at once cried out for help; but by the
time that his cries had evoked a response his nerves had begun to give
way, and in a very few minutes he was enduring such an agony of fear of
everybody and everything as words utterly failed him to describe. And
with this terrible fear came the equally terrible morbid sensitiveness
of touch, which he found himself equally unable to describe. So
excruciating was it, he said, that even the sound of an approaching
footstep caused him more suffering than he had ever before experienced;
and as to the moving of him from the laboratory and again into his own
room--his silence and the convulsive shudder which shook him from head
to foot were far more expressive than words. His first act when he was
sufficiently recovered to move about once more was to secure the phial
containing the liquid which had done all the mischief, and--with
Nicholls to manage the punt--go right out to sea, where, hastily
uncorking the bottle, he flung it as far from him to leeward as
possible, at the same moment ordering his companion to give way for home
again with all speed. This was done whilst the terror of his attack was
still upon him; but it was not in the nature of a man of Henderson's
training to give way for long to so irrational a fear as that which
prompted this action, and in less than a month afterwards he had, with
the adoption of all proper precautions, secured another and far more
liberal supply of the singular essence, with a view to future
experiments and analysis.

Meanwhile, the work at the ship-yard was pushed forward with all
possible energy, and to such good purpose that in an incredibly short
time, all things considered, the timbers for the new boat were raised
into position and secured, the planking carried up to the gunwale, the
deck laid and caulked, the joiners' work advanced, and the spars put in
hand. Everybody was in the highest possible spirits, for they saw the
end of their labours rapidly approaching; they were, moreover, not only
pleased but absolutely proud of their work, for, though of course only
amateurs, they had wrought so carefully and conscientiously that
everything was finished off not only as strongly but also as neatly as
if they had every one served an apprenticeship to the handicraft. Then
the little vessel herself was a perfect beauty; graceful in shape,
notwithstanding her extreme breadth of beam; powerful, yet buoyant; and
with lines so cunningly moulded th