"Why, Paddy, what's come over you?" exclaimed Nettleship, who had just
then come below. "Why, you look as if you had heard the banshee howl,
or dipped your face into a pot of white paint."

"Oh! oh!" I exclaimed, my lip curling, and feeling the most miserable
of human beings, so I fancied. I could utter no other articulate sound.

"Get up, youngster, and dance a hornpipe," cried Nettleship; "or I'll
just send to the galley for a lump of fat pork, and if you'll swallow an
ounce or so, it will do you all the good in the world."

The very mention of the fat pork finished me off. I bolted out of the
berth, which was to windward, and went staggering away to the opposite
side of the ship, having made a vain attempt to get to the main-deck,
upsetting Tom Pim in my course, and not stopping till I pitched right
against Doctor McCall, our surgeon, much after the manner that I had
treated old Rough-and-Ready. Our good medico, not being so secure as
the lieutenant on his pins, was unfortunately upset, and together we
rolled into his dispensary, out of which he was at that moment coming.
There we lay, amidst a quantity of phials, jars, and gallipots, which,
having been improperly secured, came crashing down upon us. The doctor
kicked and struggled, and endeavoured to rise, but I was too far gone to
make any effort of the sort. Had he been inclined, he might have
pounded me to death before I should have cried out for mercy. I was
unable even to say that I could not help it, though he must have known
that well enough. I need not describe what happened. Fortunately he
had got to his feet before the occurrence to which I wish only
delicately to allude took place. I felt wonderfully better.

"Why, Paddy, is it you, my boy?" he exclaimed, not a bit angry; for
being a good-natured man, he was ready to make every allowance for the
occurrence.

"I believe it's myself, sir; though I'm not altogether clear about it,"
I answered as I got up and tried to crawl out of the place.

"Stay, youngster, you shall have something before you go which will set
you to rights," he said in a kind tone.

As well as he could, with the ship pitching and rolling, he poured out a
mixture, which he handed to me, and bade me drink off. It revived me
considerably, though I still felt very shaky.

"If I should ever want to have a leg or an arm cut off, I hope, sir,
that you'll do it for me," I said, for I could think of nothing else at
the moment t