"Oh yes," answered Leslie; "I have slept admirably, thanks. I have had eight hours in, and four hours--the four hours of the middle watch--on deck, having undertaken to stand watch and watch with Purchas during the skipper's indisposition, the mention of which brings me to the point of asking you, Miss Trevor, whether you will permit me to enter your cabin for the purpose of removing a medicine-chest that, I understand from the mate, is there."

"Yes, certainly," a.s.sented the girl, "you may enter it at once, if you wish, Mr Leslie. I have tidied it up myself this morning, and intend to do so regularly in future; it will provide me with something to do.

But you spoke of Captain Potter's indisposition. Is he unwell, then?"

"Why, yes," said Leslie; "he appears to be. The fact is, that he has not yet recovered from the blow that he received yesterday evening when he forced upon me the disagreeable necessity to disarm him. He has lain unconscious the whole night through, without moving so much as a muscle, so far as one can see; and, to tell you the whole truth, Purchas and I are beginning to feel more than a trifle uneasy about him. Hence my request for permission to have access to the medicine-chest."

"Oh dear, I am _so_ sorry," exclaimed the girl, a note of concern at once entering her voice. "Pray go at once, Mr Leslie, I beg, and do whatever you may deem necessary. I _hope_ it will not prove that the captain is seriously injured; it will be so--so--very--embarra.s.sing for you."

"Well," answered Leslie, "of course I should be very sorry if, as you say, anything serious were to happen; but, even so, the man will only have himself to thank for it."

And, with this attempt to justify himself, Leslie raised his cap again, and vanished down the companion-way.

As his footsteps sounded on the companion ladder, Purchas emerged from the cabin occupied by Potter, and joined him.

CHAPTER FOUR.

DEATH OF THE SKIPPER.

"Well, Mr Leslie," inquired the mate, "is there any chance of our coming at that medicine-chest? To speak plainly, I don't half like the look of the skipper, and that's a fact. It ain't natural for a man to lie like that, hour a'ter hour, without movin'; and the sooner we can bring him back to his senses, the better I shall be pleased."

"Yes," answered Leslie, "I quite understand how you feel about the matter, and I feel quite as anxious as you do about it; more so, possibly, since it is I who am responsible for the man's condition. I shall be bitterly grieved if he proves to be seriously injured; but in any case I hope you will understand that it was impossible for me to allow him to retain possession of his revolver. He had clearly conceived an extraordinary aversion for me, and exhibited it without restraint. I believe that when he fired at me he fully intended to kill me, if he could, and I was compelled to act in self-defence. If a man allows his temper to get the better of him to that extent, he must take the consequences. But here we are," as he threw open the door of Miss Trevor's cabin, "and that, I take it, is the medicine-chest;" pointing to a fairly large chest standing against the bulkhead.

"Yes," a.s.sented Purchas, "that's the chest. Better have it out of this into the main cabin, hadn't we? Then we shan't be obliged to disturb the lady whenever we want to get at it."

"Certainly," agreed Leslie; "I was about to suggest it."

And therewith the two men seized, each of them, a handle and carried the box into the main cabin, placing it conveniently for pushing it under the table, out of the way, when not required. The chest was unlocked, and they threw it open, disclosing an interior fitted with a tray on top, which contained a long tin tubular case labelled "Diachylon Plaster," surgical scissors, surgical needles, rolls of bandage, and numerous other surgical instruments and appliances; while, underneath the tray, the body of the chest was full of jars and bottles containing drugs, each distinctly labelled, and each fitted into its own special compartment. There was also in the chest a book setting forth in detail the symptoms of nearly every imaginable disease, with its appropriate treatment, and also the proper course to pursue in the event of injury.

The book was furnished with a very complete index, to facilitate prompt reference.

This book they took out and laid open upon the cabin table, now spread with the breakfast equipage. Anxiously they pored over its pages, finding more than one reference that seemed fairly to fit the case; and at length Leslie, to whose judgment the mate seemed disposed to defer, decided upon a treatment, which they proceeded forthwith to act upon.

