ubscription was made for the families of those who perished when the
ship foundered, and when his story was known a good share was given to
him, besides other contributions, and many people wanted to have him.
The captain stood my friend, as he did in all other matters, and
insisted that as I pulled him out of the water, and the only friend of
his we knew of had stopped at our house, Susan and I ought to have
charge of him. He would have taken him himself, but he had a good many
young children of his own, and thought that Harry would do better with
us, and that he could still look after his education and interests as he
grew older.

As soon as Harry could speak, he said that he would be a sailor, that
his father was one, and that he would be one too; but who his father had
been was a puzzle, as about that, of course, he really knew nothing. He
could not tell us either anything about those he had seen on board, or
how he had got hold of the sheep, though it is my belief that someone
must have placed him on the animal's back, intending to lash him to it,
but that the ship had gone down before there was time to do so. Perhaps
it was the last act of the poor young lady, or maybe of his father, if
his father, as seemed probable, was on board.

As may be supposed, that sheep was a great pet with us and the captain's
family as long as it lived. Harry was very fond of it, and would ride
about on its back, holding on just as he had done when the creature
saved him from drowning. People used to come and see him ride about,
and the ladies made a gay silk collar for the sheep, and also a bridle,
but Harry would not use it, and always held on by the wool, saying that
the sheep always well knew where to go. I railed off a piece of the
garden and laid it down in grass, and on one side I built a house for
the animal; but as there was not food enough in the little plot, the
captain had it up to a paddock near his house, where it used to scamper
about with Harry on its back and enjoy itself.

"It's an ill wind that blows no one good," and people used to say that
the foundering of the _Royal George_ was a fortunate circumstance for
the sheep, as it would long before have been under the butcher's knife.

The captain, meantime, made all the inquiries he could to try and
discover the friends of the little fellow, but in vain; none of those
who were saved remembered to have seen the young lady talking to anyone,
though two or three r