My first thought was of the after house. Jones, who had been fond
of Burns, was working over him, muttering to himself. I felt his
heart, which was beating slowly but regularly, and, convinced that
he was not dying, ran down into the after house. The cabin was
empty: evidently the guard around the pearl handled revolver had
been given up on the false promise of peace. All the lights were
going, however, and the heat was suffocating.
I ran to Miss Lee's door, and tried it. It was locked, but almost
instantly she spoke from inside: "What is it?"
"Nothing much. Can you come out?"
She came a moment later, and I asked her to call into each cabin
to see if every one was safe. The result was reassuring--no one
had been disturbed; and I was put to it to account to Miss Lee for
my anxiety without telling her what had happened. I made some sort
of excuse, which I have forgotten, except that she evidently did
not believe it.
On deck, the men were gathered around Burns. There were ominous
faces among them, and mutterings of hatred and revenge; for Burns
had been popular--the best-liked man among them all. Jones, wrought
to the highest pitch, had even shed a few shamefaced tears, and was
obliterating the humiliating memory by an extra brusqueness of manner.
We carried the injured man aft, and with such implements as I had I
cleaned and dressed the wound. It needed sewing, and it seemed best
to do it before he regained consciousness. Jones and Adams went below
to the forecastle, therefore, and brought up my amputating set, which
contained, besides its knives, some curved needles and surgical silk,
still in good condition.
I opened the case, and before the knives, the long surgeon's knives
which were in use before the scalpel superseded them, they fell back,
muttering and amazed.
I did not know that Elsa Lee also was watching until, having
requested Jones, who had been a sailmaker, to thread the needles,
his trembling hands refused their duty. I looked up, searching the
group for a competent assistant, and saw the girl. She had dressed,
and the light from the lantern beside me on the deck threw into
relief her white figure among the dark ones. She came forward as my
eyes fell on her.
"Let me try," she said; and, kneeling by the lantern, in a moment
she held out the threaded needle. Her hand was quite steady. She
made an able assistant, wiping clean the oozing edges of the wound
so that I could see to clip the bleeding vessels, and working deftly
with the silk and needles to keep me supplied. My old case yielded
also a roll or so of bandage. By the time Burns was attempting an
incoordinate movement or two, the operation was over and the
instruments put out of sight.