mes to his tobacco and beer, and apparently suffered
a good deal from dreams about those luxuries. In his ravings he often
told Cuffy to fill a pipe for him, and advised him to look sharp about
it, and he frequently reproached some of his old comrades for not
passing the beer. Fortunately the fountain was close at hand, and he
often slaked his burning thirst at it. He also thought frequently of
the skeleton in the thicket, and sometimes raved with an expression of
horror about being left to die alone on a desert island.

By degrees the fever reached its climax, and then left him almost dead.
For a whole day and night he lay so absolutely helpless that it cost him
an effort to open his eyes, and he looked so ill that the poor dog began
to whine piteously over him, but the day after that a sensation of
hunger induced him to make an effort to rouse up. He tried to raise his
head--it felt as if made of lead.

"Hallo! Cuffy, somethin' wrong I suspect!"

It was the first time for many days that Jarwin had spoken in his
natural tones. The effect on the dog was instantaneous and powerful.
It sprang up, and wagged its expressive tail with something of the
energy of former times; licked the sick man's face and hands; whined and
barked intelligently; ran away in little bursts, as if it had resolved
to undertake a journey off-hand, but came back in a few seconds, and in
many other ways indicated its intense delight at finding that Jarwin was
"himself again."

But alas! Jarwin was not quite himself yet, and Cuffy, after his first
ebullition, sat looking in surprise at the invalid, as he strove to turn
on his side, and reach out his heavy hand and skinny arm towards a few
scraps of the last meal he had cooked before being struck down. Cuffy,
after eating the portion of that meal that suited his taste, had left
the remnants there as being unworthy of notice, and catered for himself
among the dead fish cast up on the beach. Although lying within a yard
of his couch, Jarwin had the greatest difficulty in reaching the food;
and when he did at length succeed in grasping it, he fell back on his
couch, and lay for a long time as if dead. Soon, however, he recovered,
and, with a feeling of gratitude such as he had never before
experienced, began to gnaw the hard morsels.

"I'm in a bad way, Cuff," he said, after satisfying the first cravings
of hunger.

Cuffy gave a responsive wag with his tail, and cocked his ears for more.