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.
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