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He then began to give the necessary orders; but before they were all out of his mouth, a fatal interruption occurred. Tadcaster ran into Dr. Staines's cabin, crying, "A raft with a corpse close by!"
As for Falcon, he went carefully through Staines's two letters, and wherever he found a word that suited his purpose, he traced it by the usual process, and so, in the course of a few hours, he concocted a short letter, all the words in which, except three, were facsimiles, only here and there a little shaky; the three odd words he had to imitate by observation of the letters.
Lady Staines heartily disliked both her daughters, and she appeared not to care very deeply for her sons, but of the three she had a decided preference for Winn. Winn had a wicked temper, an unshakable nerve, and had inherited the strength of Sir Peter's muscles and the sledge-hammer weight of Lady Staines's wit.
After several such attempts at intervals, he said plainly the man's life could not be saved by ordinary means. "Then try extraordinary," said the captain. "My orders are that he is to be saved. There is life in him. You have only got to keep it there. He MUST be saved; he SHALL be saved." "I should like to try Dr. Staines's remedy," said the surgeon. "Try it, then what is it?"
Notwithstanding these precautions, he took the nurse apart, and said, "Now, you are an experienced woman, and to be trusted about an excitable patient. Mind, I object to any female servant entering Mrs. Staines's room with gossip. Keep them outside the door for the present, please.
His absence, and Lord Tadcaster's, made Rosa Staines's life extremely monotonous. Day followed day, and week followed week, each so unvarying, that, on a retrospect, three months seemed like one day. And I think at last youth and nature began to rebel, and secretly to crave some little change or incident to ruffle the stagnant pool.
A savage's sentiments change quickly, and the Hottentot, fearing little from a full lion, was now giggling at Staines's side. Staines asked him which he thought was the lord of all creatures, a man or a lion. "A lion," said Blacky, amazed at such a shallow question. Staines now got up, and proposed to continue their journey.
The first thing he did, being a man of action, was to dash into his cabin, and come back with a short, powerful double glass. "There!" said he roughly, but kindly, and shoved it into Staines's hand. He took it, stared at it stupidly, then used it, without a word of thanks, so wrapped was he in his anguish. This glass prolonged the misery of that bitter hour.
The Hottentot suggested that this was an excellent opportunity. He would borrow Staines's rifle, steal into the wood, crawl on his belly close up to them, and send a bullet through one. Staines did not relish the proposal.
"Not the lion king of all, nor even the white man," he said; "but Enfeel rifle!" Staines's eyes glittered. "You shall have it, and the horse, for your diamond," said he eagerly. The black seemed a little shaken; but did not reply. He got out of it by going on with his lion; and Staines eyed him, and was bitterly disappointed at not getting the diamond even on these terms.
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