reupon cautiously administered a further small quantity of the
liquid, which the man eagerly swallowed, and at once asked for more; but
gently laying him down on his back, with the promise that he should have
more a little later on, Dick next turned his attention to the second
man, and soon had the satisfaction of seeing him also restored to
consciousness. Having achieved this much of success, Leslie now aroused
Flora, and, briefly explaining to her the circumstances of the case,
turned the two castaways over to her care, with instructions to give
them, alternately and at brief intervals, small quantities of drink and
food, while he devoted his attention to the catamaran and the task of
navigating her back into the harbour. Meanwhile the little raft, with
her ghastly cargo, went driving away to the northward and westward
before the wind and the sea, and was soon lost to sight.

As the catamaran skirted close along the weather side of the reef,
Leslie noticed that the brig had burnt herself out; for there was not
the faintest whiff of smoke rising from the spot where she had lain. On
the other hand, a thin pennant of light yellowish brown vapour was
trailing away to leeward from the summit of the peak, showing that the
eruption up there was still in progress. Dick was much comforted,
however, to find that, even now, when he was so close in with the land,
he could detect no evidences of disturbance by the earthquake on the
southern slope of the mountain; and he began to cherish the hope that he
would find the dockyard and camp uninjured. And this hope became a
practical certainty when, upon passing through the entrance channel, the
camp came into view, and he beheld not only the tent still standing as
he had left it, but the framework of the cutter erect upon the stocks
and apparently uninjured. Twenty minutes later the catamaran slid into
her usual berth and gently grounded upon the sandy beach.

First assisting Flora to step ashore, and tenderly supporting her to the
tent--to which he welcomed her back with a loving embrace--Dick next
conducted the two rescued men to the hut that had originally been built
and occupied by Sambo and Cuffy, into which he inducted them, with the
intimation that they were to regard it as their future quarters. They
were by this time so far recovered that both could walk, with a little
assistance. Leslie therefore thought that he might now venture to give
them a light meal, with a rea