"No, you rascal, confound your cheek! Certainly not," replied the doctor, amused by the question. "This young gentleman is to take it as hot as he can drink it. It will throw him into a perspiration and make him sleep. Do you hear, youngster?"

"Y-es, sir," I stammered out as well as I could, for my teeth were chattering again and I was shaking all over. "Bu-but I'd rather not go to the sick bay, sir, if you don't mind. I don't want anyone to hear of wha--what has hap-hap-happened."

"Ah, yes, I see," said Dr Nettleby. "You're afraid of some of your nice messmates getting hauled over the coals? I bet that madcap Larkyns is at the bottom of it; I saw him with you close to one of the ports just now, as I pa.s.sed by on my way down here, and I wondered what mischief you were up to! Well, well, I respect you, my boy, for not telling tales out of school, as the old saying goes; so, I won't split on you. Carry the youngster to my cabin, Macan, and then n.o.body will know anything about the matter. See here, I will look after you myself, youngster and keep you a prisoner till you're all right again. What d'you think of that, now?"

"Th-a-nk you, doctor," said I, faintly, for I felt very weak and giddy, everything seeming to be whirling round me. "I'll--"

"Yes, yes, I know; all right, my boy, all right," interrupted the kind-hearted, old fellow, stopping any further attempt to speak on my part; and the brawny corporal of marines at the same instant lifting me up in his arms as if I were a baby, I lost consciousness, the last thing I recollect hearing being the doctor's voice, sounding, though, far away as if a mile off, like a voice in a dream, saying to me in the soft, purring tone he always adopted when in a specially good temper, "Here, drink this, my boy, and go to sleep!"

"Faith an' sure ye're awake at last!" exclaimed Corporal Macan when I opened my eyes, a minute or so after this, as I thought. "How d'ye fale now, sor?"

"Hullo!" said I, raising my head and looking round me in astonishment.

"Where am I?"

"In Dr Nittleby's own cabin, sure," answered the Irishman, grinning; "an' by the same token, sor, as he wor called away by the cap'en, he lift me here for to say, he tould me, whither ye wor di'd or aloive, sure, whin ye woke up."

"I feel awfully hungry, Corporal Macan," said I, after a pause to reflect on the situation. "Have I been asleep long?"

"Ivver since Siven Bells, sure, in the forenoon watch, sor."

"And what's the time now?"

"Close on Four Bells in the first dog watch, sor."

"Good gracious me!" I exclaimed in consternation, tossing off a lot of blankets that lay on the top of me and jumping out of the big bunk that was like a sofa, where I had been sleeping, on to the deck of the cabin; when I found I was attired only in a long garment, which must have been one of the doctor's nightshirts, for it reached down considerably below my feet, tripping me up on my trying to walk towards the door. "Where are my clothes?"

"Here, sor," replied the corporal, equal to the occasion, taking up a bundle that was lying on one of the lockers and proceeding to spread out my uniform, jacket and trousers and other articles of wearing apparel seriatim, on the top of the bed-place; Macan smoothing down each with the palm of his hand as if he were grooming a horse. "I had 'em dried at the galley foire, sor, whilst ye wor a-slapin'."

"Thank you, corporal," I said, dressing as quickly as I could with his a.s.sistance; the marine, like most of his cla.s.s, being a handy, useful fellow and not a bad valet on a pinch. "I must hurry up. I wonder if I can get any dinner in the gunroom."

"Faith ye're too late for that, sor," answered Macan with much concern.

"An' for tay, too, sor, as will. It's all cleared away this hour an'

more."

"Oh, dear, what shall I do?" I e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed as I dragged on my boots, which had not been improved by their dip in the sea and subsequent roasting on top of a hot iron stove, although I noticed they had been nicely polished by the corporal. "I feel hungry enough to 'eat a horse and chase the rider,' as I heard a fellow say the other day!"

"Ye must fale betther, sor, if you're hoongry," observed Macan on my completing my toilet and donning my cap again. "That's a raal good sign whin ye're inclined fur to ate--at laste that's what the docther sez."

"Providing you've got something to eat!" I rejoined ruefully, for I knew there wouldn't be much left if the gunroom fellows had cleared out.

"What did Doctor Nettleby say was the matter with me, eh?"

"He s'id ye wor a comet, sor."

"A comet?" I repeated, laughing. "You're making a mistake, corporal."

"The divil a ha'porth, sor. He called ye that same."

"Nonsense, man!" I said. "The doctor made use of some medical term, probably, which you don't understand."

"Mebbe, sor, for I'm no scholard, worse luck!" replied the corporal, unconvinced. "The docther do sometime bring out one of them outlandish wurrds that nayther the divvil nor Father Murphy, more power to him!

could make out at all at all; but, whin ye dhropped down this afthernoon on the d.i.c.k alongside o' yer chist, an' I picked ye up, he says, sez he, ye was ayther a 'comet,' or in a 'comet house,' or somethin' loike that, I'll take me oath wid me dyin' breath, though what the divvil he manes, I'm sure I can't say, sor!"

