good seaman, and very active. When I awoke again I felt convinced
that I must have slept through the night, as it was broad daylight, as
before, but Ingram was not by my bedside. There was no bell in the
state-room, and I was obliged to await his coming. I felt much stronger
than the day before, and now proposed getting out of bed as soon as
Ingram should come down into the cabin. I now remembered that the
second mate had not come down to me, and heard noises and murmurings in
the hold as I had the day previous, which surprised me, and I became
more anxious for the return of Ingram. At last he came, and I told him
that I had been awake more than an hour.

"How do you feel yourself, Sir?" said he.

"Quite strong. I should like to get up and dress. Perhaps I may be
able to get on deck for a quarter of an hour."

"I think," replied he, "that you had better wait, and hear what I have
to tell you, Sir. I would not tell you yesterday, because I thought it
would be too much for you; but as I see you are really better to-day, I
must say that I have strange things to tell you."

"Indeed!" cried I, with surprise. "Strange things. By the bye, why did
not Olivarez come to me yesterday?"

"I will explain all to you, Sir, if you will lie down and listen to what
I have to say, and take the news quietly."

"Very well, Ingram, I will do so. Now pray go on."

"You were brought on board in a state of fever and insensibility by the
captain of the slaver. He said, as he lifted you over the side, that
you were a dead man. We all thought the same, and you were taken down
into the cabin with that persuasion on the part of the whole crew. Your
delirium and fever increased, and every hour it was expected that you
would give up the ghost. Now, Sir, two days afterwards the slaver
sailed with his cargo, and we were left alone in the river. Olivarez,
who of course commanded, talked to the men. He said that you were as
good as dead already, and that he thought that this was a fair
opportunity for their making money. He proposed that the ivory still on
shore should be changed for slaves, which he said the negroes would
gladly do, and that we should run with our cargo to the Brazils. He
said that it would be useless our remaining in the river, as we should
all lose our lives in the same way that you had done, and that he
thought, as commanding the schooner, he knew what would best please the
owner, who had long employed vessel