am I not now precisely in his position, lying battered and crushed
as he was? After a time I went down to where he lay, and found him
expiring. He had just strength to say `God forgive you,' and then he
died. It was murder, for I could have saved him and would not, and yet
he prayed to God to forgive me. How much happier should I have felt if
he had not said that. His `God forgive you' rang in my ears for months
afterwards. I returned to the cabin, and with a bold air stated to your
mother what had happened, for I felt I could say, this time, I did not
do the deed. She burst out into frantic exclamations, accusing me of
being not only his murderer but the murderer of her husband. I tried
all I could do to appease her, but in vain. For many weeks she was in a
state of melancholy and despondency, that made me fear for her life; but
she had you still to bestow her affections upon, and for your sake she
lived. I soon made this discovery. She was now wholly in my power, but
I was awed by her looks even, for a time. At last I became bolder, and
spoke to her of our becoming man and wife; she turned from me with
abhorrence. I then resorted to other means. I prevented her from
obtaining food; she would have starved with pleasure, but she could not
bear to see you suffer. I will not detail my cruelty and barbarity
towards her; suffice to say it was such that she pined away, and about
six months after the death of the captain she died, exhorting me not to
injure you, but if ever I had an opportunity, to take you to your
grandfather. I could not refuse this demand, made by a woman whom I as
certainly killed by slow means as I had your father by a more sudden
death. I buried her in the guano, by the side of the others. After her
death my life was a torture to me for a long while. I dared not kill
you, but I hated you. I had only one consolation, one hope, which
occasionally gave me satisfaction; the consolation, if so it could be
called, was, that I had possession of the diamonds; the hope--that I
should one day see England again. You see me now--are they not all
avenged?"

I could not but feel the truth of Jackson's last sentence. They were
indeed avenged.

After a short pause, he said to me--

"Now, Frank, I feel that the mortification in my side is making great
progress, and, in a short time, I shall be in too great pain to talk to
you. I have made a full confession of my crimes; it is all the
reparation