The Island of Doctor Moreau Read Free Page A

speechless.
"Blasted Sawbones!" was all he considered necessary.
    I could see that Montgomery had one of those slow, pertinacious tempers
that will warm day after day to a white heat, and never again
cool to forgiveness; and I saw too that this quarrel had been
some time growing. "The man's drunk," said I, perhaps officiously;
"you'll do no good."
    Montgomery gave an ugly twist to his dropping lip. "He's always drunk.
Do you think that excuses his assaulting his passengers?"
    "My ship," began the captain, waving his hand unsteadily
towards the cages, "was a clean ship. Look at it now!"
It was certainly anything but clean. "Crew," continued the captain,
"clean, respectable crew."
    "You agreed to take the beasts."
    "I wish I'd never set eyes on your infernal island. What the
devil—want beasts for on an island like that? Then, that man of
yours—understood he was a man. He's a lunatic; and he hadn't no
business aft. Do you think the whole damned ship belongs to you?"
    "Your sailors began to haze the poor devil as soon as he came aboard."
    "That's just what he is—he's a devil! an ugly devil! My men
can't stand him.
I
can't stand him. None of us can't stand him.
Nor
you
either!"
    Montgomery turned away. "
You
leave that man alone, anyhow," he said,
nodding his head as he spoke.
    But the captain meant to quarrel now. He raised his voice. "If he comes
this end of the ship again I'll cut his insides out, I tell you.
Cut out his blasted insides! Who are you, to tell me what I'm to do?
I tell you I'm captain of this ship,—captain and owner.
I'm the law here, I tell you,—the law and the prophets.
I bargained to take a man and his attendant to and from Arica,
and bring back some animals. I never bargained to carry a mad devil
and a silly Sawbones, a—"
    Well, never mind what he called Montgomery. I saw the latter take
a step forward, and interposed. "He's drunk," said I. The captain
began some abuse even fouler than the last. "Shut up!" I said,
turning on him sharply, for I had seen danger in Montgomery's white face.
With that I brought the downpour on myself.
    However, I was glad to avert what was uncommonly near a scuffle,
even at the price of the captain's drunken ill-will. I do not think
I have ever heard quite so much vile language come in a continuous
stream from any man's lips before, though I have frequented eccentric
company enough. I found some of it hard to endure, though I am
a mild-tempered man; but, certainly, when I told the captain to
"shut up" I had forgotten that I was merely a bit of human flotsam,
cut off from my resources and with my fare unpaid; a mere casual
dependant on the bounty, or speculative enterprise, of the ship.
He reminded me of it with considerable vigour; but at any rate I prevented
a fight.

IV - At the Schooner's Rail
*
    THAT night land was sighted after sundown, and the schooner
hove to. Montgomery intimated that was his destination.
It was too far to see any details; it seemed to me then simply
a low-lying patch of dim blue in the uncertain blue-grey sea.
An almost vertical streak of smoke went up from it into the sky.
The captain was not on deck when it was sighted. After he had vented
his wrath on me he had staggered below, and I understand he went to sleep
on the floor of his own cabin. The mate practically assumed the command.
He was the gaunt, taciturn individual we had seen at the wheel.
Apparently he was in an evil temper with Montgomery. He took
not the slightest notice of either of us. We dined with him in a
sulky silence, after a few ineffectual efforts on my part to talk.
It struck me too that the men regarded my companion and his animals
in a singularly unfriendly manner. I found Montgomery very reticent
about his purpose with these creatures, and about his destination;
and though I was sensible of a growing curiosity as to both, I did not
press him.
    We remained talking on the quarter deck until the sky was thick
with stars. Except for an occasional sound in the yellow-lit