ve written that."

"And that the two holes was on her port-side, and seven foot from her
stain-post; and _I_ say them very augers that is in our cutter made them
holes. Set down that."

"It is down."

"Then I'll put my mark under it; and you are my witness."

Helen, anxious to please him in everything, showed him where to put his
mark.

He did so; and she signed her name as his witness.

"And now, Mr. Welch," said she, "do not you fret about the loss of the
ship; you should rather think how good Providence has been to us in
saving us three out of so many that sailed in that poor ship. That Wylie
was a wicked man; but he is drowned, or starved, no doubt, and there is
an end of him. You are alive, and we are all three to see Old England
again. But to live, you must eat; and so now do pray make a good
breakfast to-day. Tell me what you can fancy. A cabbage?"

"What, you own it is a cabbage?"

"Of course I do," said Helen, coaxing. "You must excuse Mr. Hazel; these
learned men are so crotchety in some things, and go by books; but you and
I go by our senses, and to us a cabbage is a cabbage, grow where it will.
Will you have one?"

"No, miss, not this morning. What I wants this morning very bad, indeed,
it is--I wants a drink made of the sweet-smelling leaves, like as you
strewed over my messmate--the Lord in heaven bless you for it."

"Oh, Mr. Welch, that is a curious fancy; but you shall not ask me twice
for anything; the jungle is full of them, and I'll fetch you some in five
minutes. So you must boil the water."

She scudded away to the jungle, and soon returned with some aromatic
leaves. While they were infusing, Hazel came up, and, on being informed
of Welch's fancy, made no opposition; but, on the contrary, said that
such men had sometimes very happy inspirations. He tasted it, however,
and said the smell was the best part of it, in his opinion. He then put
it aside to cool for the sick man's use.

They ate their usual breakfast, and then Welch sipped his spiced tea, as
he called it. Morning and afternoon he drank copious draughts of it, and
seemed to get suddenly better, and told them not to hang about him any
longer; but go to their work: he was all right now.

To humor him they went off in different directions; Hazel with his ax to
level cocoanut trees, and Helen to search for fruits in the jungle.

She came back in about an hour, very proud of some pods she had found
with nutmegs inside them. She