Part 37 (2/2)
”Then go to the surgeon at once.”
”No; not until morning.”
The wrist hung limp and Dan seemed unable to use it at all.
”That's too bad,” exclaimed Sam, his voice full of concern. ”You wait until I fix your hammock; then I will help you up.”
”No, I can't do it, Sam. I never could get up there,” complained the lad, holding his wrist, which was paining him dreadfully.
Dan dragged himself to where his hammock was hanging by one end, the other end lying on the deck.
”It's curious. I can't understand it at all.”
”What is?”
”I know I triced that up properly last night. I cannot understand how it ever came down.”
Dan stooped over, picking up the ends of the rope that had secured the hammock to its hooks. He examined the ends as closely as possible with one hand injured.
”Look here, Sam,” he said, with a trace of excitement in his tone.
”What is it!”
”Just examine this rope and see what you make of it?”
Sam did so.
”It has been broken, that is all I can discover.”
”Then your eyesight must have gone back on you. There is more to it than that. Don't you see anything else wrong with those las.h.i.+ngs?”
”I do not.”
”Well, I do.”
”What do you mean?”
”I mean that my hammock las.h.i.+ngs have been cut. See those strands there?
Well, they have been half severed with a knife. It was intended that they should not give way at once, but that they should let me down some time in the night.”
”You-you don't mean it? Yes, you are right. They have been cut. Who could have done such a dastardly thing? Why, you might have killed yourself.”
Hickey uttered a low growl.
”I don't know who did it,” muttered Davis, ”but if I do find out there will be a real fight on board this s.h.i.+p, and that without the formality of a referee.”
”Dan this must be reported at once to the proper person.”
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