The Corvette by Richard Woodman Page B

you wish to see me about?’
    â€˜You are a physician are you not?’
    Singleton nodded. ‘Can you cure clap?’
    Singleton’s astonishment was exceeded by Germaney’s sense of relief. The wine now induced a sense of euphoria but he deemed it prudent to restrain Singleton from any moralising. ‘I don’t want your offices as a damned parson, d’you hear? Well, what d’you say, God damn it?’
    â€˜Kindly refrain from blasphemy, Mr Germaney. I had thought of you as a gentleman.’
    Germaney looked sharply at Singleton. ‘A gentleman may be unfortunate in the matter of his bedfellows, Singleton.’
    â€˜I was referring to the intemperance of your language, but no matter. You contracted this in Hull, eh?’
    Germaney nodded. ‘A God da . . . a bawdy house.’
    â€˜Were you alone?’
    â€˜No. I was in company.’
    â€˜With whom, Mr Germaney? Please do not trifle with me, I beg you.’
    â€˜Captain Sir James Palgrave, the Lord Walmsley and the Honourable Alexander Glencross.’
    â€˜All gentlemen,’ observed Singleton drily. ‘May I ask you whether you have advertised your affliction to these other young men?’
    â€˜Good God no!’
    â€˜And why have you not consulted Mr Macpherson?’
    â€˜Because the man is a drunken gossip in whom I have not the slightest faith.’
    â€˜He will have greater experience of this sort of disease than myself, Mr Germaney, that I can assure you.’
    Germaney shook his head, the euphoria wearing off and being again replaced by the dread that had been his constant companion since his first intimation of the disease. ‘Can you cure me Singleton? I’ll endow your mission . . .’
    â€˜Let us leave it to God and your constitution, Germaney. Now whatare your symptoms?’
    â€˜I have a gleet that stings like the very devil . . .’
    Germaney described his agony and Singleton nodded. ‘You appear to be a good diagnostician, Mr Germaney. You are not a married man?’
    â€˜Affianced, Singleton, affianced, God damn and blast it!’
    The deck of the
Faithful
presented a curious appearance to the uninitiated. Accompanied by Quilhampton, Gorton and Frey, Drinkwater was welcomed by Sawyers who introduced his son and chief mate. He directed his son to show the younger men the ship and tactfully took Drinkwater on a private tour.
    The
Faithful
gave an immediate impression of strength and utility, carrying five boats in high davits with three more stowed in her hold. Her decks were a mass of lines and breakers as her crew attended the final preparations for fishing and the filling of her water casks. The men worked steadily, with little noise and no attention paid to their commander and his guest as they picked their way round the cluttered deck.
    Sawyers pointed aloft. ‘First, Captain, the rig; it must be weatherly but easily handled. Barque rig with courses, top and t’gallant sails. Thou doubtless noticed the curious narrow-footed cut to our courses, well this clears the davits and allows me to rig the foot to a ’thwartships boom. The boom is secured amidships to those eyebolts on the deck and thus tacks and sheets are done away with. As thou see’st with course and topsail braces led thus, through that system of euphroes I can handle this ship, of three hundred and fifty tons burthen, with five men.’
    â€˜Ingenious.’
    â€˜Aye, ’tis indeed, and indispensable when working after my boats in pursuit of fish running into the ice. Now come . . .’ Sawyers clambered up onto the rail and leaned his elbows on the gunwhale of one of the carvel-built whale-boats. Drinkwater admired the lovely sheer and sharp ends of the boat and at his remark a man straightened up from the work of coiling a thin, white hemp line into a series of tubs beneath the thwarts.
    â€˜Whale line,’ explained Sawyers,