The Three Admirals | Page 3

Desmond.
"At noon, when we were passing that curious rock, our latitude was 29
degrees north, and our longitude 14 degrees east. We shall next sight
the Bonin Islands, or Rosario, which is another lofty island, little more
than a rock, standing up out of the sea."
"Do ask the doctor if I may get up, Tom; I should be sorry to pass these
places without having a look at them," exclaimed Desmond. "I can
finish my book by-and-by."

Just then the officer spoken of, Mr Hussey, came out from the
gun-room. He was a short, somewhat stout gentleman, with a
good-natured expression of countenance, and a merry twinkle in the
eye, which showed that he could enjoy a joke, and was likely to utter
many a one himself. His naturally florid complexion was deepened into
a still more ruddy hue by exposure to the hot suns of the tropics.
"Do, doctor, let me get up; your physic has done me an immense deal
of good, and I feel quite well already," said Desmond.
The doctor felt his pulse. "You get up!" he exclaimed. "What do you
think yourself made of?" trying to look grave.
"Arrah, shure, sugar and spice and all that's nice! that's what
midshipmen are made of. But shure, doctor dear, you will not keep me
here, stewing by myself, when I might be enjoying the pure air of
heaven?--for I really am well, doctor."
"You mean to say that you have finished your book, and have got tired
of lying in bed," was the reply. "Well, if you promise to be a good boy
and keep in the shade, you may dress and go on deck, but I cannot
undertake to scratch you off the sick-list yet."
"Thank you, sir," said Desmond; "I will do everything you tell me, and
take as much medicine as you think fit to prescribe. I do not want to do
duty yet, as I've got a hundred pages more of `Tom Cringle's Log' to
read, and I cannot gallop over a book as some people do."
"Well, well, possibly the ship may manage to take care of itself without
you," said the doctor, as he passed on.
Whereupon Desmond began to put on his clothes, a task which he
accomplished with Tom's assistance. He felt himself, however, much
weaker than he had expected, as he made his way upon deck, though he
tried hard to show that he was himself again. He received a friendly
greeting from his messmates, and Mr Mildmay congratulated him on
being able once more to make his appearance.

There was plenty to amuse those who had a taste for natural history
even when no land was in sight, and the doctor, who was a great
naturalist, was constantly on the qui vive, for the sea teemed with squid,
medusae, polypi, and flying-fish. Several of the latter came through the
ports, when there was a general scramble for them, the midshipmen,
who were on the watch and the most active, coming in for the largest
share. A short time afterwards the unhappy fish made an appearance,
well fried, on their mess-table. Whales, too, were sporting in all
directions, tempted to the locality by the abundance of food which the
before-named creatures afforded. Several old whalers among the crew
could scarcely restrain their impatience, and, could they have obtained
leave, would have gone off with such gear as they could have prepared
to attack the monsters of the deep.
Since the Dragon had left Japan, the weather had been remarkably fine,
with calms and light winds. But the calms lasted scarcely long enough
to have the fires lighted before the ship was again under sail. That
evening, however, a long heavy swell began to come from the
north-east; the undulations rapidly increasing in size, making the ship
roll from side to side, until her chains touched the water. Desmond, in
common with two or three of his messmates, and most of the ship's
boys and marines, began to feel very uncomfortable.
"What's going to happen?" he asked; "I'm mighty quare about the
region of the stomach."
"I suppose we are going to have a gale of wind, as a change," answered
Tom, who had never been ill since he first came to sea. "We shall have
to shorten sail, I've a notion, before long, to be prepared for blustering
Boreas, when he thinks fit to visit us."
The whole appearance of the sky and sea quickly changed. The
wildfowl, which had been hovering around the ship, winged their flight
to the nearest islands where shelter could be found. The atmosphere
was pervaded with a peculiar glare by the rays of the sun coming
through the clouds of a dull ochreous red, giving the ocean, the ship,
her canvas and