uld sit up and help
Ithulpo to tend my father. This he did with the greatest care; but
human care, alas! seemed to be of little avail. He loosened his dress
to admit of perfectly free circulation; he then washed his mouth, and
after bathing his temples, he allowed a few more drops to trickle down
his throat. This judicious treatment had, after a time, the most
beneficial effect. My father languidly opened his eyes, and attempted
to sit up; and I saw that his first act of consciousness was to turn
them towards me with an inquiring glance. Finding that I was alive, his
countenance brightened; and after slowly drinking some more water, in
the course of three or four minutes he revived sufficiently to propose
proceeding on our way.

"Wait a little longer, Senor," said Ithulpo. "Water has restored you to
life, but you require food to give you strength; see, I have brought
some."

As he spoke, he opened a basket full of bread and dried meat, and
several sorts of the most delicious and cooling fruit. There were figs
and grapes and pomegranates, fragrant chirimoyas, yellow bananas, and
several pine-apples; indeed many others too numerous to name.

Never shall I forget the exquisite delight with which I ate the first
fig Ithulpo handed to me. It cooled my burning thirst more than all the
water I had swallowed, and served both for meat and drink. It was a
large soft fig with a white pulp. I instantly put out my hand for
another, and he gave me a black fig with a red pulp, which vied with the
first in excellence. Then he handed me a bunch of juicy grapes, but I
still asked for more figs; and when I had finished as many as he thought
were good for me, he tore open a chirimoya, and let me eat its
snow-white juicy fruit. Outside it did not look tempting, for the skin,
though green, was tough and hard, and covered with black spots. The
platanos or bananas were cooked; and though I could not have swallowed a
piece of dry bread, I was enabled to eat some of them with much relish.
Altogether, never was a repast eaten with greater appetite, or, I may
add, with more gratitude; for it certainly was the means of preserving
my father's life as well as mine. Ithulpo had taken the precaution to
tether the animals, so that they could not escape; and as he sat by us,
distributing the food, he informed us of what he had done after we had
lost sight of him in the sand-storm.

"You must know, Senores," he began, "I was so busy in l