He went on to explain that a few men had become interested in the
fishermen of the fleets and had chartered a vessel to go among them to
offer diversion in the hope of counteracting to some extent the
attraction of the whiskey and rum traders whose vessels sold much
liquor to the men and did a vast deal of harm. This vessel was open to
the visits of the fishermen. Religious services were held aboard her
on Sundays. There was no doctor in the fleet, and the skipper, who had
been instructed in ordinary bandaging and in giving simple remedies
for temporary relief, rendered first aid to the injured or sick until
they could be sent away on some home-bound vessel and placed in a
hospital for medical or surgical treatment. Thus a week or sometimes
two weeks would elapse before the sufferer could be put under a
doctor's care. Because of this long delay many men died who, with
prompt attention, would doubtless have lived.

"The men who have fitted out this mission boat would like a young
doctor to go with it," concluded Sir Frederick. "Go with them for a
little while. You'll find plenty of high sea's adventure, and you'll
like it."

In more than one way this suited Grenfell exactly. The opportunity
for adventure that such a cruise offered appealed to him strongly, as
it would appeal to any real live red-blooded man or boy. It also
offered an opportunity to gain practical experience in his profession
and at the same time render service to brave men who sadly needed it;
and he could lend a hand in fighting the liquor evil among the seamen
and thus share in helping to care for their moral, as well as their
physical welfare. He had seen much of the evils of the liquor traffic
during his student days in London, and he had acquired a wholesome