Before the sun set, he was a dead man.
"A neat morning's work, gentlemen," thought I.
The two surgeons came up, opened his dress, felt his pulse, and shook
their heads; the boats crews grouped around them--he was lifted into his
gig, the word was given to shove off, and--I returned to my
broom--cutters.
When we got on board, the gunner who had the watch was taking his
fisherman's walk on the starboard side of the quarterdeck, and kept
looking steadily at the land, as if to avoid seeing poor little Duncan's
coffin, that lay on a grating near the gangway. The crew, assisted by
thirty men from the flag--ship, were employed in twenty different ways,
repairing damages, and were bustling about, laughing, joking, and singing,
with small regard to the melancholy object before their eyes, when Mr
Douglas put his head up the ladder--"Now, Jackson, if you please."
The old fellow's countenance fell as if his heart was wrung by the order
he had to give.
"Aloft there! lie out, you Perkins, and reeve a whip on the starboard
yard--arm to lower Mr"--The rest stuck in his throat, but, as if
ashamed of his softheartedness, he threw as much gruffness as he could
into his voice as he sung out--"Beat to quarters there!--knock off, men!"
The roll of the drum stayed the confusion and noise of the people at work
in an instant, who immediately ranged themselves, in their clean frocks
and trowsers, on each side of the quarterdeck.
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