tunately one of the apathetic
fits which occasionally seized Walford had come upon him, and George was
quite unable to gain anything like an intelligible answer from him; but
he was scarcely able to stand, and his continued moaning and the
constant pressure of his hands upon his breast showed that he was
evidently suffering great pain.

Seating the unfortunate man at the foot of a tree, where he would be
beyond the reach of the water, and making him as comfortable as was
possible, George then went in search of the lad Tom, whom he found
standing bewildered over the wreck of the waggon, with a thin stream of
blood slowly trickling down his face from a scalp-wound, probably
inflicted by a blow from one of the branches of the tree as it fell.

"Ha! Tom, is that you?" exclaimed George joyously. "I was just coming
to look for you. How have you fared in the general smash?"

"Is that you, cap'n?" answered Tom. "Well, I'm very glad to find you've
turned up all right. It _has_ been a smash, and no mistake; a total
wreck, and no insurance, I'll be bound. Well, it's unfort'nate; but it
can't be helped; it might ha' been much worse. I got a whack on the
skull that knocked the senses out of me for a while, but I don't feel
very much the worse for it a'ter all. Where's poor Mr Walford, sir?
What's become of him?"

"He is close by," answered George; "but a big branch fell across his
chest, and I am afraid he is very much hurt."

"Let's have a look at him," said Tom. And the two men groped and
stumbled their way without more ado to the place where Walford was still
seated, with his back resting against the giant bole of the tree.

A few trials were sufficient to establish the fact that the poor fellow
was practically helpless, for the time at least; and it then became a
question of what it would be best to do under the circumstances. The
first idea was that George and Tom should each take an arm of the
injured man over their shoulders, and so assist him along; but he moved
with such great difficulty that it was soon apparent some other plan
would have to be adopted.

"I have it!" exclaimed George, as a bright idea struck him; and hurrying
away to the waggon, he secured the canvas and rope which had been thrown
into it, together with the cane-knives, canvas jackets, and other
trifling belongings, and hurried back to the tree.

"Now, Tom," he said, "look about you, my lad, and see if you can find a
nice light handy bra