trusting all round to his officers. First officer, no good--never any
use since they poured the coal on him. Purser, ought to be on a Chinese
junk. Second, third, fourth officers, first-rate chaps, but so-so
sailors. Doctor, frivolling with a lovely filly, pedigree not known.
Why, confound it! nobody takes this business seriously except the
captain, and he sits on a golden throne. He doesn't know that in any
real danger this swagger craft would be filled with foolishness.
There isn't more than one good boat's crew on board--sailors, lascars,
stewards, and all. As for the officers, if the surgeon would leave the
lovely ladies to themselves, he'd find cases worth treating, and duties
worth doing. He should keep himself fit for shocks. And he can take my
word for it--for I've been at sea since I was a kid, worse luck!--that a
man with anything to do on a ship ought to travel every day nose out for
shipwreck next day, and so on, port to port. Ship-surgeons, as well as
all other officers, weren't ordained to follow after cambric skirts and
lace handkerchiefs at sea. Believe me or not as you like, but, for a man
having work to do, woman, lovely woman, is rocks. Now, I suppose you'll
think I'm insolent, for I'm younger than you are, Marmion, but you know
what a rough-and-tumble fellow I am, and you'll not mind."

"Well, Hungerford," I said, "to what does this lead?"

"To Number 116 Intermediate, for one thing. It's letting off steam for
another. I tell you, Marmion, these big ships are too big. There are
those canvas boats. They won't work; you can't get them together.
You couldn't launch one in an hour. And as for the use of the others,
the lascars would melt like snow in any real danger. There's about one
decent boat's crew on the ship, that's all. There! I've unburdened
myself; I feel better."