At last,
however, upon the fifth day I drank the soup which the good
Kerouan brought me, and I was able to crawl from my bunk and up
the stair. The fresh air revived me, and from that time onward I
accommodated myself to the motion of the vessel. My beard had
begun to grow also, and I have no doubt that I should have made
as fine a sailor as I have a soldier had I chanced to be born to
that branch of the service. I learned to pull the ropes which
hoisted the sails, and also to haul round the long sticks to
which they are attached. For the most part, however, my duties
were to play ecarte with Captain Fourneau, and to act as his
companion. It was not strange that he should need one, for
neither of his mates could read or write, though each of them was
an excellent seaman.
If our captain had died suddenly I cannot imagine how we should
have found our way in that waste of waters, for it was only he
who had the knowledge which enabled him to mark our place upon
the chart. He had this fixed upon the cabin wall, and every day
he put our course upon it so that we could see at a glance how
far we were from our destination.
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