his eyes displaying little but their whites,
he appeared to be an object of greater misery than the female, whose
thoughts were directed to the infant and not unto herself. Yet his
feelings were still acute, although his faculties appeared to be
deadened by excess of suffering.

'Eh, me!' cried the negro woman faintly, after a long silence, her head
falling back with extreme exhaustion. Her companion made no reply, but,
roused at the sound of her voice, bent forward, slid open the door a
little, and looked out to windward. The heavy spray dashed into his
glassy eyes, and obscured his vision; he groaned, and fell back into his
former position. 'What you tink, Coco?' inquired the negress, covering
up more carefully the child, as she bent her head down upon it. A look
of despair, and a shudder from cold and hunger, were the only reply.

It was then about eight o'clock in the morning, and the swell of the
ocean was fast subsiding. At noon the warmth of the sun was communicated
to them through the planks of the _caboose_, while its rays poured a
small stream of vivid light through the chinks of the closed panels. The
negro appeared gradually to revive; at last he rose, and with some
difficulty contrived again to slide open the door. The sea had gradually
decreased its violence, and but occasionally broke over the vessel;
carefully holding on by the door-jambs, Coco gained the outside, that he
might survey the horizon.

'What you see, Coco?' said the female, observing from the _caboose_ that
his eyes were fixed upon a certain quarter.

'So help me God, me tink me see something; but ab so much salt water in
um eye, me no see clear,' replied Coco, rubbing away the salt which had
crystallised on his face during the morning.

'What you tink um like, Coco?'

'Only one bit cloud,' replied he, entering the _caboose_, and resuming
his seat upon the grate with a heavy sigh.

'Eh, me!' cried the negress, who had uncovered the child to look at it,
and whose powers were sinking fast. 'Poor lilly Massa Eddard, him look
very bad indeed--him die very soon, me fear. Look, Coco, no ab breath.'

The child's head fell back upon the breast of its nurse, and life
appeared to be extinct.

'Judy, you no ab milk for piccaninny; suppose um ab no milk, how can
live? Eh! stop, Judy, me put lilly finger in um mouth; suppose Massa
Eddard no dead, him pull.'

Coco inserted his finger into the child's mouth, and felt a slight
drawing pressure.