"
The Captain's caution to his servant flashed on me.
"Come in, my man, and give my respects to the Captain, and tell him that
I am quite well now; the fresh air has perfectly restored me."
"I will, sir," said Mafame, half ashamed at being detected in his office
of inspector--general of my actions; but the Doctor, to whom he had been
sent, having now got a leisure moment from his labour in the shambles,
came up and made enquiries as to how I felt.
"Why, Doctor, I thought I was in for a fever half an hour ago, but it is
quite gone off, or nearly so--there, feel my pulse."--It was regular, and
there was no particular heat of skin.
"Why, I don't think there is much the matter with you. Mafame, tell the
Captain so; but turn in and take some rest as soon as you can, and I will
see you in the morning--and here," feeling in his waistcoat pocket, "here
are a couple of capers for you; take them now, will you?" (And he handed
me two blue pills, which I the next moment chucked overboard, to cure
some bilious dolphin of the liver complaint.) I promised to do so
whenever the Lieutenant relieved the deck, which would, I made no
question, be within half an hour.
"Very well, that will do--good--night. I am regularly done up myself,"
quoth the Medico, as he descended to the gunroom.
At this time of night, the prizes were all in a cluster under our lee
quarter, like small icebergs covered with snow, and carrying every rag
they could set.
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