ifting helplessly upon a lonely sea; she was tranquilly gliding under
silken sails up the winding reaches of a gently flowing stream, the
crystal waters of which flowed over golden sands and between banks of
richest flowery verdure, with overshadowing trees whose boughs drooped
beneath their load of blushing fruit; whilst, in the distance, palaces
of whitest marble gleamed amid the many-tinted foliage, and all the air
was musical with the songs of birds. He no longer felt the agonies of
hunger or the fiery torment of thirst; he plucked the ripe fruit as the
boat swept gently past, and his pangs were assuaged; he no longer
suffered from the scorching rays of the sun, for a silken awning floated
over his head, and the cool breeze crept refreshingly beneath it and
gently fanned his aching brow; and he no longer suffered from weariness,
for his body reclined upon cushions of the softest down, and he felt
himself gradually sinking into a luxurious slumber under the soothing
influence of the most entrancing melodies.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Ou ay; he'll do weel eneuch, he's comin' roun' brawly; it's joost a
plain common case o' starvation an' exposure; there's naething
complicatit about it at a'; pairfect rest and a guid nourishing diet 'll
set him on his pins again in less than a week."

Such were the words which fell upon George Leicester's ear as he once
more became feebly conscious of the fact of his own existence. The
words came to him mingled with other sounds, to wit--the creaking of
bulkheads, the rattling of cabin doors hooked back to allow the free
passage of fresh air, the grinding of a rudder and the clank of
rudder-chains, the sonorous hum of the wind through a ship's rigging,
the flapping of a sail, the distant subdued murmur of men's voices, and
the soft plashing of water. He at the same time became conscious of a
gentle swaying and pitching motion, such as is felt on board a ship
close-hauled, with a moderate breeze and a correspondingly moderate sea.

For a minute or two George felt languidly puzzled as to his whereabouts,
but he was by no means anxious for enlightenment upon the subject; he
was in a state of blissful comfort, and he was quite content to remain
in passive enjoyment of the same, to feel the gentle current of air
softly fanning his brow, to yield himself to the easy, luxurious swing
of the cot in which he was lying, and to listen dreamily