tated in his speech, turning a deadly white and
clutching at the bridge rail in front of him, as if to save himself from
falling or fainting. "You're completely worn out and your nerves
shaken! Why, you can't have had much, if any, sleep the last three or
four days--not since that rumpus broke out aboard your ship, eh?"

"Heavens!" ejaculated the other. "I don't think I have closed my eyes,
senor, since Friday, excepting when I was drifting in the boat, part of
which time I must have been senseless; for though I recollect seeing
your vessel, and trying to signal her by holding up a piece of the
bottom planking of the boat, as we hadn't oar or sail in her, I have no
remembrance of seeing your vessel steaming up to help us, or of this
brave young gentleman here jumping into the water and swimming to our
assistance, as you tell me, captain, that he gallantly did. Believe me,
sir, I shall never forget you, and I shall be ever and eternally
grateful to you for that noble act of yours!"

He half-turned and bowed to me politely as he said this, but I was too
much confused, by his exaggerated estimate of what I had done to say
anything at the moment in reply. And, after all, it was only a very
simple thing to do, to swim with a line to a boat; any other fellow
could have done the same, and would have done it under the same
circumstances.

The skipper, however, spoke for me.

"Come, come, sir," he said. "Haldane only did his duty, like the brave
lad he is; and I'm sure you only make him uncomfortable by your thanks.
I want you, colonel, to go below and have a little rest and some
refreshment. Besides, I promised Mr O'Neil to send you down to have
your wounded leg dressed and seen to, more than half an hour ago, when
he came up on deck after attending to that other poor chap, and yet here
you are still, talking and exciting yourself. How is your leg now,
colonel? Easier?"

"Confound it! No, no!" replied the other, with a writhe of torture as
he changed his position so as to relieve the strain on the wounded limb,
which I had quite forgotten about, the brave follow having stoically
repressed all indication of pain while urging on the pursuit of the
black mutineers. "It's hurting me like the devil! But, sir, I cannot
rest or leave the deck till we come up to that accursed ship and save my
poor child, my little darling--if we be not too late, too late!"

"This is nonsense, sir," said the skipper bluntly, and rather