the water on some large
mass of wreck. The man I told you of tried to get up too; but his feet
were caught, and I saw him drowning. I saw another man holding on to the
wreck, but a piece of ice struck him, and he must have fallen off
immediately.'

"'Dean, Dean!' said I, 'do stop! you are feverish; quiet yourself, and
we'll talk of these things by and by';--and the boy fell back quite
exhausted. His skin was very hot, and his face flushed. 'O my head, my
head!' exclaimed he; 'it pains me dreadfully! Am I hurt?' and he put his
hand to the side of his head where he had been struck, and, finding that
he was wounded, said: 'I remember it now perfectly. A heavy wave came,
and was tossing a piece of timber over me, and I tried to avoid being
struck by it. After that I remember nothing. It must have struck me. I'm
not much hurt,--am I?'

"'No, Dean,' I answered, 'not much hurt, only a little bruised.'

"'Have you any water, Hardy?' he asked, 'I am so thirsty!'

"It was fortunate that I had brought some in the eggshells, and in a
moment I had given him a drink. It did me good to see him smile, as I
handed him the water, and ask where I got such odd cups from. 'Thanks,
thanks!' said he; 'I'm better now.' Then after a moment's pause he
added, 'I want to get up and see where we are. I'm very weak; won't you
help me?' But I told him that I would not do it now, for the present he
must lie quiet. 'Then raise me up and let me look about.' So I raised
him up, and he took first a look at the strange pile of eider-down that
was upon him, and then at the ice-covered sea, but he spoke not a word.
Then he lay down, and after a short time said calmly: 'I see it all now.
Hard,--isn't it? But we must do the best we can. I feel that I'll soon
be well, and will not be a trouble to you long. Do you know that until
this moment I could hardly get it out of my head that I had been
dreaming? We must trust in Heaven, Hardy, and do the best we can.'

"Being now fully satisfied as to the complete recovery of the Dean, I
gave myself no further concern about watching him; but at once, after he
had, in his quiet way, asked me if I was not very tired, I buried myself
up in the heap of eider-down close beside him, and was soon as deeply
buried in a sound sleep."

* * * * *

The Captain, evidently thinking that he had gone far enough for one day,
now broke off suddenly. The children had listened to the recital