d his arm under
the pillow, lowered his brow so that he could butt like a ram, and
slowly and steadily raised the invalid's shoulders, keeping him upright
till the draught had been taken and the glass set down.

"Bah! Horrible! Bitter as gall."

"Lower away!" said Joe; and he drew softly back till the pillow was in
its old place, and the Major uttered a sigh of relief.

"I say, dad, you're getting better," said Joe, as he took away chair and
glass after brushing his disordered hair from his forehead.

"How dah you, sir!" cried the Major, "when I'm in such a state of
prostration!"

Joe laid his hand on the patient's forehead again, and nodded.

"Head's getting wet and cool, dad. You'll be right as a trivet again
soon."

"Worse than your poor mother--worse than your poor mother. You haven't
a bit of feeling, boy. It's abominable."

Joe took a sprayer, thrust it into the neck of the scent bottle, and
blew an odorous vapour about the sufferer's head.

"Will you put that tomfool thing away, sir! You're never happy unless
you're playing with it."

"I say," cried Joe, still without seeming to pay the slightest heed to
his father's words--"what do you think, dad?"

"Think, sir? How can I think of anything but this wretched jungle
fever. Oh, my bones, my bones!"

"Colonel Pendarve's going to open the old Ydoll mine."

"Eh? What?" cried the Major, turning his head sharply. "Say that
again."

"Captain Hardock got talking to me and Gwyn about it, and Gwyn told his
father."

"Told him what?"

"Sam Hardock said he was sure that there was plenty of tin in it, and
that it was a pity for it to be there, and when the Colonel might make a
fortune out of it."

"And--and what did Pendarve say?" cried the Major, excitedly.

"Said it was all nonsense, I believe. Then Sam Hardock took me--me and
Gwyn--to have a look, and Ydoll went down."

"Look here, sir, I will not have you call Gwyn Pendarve by that idiotic
nickname."

"No, father. When he was half down the rope came undone, and he went
down plash."

"Killed?" cried the Major, excitedly.

"Oh, no, father, there was plenty of water, and he got out through a
passage on to the cliffs, and Sam and I had to pull him up again."

"What mad recklessness!"

"He wasn't hurt, father, only got very wet; and since then the Colonel
has been to have a look at the place and had a talk or two with Sam
Hardock, and Ydoll--"

"What!" cried the Major, fiercely.