last upon the rocks, and then on a patch of green grass, where
I laid down the insensible boy in the blazing sun.

"What was I now to do? The boy was yet in very much the same condition
that he was when I set out with him for the shore. Meanwhile more than
half an hour must have elapsed, during which time the boy was wrapped in
his wet clothes, which, to a man in the full possession of his senses,
would have been prostrating enough. It seemed to me that he was sinking
under the effects of the blow which he had received, and the wet clothes
which were on his body. I had, however, the gratification of knowing
that I was on firm land, and away from the cold ice. The grass was warm,
and the air, as I have said, was scarcely chilly. Under these improved
conditions it was clearly better to expose the boy's body wholly to the
air than to allow him to remain in his wet clothes. The first thing,
therefore, which I did was to divest myself of my own clothing, in order
that I might give my warm underclothing to the boy. This left for
myself only my pantaloons and my coat. After buttoning the coat tightly
round me, I undressed the boy, and rubbed his body with such parts of
the tail of my overcoat as his clothes had not wetted while carrying
him, and, this done, I drew on to him my shirt and drawers, and then,
pulling up the grass, I heaped that about him, and over this threw my
damp overcoat,--the grass preventing it from touching him. All this
occupied but a few minutes, for I worked with the energy of despair. I
then set to rubbing and pounding his feet and hands which were very
cold, to get some circulation back into them.

"I had now done all that it was possible for me to do for the present
towards the restoration of my poor companion, who still remained in
precisely the same insensible state as before, and I now determined to
look about me and ascertain if there were any evidences of human beings
living near at hand.

"The scene around me was dreary enough to strike terror into a stouter
heart than mine; and, when I had fully viewed it, I had to confess that
it did not seem probable that any living thing, not to mention human
beings, could possibly be there. The first thought I had was to shout
and halloo again and again at the very top of my voice; but no answer
reached me except the echo of my own words in a deep and dark gorge
close by. This echo startled me and made me afraid, though I never could
tell why. My loud ca