dly as ever; the scuttle was
frequently being dimmed by the dash of seas against the ship's side; and
the screaming of the gale through the rigging still rose high above
every other sound.

My body seemed to be bruised and aching all over; but, with this
exception, I felt little or none the worse for my morning's adventure; I
was very comfortable, but distinctly hungry; and I was lazily
endeavouring to make up my mind whether I would go to the trouble of
dressing, and hunting up a steward to find me something to eat, or
whether I would remain where I was until somebody came to me, when the
problem was solved by the opening of my cabin-door, and the entrance of
the doctor. He advanced on tiptoe to the side of my bunk, and bent
close over me, peering into my face to see whether I happened to be
awake.

"What is the time, doctor?" I asked.

"Oh, so you _are_ awake, eh?" he responded. "Well, how do you feel?"

"Sore and aching from head to foot, but otherwise all right--excepting
that I am uncommonly hungry," I answered.

"Hungry, eh?" said Scudamore. "Let me feel your pulse."

He laid his fingers upon my wrist for a few seconds, and then said:

"Well, there doesn't seem to be very much the matter with you now; you
have had a good, long, sound sleep--I have been in and out from time to
time, just to see that you were going on all right--and a good dinner
will not hurt you. Will you have it brought to you here, or would you
rather turn out and dress?"

"Oh, I will turn out, of course!" I exclaimed.

"Very well, then," said the doctor, "I will send a steward to help you
to dress--you will need a little assistance, with the ship cutting these
wild capers--and if you do not dawdle too long over your toilet you will
be just in good time for dinner. There goes the first bell," he added,
as the strident clamour suddenly pealed out from somewhere on the deck
above.

He left me, and presently my berth-room steward appeared with my
shaving-water, and I scrambled--rather more feebly than I had expected--
out of my bunk. The operation of dressing proved to be a considerably
more lengthy one than I had anticipated, for I found that I was
decidedly shaky on my legs, and I had to sit on the sofa and take a
short rest at frequent intervals, with the result that the second dinner
bell rang before I was ready to leave my cabin. I was not very late,
however, arriving in the cuddy last, it is true, but in time to see my
i