I took the garments up and looked at them. They were just about my
size, a trifle large, perhaps, but nothing worth speaking about; they
had evidently been worn before, but were in excellent condition,
beautifully clean, and altogether so inviting that I lost no time in
exchanging them for my rags. This exchange, in addition to a pretty
thorough ablution, made quite a new man of me; I felt actually
comfortable once more, for the first time since leaving the _Daphne_ on
the occasion of that unfortunate night attack.

Smellie was still in his room, for I could hear him moving about, so I
went in, curious to know whether he had fared equally well with myself.
I found him struggling, with Pedro's assistance, slowly and rather
painfully into a somewhat similar suit to that which I had donned; but
the poor fellow, though still very thin and haggard, looked brighter,
better, and altogether more comfortable than I had seen him for a long
time, our new friend Don Manuel having personally dressed his wounds for
him before turning him over to the hands of Pedro.

The second lieutenant looked at me in astonishment. "Why, Hawkesley, is
that you?" he exclaimed. "Upon my word, young gentleman, you look
vastly comfortable and vastly well, too, in your borrowed plumes. Why,
you are worth a dozen dead men yet."

"I think I may say the same of you, my dear sir," I replied. "I am
heartily glad to see so great a change in your appearance."

"Thank you very much," he returned. "Yes, I feel actually comfortable
once more. Don Manuel has dressed and bound up my wounds, applying
soothing salves to them, and altogether tinkering me up until I am
pretty nearly as good as new. But, Hawkesley, my dear boy, are we in
our sober senses, or is this only a delightful dream? I can scarcely
realise that I am awake; that we are actually among our fellow-men once
more; and that I am surrounded by the walls and sheltered by the roof of
a material house, in which, as it seems to me, we are likely to enjoy a
good many of the comforts of civilisation. But come," as he settled
himself into a loose white flannel jacket, "let us join our host, who, I
have reason to believe, is awaiting our presence at his dinner-table.
Heave ahead, Pedro, my lad; we're quite ready to weigh."

Pedro might have understood Smellie's every word, so promptly did he
fling open the door and bow us to follow him. Leading us along a cool
and rather dark corridor, he conduct