fter those
little reciprocities between him and the captain. "It was one morning
that the French vessel abandoned me and the next that yours came to my
help. Dios, I could not believe I was in my senses when I heard the
voices of your officers! I thought I was in a state of delirium and
that the sight of your ship, especially after the disappointment of the
preceding day, was only a mirage of my imagination, like the Fata
Morgana!"

"But, you hailed us, sir," I said here, on the captain motioning me to
come forward. "Why, you answered me when I spoke to you, sir!"

"I may have done so, my dear young gentleman," he replied with a faint
smile, patting me on the head in an affectionate sort of way, as if he
were caressing a pet poodle, so at least Mr Jellaby said afterwards to
the other fellows; "but, I have no recollection of it, I assure you.
Still, I must say that your voice seemed familiar to me just now, when
you first came into the cabin here and addressed me. It seemed to me a
voice that I had heard in a dream."

He then proceeded to compliment me on my Spanish, saying, in true
hidalgo fashion, that I spoke it better than himself, which, as Mr
Jellaby remarked, had to be taken "with a good deal of side on!"

Don Ferdinando Olivarez, to give him his rightful name, concluded his
narrative by asking Captain Farmer to land him at Madeira, where he had
friends who would supply all his needs, giving him the means to return
home to Cadiz, to which port, he said, he must go back for business
reasons; besides having to report the loss of his ship, though, as he
added with a sigh, he no longer had a "home" there, now that his poor
brother was dead, for he was the last of his race!

Of course, the captain promised to comply with his request, explaining
that, although he had not intended stopping at the island, we would in
any case have passed pretty close to it in our passage to the Cape; and
that he would be only too glad to call in and put our passenger ashore,
regretting, however, that he should have to lose the pleasure of his
company so soon.

Dr Nettleby at this point interrupted any further exchange of
civilities between the captain and the Spaniard, who was profuse in his
thanks, declaring that his patient required rest, or he would not be
able to go ashore either at Madeira or any other place on this planet.

The stern medico, who had been very much interested in Don Ferdinando's
story, or he would never