breakers somewhere near, and the hiss and splash of the cutting
spray, seemed to cease, and I was crawling about the shore, over sand
and rocks, and through pools of water, to find Mr Brooke, while Ching
followed me, crying out in piping tones, "Velly long of you. Windee
blow allee way." But still I toiled on, lying flat sometimes, and
holding tightly to the rocks beneath me, for fear of being snatched up
and sent whirling over the sea. Then on again, to come to a mass of
rock, up which I climbed, but only to slip back again, climbed once more
and slipped, and so on and on till all was nothingness, save that the
deafening roar went on, and the billows dashed among the rocks, but in a
subdued far-off way that did not trouble me in the least. For my
sleep--the sleep of utter exhaustion--had grown less troubled, the
dreamy crawl in search of Mr Brooke died away, and I slept soundly
there, till the sun glowing warmly upon my face made me open my eyes, to
find Ching's round smooth yellow face smiling down at me, and Tom Jecks
nursing his leg.

I started up in wonder, but sank back with a groan, feeling stiff and
sore, as if I had been belaboured with capstan bars.

"You feel velly bad?" said Ching.

"Horribly stiff."

"Hollibly 'tiff; Ching lub you well."

Before I knew what he was about to do, he seized one of my arms, and
made me shout with agony, but he moved it here and there, pinching and
rubbing and kneading it till it went easily, following it up with a
similar performance upon the other. Back and chest followed; and in ten
minutes I was a different being.

But no amount of rubbing and kneading did any good to my spirits, nor to
those of our companion in misfortune, whose wound troubled him a good
deal; but he sat up, trying to look cheerful, while, with my head still
confused, and thought coming slowly, I exclaimed--

"But the storm--the typhoon?"

"Allee blow way, allee gone," cried Ching, smiling; "velly good job.
You feel dly?"

I did not answer then, for I felt as if I could not be awake. I had
been lying in the lee of a huge mass of rock, amid stones and piled-up
sand, upon which the sun beat warmly; the sky overhead was of a glorious
blue; and there was nothing to suggest the horrors of the past night,
but the heavy boom and splash of the billows which broke at intervals
somewhere behind the rock.

At last I jumped up, full of remorse at my want of thought.

"Mr Brooke--the others?" I cried