rn and heaving-to close to leeward of us.
As he bore down upon us I saw him in the mizzen rigging, speaking-
trumpet in hand; and when he was within hailing distance he hailed to
ask if he could be of any assistance, adding that one of the passengers
professed to be a doctor and had chivalrously offered his services,
should they be required. This was good news to me indeed, for, being a
small craft, we carried no surgeon, and but for this proffered help our
poor wounded lads would have been obliged to trust pretty much to chance
and such unskilled help as we could have afforded them among ourselves.
I hailed back, expressing my thanks for the offer, and at once sent away
a boat for the medico, not caring that Christie should run the risk of
sending away a boat's crew out of his own scanty company.

In about ten minutes the boat returned, bringing in her a little,
swarthy, burnt-up specimen of a Spaniard, and a most portentous-looking
case of surgical instruments. But, although by no means handsome, Senor
Pacheco soon proved himself to be both warm-hearted and skilful,
ministering to the wounded with the utmost tenderness and with a touch
as light and gentle as a woman's. When he had attended to the others I
requested him to oblige me so far as to bind up my shoulder afresh,
which he at once did, informing me at the same time that it was an
exceedingly ugly wound, and that I must be particularly careful lest
gangrene should supervene, in which case, if my life could be saved at
the expense of my arm, I should have reason to esteem myself
exceptionally fortunate. He remained on board, chatting with me for
about an hour, after he had coopered me up, and very kindly promised to
visit me and his other patients again in the afternoon, if I would send
a boat for him: but he declined my invitation to breakfast, upon the
plea that he had already taken first breakfast, while it was still too
early for the second. He was full of polite compliments and
congratulations upon our having beaten off such a desperado as Morillo
was known to be, and graphically described the consternation that had
prevailed in the cabins of the _Dolores_ when the brigantine was
identified as the notorious _Guerrilla_.

Contrary to my expectations, and greatly to my relief, the pirates did
not return to attack us; and as a measure of precaution,--in case the
idea should occur to Morillo later on,--as soon as our damages were
repaired I stood to the n