The Man Who Was Going Nowhere

The cabin in which I found myself was small and rather untidy. A youngish man with flaxen hair, a bristly straw-coloured moustache, and a dropping nether lip, was sitting and holding my wrist. For a minute we stared at each other without speaking. He had watery grey eyes, oddly void of expression. Then just overhead came a sound like an iron bedstead being knocked about, and the low angry growling of some large animal. At the same time the man spoke. He repeated his question,—“How do you feel now?”

The cabin where I found myself was small and rather untidy. A youngish man sat holding my wrist. He had blond hair, a bristly straw-colored mustache, and a drooping lower lip. For a minute, we stared at each other without speaking. His watery gray eyes were strangely expressionless. Then, just overhead, I heard a sound like an iron bed frame being knocked around. A large animal growled low and angrily. At the same time, the man spoke. He repeated his question: “How do you feel now?”

I think I said I felt all right. I could not recollect how I had got there. He must have seen the question in my face, for my voice was inaccessible to me.

I think I said I felt all right. I couldn't remember how I had gotten there. He must have seen the question on my face, because I couldn't speak.

“You were picked up in a boat, starving. The name on the boat was the Lady Vain, and there were spots of blood on the gunwale.”

“You were found starving in a boat. The boat was named the Lady Vain, and there were spots of blood on its edge.”

At the same time my eye caught my hand, so thin that it looked like a dirty skin-purse full of loose bones, and all the business of the boat came back to me.

At the same time, I noticed my hand. It was so thin it looked like a dirty leather purse full of loose bones. Everything that had happened in the boat came back to me.

“Have some of this,” said he, and gave me a dose of some scarlet stuff, iced.

“Have some of this,” he said, and gave me a dose of some iced scarlet stuff.

It tasted like blood, and made me feel stronger.

It tasted like blood and made me feel stronger.

“You were in luck,” said he, “to get picked up by a ship with a medical man aboard.” He spoke with a slobbering articulation, with the ghost of a lisp.

“You were lucky,” he said, “to be picked up by a ship with a doctor on board.” He spoke with a slobby voice and a faint lisp.

“What ship is this?” I said slowly, hoarse from my long silence.

“What ship is this?” I asked slowly, my voice hoarse from not speaking for so long.

“It’s a little trader from Arica and Callao. I never asked where she came from in the beginning,—out of the land of born fools, I guess. I’m a passenger myself, from Arica. The silly ass who owns her,—he’s captain too, named Davies,—he’s lost his certificate, or something. You know the kind of man,—calls the thing the Ipecacuanha, of all silly, infernal names; though when there’s much of a sea without any wind, she certainly acts according.”

“It’s a small trading ship from Arica and Callao. I never asked where she originally came from. The land of born fools, I guess. I’m a passenger myself, from Arica. The silly ass who owns her is the captain too. His name is Davies, and he’s lost his certificate or something. You know the kind of man. He calls the ship the Ipecacuanha, of all the silly, damned names. Though when the sea is rough and there’s no wind, she certainly lives up to it.”

(Then the noise overhead began again, a snarling growl and the voice of a human being together. Then another voice, telling some “Heaven-forsaken idiot” to desist.)

(Then the noise overhead started again. A snarling growl and a human voice sounded together. Then another voice told some “Heaven-forsaken idiot” to stop.)

“You were nearly dead,” said my interlocutor. “It was a very near thing, indeed. But I’ve put some stuff into you now. Notice your arm’s sore? Injections. You’ve been insensible for nearly thirty hours.”

“You were nearly dead,” said the man speaking to me. “It was a very close call. But I’ve given you some medicine now. Notice your arm is sore? Injections. You’ve been unconscious for nearly thirty hours.”

I thought slowly. (I was distracted now by the yelping of a number of dogs.) “Am I eligible for solid food?” I asked.

I thought slowly. (I was now distracted by the yelping of several dogs.) “Can I eat solid food?” I asked.

“Thanks to me,” he said. “Even now the mutton is boiling.”

“Thanks to me,” he said. “The mutton is boiling right now.”

“Yes,” I said with assurance; “I could eat some mutton.”

“Yes,” I said confidently, “I could eat some mutton.”

“But,” said he with a momentary hesitation, “you know I’m dying to hear of how you came to be alone in that boat. Damn that howling!” I thought I detected a certain suspicion in his eyes.

“But,” he said, hesitating for a moment, “you know I’m dying to hear how you ended up alone in that boat. Damn that howling!” I thought I saw a hint of suspicion in his eyes.

