owse's arguments prevailed, and Linton and Raby set to work to get the
people into the dinghy. He found the best way was to give them a little
water at a time, and then to promise them more directly they should
reach the cutter. In this way several more were got off, the seamen
seizing them neck and heels the moment they got near the dinghy, and
tumbling them in. At last Linton, leaving Bowse in charge of what he
called the fortress, proceeded with Raby and Mitchell, carrying the
remainder of the water to aid those who either could not or would not
move. The first man they came to lay moaning and pointing to his mouth.
No sooner did his parched lips feel the cooling liquid than he sat
upright, seizing the cup in both his hands, and drained off the
contents. Scarcely had he finished the draught than, uttering a deep
sigh, he fell back, and, stretching out his arms, expired. On the next
the water had a more happy effect: the eye, which at first was glazed
and fixed, slowly acquired a look of consciousness, the muscles of the
face relaxed, and a smile, expressive of gratitude, seemed to flit
across the countenance of the sufferer. The next, who was sitting by
himself, almost naked, with his feet close to the sea, received the cup
with a vacant stare, and dashed the precious liquid on the ground, while
the cup itself would have rolled into the sea, had not Raby fortunately
saved it. They, however, again tried him with more, and no sooner did
the water actually touch his lips than he seemed as eager to obtain it
as he was before indifferent to it. When the dinghy returned, these two
were lifted into her, and conveyed on board the cutter. The cutter had,
by this time, a full cargo on board, which she transferred to the
_Ione_, and then returned, anchoring closer in with the rock than
before. While Linton and his companions were attending, as I have
described, to the most helpless of the French seamen, they were followed
closely by the remainder, who watched their proceedings with idiot
wonder.

The threatening gestures of the gang, who were behind, made him glad to
find a way by which he could retreat to the summit of the rock, where he
found assembled, besides the persons I have already mentioned, the
second mate and three British seamen of the _Zodiac_, as also the
captain of a French brig-of-war, which it appeared had been wrecked
there, four of his officers and five of his men, who were the only ones
who had re