It consisted in the administration of a draught, and the application of a blister; and owing to the absolute insensibility of the skipper and his consequent powerlessness to a.s.sist in any way it was a somewhat lengthy job; but they completed it at last, and then went to breakfast.

As it was not expected that any visible result of their treatment would become apparent for the first hour or so, they did not visit the skipper at the conclusion of the meal; but Purchas went to his cabin and turned in, leaving Leslie in charge of the deck--the latter undertaking to call the mate at seven bells, in time to take the meridian alt.i.tude of the sun at noon, for the determination of the brig's lat.i.tude.

During the time that Leslie had been occupied below he had been conscious of the fact that the breeze was freshening, as was evidenced by the increasing heel of the brig and her growing liveliness of movement; and when at length he went on deck and relieved the carpenter, who had been temporarily in charge, he found quite a smart breeze blowing from about due east, and the brig, with her weather-braces slightly checked, and everything set, to her royals, staggering along, with a great deal of fuss and much churning up of water about her bluff bows, at a speed of some six knots. He glanced aloft and saw that her topgallant-masts were whipping and buckling like fishing-rods.

"Hillo, Chips," he said good-humouredly, "so you are one of the carrying-on school, I see. But what about those sticks aloft; aren't you trying them rather severely? Of course you ought to know their condition better than I do; but it looks to me as though you are giving them rather more than they ought to be asked to do."

"Oh, they're goodish sticks, sir, are them topgallant-masts, and the skipper's a rare hand for carryin' on; she ain't no clipper, as I dare say you've noticed, sir; but the cap'n makes a p'int of gettin' every inch out of her as she's capable of doin' of. All the same, sir, I believe it's about time them royals was took in."

"So do I," agreed Leslie, as a somewhat fresher puff took the brig and caused the spars to buckle still more ominously. "Royal halliards, let go! Clew up and furl!" he shouted to the men who were lounging on the forecastle over some tasks that they were performing in the leisurely manner usual with merchant seamen.

The carpenter sprang to the main royal halliards and let them run; a man forward dropped the serving-mallet that he was using, and did the same with the fore royal halliards; and while two other hands started the sheets and began to drag upon the clewlines, a third shambled aft and helped the carpenter to clew up the main royal.

This relieved the brig a trifle; but there was a hard look about the sky to windward that promised still more wind; so Leslie said--

"The breeze is coming still stronger before long, Chips; you had therefore better make one job of it, and take in the topgallantsails as well. And when that is done, if the men are not better engaged, let them get to work and set up the topgallant and royal rigging fore and aft; it is shockingly slack--hanging fairly in bights, in fact--and is affording practically no support to the spars."

"Ay, ay, sir!" answered the carpenter, who was acting also as boatswain.

"I've had my eye on that riggin' for the last day or two; it wants settin' up badly, and I'll attend to it at once."

The men had got the canvas clewed up, and were aloft furling it when Miss Trevor emerged through the companion-way; and Leslie, with a word of greeting, hastened to arrange a deck-chair for her accommodation on the lee side of the deck, within the shadow of the main trysail; for although there was a slight veil of thin, streaky cloud overspreading the sky, the sun shone through it with an ardour that made shelter of some sort from it very acceptable, especially to a girl who might be supposed to set some value upon her complexion. She accepted Leslie's attentions with a brief word or two of thanks, uttered in tones that suggested an inclination to revert to her former unapproachable att.i.tude; and the ex-lieutenant at once left her to herself, pa.s.sing over to the weather side of the deck and devoting himself strictly to his duties as officer of the watch.

At seven bells he called Purchas, who presently made his appearance on deck, with an old-fashioned quadrant in his hand. He looked aloft, and then to windward, noted the changes that Leslie had affected, and graciously expressed his approval of them. Then he said--

"I s'pose, Mr Leslie, you're a first-cla.s.s navigator and know all about shootin' the sun?"

"Naturally, I do," answered Leslie; "navigation is, of course, an essential part of the education and training of a naval officer; and I learned all in that line that they thought it necessary to teach me a good many years ago."

