his leave, promising to call
again the last thing in the evening.

As soon as the doctor was out of the house I went upstairs and into the
sick-room, where I found the patient in bed, and Bob, with his boots
off, gliding as quietly about the room as a trained hospital nurse,
doing all he could to contribute to the comfort of his charge.

The opening of the door attracted the sick man's attention, and he
feebly turned his head in my direction. As soon as he recognised me, he
beckoned me to approach; and I drew a chair to the side of the bed,
asking him how he felt.

"Like one whose moments are numbered," replied he in perfectly pure
English, but with a sonorous ring in the articulation of the words,
which betrayed the fact that he was not speaking in his mother tongue.
"Senor," he continued, "I am dying; the doctor has candidly told me so,
though I needed no such assurance from him. The dreadful pangs which
shoot through my tortured frame are such as no man could long endure and
live. I am a true Catholic, senor, and I would fain see a priest, or
some good man of my own creed, that I may confess, and clear my guilty
soul from the stains which a life of sinful indulgence and contempt of
Heaven's laws has polluted it with. I know there are many of my faith
in England; it may be that there are some in this place. Know you of
any such?"

I replied that there certainly was a Catholic church in the town, but it
was situated at some distance from the house in which he now lay;
consequently it would perhaps be an hour before the priest could be
found and brought to him; "but," added I, "I will send for him
forthwith, and until he arrive I will sit here and keep you company."

So saying, I called Bob on one side, and directed him to proceed, as
quickly as possible, into town, and bring the Reverend Father without a
moment's delay to the house.

As soon as Bob had departed, I resumed my seat by the bedside.
Extending his burning hand towards me, he clasped mine, and endeavoured
to raise it to his lips. "Senor," said he, "since it is the will of God
that I am to die, I can but bow to that will in submission; but I would
I could have been spared for a _few_ years to testify my gratitude to
you for your brave and noble efforts in behalf of my crew and myself--my
poor people, my poor people," he sobbed--"all, all lost!"

He was silent for nearly five minutes; and I took advantage of the
opportunity to explain to him tha