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which were in use before the scalpel superseded them, they fell back,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