oing it," he muttered, as he stood near watching the
fishing. "Fancy him getting excited over hooking a fish, and holding on
by the line. Beats anything I ever knew of before. There, you never
know what's in a boy till you begin to get it out of him. Why that line
must have cut his hands awful, but he never reg'larly 'owled about it,
only rubbed the places a bit when he got a chance. Wonder whether the
doctor's giving him some kind of physic as makes him come out like this.
If he is, I should like to have a dose or two to bring me up to the
mark. It's wonderful what a change he's made."

Edward ceased for a few moments.

"Wonder how he gives it him, and what he takes it in. He don't know
he's taking it, that's for certain. It must be on the sly, or I should
have seen it, and the glass and spoon. That's it. He puts it in his
coffee; I'll be bound to say that's it--in his coffee. I'll be on the
watch."

"Dunno why I should though," said the man, after a few moments' musing.
"'Tain't my place to know anything about it, and if it does him good,
where's the harm? And it is doing him good, that's for certain; but I
should like to know what it is, and when he gives it."

CHAPTER THIRTEEN.

BEGINNING TO GROW BACKWARD.

"Regular volcanic cinder heap, Jack," was Sir John's not new opinion of
sun-scorched Aden, where, while the coal-bunkers were filled up again,
the lad had amused himself by inspecting the place with his glass as he
sat contentedly under the awning, preferring to submit to the infliction
of the flying coal-dust to a hot walk through the arid place. Then he
leaned over the side and half-contemptuously threw threepenny-bits and
sixpences into the clear water in response to the clamouring young
rascals who wanted to scramble for them far below and show their
swimming and diving powers.

"Come on board," cried the doctor, blowing his nose hard and coughing to
get rid of the black dust. "Sacks counted, iron stopper put back in the
pavement, and the wagon's gone, Jack."

The lad looked up at him as if wondering whether he had gone out of his
senses.

"What are you staring at, sober-sides?" cried the doctor. "I know it's
poor joking, but I'd have done better if I could. Hallo! what's the
matter?" he continued, as, in what seemed to be a motiveless way, the
boy threw sixpence over the side. "Got too much money?"

"No: look!" said Jack.

The doctor glanced over the rail to where the brigh