and all, and somehow his cheeks felt
a little hotter than before, as he felt that he had made a mistake.

"I thought you wanted to take us for a row."

"Oh no, sir."

"Then what are you doing here in this out-of-the-way place?"

"Ask him where his ship is," whispered Dean.

"Yes, that's it. Do you belong to some ship in the harbour?"

"No, sir. She sailed away three months ago. I was too bad to go away
with her. Fever, gentlemen."

"Oh, that's bad," said Mark. "Sick in a strange place."

"Oh, I haven't got anything to grumble at, sir. The consul's been very
good to me; but I am as weak as a rat, sir, and--and--"

The poor fellow's voice during the last few words had trailed off, and
ended in silence, while the two boys looked at him sympathetically and
felt very uncomfortable.

"I shall be better directly, gentlemen," he said at last, with quite a
gasp; and then with an effort he went on, "I beg pardon, but I heard of
you. Someone told me about a party of English gentlemen going up the
country towards the mountains where a fellow could shake off the fever.
I can't get on, gentlemen--so weak. Better directly."

"All right," said Mark. "Take your time."

"Thank you, sir. I thought you were going away. It ain't catching,
sir."

"Nobody thought it was," said Mark. "Here, let's walk on down towards
the waterside."

"Thank you, sir. There, I can get on now. I heard about you gentlemen,
and I thought I would make bold enough to ask you to take me with you.
Sailor, sir," he continued, turning to Dean. "Turn my hand to anything,
sir. Make myself useful. Consul said that a turn up in the mountains
would put me right in no time. Make me strong to get a ship again. I
arn't begging, sir. Look here, gentlemen," and he pulled one of his
hands out of his pocket half full of silver.

"I say, Dean," said Mark, "what are we to do?"

Dean shook his head helplessly. "We can't take him: we've got two men
already."

"I say, look here," said Mark; "I can't do as I like, but I will ask my
father, and I daresay he will pay your passage home to England."

"Thank you, sir," said the man, with a sigh, and he shook his head
sadly, "but I don't think I should live to get there."

"Oh, don't talk like that!" cried Dean, and he looked so appealingly at
the man that the poor fellow smiled.

"All right, sir, I won't. They say drowning men catch at straws. I'm
kind of drowning like, and when I hears as you g