CHAPTER IV
THE HOSPITAL SHIP
The energy of Doctor Gys was marvelous. He knew exactly what supplieswould be needed to fit the _Arabella_ thoroughly for her importantmission, and with unlimited funds at his command to foot the bills, hequickly converted the handsome yacht into a model hospital ship. Gysfrom the first developed a liking for Kelsey, the mate, whom he found avaluable assistant, and the two came to understand each other perfectly.Kelsey was a quiet man, more thoughtful than experienced in medicalmatters, but his common sense often guided him aright when his technicalknowledge was at fault.
Captain Carg accepted the novel conditions thrust upon him, without aword of protest. He might secretly resent the uses to which his ship wasbeing put, but his young master's commands were law and his duty was toobey. The same feeling prevailed among the other members of the crew,all of whom were Sangoans.
In three days Jones and Maud Stanton returned from Washington. They werejubilant over their success.
"We've secured everything we wanted," the boy told Uncle John, Beth andPatsy, with evident enthusiasm. "Not only have we the full sanction ofthe American Red Cross Society, but I have letters to the differentbranches in the war zone, asking for us every consideration. Not onlythat, but your senator proved himself a brick. What do you think? Here'sa letter from our secretary of state--another from the French charged'affairs--half a dozen from prominent ambassadors of other countries!We've a free field in all Europe, practically, that will enable us towork to the best advantage."
"It's wonderful!" cried Patsy.
"Mr. Merrick is so well known as a philanthropist that his name was amagic talisman for us," said Maud. "Moreover, our enterprise commandsthe sympathy of everyone. We had numerous offers of financialassistance, too."
"I hope you didn't accept them," said Uncle John nervously.
"No," answered the boy, "I claimed this expedition to be our private andindividual property. We can now do as we please, being under noobligations to any but ourselves."
"That's right," said Uncle John. "We don't want to be hampered by thenecessity of advising with others."
"By the way, have you found a doctor?"
"Yes."
"A good one?" asked Maud quickly.
"Highly recommended, but homely as a rail fence," continued Patsy, asher uncle hesitated.
"That's nothing," said Ajo lightly.
"Nothing, eh? Well, wait till you see him," she replied. "You'll neverlook Doctor Gys in the face more than once, I assure you. After that,you'll be glad to keep your eyes on his vest buttons."
"I like him immensely, though," said Beth. "He is clever, honest andearnest. The poor man can't help his mutilations, which are the resultof many unfortunate adventures."
"Sounds like just the man we wanted," declared Ajo, and afterward he hadno reason to recall that assertion.
A week is a small time in which to equip a big ship, but money andenergy can accomplish much and the news from the seat of war was soeventful that they felt every moment to be precious and so they workedwith feverish haste. The tide of German success had turned and theirgreat army, from Paris to Vitry, was now in full retreat, fighting everyinch of the way and leaving thousands of dead and wounded in its wake.
"How long will it take us to reach Calais?" they asked Captain Cargeagerly.
"Eight or nine days," said he.
"We are not as fast as the big passenger steamers," explained youngJones, "but with good weather the _Arabella_ may be depended upon tomake the trip in good shape and fair time."
On the nineteenth of September, fully equipped and with her papers inorder, the beautiful yacht left her anchorage and began her voyage. Theweather proved exceptionally favorable. During the voyage the girlsbusied themselves preparing their modest uniforms and pumping Dr. Gysfor all sorts of information, from scratches to amputations. He gavethem much practical and therefore valuable advice to guide them inwhatever emergencies might arise, and this was conveyed in thewhimsical, half humorous manner that seemed characteristic of him. Atfirst Gys had shrunk involuntarily from facing this bevy of young girls,but they had so frankly ignored his physical blemishes and exhibited sotrue a comradeship to all concerned in the expedition, that the doctorsoon felt perfectly at ease in their society.
During the evenings he gave them practical demonstrations of theapplication of tourniquets, bandages and the like, while Uncle John andAjo by turns posed as wounded soldiers. Gys was extraordinarily deft inall his manipulations and although Maud Stanton was a graduatenurse--with little experience, however--and Beth De Graf had studied theart for a year or more, it was Patsy Doyle who showed the most dexterityin assisting the doctor on these occasions.
