"What! and you did not tell me? Here, come back to the ship, and let me have a look." "Na, na, na; she'll na gang wi' ye!" cried Watty. "But if they are frost-bitten I can perhaps do them good, and save you from a very bad injury. Come along." "Na, na; she'll keep her han's an' foots on as lang as she can," groaned the lad. "She winna let her tooch them." "Don't be absurd!" said the doctor angrily. "Steve, did you know of this?" "No, sir," said the boy, fighting hard to conceal his mirth. "I ought to have been told. Here, come along. Stop!" "Ay, she'll stop; she winna gang wi' ye." "Are your feet really bad?" "Ay, sir; but she shanna tooch them." "You have no business to walk," said the doctor. "I must have you carried, sir." "Na, na; she'll stay here." "Bah! don't be absurd, boy. I know what is best for you. Here, Steve, my lad, go and fetch two of the men to carry him in. I'm glad I heard of this in time." "Dinna gang, Meester Stevey; oh, dinna gang!" cried Watty. "I must; I'm ordered to go," cried Steve quickly, as he ran back to the ship, and then hunted out Andrew and Hamish from the forecastle to come and bear the lad to the deck. "She wass ferry well at breakfast," said Andrew. "She must ha' been eating something since then," for Andrew's ideas of illness were always in connection with eating or drinking too much. "Phwat will she say's the matter?" "He told the doctor he was very bad," replied Steve, "and you're to carry him." "She wass ferry sorry for the puir laddie, and she'll carry her on her pack." But Andrew was not allowed to carry Watty in on his "pack," but under the doctor's instructions, and, in spite of the lad's remonstrances, they passed hands under him, made him throw his arms over their shoulders, and prepared to start. "She winna go!" cried Watty, struggling faintly. "Take no notice of him," said the doctor; "he must be carried in at once. Now off!" Poor Watty was borne to the snow steps which rose right up to the gangway, carried in, and no sooner were they upon the gloomy deck, where they had to depend now for light upon a couple of swinging lanthorns, than the captain met them. The place was quite misty with the men's breath, which hung about like steam, in spite of the efforts made to keep the place warm; and things looked quite indistinct, especially about Watty, who had had to resign himself to his fate, and lay where he was placed upon the deck. "What is it--a fall?" cried the captain; "broken leg?" "No, frost-bitten," said the doctor laconically. "Take off that fur coat, my lads." The huge sheep-skin coat was opened and drawn from Watty's shoulders, leaving visible one of the blankets from his bunk doubled and rolled round him tightly, and held by a stout piece of cord that looked wonderfully like a portion of a walrus line.