cup of water had been given to each of the persons
round the tent, the reviving effect of which was wonderful on even the
most exhausted. Meantime the unhappy wretches on the lower part of the
rock were shrieking and gesticulating as before, but instead of looking
at the boats they now turned their eyes towards those who were quenching
their raging thirst with the supply of water brought by Linton and Raby.
At this juncture the dinghy returned, and the men in her succeeded by a
_coup de main_ in getting two men off, when by a less forcible manner
they would probably have failed. The moment they reached the rock they
leaped on it, holding the boat by the painter, and before the Frenchmen
were aware they had seized two of them who had jackets to catch hold of,
and had hauled them into the boat. A second time the manoeuvre had
equal success, and thus six were got off without much trouble. Linton
now bethought him of trying to soothe some of them by giving them water,
and at last he succeeded in attracting one of them up the rock by
holding up a cup of water. The man took it and quaffed it eagerly.

"_C'est mieux que le sang_," he exclaimed in a hollow voice, followed by
a fierce laugh. "_More, more, more_."

The lieutenant considered that he might give him a little more, and
others seeing that their comrade was obtaining that for which they had
been longing, came up and held out their hands for the cup, their manner
and the unmeaning look of their eyes showing that they were more
influenced by the instinct of animals than the sense of men.

By degrees the whole of them came up and obtained a cup of water, and
Linton had the satisfaction of seeing that they had become much calmer
and more manageable. He, in consequence, thought he might venture down
to examine the condition of the still more unfortunate beings who sat by
themselves, altogether unconscious of their condition, as well as of
those he had seen stretched out at their length near the edge of the
rock. Bowse, however, recommended him not to attempt to do so till a
greater number of the maniacs had been got off. "If Mr Raby and I, and
Mitchell, there," (meaning the colonel's servant, who was the second man
who had come to their rescue), "were to accompany you, and it would not
be safe for you to go alone, those poor wretches might attack our
fortress and murder all in it; and to say the truth, I am afraid you can
do very little good to any of them."

B