He
has blotted out the past in the cleansing blood of the Lamb, what is man
that he should remember it? Cheer up, Rosco, you shall find a home and
a welcome in Ratinga."

"Always returning good for evil, Zeppa," said Rosco, in a more cheerful
voice. "I think it is this tremendous weakness that crushes my spirits,
but come--I'll try to `cheer up,' as you advise."

"Dat's right massa!" cried Ebony, in an encouraging tone; "an' jus' look
at the glipperin' steepil. He'll do yous heart good--somet'ing like de
fire in de wilderness to de Jipshins--"

"To the Israelites you mean," said Orley.

"Ah, yis--de Izlrights, to be sure. I mis-remembered. Ho! look; dar's
de house-tops now; an' the pine grove whar' we was use to hold palaver
'bout you, Massa, arter you was lost; an'--yis--dat's de house--yous own
house. You see de wife lookin' out o' winder bery soon. I knows it by
de pig-sty close 'longside whar' de big grumper sow libs, dat Ziffa's so
fond o' playin' wid. Ho! Lippy, come here, you little naked ting," (he
caught up the child an' sat her on his broad shoulder). "You see de
small leetil house. Dat's it. Dat's whar' Ziffa lubs to play, but
she'll hab you to play wid soon, an' den she'll forsake de ole sow. Ho!
but I forgit--you no understan' English."

Hereupon Ebony began to translate his information as he best could into
the language of the little creature, in which effort he was not very
successful, being an indifferent linguist.

Meanwhile the vessel gradually neared the island, stood into the lagoon,
and, finally, dropped anchor. A boat was at once lowered and made for
the shore.

And oh! how intensely and intently did those in the boat and those on
the shore gaze at each other as the space between them diminished!

"They not look like enemies," said Betsy in subdued tones.

"And I don't think they are armed," returned Marie, with palpitating
heart, "but I cannot yet make out the faces--only, they seem to be
white, some of them."

"Yis, an' some of 'em's brown."

Thus--on the shore. In the boat:--

"Now den, massa, you sees her--an' ha! ha! dar's Betsy. I'd know her
'mong a t'ousind. You sees de bonnit--tumblin' about like a jollyboat
in a high sea; an' Ziffa too wid de leetil bonnit, all de same shape,
kin you no' see her?"

Zeppa protested, rather anxiously, that he could _not_ see them, and no
wonder, for just then his eyes were blinded by tears which no amount of
wiping sufficed