ime to time; but when spoken to, he calmed
down, and lay, apparently, waiting for his end.

"Don't know; can't say," was all that could be got from the doctor, as
the hours crept on--hours when the heat of the sun was terrible; but no
one left the injured man's side.

The specimens in the buckets were forgotten, and died; the cause of the
misfortune grew dry and shrivelled, where it had twined and wriggled
itself, half a dozen yards away, the dangerous head being thrown
overboard by Bob Roberts, and swallowed by a fish before it had
descended many feet.

Both the resident and the captain had tried to persuade the ladies to
leave the sick man's side; but they had declined to go, and Doctor
Bolter had nodded approval.

"Thank you, my dears, thank you," he said. "It's very kind of you; and
I'm glad enough, I can tell you, to find that you've both got something
in you besides fine young ladyism."

"I wish we could do more," said Rachel Linton, quietly.

"So do I, my dear," said the little doctor; "and I wish I could do more,
but I have done all I can. Nature must do the rest."

The long, hot day passed on, and evening was approaching before the
doctor took anything more than a glass of wine and water and a biscuit;
and at last, when every one had judged by poor Gray's aspect that all
now was over, and Major Sandars came up and thanked him for his patient
endeavours to save the poor fellow's life, the doctor felt his patient's
pulse once more, raised the closed eyelids and gazed at the pupils, and
then rose up, dropped into a cane lounging chair, and began softly
rubbing his knees.

"Now, ladies," he said firmly, "go below and dine. I order it.
Sandars--Horton--if you have any good feeling left in you, you'll send
relays of Jacks and privates to rub my poor knees. I say," he said,
looking round with a smile, "that was a close shave, wasn't it?"

"Close shave?" said the major, as the ladies drew back, apparently hurt
at the doctor's levity; and poor Bob Roberts, kneeling at the injured
man's feet, lowered his head so that those near should not see the
unmanly tears gathering in his eyes, though he was somewhat comforted on
seeing that Ensign Long was almost as much moved.

"Yes," said the doctor; "you might have got all the nobs of the
profession, and I don't believe they could have done better."

"No," said Captain Horton rather coldly. "You have worked hard, Doctor
Bolter."

"Hard? I should think I have