."

"And the other can go into mine," said the doctor, the person who had
first spoken.

No one had asked us any questions; probably they saw by our condition
that we should have been unable to answer them, for both Jim and I were
fast verging towards unconsciousness.

We were at once carried below, when I was put into the mate's cabin,
where my clothes were stripped off by the doctor's orders, and, being
rubbed dry, I was placed between the blankets. The doctor, who had been
looking after Jim, soon came and gave me something out of a glass, which
seemed to warm me up wonderfully. But even then I could not have spoken
if my life had depended upon it.

"Get some warm broth as quickly as you can," I heard the doctor say to
someone, he in the meantime rubbing my feet and hands and chest. It
seemed as if scarcely more than two or three minutes had passed when a
basin of hot broth was brought me, which I drank without difficulty, and
it did me more good than the stuff in the glass.

"You may go to sleep now, my lad," said the doctor, in a kind tone;
"you'll do well. You shall tell us by-and-by how you and your companion
came to be on the mast."

I obeyed the doctor's orders, and scarcely had the door been closed than
I was fast asleep. I was awakened by the doctor coming in, accompanied
by a boy who brought some more soup and some bread, and which, being
very hungry, I thankfully swallowed.

"You can eat something more substantial now," said the doctor, and he
told the boy to bring in some fowl and more bread from the
breakfast-table.

By this I guessed that I must have had a long spell of sleep, and that a
whole day and a night had passed since we were taken on board. I
eagerly ate all that was given me.

"You may get up now, my boy, and dress, and we will find another berth
for you; we must not keep Mr Griffiths out of his bed," said the
doctor.

"I would not do that on any account, sir," I said; "I feel quite strong,
and am accustomed to live forward."

I soon dressed, and was glad to see that Jim also was up. There were
two apprentices on board, who lived on the half-deck, and the doctor
said that the first mate promised to have some berths knocked up for us
with them.

"How did you come to be on board the vessel which went down?" asked the
doctor, when I accompanied him on deck.

From the kind way he spoke I was encouraged to give him a full account
of myself and Jim, so I told him that he and I