Hero Worship 1
Pullings takes off his hat and bends to get through the door to the sickberth. Captain Aubrey, as far is Pullings is concerned, started the practice of visiting the invalids, and it is an excellent one. The number of people that he visits on Sundays has steadily dwindled, as those wounded in battle or off the Horn have died or been patched up by Mr. Martin. The sickberth isn't quite empty yet, though.
"Good morning, Mr. West. I hope I find you well?"
He is shocked by the face that looks back at him. Not having the close friendship with the ship's surgeon that Captain Aubrey had with Dr. Maturin, he has been unaware that Mr. West has lost his nose.
Martin sees his shock. "Mr. West's nose was frostbitten during the passage," he says.
"Oh. I see."
Martin pours out two glasses of physic and doses his other patients. He shares Maturin's belief that the invalids should be exercised for their health. Before he leaves to bring the two seamen to the upper deck, he says "Captain Pullings, if you wish to speak to Mr. West, he may exercise later."
"Very well, Mr. Martin."
Pullings moves the chair closer to West's cot, and West sits up. "It really is frostbite, sir," he says.
Pullings nods. Not syphilis, then. But he knows that West, though not especially intelligent, is a responsible man. Anyway, the third lieutenant has not had shore leave since they crossed the Atlantic, and from Pullings's limited knowledge of venereal diseases, it would have shown up earlier if he had gotten it then.
He fingers the scar that runs across his face, from below his right eye, over his nose, and across his cheek to his left ear. It is the souvenir of one of Captain Aubrey's battles. Pullings and many others were in them as well, but he always thinks of them as Captain Aubrey's.
He gives West a small smile. "We won't be impressing the ladies when we return to London town, even with our fine clothes and fine tales." He automatically reaches out to touch wood: another gesture he has picked up from Captain Aubrey.
"You have more fine tales to tell than I do, sir. And an honorable wound to show for them."
Of course West has not sailed with Captain Aubrey as long as Pullings has, so he cannot tell of the taking of the Cacafuego, or of the string of prizes filling the harbor of Port Mahon; neither was his wound received in battle. Seamen know of the dangers of storms, the Horn above all, but to a landsman a battle scar will always be more honorable.
Pullings leans over to inspect more closely the place where West's nose used to be. His face was open and honest before, like Pullings's own; now it is closed and sinister, though the voice and manner are the same, which renders the face insignificant.
Neither of them knows who moved first, but their mouths are together and West puts his hand on Pullings's arm to steady the swinging cot. Pullings is unsure whether to wonder why West is kissing him, or why he is kissing West. He thinks that when he was younger he may have felt something like this for Captain Aubrey.
