Accordingly, they deputed me, as his intimate
friend, to sit at Long Ghost's head, so as to be ready to officiate
as "spokesman" and answer all questions propounded, the rest to keep
silent.
"What's the matter?" exclaimed Johnson, out of breath, and bursting
into the Calabooza: "how did it happen? - speak quick!" and he looked
at Long Ghost.
I told him how the fit came on.
"Singular" - he observed - "very: good enough pulse;" and he let go of
it, and placed his hand upon the heart.
"But what's all that frothing at the mouth?" he continued; "and bless
me! look at the abdomen!"
The region thus denominated exhibited the most unaccountable
symptoms. A low, rumbling sound was heard; and a sort of undulation
was discernible beneath the thin cotton frock.
"Colic, sir?" suggested a bystander.
"Colic be hanged!" shouted the physician; "who ever heard of anybody
in a trance of the colic?"
During this, the patient lay upon his back, stark and straight,
giving no signs of life except those above mentioned.
"I'll bleed him!" cried Johnson at last - "run for a calabash, one of
you!"
"Life ho!" here sung out Navy Bob, as if he had just spied a sail.
"What under the sun's the matter with him!" cried the physician,
starting at the appearance of the mouth, which had jerked to one
side, and there remained fixed.
"Pr'aps it's St. Witus's hornpipe," suggested Bob.
"Hold the calabash!" - and the lancet was out in a moment.
But before the deed could be done, the face became natural; - a sigh
was heaved; - the eyelids quivered, opened, closed; and Long Ghost,
twitching all over, rolled on his side, and breathed audibly. By
degrees, he became sufficiently recovered to speak.
After trying to get something coherent out of him, Johnson withdrew;
evidently disappointed in the scientific interest of the case. Soon
after his departure, the doctor sat up; and upon being asked what
upon earth ailed him, shook his head mysteriously. He then deplored
the hardship of being an invalid in such a place, where there was not
the slightest provision for his comfort. This awakened the compassion
of our good old keeper, who offered to send him to a place where he
would be better cared for. Long Ghost acquiesced; and being at once
mounted upon the shoulders of four of Captain Bob's men, was marched
off in state, like the Grand Lama of Thibet.
Now, I do not pretend to account for his remarkable swoon; but his
reason for suffering himself to be thus removed from the Calabooza
was strongly suspected to be nothing more than a desire to insure
more regularity in his dinner-hour; hoping that the benevolent native
to whom he was going would set a good table.
The next morning, we were all envying his fortune; when, of a sudden,
he bolted in upon us, looking decidedly out of humour.
"Hang it!" he cried; "I'm worse off than ever; let me have some
breakfast!" We lowered our slender bag of ship-stores from a rafter,
and handed him a biscuit. While this was being munched, he went on
and told us his story.
"After leaving here, they trotted me back into a valley, and left me
in a hut, where an old woman lived by herself. This must be the
nurse, thought I; and so I asked her to kill a pig, and bake it; for
I felt my appetite returning. 'Ha! Hal - oee mattee - mattee
nuee' - (no, no; you too sick). 'The devil mattee ye,' said I - 'give me
something to eat!' But nothing could be had. Night coming on, I had
to stay. Creeping into a corner, I tried to sleep; but it was to no
purpose; - the old crone must have had the quinsy, or something else;
and she kept up such a wheezing and choking that at last I sprang up,
and groped after her; but she hobbled away like a goblin; and that was
the last of her. As soon as the sun rose, I made the best of my way
back; and here I am." He never left us more, nor ever had a second
fit.
CHAPTER LI.
WILSON GIVES US THE CUT - DEPARTURE FOR IMEEO
ABOUT three weeks after the Julia's sailing, our conditions began to
be a little precarious. We were without any regular supply of food;
the arrival of ships was growing less frequent; and, what was worse
yet, all the natives but good old Captain Bob began to tire of us.
Nor was this to be wondered at; we were obliged to live upon their
benevolence, when they had little enough for themselves. Besides, we
were sometimes driven to acts of marauding; such as kidnapping pigs,
and cooking them in the groves; at which their proprietors were by no
means pleased.
In this state of affairs, we determined to march off to the consul in
a body; and, as he had brought us to these straits, demand an
adequate maintenance.
On the point of starting, Captain Bob's men raised the most outrageous
cries, and tried to prevent us. Though hitherto we had strolled about
wherever we pleased, this grand conjunction of our whole force, upon
one particular expedition, seemed to alarm them. But we assured them
that we were not going to assault the village; and so, after a good
deal of gibberish, they permitted us to leave.
We went straight to the Pritchard residence, where the consul dwelt.
This house - to which I have before referred - is quite commodious. It
has a wide verandah, glazed windows, and other appurtenances of a
civilized mansion. Upon the lawn in front are palm-trees standing
erect here and there, like sentinels.
