The Adventures of Roderick Random
consequence to be treated without the authority of the doctor I went
down to his cabin to inform him of the accident, as well as to bring up
dressings which we always kept ready prepared. I entered his apartment
without any ceremony, and, by the glimmering of a lamp, perceived him
on his knees before something that very much resembled a crucifix; but
this I will not insist upon, that I may not seem too much a slave to
common report, which indeed assisted my conjecture on this occasion, by
representing Dr. Mackshane as a member of the church of Rome. Be this
as it will, he got up in a sort of confusion, occasioned (I suppose) by
his being disturbed in his devotion, and in a trice snatched the
subject of my suspicion from my sight.
After making an apology for my intrusion, I acquainted him with the
situation of Rattlin, but could by no means prevail upon him to visit
him on deck, where he lay; he bade me desire the boatswain to order
some of the men to carry him down to the cockpit, “and in the
meantime,” said he, “I will direct Thompson to get ready the
dressings.” When I signified to the boatswain the doctor’s desire, he
swore a terrible oath, that he could not spare one man from deck,
because he expected the mast would go by the board every minute. This
piece of information did not at all contribute to my peace of mind;
however, as my friend Rattlin complained very much, with the assistance
of Morgan I supported him to the lower deck, whither Mr. Mackshane,
after much entreaty, ventured to come, attended by Thompson, with a box
full of dressings, and his own servant, who carried a whole set of
capital instruments. He examined the fracture and the wound, and
concluding, from a livid colour extending itself upon the limb, that
mortification would ensue, resolved to amputate the leg immediately.
This was a dreadful sentence to the patient, who, recruiting himself
with a quid of tobacco, pronounced with a woful countenance, “What! is
there no remedy, doctor! must I be dock’d? can’t you splice it?”
“Assuredly, Doctor Mackshane,” said the first mate, “with submission,
and deference, and veneration, to your superior apilities, and
opportunities, and stations, look you, I do apprehend, and conjure, and
aver, that there is no occasion nor necessity to smite off this poor
man’s leg.” “God Almighty bless you, dear Welshman!” cried Rattlin,
“may you have fair wind and weather wheresoever you’re bound, and come
to an anchor in the road of heaven at last!” Mackshane, very much
incensed at his mate’s differing in opinion from him, so openly,
answered, that he was not bound to give an account of his practice to
him; and in a peremptory tone, ordered him to apply the tourniquet. At
the sight of which, Jack, starting up, cried, “Avast, avast! D—n my
heart, if you clap your nippers on me, till I know wherefore! Mr.
Random, won’t you lend a hand towards saving my precious limb! Odd’s
heart, if Lieutenant Bowling was here, he would not suffer Jack
Rattlin’s leg to be chopped off like a piece of old junk.”
This pathetic address to me, joined to my inclination to serve my
honest friend, and the reasons I had to believe there was no danger in
delaying the amputation, induced me to declare myself of the first
mate’s opinion, and affirm that the preternatural colour of the skin
was owing to an inflammation, occasioned by a contusion, and common in
all such cases, without any indication of an approaching gangrene.
Morgan, who had a great opinion of my skill, manifestly exulted in my
fellowship, and asked Thompson’s sentiments in the matter, in hopes of
strengthening our association with him too; but he, being of a meek
disposition, and either dreading the enmity of the surgeon, or speaking
the dictates of his own judgment, in a modest manner espoused the
opinion of Mackshane, who by this time having consulted with himself,
determined to act in such a manner as to screen himself from censure,
and at the same time revenge himself on us, for our arrogance in
contradicting him. With this view, he asked if we would undertake to
cure the leg at our peril: that is, be answerable for the consequence.
To this question, Morgan replied, that the lives of his creatures are
at the hands of Cot alone; and it would be great presumption in him to
undertake for an event that was in the power of his Maker, no more than
the doctor could promise to cure all the sick to whom he administered
his assistance; but if the patient would put himself under our
direction, we would do our endeavour to bring his distemper to a
favourable issue, to which at present we saw no obstruction.
I signified my concurrence; and Rattlin was so overjoyed that, shaking
us both by the hands, he swore nobody else should touch him, and, if he
died, his blood should be upon his own head. Mr. Mackshane, flattering
himself with the prospect of our miscarriage, went away, and left us to
manage it as we should think proper; accordingly, having sawed off part
of the splinter that stuck through the skin, we reduced the fracture,
dressed the wound, applied the eighteen-tailed bandage, and put the leg
in a box, secundam artem. Everything succeeded according to our wish,
and we had the satisfaction of not only preserving the poor fellow’s
leg, but likewise of rendering the doctor contemptible among the ship’s
company, who had all their eyes on us during the course of this cure,
which was completed in six weeks.
