e coast," continued Florent, "but it was
quite deserted; and it was only at the end of four days that they were
able to get a boat. When they returned to the rock, they found their
companion lying on his back, dead, and half-eaten by crabs, which were
still swarming over what remained of his body."[*]

[*] In deference to the easily shocked feelings of the
average English reader I have somewhat modified this
passage. In the original M. Zola fully describes the awful
appearance of the body.--Translator.
A murmur of disgust escaped Lisa and Augustine, and a horrified grimace
passed over the face of Leon, who was preparing the skins for the
black-puddings. Quenu stopped in the midst of his work and looked
at Auguste, who seemed to have turned faint. Only little Pauline
was smiling. In imagination the others could picture those swarming,
ravenous crabs crawling all over the kitchen, and mingling gruesome
odours with the aroma of the bacon-fat and onions.

"Give me the blood," cried Quenu, who had not been following the story.

Auguste came up to him with the two cans, from which he slowly
poured the blood, while Quenu, as it fell, vigorously stirred the
now thickening contents of the pot. When the cans were emptied, Quenu
reached up to one of the drawers above the range, and took out some
pinches of spice. Then he added a plentiful seasoning of pepper.

"They left him there, didn't they," Lisa now asked of Florent, "and
returned themselves in safety?"

"As they were going back," continued Florent, "the wind changed, and
they were driven out into the open sea. A wave carried away one of their
oars, and the water swept so furiously into the boat that their whole
time was taken up in baling it out with their hands. They tossed about
in this way in sight of the coast, carried away by squalls and then
brought back again by the tide, without a mouthful of bread to eat, for
their scanty stock of provisions had been consumed. This went on for
three days."

"Three days!" cried Lisa in stupefaction; "three days without food!"

"Yes, three days without food. When the east wind at last brought them
to shore, one of them was so weak that he lay on the beach the whole
day. In the evening he died. His companion had vainly attempted to get
him to chew some leaves which he gathered from the trees."

At this point Augustine broke into a slight laugh. Then, ashamed at
having done so and not wishing to be considere