I had no measure of time ; day and night were alike in that ill-smelling cavern of the ship 's bowels where I lay ; and the misery of my situation drew out the hours to double . How long , therefore , I lay waiting to hear the ship split upon some rock , or to feel her reel head foremost into the depths of the sea , I have not the means of computation . But sleep at length stole from me the consciousness of sorrow . I was awakened by the light of a hand-lantern shining in my face . A small man of about thirty , with green eyes and a tangle of fair hair , stood looking down at me . `` Well , '' said he , `` how goes it ? '' I answered by a sob ; and my visitor then felt my pulse and temples , and set himself to wash and dress the wound upon my scalp . `` Ay , '' said he , `` a sore dunt * . What , man ? Cheer up ! The world 's no done ; you 've made a bad start of it but you 'll make a better . Have you had any meat ? '' * Stroke . I said I could not look at it : and thereupon he gave me some brandy and water in a tin pannikin , and left me once more to myself . The next time he came to see me , I was lying betwixt sleep and waking , my eyes wide open in the darkness , the sickness quite departed , but succeeded by a horrid giddiness and swimming that was almost worse to bear . I ached , besides , in every limb , and the cords that bound me seemed to be of fire . The smell of the hole in which I lay seemed to have become a part of me ; and during the long interval since his last visit I had suffered tortures of fear , now from the scurrying of the ship 's rats , that sometimes pattered on my very face , and now from the dismal imaginings that haunt the bed of fever . The glimmer of the lantern , as a trap opened , shone in like the heaven 's sunlight ; and though it only showed me the strong , dark beams of the ship that was my prison , I could have cried aloud for gladness . The man with the green eyes was the first to descend the ladder , and I noticed that he came somewhat unsteadily . He was followed by the captain .
Neither said a word ; but the XXXXX set to and examined me , and dressed my wound as before , while Hoseason looked me in my face with an odd , black look .
* Ay Stroke betwixt day first hours left night pannikin