Mr. Leuven said. “Put him in his cot. He must be kept in darkness, and as quiet as can be, with as little movement as can be.” Numb with shock, Anna said, “I will tend him.” Mr. Leuven glanced from her to Perkins, saying, “You must keep him as still as ever you can. Violent movement, a sudden jar, can be mortal in these cases.” Anna stayed beside the captain’s cot for the remainder of that dreadful voyage. It was only a pair of days but time had long since lost its sense of meaningful measure. They had lost sight of the rest of the fleet, but steered for Gibraltar to discharge the load of prisoners. The tender, which alone had sustained limited damage, was sent ahead to report, and to alert the physicians there to the captain’s condition. The exhausted officers and crew relieved one another watch-on-watch so they could all get at least snatches of sleep, and the galley fires were lit again so that the ship’s people could be fed properly, though the stores diminished rapidly due to the addition of all those prisoners stuffed down into the hold.
