himself to any society, and was ready to be the pet and plaything of the
ship's company, believing himself, when he thought of anything beyond the
present, to be full on the road to his friends again.

Fareek was a much more difficult charge, for Arthur had hardly a word
that he could understand. He found the poor fellow coiled up in a
corner, just where he had seen his former master's remains disappear,
still moaning and weeping bitterly. As Arthur called to him he looked up
for a moment, then crawled forward, striking his forehead at intervals
against the deck. He was about to kiss the feet of his former fellow-
slave, the glittering gold, blue, and white of whose borrowed dress no
doubt impressed him. Arthur hastily started back, to the amazement of
the spectators, and called out a negative--one of the words sure to be
first learnt. He tried to take Fareek's hand and raise him from his
abject attitude; but the poor fellow continued kneeling, and not only
were no words available to tell him that he was free, but it was
extremely doubtful whether freedom was any boon to him. One thing,
however, he did evidently understand--he pointed to the St. George's
pennant with the red cross, made the sign, looked an interrogation, and
on Arthur's reply, 'Christians,' and reiteration of the word 'Salem,'
_peace_, he folded his arms and looked reassured.

'Ay, ay, my hearty,' said the big boatswain, 'ye've got under the old
flag, and we'll soon make you see the difference. Cut out your poor
tongue, have they, the rascals, and made a dummy of you? I wish my cat
was about their ears! Come along with you, and you shall find what
British grog is made of.'

And a remarkable friendship arose between the two, the boatswain
patronising Fareek on every occasion, and roaring at him as if he were
deaf as well as dumb, and Fareek appearing quite confident under his
protection, and establishing a system of signs, which were fortunately a
universal language. The Abyssinian evidently viewed himself as young
Hope's servant or slave, probably thinking himself part of his late
master's bequest, and there was no common language between them in which
to explain the difference or ascertain the poor fellow's wishes. He was
a slightly-made, dexterous man, probably about five and twenty years of
age, and he caught up very quickly, by imitation, the care he could take
of Arthur's clothes, and the habit of waiting on him at meals.

Meantime