"Ay, so I supposed," returned Purchas. "As for me, I've learned what was required to enable me to get my certificate; but, after all, I don't really understand it properly. I can take the sun at noon, of course, and work out the ship's lat.i.tood; but, even at that, I've got no very great faith in myself; and as to the longitood--well, there; I always feels that I may be right or I may be wrong. I never was much of a hand at figures. So, if you've no objections, I'd take it very kind of you if you'd lend me a hand at this job while the skipper's on his beam-ends. He's got a real dandy s.e.xtant in his cabin that I'll take it upon me to let you have the use of; and the chronometer's in there too.

We might as well have them things out of there too, then we shan't have to disturb the young lady every time we wants 'em."

Leslie quite agreed as to the desirability of this, and he also cheerfully undertook to check and a.s.sist Purchas in his navigation. The latter therefore went below to make the necessary transfer, and presently returned to the deck, carrying Potter's s.e.xtant--a very handsome and valuable instrument--in his hand. This he handed to Leslie; and as the time was now drawing well on towards noon, the two men betook themselves to the forecastle--the sun being over the jib-boom end--and proceeded to take the meridian alt.i.tude of the luminary. This done, "eight bells" was struck, the watch called, and Leslie and the mate returned aft to work out their calculations. As a result, there proved to be a difference of two miles between them; nothing very serious, but enough to prove that Purchas's doubts of himself were fully justified.

Upon being called by Leslie, the mate had looked in upon Potter for a moment on his way up on deck, but had failed to discover any improvement in his condition. He now suggested that they should both go below and subject their patient to a closer examination--which they did.

As Purchas had already remarked, there was no apparent improvement in Potter's condition; on the contrary, when Leslie felt his pulse it seemed to him that it was weaker. This, however, might be accounted for by the fact that the man had taken no nourishment from the moment that he had sustained his injury, and owing to his absolute helplessness, it seemed impossible to administer any to him. A further study of the book of directions accompanying the medicine-chest, however, instructed them how to overcome this difficulty; and, summoning the steward, the mate forthwith gave him instructions to kill a chicken and have some broth prepared as quickly as possible. Meanwhile the blister was snipped and dressed, another dose of medicine administered, with considerable difficulty, and the man was once more left to himself, the self-const.i.tuted physicians having then done all, for the moment, that was possible.

"I wish something big would come along--a man-o'-war, for instance,"

observed Leslie, as he and the mate left the cabin together; "we could then signal for medical a.s.sistance. A properly qualified doctor could soon say precisely what is wrong, and what would be the proper treatment to adopt. And if the case is really serious--as, to be frank with you, Purchas, I am beginning to fear it is--we might even trans-ship him, and thus give him the best chance possible for his life. You, of course, in such an event, would fully report all the circ.u.mstances of the case, and I should accompany the man to the other ship, to take the responsibility for whatever might happen. And Miss Trevor would go with me, since she, of course, now wishes to return home--failing an opportunity to continue her voyage to Australia or India--as soon as possible. What do you think of my plan?"

"Why," answered Purchas, "it seems a good enough plan, so far as it goes. And if that there ship that you're talkin' about could spare me a navigator to help me take the brig to Valparaiso, why, I'd be perfectly satisfied. But there don't seem to be much chance of our fallin' in with nothin'; we haven't spoke a single craft of any sort this side of Finisterre."

"The greater the likelihood of our doing so soon," remarked Leslie. "It may be quite worth while to keep an especially bright look-out, with a view to the intercepting of anything that may happen to heave in sight."

On board small craft of the _Mermaid_ type it is usual to have dinner served in the cabin at midday; and accordingly, the steward having already announced that the meal was on the table, and summoned Miss Trevor, Leslie and Purchas entered the cabin and proceeded to dine. It was Leslie's afternoon watch below and his eight hours out that night, so he decided to lie down on the cabin lockers and get an hour or two's sleep after he had smoked his pipe on deck. Before doing so, however, he went forward to the galley to inquire how the chicken broth was progressing, and finding that it was ready, he took it aft, and, on his way below, requested Purchas to accompany him, and a.s.sist him to administer it.

