"Physic, sir? Why, he never give me none--nothing but some white stuff--ten drips as he let drop carefully out of a little bottle. No, sir, it warn't that, but getting up here where one could breathe, and now instead of lying awake in the dark with the mysture running off one's face in drops, I just put my head down of a night feeling the cold air blowing over one, and the next minute I am fast asleep." "Yes, one can sleep here," said Mark, "sound as a top." "Yes, sir; same here, sir. Oh, I shall be all right in a day or two, sir, if I can get to work. I don't hold with hanging about with them two men of yourn looking at me as if I warn't worth my salt." "Do they?" said Mark sharply. "Well, perhaps it arn't that, sir, but that's what I feel." "But look here," cried Mark; "aren't they civil to you? Because we are not going to stand that; are we, Dean?" "Certainly not." "Beg pardon, sir; please don't you go a-thinking that I'm a-finding fault." "You look here," said Mark. "If they--" "Oh, I beg your pardon, sir," said the man. "You see, it's like this; you picked me up, quite a stranger, and it's quite nat'ral that they shouldn't like a chap on the sick list stuck along with them all at once." "It's no business of theirs," said Mark shortly. "They have come out here with us to do their duty; and just now it's their duty to do what's right by you, and if my father or the doctor knew that--what?" "Well, sir, I daresay I'm wrong, but I've got it into my head that one of them feels a bit jealous like that I'm going to step into his shoes and that he'll be dismissed his ship." "Pshaw!" ejaculated Mark angrily. "He has no right to think anything of the kind. You three have got to work together and be like messmates, as you sailors call it." "That's right, sir; messmates is the word; but--" The man stopped. "Well, out with it," said Mark. "What were you going to say?" "Well, sir," said the man, hesitating, and he turned now to look half appealingly at Dean, "you see, sir, I am a bit weak still in the head." "Of course you are! Then go on getting strong." "Thankye, sir; that's what I am doing," said the man; "but I can't help every now and then thinking that all this 'ere is too good to be true, and that as soon as Sir James and the doctor thinks that I'm all right again they will say, `There, my lad, you are about fit to shift for yourself, and you can go.'" "Oh, I see," said Mark sarcastically. "Yes, sir, that's it," said the man, with a sigh. "Now, let's see," said Mark, and he gave his cousin a peculiar look; "I suppose, fairly speaking, it will take about a month before you are quite right again." "Bless your heart, sir, not it! Fortnight, more likely; I should say about a week." "Well, I hope that in a month's time--for that's what I'll give you; eh, Dean?" "Oh, quite," said his cousin decisively.