“Just wanted to have one more look at the dear lad, sir.”
“But what do you mean by things looking bad?”
“Haven’t you seen, sir? Well, you can hear.”
The doctor could hear, for at that moment something struck the vessel a tremendous blow, which made her shiver, and then all was turmoil and confusion as rain, wind, and spray swept the decks, and the steamer careened over and lay for a time upon her beam-ends.
“Come down and tell me if the storm gets worse,” said the doctor, with his lips to the man’s ear.
“Right, sir; but it can’t be much worse till the sea gets up. It’s blown flat just now.”
The man gave a lingering look at the insensible boy, and then crept through the door, passing out quickly as if to keep some of the din from entering the cabin.
The doctor bent over his patient again, and then leaned forward to unscrew the fastening of the circular pane of glass which formed the port-hole.
But he opened it only a few inches and then clapped it to and fastened it again to keep out the rush of wind and spray which entered with a wild shriek and rocked the lamp to and fro, threatening to put it out.
He returned to his seat and watched, paying no heed whatever to the terrific roar of the storm nor the quivering of the great vessel, which was evidently being driven at great speed dead in the teeth of the storm, though really making very little progress.