Doctor at Sea

routine fairly simple, as far as you’re concerned. You take your surgery at nine every morning, and at ten you bring me up a list of the sick on board and what’s wrong with ‘em. There’s none of this damn medical secrecy nonsense at sea. I want to know all about them. I have to carry the can in the end. Understand?’
    ‘Yes, sir.’
    ‘ Good. Then at eleven o’clock we inspect the ship -you wear your cap again. Dinner is at twelve-thirty and supper at six. Do you play cribbage?’
    ‘No, sir.’
    He looked disappointed.
    ‘Pity. The last Doctor played a good hand. Passes the tedium of the evenings at sea.’ He indicated the magazine.’ I’m a great reading man myself, but I like a game of crib now and then.’
    On a sudden thought he leant over and rummaged in the desk.
    ‘I’ve got a book on it here. Read that through, then we might be able to have a few games.’
    ‘Thank you, sir.’
    He hesitated a moment, staring at the square toes of his shoes.
    ‘Did you know Dr Flowerday?’ he asked.
    ‘No, sir.’
    He was the last Doctor. Very good man. We all liked him very much. Unfortunately, he didn’t know when to stop. I shouldn’t like to see you go the same way The Company might think there was something wrong with my ship.’
    My mouth went dry.
    ‘What - er, what happened to him, sir?’
    Captain Hogg glanced at me, then returned to inspecting his toes.
    ‘Of course, a man’s entitled to think what he likes,’ he said forcefully.’ I’m a respecter of anyone’s opinions. But there are limits, Doctor. Limits.’
    ‘Yes, sir.’
    ‘You’ve never thought you were somebody else, for instance? Have you, Doctor?’
    ‘No, sir. I - I can’t recall doing so.’
    ‘Well, there you are. It happens sometimes at sea. I’ve seen some of the best of fellows get taken that way. I remember when I first went Mate, the Third thought he was Cleopatra. Very awkward it was for all hands.’
    ‘I can see it would be, sir.’
    ‘But Dr Flowerday had a weakness. I tell you in strict confidence, Doctor.’
    ‘Of course, sir.’
    It appeared that my predecessor, after having drunk two bottles of gin a day for several years in the service of the Lotus, got religion shortly after leaving Singapore, and extinguished himself one night in the Indian Ocean through the mistaken impression that he had the rightful ability to walk upon the water.

3

    THE Lotus sailed, to the surprise of her crew, three days later. We spent the time tethered to the quay, loading heavy packing-cases from railway trucks. It was an interesting performance. The cases were raised to the level of the ship’s deck, drawn horizontally inwards, and lowered into the holds. This was done with the derricks and steam winches, each set manned by a gang of Liverpool dockers, who went about their work with the leisurely decorum of the House of Lords considering an unimportant Bill on a hot afternoon.
    There was a docker at each winch, and the rest of them worked either down the hold or on the quay. Each gang was controlled by a man in a long overcoat and a bowler hat, who directed their activities with the economy of gesture of an experienced bidder at an auction. The twitch of a little finger, an inclination of the head, the drop of an eyelid, and four tons of crated machinery went spinning through the air and down the hatch as cleanly as a holed-out golf ball.
    The stowage of the cargo was supervised by the Mates, under the directions of Archer. He had his bunk covered with cargo manifests, bills of lading, and plans of the ship with the different merchandise coloured in with crayon.
    ‘The Second gets the thin end of it,’ he said. ‘He’s always cargo officer. Too much work in it for me.’
    ‘But it looks fairly simple. Don’t you just go on putting the stuff in until the ship’s full?’
    ‘Haven’t you ever packed a case for a holiday? The things you want first always seem to be at the bottom. If that happened in the ship there’d be trouble. You can’t tip everything out.’
    ‘I see what you mean.’
    ‘Besides, there’s the trim of the ship to think about. There’s more in cargo than meets the eye.’
    He looked at his plan.’ Nos. 1 and 4 are full, but there’s plenty of room in 2 and 3. We’ll be here a week yet, you can bet on that.’
    But orders, based on some deep calculation in the Fathom Line offices, came for us to sail. Twenty-four hours later, in the morning, the Lotus left.
    An air of excitement