hich are both so serviceable beverages when the
temperature is low.

The castaways, for they deserve the name, found themselves more
comfortable than they had been for a long time; hence they only
thought of the present, of the agreeable warmth, of the brief rest,
forgetting, or even indifferent to the future, which threatened with
speedy death.

The American suffered less, and gradually returned to life; he opened
his eyes, but he did not say anything; his lips bore traces of the
scurvy, and could not utter a sound; he could hear, and was told where
he was and how he got there. He moved his head as a sign of gratitude;
he saw that he had been saved from burial beneath the snow; the doctor
forbore telling him how very short a time his death had been delayed,
for, in a fortnight or three weeks at the most, their supply of food
would be exhausted.

Towards midday Hatteras arose and went up to the doctor, Johnson, and
Bell.

"My friends," he said to them, "we are going to take a final
resolution as to the course we must follow. In the first place, I must
ask Johnson to tell me under what circumstances this act of treachery
came to pass."

"Why should we know?" said the doctor; "the fact is certain, we need
give it no more thought."

"I am thinking of it, all the same," answered Hatteras. "But after
I've heard what Johnson has to say, I shall not think of it again."

[Illustration: Johnson's Story.]

"This is the way it happened," went on the boatswain; "I did all I
could to prevent the crime--"

"I am sure of that, Johnson, and I will add that the leaders had been
plotting it for some time."

"So I thought," said the doctor.

"And I too," continued Johnson; "for very soon after your departure,
Captain, on the very next day, Shandon, who was angry with you and was
egged on by the others, took command of the ship; I tried to resist,
but in vain. After that, every one acted as he saw fit; Shandon did
not try to control them; he wanted to let the crew see that the time
of suffering and privation had gone by. Hence there was no economy; a
huge fire was lighted in the stove; they began to burn the brig. The
men had the provisions given them freely, and the spirits too, and you
can easily imagine the abuse they made of them after their long
abstinence. Things went on in this way from the 7th to the 15th of
January."

"So," said Hatteras, in a grave voice, "it was Shandon who incited the
men to revolt?"

"Yes,