"Blanche,"Isaidwhenhehaddone,"youhaveheard。Isthistrue？"
　　"Muchofitistrue,"sheansweredinthatstrange,coldvoice,stillstaringatthefire。"OnlythemarriagewasafalseonebywhichIwasdeceived。HewhocelebrateditwasacompanionoftheLordDeleroytrickedoutasapriest。"
　　"Donotletuswrangleofthismatter,"saidDeleroy。"Amanwhomixeswiththeworldlikeyourself,Mastermerchant,willknowthatwomeninatraprarelylackexcuses。Stillifitbeadmittedthatthismarriagedidnotfulfilallformalities,thensomuchthebetterforBlancheandmyself。Ifshebeyourlawfulwifeandnotmine,you,Ilearn,havesignedawritinginherfavourunderwhichshewillinherityourgreatwealth。ThatindentureIthinkyoucanfindnoopportunitytodispute,andifyoudoIhaveapromisethatthepropertyofacertaintraitorshallpasstome,therevealerofhistreachery。Letitconsoleyouinyourlastmoments,Mastermerchant,torememberthattheladywhomyouhavehonouredwithyourfancywillpassherdaysinwealthandcomfortinthecompanyofhimwhomshehashonouredwithherlove。"
　　"Draw！"IsaidbrieflyasIunsheathedmysword。
　　"WhyshouldIfightwithabase,tradingusurer？"heasked,stillmockingme,thoughIthoughtthattherewasdoubtinhisvoice。
　　"Answeryourownquestion,thief。Fightifyouwill,ordiewithoutfightingifyouwillnot。ForknowthatuntilIamdeadyoudonotleavethisroomliving。"
　　"UntilIdeadtoo,OLord,"brokeinKariinhisgentlevoice,bowinginhiscourteousforeignfashion。
　　AshedidsowithasuddenmotionKarishookthecloakbackfromhisbodyandforthefirsttimeIsawthatthrustthroughhisleathernbeltwasalongweapon,halfswordandhalfdagger,alsothatitssharpenedsteelwasbare。
　　"Oh！"exclaimedDeleroy,"nowIunderstandthatIamtrappedandthatwhenyoutoldme,Blanche,thatthismanwouldnotreturnto—nightandthatthereforeweweresafetogether,youlied。Well,myLadyBlanche,youshallpayforthistricklater。"
　　Whilsthespokethus,slowly,asthoughtogaintime,hewaslookingabouthim,andasthelastwordlefthislips,knowingthatthedoorwaslocked,hedashedforthewindow,hoping,Isuppose,toleapthroughthecasement,orifthatfailed,toshoutforhelp。ButKari,whohadsetthecandlesheboreonasidetable,thatwherethewritinglay,readhismind。Withamovementmoreswiftthanthatofapolecatleapingonitsprey,theswiftestindeedthateverIsaw,hesprangbetweenhimandthecasement,sothatDeleroyscarceescapedpinninghimselfuponthesteelthatheheldinhislong,outstretchedarm。Indeed,Ithinkitprickedhisthroat,forhecheckedhimselfwithanoathanddrewhissword,adouble—edgedweaponwithasharppoint,aslongasmineperhaps,butnotsoheavy。
　　"IseethatImustfinishthepairofyou。Perchance,Blanche,youwillprotectmybackasalovingwifeshoulddo,untilthisloutisdonewith,"hesaid,swaggeringtothelast。
　　"Kari,"Icommanded,"holdthecandlesaloftthatthelightmaybegood,andleavethismantome。"
　　Karibowedandtookthecoppertaperstands,oneineitherhand,andheldthemaloft。Butfirstheplacedhislongdagger,notbackinhisbelt,butbetweenhisteethwiththehandletowardshisrighthand。
　　EventheninsomestrangefashionInotedhowterriblelookedthisgrimdarkmanholdingthecandleshighwiththeknifegrippedbetweenhiswhiteteeth。
　　DeleroyandIfacedeachotherintheopenspacebetweenthefireandthedoor。Blancheturnedrounduponherstoolandwatched,utteringnosound。ButIlaughedaloudforoftheendIhadnodoubt。HadtherebeentenDeleroysIwouldhaveslainthemall。StillpresentlyIfoundtherewascausetodoubt,forwhen,parryinghisfirstthrust,Idroveathimwithallmystrength,insteadofpiercinghimthroughandthroughtheancientsword,Wave—Flame,bentinmyhandlikeabowasitisstrung,tellingmethatbeneathhisJoseph'scoatofsilkDeleroyworeashirtofmail。
　　ThenIcried:"/A—hoi！/"asThorgrimmermyancestormayhavedonewhenhewieldedthissamesword,andwhileDeleroystillstaggeredbeneathmythrustIgraspedWave—Flamewithbothhands,wheeleditaloft,andsmote。Heliftedhisarmroundwhichhehadwoundhiscloak,toprotecthishead,buttheswordshorethroughcloakandarm,sothathishandwiththeglitteringringsuponitfelltothefloor。
　　AgainIsmotefor,asbothofusknew,thisbusinesswastothedeath,andDeleroyfelldowndead,smittenthroughthebrain。
　　Karismiledgently,andliftingthecloak,shookitoutandthrewitoverwhathadbeenDeleroy。ThenhetookmyswordandwhileIwatchedhimidly,cleanseditwithrushesfromthefloor。
　　NextIheardasoundfromtheneighbourhoodofthefire,andbethinkingmeofBlancheturnedtospeaktoher,thoughwhatIwasgoingtosayGodknowsforIdonot。
