere puff; but the man at the wheel was not attending to his duty: the puff, light as it was, caused the spanker to jibethat is to fly over from one side of the ship to the otherthe heavy boom passed close over the steersmans head as he cried, Look out! The braces tautened, and in so doing they hurled Dr Hopley violently to the deck, and tossed Ailie Dunning over the bulwarks into the sea.
It happened at that moment that Glynn Proctor chanced to step on deck.
Hallo! whats wrong? cried the youth, springing forward, catching the doctor by the coat, as he was about to spring overboard, and pulling him violently back, under the impression that he was deranged.
The doctor pointed to the sea, and, with a look of horror, gasped the word Ailie.
In an instant Glynn released his hold, plunged over the stern of the ship, and disappeared in the waves.
Chapter Seven.
The RescuePreparations for a Storm
It is impossible to convey by means of words an adequate idea of the terrible excitement and uproar that ensued on board the Red Eric after the events narrated in the last chapter. From those on deck who witnessed the accident there arose a cry so sharp, that it brought the whole crew from below in an instant. But there was no confusion. The men were well trained. Each individual knew his post, and whale-men are accustomed to a sudden and hasty summons. The peculiarity of the present one, it is true, told every man in an instant that something was wrong, but each mechanically sprang to his post, while one or two shouted to ascertain what had happened, or to explain.
But the moment Captain Dunnings voice was heard there was perfect silence.
Clear away the starboard-quarter-boat, he cried, in a deep, firm tone.
Ay, ay, sir.
Stand-by the fallslower away!
There was no occasion to urge the sailors; they sprang to the work with the fervid celerity of men who knew that life or death depended on their speed. In less time than it takes to relate, the boat was leaping over the long ocean swell, as it had never yet done in chase of the whale, and, in a few seconds, passed out of the little circle of light caused by the fires and into the gloom that surrounded the ship.
The wind had been gradually increasing during all these proceedings, and although no time had been lost, and the vessel had been immediately brought up into the wind, Ailie and Glynn were left struggling in the dark sea a long way behind ere the quarter-boat could be lowered; and now that it was fairly afloat, there was still the danger of its failing to hit the right direction of the objects of which it was in search.