proceeded to bathe and patch
me up in the most careful and skilful manner.

"There!" said he, when he had at length attended to my hurts and made me
tolerably comfortable. "I think you will do pretty well now for an hour
or two. The wound in your breast looks very much inflamed, but that is
only to be expected from the character of the weapon with which it was
inflicted. But I have applied a lotion which ought to allay the
inflammation somewhat, and I will prepare you a nice, soothing, cooling
drink, of which you may take as much as you please; and when you have
finished it, Francois, who will remain here to look after you, will
bring you a further supply. But what you now need more than anything
else is sleep; so, if you should experience the slightest inclination
that way, please yield to it without hesitation. And now, senor, I will
bid you _adios_ for the present, but will come and have another look at
you before dark."

And, so saying, he withdrew from the cabin as quietly as he had come.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.

RICARDO THE PIRATE.

I must have slept for at least three hours, and probably much longer,
for when I awoke, with a start, I discovered that night had fallen, the
cabin lamps were lighted, and a man whom I at once recognised as the
pirate captain was leaning over me and gazing at my face with an
intentness that was doubtless the cause of my abrupt awakening. As I
opened my eyes he started back as though detected in some act of which
he felt ashamed; then, recovering himself, he again bent over me, and,
to my astonishment, said, in perfect English:

"Well, young gentleman, I hope you are feeling all the better for your
long sleep?"

"Thanks, yes," I said. "At least the intolerable headache from which I
was suffering a few hours ago has almost entirely passed away, but this
wound in my breast is still exceedingly painful, more so, I think, than
when your surgeon patched me up."

"Ah," he said, "I am sorry to hear that! Fonseca must come and look at
you again. He told me that it was likely to prove troublesome, but if
we can avoid gangrene until the ship gets in, I think we shall pull you
through all right."

"It is very kind of you to concern yourself as to my welfare, and also
somewhat inexplicable that you should do so," said I. "You are the
captain of this ship, are you not?"

"Yes, for the present," he answered. "For how long I may be permitted
to retain that position is quite an