For the Honor of the Flag: A John Phillips Novel (War at Sea Book 2) by Richard Testrake Page A

have had about treating the captain there. Since it was now a delightful, if breezy early June day, the doctor had men pull over the remains of a gun carriage that had been wrecked during the battle a day before, and lashed boards on top. This gave him a platform out in the sun.
    The men laid their captain on the platform. Knowing what was required, a leather strap was plac
    ed in his mouth, and his arms and legs firmly strapped down. The seamen produced a mug of navy rum, which the surgeon fortified with a little laudanum. The doctor decided not to utilize this right away though, since the patient was in shock and unconscious.
    The surgeon cut away the clothing from his arm and wiped it down with neat rum. This was a superstition with the doctor, which other surgeons laughed at behind his back. Sometimes, he even wiped down his instruments with rum also, when nobody was looking. He felt he had better results this way. Examining the wound, he found the lead ball had touched the humerus as it went through the arm, cracking it, but not reducing it to splinters as one might expect.
    The ball had passed right through the arm, without damaging anything else. The surgeon had to pick out threads of coat material from the wound. This was difficult, because blood was pouring out of the wound, making it difficult to see. When he felt he had removed all the foreign particles possible, he soaked swabs of cotton lint in rum, and bound them to the arm.
     
    Giving the flask of rum and laudanum to a Marine guard, he instructed him to give that to the captain when he awakened. He was instructed that this drink was all he was to administer. He knew the propensity of the men to modify or amplify any suggested medical treatment. Then the surgeon went below to treat the wounded French matelots there.
    Phillips awoke back in Courageous a day later. The Marine guard had given him his potion of rum and laudanum. However, since the man knew that if a little was good, a lot was better, so when the prescribed dosage was finished, he and his mates also dosed the captain with neat arrack whenever he showed signs of awakening. One of his mates had brought back a small keg of the fluid from the liner. The Marines felt it their duty to share with the captain. Phillip’s head was hammering from the effects of the alcohol and laudanum, and his arm had felt better. However, he
    got to his feet and started to emerge from his cabin.
    Lieutenant Mullins was horrified. The crew had mutually decided the captain was on death’s door, but the surgeon was having none of it. He had given Phillips a sling, strapped splints on the arm, and told him to walk around when he saw fit. He said, as long as the wound did not mortify, he should have a complete cure.
    Mullins said he had Crawford over in the captured frigate, while Rodney was aboard the liner
    . There had been some embarrassment in giving the orders. Both men had been commissioned sea officers when Mullins was playing with toys, but he was in fact a first lieutenant while they were half-pay volunteer officers. There were serious problems with each of their new commands. The frigate had a massive hole in her waterline from a big ball from one of the carronades. A sail had been fothered over the hole, and the pumps were keeping up with the influx of sea water, at least for now. The liner’s hull had been pretty well beat in, but her heavy scantlings had protected her from really serious damage. However, she had not a stick standing. No spars were available to put up as jury masts, nor was there any way to do it. The capstan of the liner was being repaired so that the tow cable could be wound in, then a tow could be attempted.
     
    Phillips nodded. “You have done well, Mister Mullins. You need some rest now. I will take the deck awhile. As soon as the tow line is ready, we will pass it and square away for Plymouth.”
    “Will we not be in trouble with admiralty if we do not join Admiral Howe as