"By next to a miracle, indeed, my dear sir," said he, smiling; then, with an altered countenance, he continued--"The worst among us, sir, is not yet a fiend--no human heart is altogether evil--and I owe my life to the very man who tried to take _yours_--to the fellow who stabbed you, sir. But I am forgetting myself altogether--you must take your draught again, sir, and to-morrow forenoon you shall know all. In the mean time I must entreat you to take some rest, if you can, and I will go and turn in." "I say, De Walden, what is that dropping there?" "You are always making slops, Joe," said the other, as he rose to go away; "why, what _have_ you spilt next?" "Spilt?" rejoined Peak, "hand me the light, for, by the powers, I believe that Mr Brail himself is _spilling_,--if not quite entirely _spilt_--see here." True enough; the wound in my breast, which, although not deep, the knife having been stopped by the bone, was lacerated, had burst out afresh, either from my motion or _emotion_, and a black stream now trickled over the sheet that covered the red-leather mattrass of the quatre on which I rested, and fell tap-tap on the floor. "Run, run, De Walden--call the doctor's assistant--he sleeps in the next room," cried little Peak. In a moment the Spaniard was with us, without his clothes, but _with_ his bandages and lint, and as the operation was a very simple one, I was soon put to rights again; but I took the hint, and asked for no more information that night. De Walden now rose and wished me good-night, saying, as little Peak took charge of the deck, "You are to call Mrs Gerard at daylight, Joey--so clap a stopper on your jaw, you little villain, and don't speak one word, _even if he desires you_." "Pah, you be hanged, De Walden," quoth Joey. So, satisfied and thankful for what I now did know, and in the hope of learning _all_ to-morrow, I took the draught, turned on my sound side, and slept in Elysium. * * * * * Next morning, when I awoke, the sun had already risen, and shone cheerily through the open casement. Several black female domestics were busy setting the room in which I lay in order, and a middle-aged respectable-looking white woman employed in sewing, now occupied the chair in which the ghost of De Walden sat the previous night, while busied in the etherial occupation of eating pine-apple and drinking vin-de-grave. Seeing I was awake, she spoke--"I hope you feel yourself better this morning; you have had a very quiet night, sir, Mr Peak says." "Thank you, I do feel wonderfully refreshed. Pray, are you one of the family?" "No, sir, I am the wife of the captain of the American brig, whose crew you, and your friend Mr Lanyard, saved from perishing of thirst." "What! are you the poor woman whom I found in the cabin with her child?"