The two men entered the cabin together, and stepped to the side of the bunk. The figure of Potter still lay exactly as they had left him; but as Leslie stood for a moment gazing, he gradually became aware that a subtle change in the man's appearance had taken place; through the swarthy tints of the sunburnt complexion an ashen grey hue seemed to have spread. He bent closer, and laid his hand upon the wrist, feeling for the pulse. There was no beat perceptible. He moistened the back of his hand and laid it close to the lips, waiting anxiously to feel the breath playing upon the moistened skin. He could detect nothing. Then he laid his hand upon the man's chest, over his heart. The chest had ceased to heave; and there was not the faintest throb of the heart, so far as he could feel. Finally, he s.n.a.t.c.hed a small mirror from the nail on which it was hanging, and laid it gently, face downward, on Potter's mouth. He left it there for fully two minutes; and when at length he lifted it again its surface was still bright and undimmed as before. He carefully hung the mirror upon its nail again, and, turning to the mate, said--

"Mr Purchas, I regret to inform you that Captain Potter is dead!"

"Dead!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Purchas. "No, no; he can't _be_! there must be some mistake."

"I very greatly fear that there is _no_ mistake about it," returned Leslie. "I have seen death, in my time, too often not to recognise it.

You will observe that breathing has ceased; neither can I find any trace of a pulse, or the slightest flutter of the heart-beat. All these symptoms are, I believe, quite consistent with a state of trance; and, remembering that, we must of course be careful to do nothing precipitately. But I am convinced that the man is really dead--a very short time will suffice, in this climate, to demonstrate whether or not that is the case--and I would advise you to give immediate instructions to have the necessary preparations made for his burial. Should my surmise prove correct, you are now the master of this brig; and as such you will of course adopt such measures with regard to me, as the immediate cause of this misfortune, as you may deem fit. But there is no necessity to put me in irons; I cannot very well escape."

"Put you in irons!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Purchas; "I should think not. No, Mr Leslie, you had no intention of killin' the skipper; I'll swear to that.

It was an accident; neither more nor less. How was you to know that a great strong man, like he was, was goin' to stagger back and hit his head again' the rail, same as he did? And he provoked you; all hands 'll bear witness to that; he shot at ye, and you was quite justified in takin' his revolver away from him. Oh no, there'll be no puttin' of you in irons so long as I'm skipper o' this brig. But of course I shall have to make a hentry of the whole affair in the official log-book; and now you'll have to go on with the brig to Valparaiso, whether or no, to hear what the British Consul there have got to say about it."

"Certainly," a.s.sented Leslie, "I shall make no difficulty about that.

And I have not very much fear as to the result. But, as to Miss Trevor, I hope you will seize the first suitable opportunity that occurs to trans-ship her. She, poor girl, will now be more anxious than ever to get away from this vessel."

"Yes, yes; of course she will," agreed Purchas. "And I suppose, Mr Leslie," he continued, "you won't have any objections to continue lending me a hand to work and navigate this brig? Now that the skipper's gone I shall need help more'n ever."

"You may rely upon me, Mr Purchas, to do everything in my power to help you," answered Leslie. "And now," he continued, "while you are making the arrangements of which I just now spoke, I will go on deck and make Miss Trevor acquainted with the news of our misfortune."

Miss Trevor received the news of Potter's demise with a few expressions of well-bred regret, but she did not appear to be very greatly concerned at the event. It could scarcely be otherwise. In the first place, she had only been in the man's company a very few hours; and although he had certainly picked her and Leslie up--thus saving them in all probability from a lingering and painful death--he could scarcely have acted otherwise, seeing that he had nothing to do but give orders for a few rope's ends to be dropped over the side to them. Then, although she had given no sign of it, his manner toward her had been such as to fill her with vague fear; while his behaviour toward Leslie, when that individual had unavailingly attempted to convince him of the presence of another survivor upon the floating wreckage, was scarcely of a kind to inspire a woman with confidence or respect.