and westward (as if instinct with life and thrilling with horror at her
terrible achievement) before the freshening gale at the rate of fully
twelve knots per hour, with studding-sails set on both sides, alow and
aloft; while her crew, assembled on the forecastle, discussed in low
tones the incidents of the fight, and her skipper, with hands clasped
behind him, bent head, and furrowed brow, held solemn self-communion
upon the same subject.

George Leicester now found himself at liberty to attend to his guest,
and he spent almost the whole of his leisure time by the side of
Walford's cot. For the first week after the arrival of the latter on
board the _Aurora_ very little change or improvement could be detected
in him; his mental faculties seemed to be almost paralysed; and he would
lie in his cot for hours at a time, with wide-opened eyes, staring into
vacancy, the blank, expressionless look upon his face betraying the
utter inactivity of his mind. Then there would occur a short period,
during which it seemed that memory was struggling to re-assert itself;
he would glance vacantly round the cosy sleeping-cabin in which he found
himself, a look of mild surprise would overspread his features, and he
would pass his hand over his brow with the action of one who is trying
to remember something; then would recur another vacant period.

During all this time he never expressed a wish or uttered a single
coherent word; only occasionally, when the memory was struggling to
regain its seat, he would mutter a few incoherent words, that of
"murder" being sometimes repeated, in low tones of suppressed horror,
half-a-dozen times together. His appetite appeared to be good, since he
ate and drank freely whatever was offered him; but if the food was
withheld, as it sometimes was, by way of experiment, at Captain
Leicester's order, he never asked for it, or evinced any surprise or
uneasiness at its non-appearance.

About the tenth day, however, after the one on which he had been picked
up, George thought he detected signs of improvement. The periods of
thinking were more frequent and more prolonged, and once during that
day, when the skipper entered the cabin, Walford noticed the opening of
the door, and, turning his eyes in that direction, regarded George for
some moments with a steadfast inquiring look; but the recognition, if
such there was, was momentary only, the hand was pressed meditatively to
the forehead the next instant, an