the waist and, lifting me off my feet as easily as if I
was a baby, made to jump overboard with me in his arms. But another man
tripped him up; and although we both went overboard, poor Tom struck his
head as he fell, and must have been stunned, for I felt his grip slacken
as we struck the water, and presently I managed to free myself and swim
to the raft. But Tom went down like a stone, and we never saw him
again.

"That adventure just about finished us all, I think; I know it finished
me, for it completely took out of me what little strength I had left,
and although I remember it falling dark that night, and also have a
confused recollection of getting up once or twice during the next day to
take a look round, I know nothing of what happened after that until I
came back to my senses on the deck of that queer-looking craft of yours,
and tasted the brandy that you were trying to pour down my throat."

"Well," remarked Leslie, "it has been a terrible adventure for you both,
and one that you will doubtless remember for the remainder of your
lives. But your time of suffering is now past, and what you have to do
is to get well and strong as soon as possible. Yet, even here, although
you run scant risk of perishing of hunger or thirst, and are in as
little danger of drowning, there is another peril, namely, that of
savages, to which we are all equally exposed; although I rather hope
that certain action that I felt it incumbent upon me to take yesterday
and last night may have averted it for a time at least. But perhaps,
having heard your story, I had better tell you mine, and you will then
understand our precise position--yours as well as Miss Trevor's and my
own."

To this speech Nicholls replied in effect that, having already seen a
great deal to excite his surprise and curiosity, it would afford him
much pleasure to listen to anything in the way of explanation that
Leslie might be pleased to tell them; a remark that Simpson cordially
but briefly endorsed by adding--

"Same here, sir."

Now, it has been said that no man can do two things well if he attempts
to do them both at one and the same time; but Leslie proved himself an
exception to the rule. For he not only listened attentively to
Nicholls' story of the loss of the _Wanderer_, but he at the same time
succeeded in accomplishing the much more difficult feat of effecting a
very careful appraisement of the characters of the two men whom he had
rescued from