Billy Topsail, M.D.: A Tale of Adventure With Doctor Luke of the Labrador
Page 43
CHAPTER XLI
_In Which a Dead Man is Made to Order for Little Toby Farr_
"Couldn't you find none?" cried Jonathan.
"Yes."
"Where is he?"
"No use, Jonathan. He's froze fast t' the ice. I couldn't budge un."
"We'll all----"
Billy shook his head.
"No use, Jonathan," he said again. "He's hard as stone. We couldn'tstrip un."
Jonathan said nothing to that. He was in a muse. Presently he looked up.
Then he said:
"It don't matter."
"How's Toby?" Billy asked.
Toby was on his feet.
"I'm all right," he answered for himself. "Isn't I doin' pretty well forme, gran'pa?"
"You is!"
Billy took Jonathan aside. Jonathan was at ease. Billy marvelled. It wasqueer.
"I've warmed un up again," said Jonathan. "Archie an' me done well.We've got un quite warm."
"Too bad," said Billy. "He've got t' die."
"No," said Jonathan. "I've a shot in the locker, Billy. I've found away. Heed me, Billy. An' mark well what I says. I 'low a dead man'sclothes would be cold an' damp anyhow. The lad needs a shift o' warmclothes. An' I'm warm, Billy. An' my underclothes is dry. I been warman' dry all day long, an' wonderful strong an' wakeful, too, with thefear o' losin' Toby. I'll jus' go away a little piece an' lie down an'die. I'm tired an' dull. It won't take long. An' you an' Archie willstrip me, Billy, while I'm still warm."
"It might do."
"'Tis the only sensible thing t' do."
It was the only thing to do. Billy Topsail knew that. If Toby Farr'slife were to be saved, he must have dry clothes at once. Billy did notoffer to strip himself for Toby. It would have been mock heroics. Nordid Archie Armstrong when he learned of what Jonathan was to do. Eitherboy would have risked his life in a moment to save the life of TobyFarr--without a second thought, an instant of hesitation, whatever therisk. Obviously it was the duty of old Jonathan Farr to make the onlysacrifice that could save the boy. Had Archie or Billy volunteered, theold man would have thanked them and declined the gift.
As old Jonathan had said, to die was the only sensible thing to do.
"Nothin' else t' do," said Billy.
"No; nothin' else t' do that I can think of right now."
"'Tis hard for you, Jonathan," said Billy.
"Oh, no!" Jonathan replied. "I don't mind."
"Then make haste," Billy advised. "If 'tis t' be done, it must be donequick."
"Don't waste no heat," said Jonathan. "Fetch Toby alongside, jus' assoon as I'm gone, an' strip me afore I'm cold."
"Ay," Billy agreed. "That's a good idea."
"An' you keep Toby alive, somehow, Billy," Jonathan went on. "God helpyou!"
"I will."
Jonathan moved away.
"Watch where I goes," said he. "Don't lose me. I won't be far."
And then Toby, whom Archie had in hand, keeping him moving, spoke inalarm:
"Where you goin', gran'pa?" he demanded.
Jonathan stopped dead. He turned. And he made back towards Toby. Andthen he stopped dead again.
"I'm jus' goin' t' look for something," said he.
"What you goin' t' look for?"
"I'm goin' t' find a shift o' warm clothes for you."
"A dead man, gran'pa?"
"Ay; a dead man."
"Don't be long," said Toby. "I'll miss you."
"I'm glad o' that," Jonathan replied.
"You might get lost in the snow," said Toby. "Hurry up. I'll wait herewith Billy an' Archie."
"I'll be back jus' as quick as I'm able," Jonathan promised. "You waithere, Toby, an' mind Billy and Archie, won't you, while I'm gone?"
"Ay, sir. An' I'll keep movin' jus' the same as if you was here. Hurryup."
By and by, when Billy thought it was time, he went to where Jonathan waslying.
"Is you dead?" he whispered.
"Not yet," said Jonathan. "Come back in a few minutes."
Pretty soon Billy went back.
"Is you dead?" he asked.
"Not yet," said Jonathan. "I'm makin' poor work of it."
And Billy went once more.
"Is you dead?"
"I'm goin' fast."
And yet again:
"Is you dead?"
And Jonathan was dead.
* * * * *
It was worth doing. It saved Toby Farr alive from that gale. It was noeasy thing to clothe him anew in the wind--the little boy weeping forhis dead grandfather and wanting to lie down and die by his side.Newfoundland born, however, and used to weather, he lived through thenight. And when Cap'n Saul gathered the dead from the ice in the quietweather of the next morning, the lad was carried aboard and stowed away,frost-bitten in a sad way, yet bound to hang on to life.
Toby said never a word about his grandfather then. Nor did he weep anymore. Nor did he ask Billy and Archie any questions. But he brooded. Andthe boys wondered what he was thinking so deeply about. And then theyput into port--flag at half-mast and a hundred and twenty-one men piledforward like cord-wood. And Toby Farr came on deck, clad in hisgrandfather's clothes, and watched the dead go ashore, with Archie andBilly and Sir Archibald, until his grandfather went by, wrapped in aUnion Jack.
"Billy!" said he.
"Ay, Toby?"
"Did my gran'pa gimme his clothes?"
"He did."
"I'll be worthy!" said Toby.
And he has grown up since then. And he is worthy.