"Oh, I see now!" I exclaimed, a light suddenly flashing on me as to his meaning. "I must have fainted away and the doctor told you I was in a comatose state, eh?"

"An' isn't that, sure, a comet, sor, as I tould ye!" cried the Irishman, triumphantly. "Hullo, here's Peters, the cap'en's stooard dodgin' about the gangway. I wondther what he's afther?"

I walked out of the cabin as he spoke, and the man he referred to came up to me at once.

"Beg pardon, sir," said he, civilly, touching his forelock in salute.

"Mr Vernon, sir, I believe?"

"Yes," I replied, rather anxious to learn what was wanted of me, "that is my name."

"Cap'en Farmer presents his compliments, sir, and requests the pleasure of your company to dinner this evening."

"Give my compliments to the captain, and say that I shall be most happy to accept his kind invitation," I answered, putting on my most dignified manner, as if it was quite an everyday occurrence for me to be asked to dinner by officers of the highest rank; though, I felt inclined to jump with joy at the prospect, especially under the circ.u.mstances of my famished condition. "What time do you serve up dinner, steward?"

"We allers dines at Four Bells, sir," said he, with equal dignity, conscious of his position apparently as captain's steward, and at the same time not oblivious of the fact that I was only a naval cadet. "In ten minutes time, sir, dinner will be on the table."

"All right, my man, I'll be there," I replied in an off-hand way, as he went on towards the wardroom, opposite to where we were standing; and I added aside to the corporal, "I don't think there's any fear of my being late!"

"Faith, the divil doubt ye, sor," said Macan in reply to this, breaking into a broad grin as he set to work methodically to put the doctor's cabin straight again, while I turned to go below to my proper quarters, with the intention of making myself smart for the forthcoming feast.

"Musha, I wudn't loike to be the dish foreninst ye, sor, if ye can ate a hoss, as ye s'id jist now!"

A few minutes later, attired in my best uniform, I was ushered by the marine sentry, who stood without the doorway, into the big after-cabin beneath the p.o.o.p that served for Captain Farmer's reception-room.

This was a handsome apartment, hung round with pictures and decorated with choice hothouse flowers and evergreens, as unlike as possible anything one might expect to find on board ship.

The very gun-carriages on either side were concealed by drapery, as well as the windows at the further end which opened on to the stern gallery, that projected, like a balcony, over the shimmering sea beneath, whereon the lights from the ports played and danced on the rippling tide in a hundred broken reflections, the evening having closed in and it now being quite dark around.

I was received very kindly by Captain Farmer.

He was a short and rather stout man, so he looked uncommonly funny in his mess jacket, which, according to the custom of the service, was cut in the Eton fashion and gave him a striking resemblance to an over-grown schoolboy, as I thought; but, I soon forgot his appearance, his manner was so charming, while his anxiety to set me at my ease seemed as great as if I had been an admiral at the least, instead of being only little Jack Vernon, naval cadet!

The doctor was talking to him when I came in; and he spoke to me very cordially, too, feeling my pulse as he shook hands with me.

"Ha! No fear of your kicking the bucket yet, my little friend," he said in his dry way, as we all proceeded into the fore cabin, where dinner was laid, Captain Farmer leading the way as soon as his steward Peters intimated that everything was ready. "No cold or fever after your sudden chill, thanks to my prescription! But, I won't answer for consumption after your long fast. I can see from your eye, youngster, you'll have a bad attack of that presently, eh? Ho, ho, ho!"

Of course I grinned at this; and, I may state at once, that, by the time the repast was concluded, I had fully justified the doctor's sapient prediction, being blessed with the healthiest of appet.i.tes and a good digestion, which my temporary indisposition had in nowise impaired.

Mr Cheffinch, our gunnery lieutenant, who was one of the other guests, sat beside me, and from a remark or two he made I discovered that not only did he know of my adventure, but that the captain was also cognisant with the circ.u.mstances of the case, although the facts had not been officially communicated to him and he was not supposed to be aware of what had happened.

"He thinks you behaved very pluckily, youngster," observed Mr Cheffinch in the most gracious way, when informing me of this. "Ay and so do we all in the wardroom, let me tell you!"

"I'm sure I don't know what I have done to deserve your praise, sir,"

said I, feeling quite abashed by all these compliments. "It was all an accident."

"It is not so much what you did as what you didn't do, youngster," he replied, frankly enough. "You didn't show any funk or make a fuss when you fell overboard, and you did not wish to get your messmates into a sc.r.a.pe when Dr Nettleby--he told us this himself in confidence--found out the state you were in and made inquiries. In so doing, you behaved like a true sailor and a gentleman, and we're all proud to have such a promising brother officer amongst us, young Vernon, I a.s.sure you. If you go on as you have begun, you'll be a credit to the service."