CHAPTER XXIX
Mackshane’s malice—I am taken up and imprisoned for a spy—Morgan meets
with the same fate—Thompson is tampered with to turn evidence against
us—disdains the proposal, and is maltreated for his integrity—Morgan is
released to assist the Surgeon during an engagement with some French
ships-of-war—I remain fettered on the poop, exposed to the enemy’s
shot, and grow delirious with fear—am comforted after the battle by
Morgan, who speaks freely of the captain, is overheard by the sentinel,
who informs against him, and again imprisoned—Thompson grows desperate,
and, notwithstanding the remonstrances of Morgan and me, goes overboard
in the night
In the meantime the storm subsided into a brisk gale, that carried us
into the warm latitudes, where the weather became intolerable, and the
crew very sickly. The doctor left nothing unattempted towards the
completion of his vengeance against the Welshman and me. He went among
the sick under pretence of inquiring into their grievances, with a view
of picking up complaints to our prejudice; but, finding himself
frustrated in that expectation by the goodwill we had procured from the
patients by our diligence and humanity, he took the resolution of
listening to our conversation, by hiding himself behind the canvas that
surrounded our berth; here too he was detected by the boy of our mess,
who acquainted us with this piece of behaviour, and one night, while we
were picking a large bone of salt beef, Morgan discerned something stir
on the outside of our hangings, which immediately interpreting to be
the doctor, he tipped me the wink, and pointed to the place, where I
could perceive somebody standing; upon which, I snatched up the bone,
and levelled it with all my force at him, saying, “Whoever you are,
take that for your curiosity.” It had the desired effect, for we heard
the listener tumble down, and afterwards crawl to his own cabin. I
applauded myself much for this feat, which turned out one of the most
unlucky exploits of my life, Mackshane, from that time, marking me out
for destruction.
About a week after this exploit, as I was going my rounds among the
sick, I was taken prisoner, and carried to the poop by the
master-at-arms, where I was loaded with irons, and stapled to the deck,
on pretence that I was a spy on board, and had conspired against the
captain’s life. How ridiculous soever this imputation was, I did not
fail to suffer by it all the rigour that could be shown to the worst of
criminals, being exposed in this miserable condition to the scorching
heat of the sun by day, and the unwholesome damps by night, during the
space of twelve days, in which I was neither brought to trial, nor
examined touching the probability of the charge. I had no sooner
recovered the use of my reflection, which had been quite overthrown by
this accident, than I sent for Thompson, who, after condoling me on the
occasion, hinted, that I owed this misfortune to the hatred of the
doctor, who had given an information against me to the captain, in
consequence of which I was arrested, and all my papers seized. While I
was cursing my capricious fate, I saw Morgan ascend the poop, guarded
by two corporals, who made him sit down by me, that he might be
pinioned in the same machine. Notwithstanding my situation, I could
scarce refrain from laughing at the countenance of my fellow prisoner,
who, without speaking one word, allowed his feet to be inclosed in the
rings provided for that purpose; but, when they pretended to fasten him
on his back he grew outrageous, and drawing a large couteau from his
side-pocket, threatened to rip up the belly of the first man that
should approach him, in order to treat him in such an unworthy manner.
They were prepared to use him very roughly, when the lieutenant on the
quarter-deck called up to them to let him remain as he was. He then
crept towards me, and, taking me by the hand, bade me “put my trust in
Cot.” And looking at Thompson, who sat by us trembling, with a pale
visage; told him there were two more rings for his feet, and he should
be glad to find him in such good company. But it was not the intention
of our adversary to include the second mate in our fate: him he
expected to be his drudge in attending the sick and, if possible, his
evidence against us: with this view he sounded him afar off, but,
finding his integrity incorruptible, harrassed him so much out of
spite, that in a short time this mild creature grew weary of his life.
While I and my fellow prisoner comforted each other in our tribulation,
the admiral discovered four sail to leeward and made signal for our
ship and four more to chase: hereupon everything was cleared for an
engagement, and Mackshane, foreseeing he should have occasion for more
assistants than one obtained Morgan’s liberty, while I was let in this
deplorable posture to the chance of battle. It was almost dark when we
came up with the sternmost chase, which we hailed, and inquired who
they were. They gave us to understand they were French men-of-war, upon
which Captain Oakum commanded them to send their boat on board of him!
but they refused, telling him, if he had any business with them, to
come on board of their ship: he then threatened to pour in a broadside
upon them, which they promised to retain. Both sides were as good as
their word, and the engagement began with great fury. The reader may
guess how I passed my time, lying in this helpless situation, amidst
the terrors of a sea-fight; expecting every moment to be cut asunder,
or dashed in pieces by the enemy’s shot! I endeavoured to compose
myself as much as possible, by reflecting that I was not a whit more
exposed than those who were stationed about me; but, when I beheld them
employed without intermission in annoying the foe, and encouraged by
the society and behaviour of one another, I could easily perceive a
wide difference between their condition and mine: however, I concealed
my agitation as well as I could till the head of the officer of marines
who stood near me, being shot off, bounced from the deck athwart my
face, leaving me well nigh blinded with brains. I could contain myself
no longer, but began to bellow with all the strength of my lungs; when
a drummer, coming towards me asked if I was wounded, and, before I
could answer, received a great shot in his belly, which tore out his