Half-a-dozen jack-knives were opened and presented to the doctor, but I sprang forward. "Don't do that, sir, please!" I cried excitedly. "Eh? Not cut off this absurd thing?" "No, sir. The poor fellow went overboard to escape having the pigtail cut, and it would break his heart." Mr Reardon turned upon me sharply, and I anticipated a severe reproof, but he only gave me a nod. "Carry him below," he said. And I walked beside the men to save the poor fellow from any fresh indignity, while half-an-hour later he had had a good rubbing and was lying in hot blankets fast asleep, partly from exhaustion, partly consequent upon having had a tumbler of mixture, steaming and odorous, which the doctor had administered with his own hands. "Not to be taken every three hours, Herrick," he said, with a curious dry smile. "Fine mixture that, in its proper place. Know what it was?" "It smelt like grog, sir," I replied. "Oh, did it? Now, do you for a moment suppose that when a carefully-trained medical man of great experience is called in to a patient suffering from shock and a long immersion he would prescribe and exhibit such a commonplace remedy as grog?" "Don't know, sir," I said. "But I should." "Then, my good lad, as soon as you get back from this unpleasant voyage, the best thing you can do will be to go straight to your father and tell him that you have made a mistake in your vocation, and that he had better enter you for a series of terms at one of the universities, and then as a student at one of the hospitals." "But I'm going to be a sailor, sir." "Yes, a bad one, I daresay, my lad, when you might become a good doctor or surgeon." "But I don't want to be one," I replied, laughing. "Of course not, when it is the grandest profession in the world." "But do you think he will come round all right, sir?" I said anxiously. "Oh yes, of course. But you are not going to let that absurd thing stop on the end of his tail?" "No, sir," I replied. "I'm going to try and get it off directly." "How?" "Lay it on a stool and stamp upon it." "Good! that will flatten it and make the opening gape." It did, after the exercise of a fair amount of pressure; and then, by the help of Tom Jecks, who was wonderfully penitent now, and eager to help with a tool he brought--to wit, a marlinespike--the star-like points of tin were one by one forced out, and the tail withdrawn uninjured, except that the silk ribbon at the end was a good deal frayed. "Ha!" ejaculated Tom. "We've made an end of it at last. My word, Mr Herrick, sir, it's truly-thankful-Amen I am that the poor chap's all right again." "And so am I, Tom Jecks," I replied. "O' course you is, sir; I never meant to cut his tail, only to frighten him a bit; but, poor heathen, he took it all as serious as seas. Shall I go and chuck the tin-can overboard?" "No; leave it here for him to find when he wakes up."