"Who cares a curse about him!" cried Boreas, waxing wrath. "He may go to the devil for me! If he's dead, it's time the fishes had his ugly carcase. Wright (this was his second mate), tell the carpenter to get Monro's hammock, and sew him up, and throw him overboard." A slight motion heaved the shirt about the breast of the unfortunate lad. "You see he is coming to himself," said Lyndsay. "My lad, how do you feel now?" The boy did not speak. The muscles of his mouth twitched convulsively, and large tears rolled down his cheeks. "Captain," said Lyndsay, "do you see no wrong in treating a fellow-creature, and one, by your own account, born and brought up as well as yourself, like a slave?" "He's such a disobedient rascal, that he deserves nothing better." "Did you ever try _kindness_?" The lad opened his large, sunken, heavy eyes, and looked at his protector with such a sad woe-begone expression, that it had the effect of touching the heart of Mr. Collins. "I'm afraid," said he, in an aside to Lyndsay, "that we have not acted quite right in this matter. But he provokes one to anger by his sullenness. When I was a prentice on board the _Ariadne_, I was not treated a bit better; but I never behaved in that way." "And did not the recollection of your own sufferings, Mr. Collins, plead somewhat in behalf of this orphan boy? His temper, naturally proud, has been soured by adverse circumstances, and driven to despair by blows and abusive language. I think I may pledge myself, that if he is used better, he will do his duty without giving you any further trouble." "Get up, Benjie," said the Captain, "and go to your work. I will look over your conduct on Mr. Lyndsay's account. But never let me see you act in this mutinous manner again." The boy rose from the deck, stammered out his thanks, and begging Mr. Collins to forgive his foolish conduct, limped off. The next day the lad was reported to the Captain as seriously ill, and Mr. Collins, as he detailed his symptoms, said, "That he was sorry that he had used such violence towards him the preceding day, as the poor fellow had expressed himself very grateful for the non-execution of the Captain's threat of throwing him overboard." "Oh," said Boreas, "that was only to frighten the chap. I am not such a Turk as all that, though Mrs. Lyndsay has looked very seriously at me ever since. Well, Collins, what had we better give the fellow?" And he started from the sea-chest on which he was sitting astride, and produced the medicine-chest. Flora had forgotten all about the little red-haired doctor, Mac Adie, and the _rist o' persons_, till the sight of the condemned article met her eyes. It was a large handsome mahogany case, inlaid with brass. The Captain opened it with a sort of mysterious awe, and displayed a goodly store of glass bottles and china boxes. "The lad's in a high fever," said Collins. "You had better give him something that will cool his blood,--Epsom salts or cream of tartar."