I?" he said. "One likes to see a few exciting
scenes now and then. Life is so dull."

He was holding on by the arms of the chair, for the ship rose and fell,
and rolled a good deal in the short, choppy sea; but he seemed to like
it, and as his sister stood with her hands resting on the back of the
chair, balancing herself and yielding to the motion of the ship, her
eyes brightened, and she gazed away over the foaming sea, where the sun
had come through the clouds, and made the spray sparkle like diamonds as
the waves curled over and broke.

They neither of them spoke to me, and I walked slowly away to see that
the captain had raised his hand.

"You can spend a little time with the sick passenger, Dale," he said; "I
mean when he wants you. Poor fellow, I'm afraid he's in a bad way."

He walked back toward the group by the mizzen as he spoke, and then as
we drew near he changed the conversation.

"Look here, Dale," he said; "you'd better go down and pull your messmate
out of his bunk by the hind leg. Time he was on deck now. And look
here, go and see how that Mr Preddle is. He's keeping below, too, when
a touch of this brisk breeze would set him up. Go down, and tell him
the fish are fighting--ah, fighting--that will be more like the truth.
They're sure to fight. That will bring him on deck."

"Shall I, sir?"

"Yes; off with you."

As I started I saw that Mr Denning was frowning, and that his sister
looked troubled. But it was only a momentary glance, and a minute or
two later I approached the door of Mr Preddle's cabin and knocked.

There was a groan, and in spite of its pitiful nature I could not help
smiling, and I knocked again.

"Come in," I heard in quite a squeak; and then as I opened the door--"Is
that Doctor Frewen?"

"No, sir," I replied. "I've come to ask you to get up and come on
deck."

"On deck! Is there any danger?"

The speaker raised himself upon his elbow, and looked at me eagerly.

"Oh no," I replied; "the sea's going down, and the captain thinks an
hour or two on deck would do you good."

"Too ill, too much prostrated," sighed the great fellow, who lay, as I
thought, like a sick elephant, when he had dropped back on to the
pillow.

"Captain Berriman said something about seeing to your fish, sir."

"My fish! Ah, yes; you shall look at them for me."

"But it really is nice and fresh on deck, sir."

"Yes, for you."

"And it seems to be doing Mr Denning and his sister