ely, "Thank ye,
sir; thank ye kindly, ma'am." And then he covered the body decently with
the spare canvas, and lay quietly, down with his own head pillowed upon
those loved remains.

Toward afternoon, seals were observed sporting on the waters; but no
attempt was made to capture them. Indeed, Miss Rolleston had quite enough
to do to sail the boat with Mr. Hazel's assistance.

The night passed, and the morning brought nothing new; except that they
fell in with sea-weed in such quantities the boat could hardly get
through it.

Mr. Hazel examined this sea-weed carefully and brought several kinds upon
deck. Among the varieties was one like thin green strips of spinach, very
tender and succulent. His botanical researches included sea-weed, and he
recognized this as one of the edible rock-weeds.

There was very little of it comparatively, but he took great pains, and,
in two hours' time, had gathered as much as might fill a good-sized
slop-basin.

He washed it in fresh water, and then asked Miss Rolleston for a
pocket-handkerchief. This he tied so as to make a bag, and contrived to
boil it with the few chips of fuel that remained on board.

After he had boiled it ten minutes, there was no more fuel, except a bowl
or two, and the boat-hook, one pair of oars, and the midship and stern
thwarts.

He tasted it, and found it glutinous and delicious; he gave Miss
Rolleston some, and then fed Welch with the rest. He, poor fellow,
enjoyed this sea spinach greatly; he could no longer swallow meat.

While Hazel was feeding him, a flight of ducks passed over their heads,
high in the air.

Welch pointed up at them.

"Ah!" said Helen, "if we had but their wings!"

Presently a bird was seen coming in the same direction, but flying very
low; it wabbled along toward them very slowly, and at last, to their
great surprise, came flapping and tried to settle on the gunwale of the
boat. Welch, with that instinct of slaughter which belongs to men, struck
the boat-hook into the bird's back, and it was soon dispatched. It proved
to be one of that very flock of ducks that had passed over their heads,
and a crab was found fastened to its leg. It is supposed that the bird,
to break its long flight, had rested on some reef, and perhaps been too
busy fishing; and caught this Tartar.

Hazel pounced upon it. "Heaven has sent this for you, because you cannot
eat turtle." But the next moment he blushed and recovered his reason.
"See," said he,