The Adventures of Roderick Random

Sick Care Hand Bell Invitation

After rising and breakfasting with his comrades on biscuit and brandy, the sick are visited and assisted as before. Thompson then explains and performs another piece of duty to which the narrator remains a stranger. At a certain hour in the morning, the boy of the mess goes round all the decks ringing a small hand-bell and, in rhymes composed for the occasion, invites all those who have sores to repair before the mast, where one of the doctor’s mates attends with applications to dress them.

第二十七章

This chapter chronicles the narrator’s rise to become surgeon’s mate aboard the Thunder, his subsequent conflicts with the tyrannical Captain Oakum, and the tragic consequences of the captain’s brutal policies regarding the sick. The narrative culminates in a violent confrontation when a confined madman, released by the captain’s order, attacks both Oakum and the surgeon with ferocious abandon.

Friendship with the Surgeon

While practicing medicine with his friend, the narrator attracts the notice of the ship’s doctor, who examines him on surgery and inquiries about his circumstances. The surgeon takes a particular interest upon learning the narrator is nephew to Lieutenant Bowling, whom he holds in high regard. Through this connection, the surgeon promises to assist in obtaining a warrant for the narrator. Meanwhile, the surgeon reveals his intention to leave Captain Oakum’s service, having been treated poorly during the previous voyage.

My Promotion to Surgeon’s Mate

Approximately six weeks after the narrator’s arrival, the surgeon summons him to present a warrant appointing him as the ship’s third surgeon. This promotion comes courtesy of the surgeor’s influence at the Navy Office. The surgeon also secures his own advancement to a second-rate vessel, departing with expressions of mutual esteem. Before departing, he generously bestows upon the narrator a chest of clothes befitting his new elevated station. With his circumstances improved, the narrator determines to uphold the dignity of his position against future affronts.