Final answer:
The terrible thing that happens to the sailor that the doctor tells James about is being tarred and feathered.
Step-by-step explanation:
The terrible thing that happens to the sailor that the doctor tells James about is being tarred and feathered. This method of punishment involved covering a person in hot tar and then applying feathers to their body, causing great pain and humiliation.
It was a form of public punishment that was used during the American Revolution to humiliate and intimidate individuals who were loyal to the British crown.