He suddenly left the cabin, and I heard him in violent controversy with some one, who seemed to me to talk gibberish in response to him. The matter sounded as though it ended in blows, but in that I thought my ears were mistaken. Then he shouted at the dogs, and returned to the cabin.

He suddenly left the cabin, and I heard him arguing fiercely with someone. The other person seemed to be speaking gibberish in reply. It sounded as though the argument ended in blows, but I thought my ears must have deceived me. Then he shouted at the dogs and returned to the cabin.

“Well?” said he in the doorway. “You were just beginning to tell me.”

“Well?” he said from the doorway. “You were just beginning to tell me.”

I told him my name, Edward Prendick, and how I had taken to Natural History as a relief from the dulness of my comfortable independence.

I told him my name, Edward Prendick. I explained that I had taken up natural history to relieve the boredom of my comfortable, independent life.

He seemed interested in this. “I’ve done some science myself. I did my Biology at University College,—getting out the ovary of the earthworm and the radula of the snail, and all that. Lord! It’s ten years ago. But go on! go on! tell me about the boat.”

He seemed interested in this. “I’ve done some science myself. I studied biology at University College. I dissected the ovary of an earthworm and the radula of a snail, and all that. Lord! That was ten years ago. But go on! Go on! Tell me about the boat.”

He was evidently satisfied with the frankness of my story, which I told in concise sentences enough, for I felt horribly weak; and when it was finished he reverted at once to the topic of Natural History and his own biological studies. He began to question me closely about Tottenham Court Road and Gower Street. “Is Caplatzi still flourishing? What a shop that was!” He had evidently been a very ordinary medical student, and drifted incontinently to the topic of the music halls. He told me some anecdotes.

He seemed satisfied with how honestly I told my story. I kept it brief because I felt terribly weak. When I finished, he returned at once to natural history and his own biological studies. He questioned me closely about Tottenham Court Road and Gower Street. “Is Caplatzi still doing well? What a shop that was!” He had apparently been a very ordinary medical student, and he quickly drifted into talking about music halls. He told me a few stories.

“Left it all,” he said, “ten years ago. How jolly it all used to be! But I made a young ass of myself,—played myself out before I was twenty-one. I daresay it’s all different now. But I must look up that ass of a cook, and see what he’s done to your mutton.”

“I left it all ten years ago,” he said. “What fun it all used to be! But I made a fool of myself. I wore myself out before I was twenty-one. I suppose it’s all different now. But I must find that idiot cook and see what he’s done to your mutton.”

The growling overhead was renewed, so suddenly and with so much savage anger that it startled me. “What’s that?” I called after him, but the door had closed. He came back again with the boiled mutton, and I was so excited by the appetising smell of it that I forgot the noise of the beast that had troubled me.

The growling overhead started again, so suddenly and angrily that it startled me. “What’s that?” I called after him, but the door had closed. He came back with the boiled mutton. Its delicious smell excited me so much that I forgot the troubling noise of the beast.

After a day of alternate sleep and feeding I was so far recovered as to be able to get from my bunk to the scuttle, and see the green seas trying to keep pace with us. I judged the schooner was running before the wind. Montgomery—that was the name of the flaxen-haired man—came in again as I stood there, and I asked him for some clothes. He lent me some duck things of his own, for those I had worn in the boat had been thrown overboard. They were rather loose for me, for he was large and long in his limbs. He told me casually that the captain was three-parts drunk in his own cabin. As I assumed the clothes, I began asking him some questions about the destination of the ship. He said the ship was bound to Hawaii, but that it had to land him first.

After a day of sleeping and eating, I had recovered enough to get from my bunk to the porthole. I watched the green waves trying to keep pace with us. I guessed the schooner was sailing with the wind. As I stood there, the blond man came in again. His name was Montgomery, and I asked him for some clothes. He lent me some of his own canvas clothes, since those I had worn in the boat had been thrown overboard. They were rather loose on me, because he was large, with long arms and legs. He mentioned casually that the captain was three-quarters drunk in his own cabin. As I dressed, I began asking him where the ship was going. He said it was bound for Hawaii, but had to drop him off first.

“Where?” said I.

“Where?” I said.

“It’s an island, where I live. So far as I know, it hasn’t got a name.”

“It’s an island where I live. As far as I know, it doesn’t have a name.”

He stared at me with his nether lip dropping, and looked so wilfully stupid of a sudden that it came into my head that he desired to avoid my questions. I had the discretion to ask no more.

He stared at me with his lower lip hanging down. He suddenly looked so deliberately stupid that I thought he wanted to avoid my questions. I knew better than to ask any more.