Often remonstrated with for his
imprudence in exposing himself to the heavy night-dew he would listen to
no advice. "It was very true," he acknowledged, "that his brother had
died of a jungle fever in pursuing the same amusement, and what was
more, the fowling-piece in his hand belonged to his brother, who had
bequeathed it to him; but as he had never heard of two brothers dying
from a jungle fever taken by shooting jackals, he considered that the
odds were strongly in his favour." This argument, however specious, did
not prove good. The third morning he returned on board, complaining of
a head-ache and shivering. He was bled and put into his bed, which he
never left again.

Before the Windsor Castle was ready to sail, the remains of Mr Williams
were consigned to the burying-ground at Diamond Harbour, and Newton
Forster was promoted to the rank of first-mate of the Windsor Castle.
This, as will hereafter be proved, was a most fortunate occurrence to
Newton Forster. The Windsor Castle sailed with leave to call at Madras
for letters or passengers, and in a few days was again at anchor in the
roadstead. The first intelligence which they received upon their
arrival was, that the cholera morbus had been very fatal, and that among
others, the old colonel had fallen a victim to the disease. Newton
again obtained permission to go on shore to Isabel. He found her in
distress at the house of a Mrs Enderby, a lady who had lost her husband
by the same ravaging epidemic, and who had long been the intimate friend
of the colonel and of Isabel. Mrs Enderby was about to return to
England by the first vessel, and had advised Isabel to take so
favourable an opportunity of a chaperone. Isabel, who had many reasons
for wishing to leave the country, particularly the declining state of
her mother's health, had consented; and it was with great pleasure that
she received from Newton the information of the best cabins of the
Windsor Castle not having been hitherto engaged.

The colonel's will had been opened. He had bequeathed his property, the
whole of which, with the exception of his establishment in India, was
invested in the English funds, to his grand-niece Isabel Revel. It
amounted to nearly seventy thousand pounds. It would be difficult to
say whether Newton Forster felt glad or sorry at this intelligence. For
Isabel's sake, he undoubtedly was glad, but he could not but feel that
it increased the distance between them, an