In this chapter, we are introduced to a new character, the captain, who has just returned from the battle. He is very ill and is unable to leave the ship. He tells the others that he has been bitten by a rat, and that the rat's poison is spreading rapidly through his body. The captain asks if there is a cure for the disease, and the others reply that they have never seen such an organ as this. They decide to capture one of the rats and use a small sound wave to disperse the poison.