He clung to them by turns, and begged, with many tears, to be put on the
nearest land; a rock would do.

"Much obliged," said the captain; "now is the very time to give rocks a
wide berth."

"A dead whale, then--a lighthouse--anything but a beast of a ship."

They pacified him with a little brandy, and for the next twenty-four
hours he scarcely opened his mouth, except for a purpose it is
needless to dwell on. We can trust to our terrestrial readers' personal
reminiscences of lee-lurches, weather-rolls, and their faithful
concomitant.

At last they wriggled out of the Channel, and soon after that the wind
abated, and next day veered round to the northward, and the ship sailed
almost on an even keel. The motion became as heavenly as it had been
diabolical, and the passengers came on deck.

Staines had suffered one whole day from sea-sickness, but never
complained. I believe it did his mind more good than harm.

As for Tadcaster, he continued to suffer, at intervals, for two days
more, but on the fifth day out he appeared with a little pink tinge
on his cheek and a wolfish appetite. Dr. Staines controlled his diet
severely, as to quality, and, when they had been at sea just eleven
days, the physician's heavy heart was not a little lightened by the
marvellous change in him. The unthinking, who believe in the drug
system, should have seen what a physician can do with air and food,