Part 66 (1/2)
”She dinna ken onything apoot the roarer Will she mak' it licht?”
”Yes, beautifully”
”Hey, but caud as it is the noo?”
”Much colder,” cried Steve
”Then she'll chust lie doon and dee,” said Watty piteously, ”for she canna bear to thenk upo' it Cauder than it is the noo, an' her han's and foots like they are Why, she'd be a' one creat chilplain ivery wha'! What wad her mither say if she knew?”
The lads were out on the trampled snow about a hundred yards fro, like sorown And as they were talking a hail caway
The rese house was increased by the iron chi funnel of the boiler, fro; for, the aine furnace kept going for the sake of the heat given by the boilers, as well as froine-room and stoke-hole beca before bed, or after a long trah the snow; for, now that they were fairly started in their battle with the arctic winter, the weather had to be very bad, and the wind very keen, for the crew to be kept out of their daily exercise
The loud hail caure like a diver in a fur suit caht of ice steps, and advanced to join the two lads The resemblance to a diver increased as it drew nearer, for the face was alement of the round, helmet-shaped cap, and in place of a visor's bars there were two large, round green-glass goggles which glistened in a peculiar manner when the object advanced, as if he were not only a diver, but a steam diver as moved by some internal machinery which caused hi intervals
”Morning, Mr Handsob,” cried Steve as he drew near
”Morning,
We're below zero, and yet you're standing about here talking as if it were summer”
”We haven't felt the cold, sir”
”The erous for you,about it, the coldthe part quite insensible to pain, and a bad bite may mean utter destruction of the tissue and the loss of even hands and feet”
”Phwat!” cried Watty, forgetting his awe of the doctor in the horror of the announcement; ”wad a man as frost-bit lose her han's or her foots?”
”Yes, if it were a bad case of freezing”
”An' wad her han's or foots tummle off?”
”More likely the patient's medical attendant would have to cut them off”
”Coot her han's an foots off? What wi'--chopper?”
”No,” said the doctor, s at the lad's horrified looks; ”they would be carefully taken off with a knife and saw Surgeons are very careful”
Watty groaned
”It's a' oi' her, Meester Stevey, an' she's ferry sorry she's iver fote and ca'd her, for she'll nivver see bonnie Scotland more”
”Why not? What's the matter with you, my lad?” said the doctor
”She's ferry pad, sir Poth her foots an' poth her han's is frost-pitten”