"I don't know whether I'll faint at the sight of real blood," she said,"but I shall know pretty well what to do if I can keep my nerve."
The application of anaesthetics was another thing fully explained byGys, but this could not be demonstrated. Patsy, however, was taught theuse of the hypodermic needle, which Maud and Beth quite understood.
"We've a big stock of morphia, in its various forms," said the doctor,"and I expect it to prove of tremendous value in comforting ourpatients."
"I'm not sure I approve the use of that drug," remarked Uncle John.
"But think of the suffering we can allay by its use," exclaimed Maud."If ever morphia is justifiable, it is in war, where it can save many alife by conquering unendurable pain. I believe the discovery of morphinewas the greatest blessing that humanity has ever enjoyed. Don't you,Doctor Gys?"
The one good eye of Gys had a queer way of twinkling when he was amused.It twinkled as the girl asked this question.
"Morphine," he replied, "has destroyed more people than it has saved.You play with fire when you feed it to anyone, under any circumstances.Nevertheless, I believe in its value on an expedition of this sort, andthat is why I loaded up on the stuff. Let me advise you never to tell apatient that we are administering morphine. The result is all that he isconcerned with and it is better he should not know what has relievedhim."
On a sunny day when the sea was calm they slung a scaffold over the bowand painted a big red cross on either side of the white ship. Everyoneaboard wore the Red Cross emblem on an arm band, even the sailors beingso decorated. Uncle John was very proud of the insignia and loved towatch his girls moving around the deck in their sober uniforms and whitecaps.
Jones endured the voyage splendidly and by this time had convincedhimself that he was not again to be subject to the mal-de-mer of hisfirst ocean trip. As they drew near to their destination an atmosphereof subdued excitement pervaded the _Arabella_, for even the sailors hadcaught the infection of the girls' eagerness and were anxious to getinto action at the earliest moment.
It was now that Uncle John began to busy himself with his especialprize, a huge motor ambulance he had purchased in New York and which hadbeen fully equipped for the requirements of war. Indeed, an enterprisingmanufacturer had prepared it with the expectation that some of thebelligerent governments would purchase it, and Mr. Merrick consideredhimself fortunate in securing it. It would accommodate six seriouslywounded, on swinging beds, and twelve others, slightly wounded, whomight be able to sit upon cushioned seats. The motor was very powerfuland the driver was protected from stray bullets by an armored hood.
In addition to this splendid machine, Mr. Merrick had secured a smallerambulance that had not the advantage of the swinging beds but could berushed more swiftly to any desired location. Both ambulances weredecorated on all sides with the emblem of the Red Cross and would beinvaluable in bringing the wounded to the _Arabella_. The ship carried acouple of small motor launches for connecting the shore with heranchorage.
They had purposely brought no chauffeurs with them, as Uncle Johnbelieved foreign drivers, who were thoroughly acquainted with thecountry, would prove more useful than the American variety, and fromexperience he knew that a French chauffeur is the king of hisprofession.
During the last
days of the voyage Mr. Merrick busied himself incarefully inspecting every detail of his precious vehicles andexplaining their operation to everyone on board. Even the girls would beable to run an ambulance on occasion, and the boy developed quite amechanical talent in mastering the machines.
"I feel," said young Jones, "that I have had a rather insignificant partin preparing this expedition, for all I have furnished--aside from theboat itself--consists of two lots of luxuries that may or may not beneeded."
"And what may they be?" asked Dr. Gys, who was standing in the groupbeside him.
"Thermos flasks and cigarettes."
"Cigarettes!" exclaimed Beth, in horror.
The doctor nodded approvingly.
"Capital!" said he. "Next to our anodynes and anaesthetics, nothing willprove so comforting to the wounded as cigarettes. They are supplied bynurses in all the hospitals in Europe. How many did you bring?"
"Ten cases of about twenty-five thousand each."
"A quarter of a million cigarettes!" gasped Beth.
"Too few," asserted the doctor in a tone of raillery, "but we'll makethem go as far as possible. And the thermos cases are also valuable.Cool water to parched lips means a glimpse of heaven. Hot coffee willsave many from exhaustion. You've done well, my boy."