the rocks, and fell forward on them before I
could get as far as the sand. The last I
remember was trying to say my prayers—losing
the words—losing my sight—losing the sense
of where I was—losing everything.

The day was breaking again, when I was roused
up by feeling rough hands on me. Naked
savages—some on the rocks, some in the water,
some in two long canoes—were clamouring and
crowding about on all sides. They bound me,
and took me off at once to one of the canoes.
The other kept company—and both were paddled
back to that high land which I had seen in the
south. Death had passed me by once more—
and Captivity had come in its place.

The story of my life among the savages, having
no concern with the matter now in hand, may be
passed by here in few words. They had seen the
fire on the island; and paddling over to
reconnoitre, had found me. Not one of them had ever
set eyes on a white man before. I was taken away
to be shown about among them for a curiosity.
When they were tired of showing me, they
spared my life, finding my knowledge and
general handiness as a civilised man useful to
them in various ways. I lost all count of time
in my captivity—and can only guess now that it
lasted more than one year and less than two. I
made two attempts to escape, each time in a
canoe, and was balked in both. Nobody at
home in England would ever, as I believe, have
seen me again, if an outward-bound vessel had
not touched at the little desert island for fresh
water. Finding none there, she came on to the
territory of the savages (which was an island too).
When they took me on board, I looked little
better than a savage myself, and could hardly
talk my own language. By the help of the kindness
shown to me, I was right again by the time
we spoke the first ship homeward-bound. To
that vessel I was transferred; and, in her, I
worked my passage back to Falmouth.

CHAPTER V. THE RESTITUTION.

CAPTAIN JORGAN, up and out betimes, had
put the whole village of Lanrean under an
amicable cross-examination, and was returning
to the King Arthur's Arms to breakfast, none
the wiser for his trouble, when he beheld the
young fisherman advancing to meet him,
accompanied by a stranger. A glance at this
stranger, assured the captain that he could be
no other than the Seafaring Man; and the captain
was about to hail him as a fellow-craftsman,
when the two stood still and silent before the
captain, and the captain stood still silent, and
wondering before them.

"Why, what's this!" cried the captain, when
at last he broke the silence. "You two are
alike. You two are much alike! What's this!"

Not a word was answered on the other side,
until after the seafaring brother had got hold of
the captain's right hand, and the fisherman
brother had got hold of the captain's left hand; and
if ever the captain had had his fill of handshaking,
from his birth to that hour, he had it then.
And presently up and spoke the two
brothers, one at a time, two at a time, two
dozen at a time for the bewilderment into which
they plunged the captain, until he gradually had
Hugh Raybrock's deliverance made clear to him,
and also unravelled the fact that the person
referred to in the half-obliterated paper, was
Tregarthen himself.

"Formerly, dear Captain Jorgan," said Alfred,
"of Lanrean, you recollect? Kitty and her father
came to live at Steepways, after Hugh shipped
on his last voyage."

"Ay, ay!" cried the captain, fetching a
breath. "Now you have me in tow. Then
your brother here, don't know his sister-in-law
that is to be, so much as by name?"

"Never saw her; never heard of her!"

"Ay, ay, ay!" cried the captain. " Why,
then we every one go back together—paper,
writer, and all—and take Tregarthen into the
secret we kept from him?"

"Surely," said Alfred, "we can't help it
now. We must go through with our duty."

"Not a doubt," returned the captain. "Give
me an arm apiece, and let us set this ship-shape."

So, walking up and down in the shrill wind
on the wild moor, while the neglected breakfast
cooled within, the captain and the brothers
settled their course of action.

It was, that they should all proceed by the
quickest means they could secure, to Barnstaple,
and there look over the father's books and
papers in the lawyer's keeping: as Hugh had
proposed to himself to do, if ever he reached
home. That, enlightened or unenlightened, they
should then return to Steepways and go straight
to Mr.Tregarthen, and tell him all they knew,
and see what came of it, and act accordingly.
Lastly, that when they got there, they should
enter the village with all precautions against
Hugh's being recognised by any chance; and
that to the captain should be consigned the task
of preparing his wife and mother for his
restoration to this life.

"For, you see," quoth Captain Jorgan, touching
the last head, "it requires caution any way;
great joys being as dangerous as great griefs—
if not more dangerous, as being more uncommon
(and therefore less provided against) in this
round world of ours. And besides, I should like
to free my name with the ladies, and take you
home again at your brightest and luckiest; so
don't let's throw away a chance of success."

The captain was highly lauded by the
brothers for his kind interest and foresight.

"And now, stop!" said the captain, coming
to a stand-still, and looking from one brother to
the other, with quite a new rigging of wrinkles
about each eye; "you are of opinion," to the
elder, "that you are ra'ather slow?"

"I assure you I am very slow," said the
honest Hugh.

"Wa'al," replied the captain, " I assure you
that to the best of my belief I am ra'ather
smart. Now, a slow man ain't good at quick
business; is he?"

That was clear to both.