th
amazement.

"There are ten of you," he went on. "My two arms will give you each a
meal; cut them off for to-day, and to-morrow you shall have the rest of
me."

"Agreed!" cried Dowlas; and as M. Letourneur held out his bare arms,
quick as lightning the carpenter raised his hatchet.

Curtis and I could bear this scene no longer; whilst we were alive
to prevent it, this butchery should not be permitted, and we rushed
forwards simultaneously to snatch the victim from his murderers. A
furious struggle ensued, and in the midst of the MELEE I was seized by
one of the sailors, and hurled violently into the sea.

Closing my lips, I tried to die of suffocation in the water; but in
spite of myself, my mouth opened, and a few drops trickled down my
throat.

Merciful Heaven! the water was fresh!

CHAPTER LVI.

JANUARY 27th CONTINUED.--A change came over me as if by miracle. No
longer had I any wish to die, and already Curtis, who had heard my
cries, was throwing me a rope. I seized it eagerly, and was hauled up on
to the raft, "Fresh water!" were the first words I uttered.

"Fresh water?" cried Curtis, "why then, my friends, we are not far from
land!"

It was not too late; the blow had not been struck, and so the victim
had not yet fallen. Curtis and Andre (who had regained his liberty)
had fought with the cannibals, and it was just as they were yielding to
overpowering numbers that my voice had made itself heard.

The struggle came to an end. As soon as the words "Fresh water" had
escaped my lips, I leaned over the side of the raft and swallowed the
life-giving liquid in greedy draughts. Miss Herbey was the first to
follow my example, but soon Curtis, Falsten, and all the rest were on
their knees and drinking eagerly, The rough sailors seemed as if by a
magic touch transformed back from ravenous beasts to human beings, and
I saw several of them raise their hands to heaven in silent gratitude,
Andre and his father were the last to drink.

"But where are we?" I asked at length.

"The land is there," said Curtis pointing towards the west.

We all stared at the captain as though he were mocking us; no land was
in sight, and the raft, just as ever, was the centre of a watery waste.
Yet our senses had not deceived us the water we had been drinking was
perfectly fresh.

"Yes," repeated the captain, "land is certainly there, not more than
twenty miles to leeward."

"What land?" inquired the boatswain.

"South