The islanders very hospitably looked after all who had come ashore, which included most of the crew of the Quest, inviting them to their houses for meals. Jeffrey and I had both lunch and dinner with Bob Glass, waited upon royally by Mrs. Glass, “Wilet” and “Dōrothee,” whilst a large number of peeping faces grouped themselves about the door and windows.
After the parade of Scouts Commander Wild went back to the ship. He permitted the others to stay longer, but gave instructions that they were to go aboard before dark. There was some delay, however, and to hurry them up he fired a detonator, which burst with a loud report and a spangle of stars and reverberated in numerous echoes from the hillside. The effect was extraordinary. Every living thing on the island was thoroughly startled; dogs bolted and yelped, girls and children screamed and ran for the houses, whilst sheep, pigs, geese and poultry scampered in all directions in the wildest confusion.
Soon afterwards I saw the lights of the Quest passing out in the direction of Inaccessible Island. With her went three of the islanders whom Commander Wild had taken to act as pilots and guides. They were Robert and John Glass and Henry Green.
I had spent the day in seeing sick people or people who thought that, seeing a doctor had come to the island, they might just as well get him to have a look at them. The men came to see me at Robert Glass’s house, and later Mrs. Glass conducted me on a tour of the settlement to see a number of women patients. There were numerous minor ailments: sprains, old fractures, or “brocks,” as the islanders call them, which had reunited with serious deformity, rheumatism, and a condition they call “ashmere,” meaning asthma. This seems to be the most prevalent complaint on the island. Taken on the whole, however, they are a very healthy little community.
I had with me in my medical equipment a small portable electric battery. In the evening a man named Tom Rogers, who had received an injury to his arm some time before, came for treatment, and I gave him some electrical massage. He was delighted with the sensation, and made everyone who came to the house take the terminals and feel it also. I got several of them to join hands, and passed the current through all of them at one time. Tom Rogers kept sending for more and more people to “feel the electricity” until the house was full. Finding that the current passed through any part of the body that was touched, he determined to play a joke on a new-comer, suddenly touching his ear whilst a strong current was passing. The new-comer, Gordon Glass, who had never seen such a thing before, was considerably startled, to the great joy of all the others, who thoroughly appreciated the joke and retailed it all over the settlement, to my undoing, for I had to demonstrate the experiment again and again.
I found that these islanders, when gathered together, were a genial, pleasant lot, very good tempered, and quick to see humour. Though intelligent in many respects, most of them had absolutely no interest in anything happening outside the island; but, considering their isolated position and lack of communication with the rest of the world, together with their inability to read, this can easily be understood.
Bob Glass had given his family instructions to put me in his bed and to clear out of the house and leave me to myself. Goodness knows where they went to. I turned in and quickly fell asleep, to awake very soon with a sensation that all was not well. The trouble proved to be a countless host of small marauders, which were very persistent and voracious. I had no more sleep that night.
The next day (Sunday, 21st) I was up early. Mrs. Glass brought me a cup of very strong black coffee without sugar or milk. Acting probably on her husband’s instructions, she brought me also some hot water for shaving. This accomplished, I sallied forth to the clear brook and started sponging down, to find myself, much to my embarrassment, an object of interest to sundry small children of both sexes.
Breakfast was served to me in solitary state, which was a disappointment, for I had hoped to sit down with the family. The meal consisted of mutton and potatoes, as did all the meals I had whilst remaining on the island. Mrs. Glass would have fed me on her share of the stores from the Quest, but I told her I was tired of ship’s food and wanted a change.
The weather had changed; it was raining hard, and the wind having come round to the north-west, from which direction it blew up strongly, it looked as if a landing would not be effected on Inaccessible Island. I wondered what the Quest was doing—at least, I knew very well what she was doing, and felt glad I was on terra firma.