‘You are all right, my boy!’ said his father. ‘What hev happened to ye? Where did ye get that terrible blow?’
‘Ah—I can mind now,’ murmured Bob, with a stupefied gaze around. ‘I fell in slipping down the topsail halyard—the rope, that is, was too short—and I fell upon my head. And then I went away. When I came back I thought I wouldn’t disturb ye: so I lay down out there, to sleep out the watch; but the pain in my head was so great that I couldn’t get to sleep; so I picked some of the poppy-heads in the border, which I once heard was a good thing for sending folks to sleep when they are in pain. So I munched up all I could find, and dropped off quite nicely.’
‘I wondered who had picked ’em!’ said Molly. ‘I noticed they were gone.’
‘Why, you might never have woke again!’ said Mrs. Loveday, holding up her hands. ‘How is your head now?’
‘I hardly know,’ replied the young man, putting his hand to his forehead and beginning to doze again. ‘Where be those fellows that boarded us? With this—smooth water and—fine breeze we ought to get away from ’em. Haul in—the larboard braces, and—bring her to the wind.’
‘You are at home, dear Bob,’ said Anne, bending over him, ‘and the men are gone.’
‘Come along upstairs: th’ beest hardly awake now,’ said his father and Bob was assisted to bed.
XXXIII. A DISCOVERY TURNS THE SCALE
In four-and-twenty hours Bob had recovered. But though physically himself again, he was not at all sure of his position as a patriot. He had that practical knowledge of seamanship of which the country stood much in need, and it was humiliating to find that impressment seemed to be necessary to teach him to use it for her advantage. Many neighbouring young men, less fortunate than himself, had been pressed and taken; and their absence seemed a reproach to him. He went away by himself into the mill-roof, and, surrounded by the corn-heaps, gave vent to self-condemnation.
‘Certainly, I am no man to lie here so long for the pleasure of sighting that young girl forty times a day, and letting her sight me—bless her eyes!—till I must needs want a press-gang to teach me what I’ve forgot. And is it then all over with me as a British sailor? We’ll see.’