when they grew near together in a few minutes under the shadow of a
great grief, she might well have grown into such a woman as old Kiah
had spoken of with loving pride.

'Boat ahoy!'

The shout came faint and far away across the gleaming tossing water
from where that red glow burned in the west. The fishermen were on the
look out at once, a hail in those days might mean something serious;
but their passenger sat with the letter unread in his hand, unheeding
anything, reading instead a page out of the long ago past.

But after a minute or two the fishermen's excited words brought him
back to the present.

'Boat? Not a bit of it. 'Tis a bit of a raft, some poor chap on a
spar. English too, 'twas an English shout. Well, and if he was Boney
himself we're bound to get him aboard.'

'Where is he?' asked the stranger, shading his eyes from the dazzling
sun rays.

Yonder, sir, don't you see him, there, just where
you're looking? We'll have him aboard in a minute.'

All eyes were fixed on the black moving object in the water, which, as
they came nearer, proved to be a large piece of wreckage to which a
figure was clinging. Presently it could be seen that the figure was
that of a boy, who seemed to be holding to the tossing spars with the
last effort of his strength, for when he was hailed again he made no
reply, only lifting his head for a moment.

'He'll hardly get hold of a rope,' said one of the men doubtfully;
'he's about done for, that last hail was as much as he could do.'

The next moment the mass of wreckage disappeared for a moment, and when
it rose again there was a cry of dismay from the boat, for the boy was
gone. Another minute showed him lifted high on the crest of a wave,
and, before any one else could move, the strange gentleman was
overboard and striking out boldly towards him. A few breathless
moments, then he had hold of him, and immediately a rope, thrown by a
powerful arm, struck the water close to them. It was the work of a
minute to knot it about his waist, and he and his unconscious burden
were dragged on board amid the congratulations of the fishermen.

'Well done, sir! Didn't know you could swim like that. Never gave us
a chance, no more you did. Take a sup o' this,' and a can was put to
his lips; 'never mind about the lad, he'll do well enough. Lift his
head a bit, Jack, and loose his jacket. What's that bag hung round his
neck? Why, bless us, he's an officer, he is--see h