with
Roger: so he asked her to filter more water through the gravel. He
begged her to get ready a great deal--enough for them all to drink, and
to bathe George in; for the water about them was becoming of a worse
quality every day. It was unsafe even to live near; and much more to
drink. So he scraped up a quantity of clean dry gravel from the ledges
of the precipice where the first flood had thrown it, and helped Mildred
to press this gravel down in the worn old basket. This basket they set
across the tub, which they first thoroughly cleaned. Mildred poured
water upon the gravel by degrees; and it was astonishing how much purer
and better it came out of the tub than it went into the basket. When
the tub was full, Ailwin heated some of the water presently over her
large fire, and made a warm bath for the child.

Roger was unwilling to give him up when the bath was ready, so new and
so pleasant did he find it to be liked and loved by anybody--to have
power over any one, so much more easy and delightful to exercise than
that of force. But, not only was the bath ready, and must not be left
to cool, but Oliver beckoned him away on some very particular business.

This business was indeed pressing. All the party had complained that
the bad smells about the Red-hill became really oppressive. They did
not know how great was the danger of their all falling ill of fever, in
consequence; but every one of them felt languid and uncomfortable.
Oliver made the circuit of the hill, to discover whether there was any
cause for this evil that could be removed. He was surprised to find the
number of dead animals that were lying about in holes and corners, as
well as the heap of Roger's game, now actually putrefying in the sun.
There was also a dead horse thrown up, on the side where the quarry was;
and about this horse were such swarms of flies as Oliver had never seen.
It was to consult about pushing back this horse into the stream, and
clearing away all other dead things that they could find, that Oliver
now called Roger.

Roger was struck with what he observed. He saw no difficulty in
clearing away the game he ought never to have left lying in a heap in
the sun. He believed, too, that with stout poles he and Oliver could
shove the horse into the water; and, with a line tied to its head, tow
it out of the still water into the current which yet ran from the
quarry. But what troubled him more was, that there was evidently a