ide, the men in her, who appeared to be
foreigners, looked at the boys with the deepest pity, and spoke to each
other rapidly in some guttural language, which Jonathan had a hazy idea
was German, as if expressing sympathy with their emaciated condition.

One of them whom they took to be an officer, from the gold band on his
cap and the tone of authority in his voice, stepped into their boat, and
appeared to have the intention of lifting them out of it into the other;
but all at once he seemed to notice the name of the _Eric Strauss_, and
stopped short, with an expression of surprised astonishment on his face.

"Wunderbar!" he exclaimed, pointing out the name to his companions, who
also looked eagerly at it; and then, while he remained with the boys in
the cutter, the painter of the latter was attached to the other boat,
which towed it alongside the ship; and, after that David and Jonathan
remembered no more, as they both fainted as they were being tenderly
hoisted on board.

Jonathan was the first to come to himself.

He was in a hammock in the 'tween decks of a ship, which he could feel
was in motion. At the slight movement he made in raising his head and
peering over the side of the hammock, a man with a grave face came to
him, saying something he could not understand.

"Where's David?" inquired Jonathan, a little bit still puzzled in his
head.

The man evidently knew that he was asking after his friend, as he
pointed to another hammock, suspended a short distance from his own, in
which David was calmly sleeping; after which he gave him some soup to
drink, and Jonathan dropped off to sleep too.

When he awoke again he felt much better, and motioning to the attendant
that he would like to get out of the hammock, the man assisted him on to
his feet. He was a little shaky at first, feeling sore all over; but
after walking up and down a few steps with the assistance of the
attendant's arm, he regained his strength, and proceeded to the side of
David's hammock to pay him a visit.

At the sound of Jonathan's voice, the other--who appeared to have been
wide awake although he had made no movement--at once jumped up, and
without any assistance got out and stood on the deck by Jonathan's side.

"Well, old fellow!" said he.

"Well, Dave!" ejaculated the other; and they clasped each other's hands
with a tight grip, as they had never expected to do again on earth.
They fully appreciated their rescue, and thanked God f