ow I know it was a woman. It was my mother; but I have not
seen her for a long while now, and I have nobody but Nero."

"My poor boy, you have a father in heaven."

"Yes," replied I; "I know he is in heaven, and so is my mother; for
Jackson said that they were both very good."

"I mean your Heavenly Father, God. Do you not say in the Lord's Prayer,
`Our Father which art in heaven?' You must love him."

I was about to reply, when John Gough, the mate, came up, and told my
companion, that he had been speaking to the men, and they had agreed
that the day after the next they would, if the weather permitted, leave
the island; that they had examined the boat, and found it required very
little repair, and that all would be ready the next day.

"I hope that they will not overload the boat," said she.

"I fear that they will, but I must do all I can to prevent it. The cask
of rum was rather an unfortunate discovery, and we had been better
without it. Leave it they will not, so we must put out of the boat all
that we can possibly do without, for we shall be nine of us, and that
will be plenty of weight with the addition of the cask."

"You promised to take my chest, you remember," said I.

"Yes, I will do so if I possibly can; but recollect, I may not be able
to keep my promise; for now that they have the liquor, the men do not
obey me as they did before, ma'am," said the mate. "Perhaps he had
better take the best of his clothes in a bundle, in case they should
refuse to take in the chest; and I must say, that, loaded as the boat
will be, they will be much to blame if they do not refuse, for the boat
is but small for stowage, and there's all the provisions to put in her,
which will take up a deal of room."

"That is very true," replied the woman. "It will be better to leave the
chest here, for I do not think that the boat will hold it. You must not
mind your chest, my good boy, it is of no great value."

"They take my rum and all my birds, and they ought to take both me and
my chest."

"Not if it takes up too much room," replied the woman. "You cannot
expect it. The wishes of one person must give way to the wishes of
many."

"Why, they would have starved if it had not been for me," replied I,
angrily.

"That's very true, boy," replied the mate; "but you have to learn yet,
that might is right; and recollect that what you did this morning has
not made you any great favourite with them."

"What was that?"