My uncle pondered a time between these unknown medicines and decided to give one black the nux and the other the bryonia, hoping thus to save at least one of the disabled castaways. So a course of treatment began. Both were liberally fed brandy and water and one was given six pills of nux vomica and the other six pills of bryonia, the doses being administered every hour. Mr. Perkins became intensely interested in the results, and that no mistake might be made he labeled one black boy “Nux” and the other “Bryonia.” “Nux” regained consciousness first, and while the amateur physician was regretting that he had not fed them both the same dope “Bryonia” opened his eyes to the world again. I have always suspected the brandy and water really did the job, but Uncle Naboth was so proud of his medical skill that he will never admit that possibility. “It’s a doctor’s duty to guess,” he has said more than once referring to this occasion, “an’ I managed to guess right because I only had two medicines an’ both of ’em was recommended to kill or cure. The dog-gone little sugar pills must ’a’ had extract o’ magic in ’em; that’s what I think.” Anyhow, Nux and Bryonia got well and regained their strength, and more grateful fellows never lived. Neither could understand a word of English, while their own language was a puzzle to all the crew; but they were quick to observe and ready to undertake any work that lay at hand. Not knowing where to drop the castaways, nor wishing to delay the voyage because of two black men, my uncle decided to carry them along with him, and their intelligence and devotion so won him that before the voyage ended he prized Nux and Bryonia more than all the rest of the crew put together. They gradually picked up a word of English here and there until they were able to make themselves understood, and in time they learned to speak it fluently. But they had never a word to say of their experiences or past life and we really knew little about their antecedents. The following year we had another ship in which I sailed my first voyage with Uncle Naboth, and Nux and Bryonia watched over me so faithfully—saving my life on one important occasion—that I learned to regard them both very highly and a friendship was formed between us that time has only strengthened. So of course when we built our fine new ship the _Seagull_, Nux and Bry became fixtures in it as much as we were ourselves, and I must admit that no owners ever had more faithful or capable servants.