“Two pounds per gallon, chief? Why, it’s nearly a hundred pounds of coal a day just for distilling! That expenditure will ruin us if we have to keep it up. Snow, snow! That’s what we need!”
CHAPTER XVII
Continuing his program for dodging scurvy, De Long followed up his exercise order by another calling for a thorough monthly medical examination of all hands. In this I believe he had two objects—the main one, of course, to give the surgeon a chance to catch and deal with the first symptom of disease and especially scurvy, before it had any opportunity to get out of bounds; the other, by maintaining a record at frequent intervals of our physical condition, to study the effect of the long Arctic night and of Arctic conditions generally on the human body, and to learn perhaps the best method of combating these effects.
I read the order absent-mindedly, made a mental note that at ten next morning I was due for examination, and in the midst of my engrossment over the urgent problem of how to save some coal, promptly put the matter out of my thoughts. An hour later, Charley Tong Sing touched my shoulder and announced in a singsong voice,
“Captain wantee you, chief, in cabin allee samee light away.”
More discussions about coal economy, I presumed.
But that idea was quickly knocked out of my head when stepping into the cabin I found myself facing not the captain alone but also Mr. Collins.
A little surprised at this unexpected situation, I looked enquiringly from one to the other. Both men were on their feet, both were angry, and evidently trouble was in the offing. Not being invited to take a seat, naturally I remained standing also, looking quizzically from Collins to the captain, wondering what was up.
I found out soon enough. De Long, waiting only till he was sure that the steward was out of the room and the door firmly closed behind me, with an evident effort to maintain an even tone broke the silence.
“Melville, I’ve sent for you as the officer aboard with longest experience in Service customs to get from you an independent opinion on the propriety of my medical examination order before I proceed to enforce it. It seems that Mr. Collins here objects.”