the right.
At this moment the moon shone out brightly! and I saw that it was
Morton, swimming toward us. He reached the boat panting and out of
breath, and catching hold near me with an almost convulsive effort,
remained some minutes without being able to speak a word. Arthur, who
had observed Max's struggles to get into the yawl, now swam round to
where Morton and I were hanging on, and taking hold also, his additional
weight depressed the gunwale nearly to the water's edge, when he got his
knee over it, and at last, by a sudden effort rolled into the boat. He
then helped me to get in, and we two the rest.

Morton said that after swimming but a short distance from the boat, as
he supposed, he found himself getting tired and very weak, and on
turning, greatly to his surprise, could see nothing of us. In reality,
however, there was nothing surprising in this, his face being on a level
with the surface, and the boat with neither sail nor mast up, being much
less in height than the long smooth swells. Perceiving how great was
his danger, and becoming somewhat alarmed, he had called out in the
manner described: when he heard us shouting in return, he was actually
swimming _away_ from us, and it was only by following the direction of
our voices that he had at last reached the boat.

That night we kept no regular watch as we had hitherto done, or at least
we made no arrangement for that purpose, though one or another of us was
awake most of the time, watching Johnny, who continued, however, in the
same deep lethargic slumber.

For my part, it was a long time before I could sleep at all. There was
something in the fate that threatened us, more appalling than the
terrors of death. The impressions produced by the ravings, and cries,
and struggles, of our poor little fellow-sufferer were yet fresh, and
they could not be effaced. All in vain I strove to control the workings
of my morbidly excited imagination--I could not shut out the fearful
thoughts and anticipations which the occurrences of the day so naturally
and obviously suggested. The lapse of twenty-four hours might find us
all reduced to the same helpless state, deprived of consciousness and
reason. One after another must succumb to the fever and become
delirious, until he who should last fall its victim, should find himself
alone in the midst of his stricken and raving companions--alone
retaining reason, no longer to be accounted a blessing, since it could
o