　　Aterriblesightmetmyeyesandburneditselfintomyverysoulsothatitcouldneverbeforgot。Blanchewasleaningbackintheoakchairoverwhichflowedherlong,fairlocks,andthefrontofherrobewasred。IrememberedhowshehadspiltthewineatthefeastandthoughtIsawitsstain,tillpresently,stillstaring,Inotedthatitgrewandknewittobecausedbyanotherwine,thatofherblood。
　　AlsoInotedthatfromthemidstofitseeninthelamplight,justbeneaththesnake—encircledrubyheart,appearedthelittlehandleofadagger。
　　Isprangtoher,butsheliftedherhandandwavedmeback。
　　"Touchmenot,"shewhispered,"Iamnotfit,alsothethrustismortal。IfyoudrawtheknifeIshalldieatonce,andfirstIwouldspeak。IwouldhaveyouknowthatIloveyouandhopedtobeagoodwifetoyou。WhatIsaidwastrue。ThatdeadmantrickedmewithafalsemarriagewhenIwasscarcelymorethanachild,andafterwardshewouldnotmenditwithanhonest。Perchancehehimselfwaswed,orhehadotherreasons,Idonotknow。Myfatherguessedmuchbutnotall。Itriedtowarnyouwhenyouofferedyourself,butyouweredeafandblindandwouldnotseeorlisten。ThenIgaveway,likingyouwellandthinkingthatIshouldfindrest,asindeedIdo;thinkingalsothatIshouldbewealthyandabletoshutthatvillain'smouthwithgold。IneverknewhewascominghereoreventhathehadsailedhomefromFrance,buthebrokeinuponme,havinglearnedthatyouwereaway,andwasabouttoleavewhenyoureturned。HecameformoneyforwhichhebelievedthatIhadwed,andthinkingtowinmebackfromonedoomedbyhisliestoatraitor'sdeath。Youknowtherest,andformetherewasbutonethingtodo。Begladthatyouarenolongerburdenedwithmeandgofindhappinessinthearmsofamorefortunateorabetterwoman。Fly,andswiftly,forDeleroyhadmanyfriendsandtheKinghimselflovedhimasabrother——aswellhemay。Fly,Isay,andforgive——forgive！Hubert,farewell！"
　　Thusshespoke,evermoreslowlyandlower,tillwiththelastwordherlifeleftherlips。
　　ThusendedthestoryofmymarriagewithBlancheAleys。
　　BOOKII
　　CHAPTERI
　　THENEWWORLD
　　Theywereforeversilentnow,who,butabreathbefore,hadbeensofulloflifeandthestirofmortalpassion;Deleroydeadbeneaththecloakuponthefloor,Blanchedeadintheoakenchair。Wewhoremainedaliveweresilentalso。IglancedatKari'sface;itwasasthatofastonestatueonatomb,onlyinithislargeeyesshone,notingallthingsand,asIimaginedinmydistraughtfancy,filledwithtriumphandforeknowledge。Consideringitinthatstrangecalmofthespiritwhichsometimessupervenesongreatandterribleeventsthatforawhilecrushitsmortalityfromthesoulandsetitfreetomarvelatthetemporalpettinessofallweconsiderimmediateandmighty,I
　　wonderedwhatwastheaspectofmyown。
　　Atthemoment,I,whoonthisdayhadpassedtheportalsofsomanyemotions:thatofthelover'slongingforhisbridewonatlast,onlytobelostagain,thatofacuteandnecessarybusiness,thatoftheancientjoyofbattleandvengeancewreakeduponanevilman;thatoftheunshutteringofmyowneyestotheflameofahellishtruth,thatoftheself—murderandturningtocoldclaybeforethosesameeyesofherwhomIhadhopedtoclaspinhonestlove——I,Isay,feltasthoughI,too,weredead。Indeedallwithinwasdead,onlytheshelloffleshremainedalive,andinmyheartIechoedthewordsofmyolduncleandofawiserthanhewhowentbeforehim——"Vanityofvanities！Allisvanity！"
　　ItwasKariwhospokefirst,Kariasevercalmandeven—voiced,sayinginhisbrokenEnglishofwhichbutthesubstanceisrecorded:
　　"Thingshavehappened,goodthingsIhold,thoughyou,Master,maythinkotherwiseforalittlewhile。Yetinthisroughlandofsavagesandsmalljusticethesethingsmaybringtrouble。Thatlordbroughtawriting,"andhenoddedtowardsthedocumentonthetable,"andtalkedofdeathfor/you/,Master——notforhimself。Andthelady,whileshestilllived,shesay——'Fly,flyordie！'Andnow？"andheglancedatthetwobodies。
　　Ilookedathimvacantlyforthenumbnessfollowingthefirstshockwaspassingawayandalltheeatingagonyofmylossbegantofixitsfangsuponmyheart。
　　"WhithercanIfly？"Iasked。"AndwhyshouldIfly？Iamaninnocentmanandfortherest,thesoonerIamdeadthebetter。"
　　"MyMastermustfly,"answeredKariinswift,brokenwords,"becausehestillliveandisfree。Alsosorrowbehind,joybefore。Kari,whohatewomenandreadheart,Kariwhodrinkthissamebitterwaterlongago,guessthesethingscomingandthinkandthink。NoneedthatMastertrouble,KarisettleallandtellMasterthatifhedowhathesay,everythingcomeright。"
　　"WhatamItodo？"Iaskedwithagroan。
　　"Ship/Blanche/ongreatriverreadyforsea。MasterandKarisailinherbeforedaybreak。Hereleaveeverything:muchland,muchwealth——
　　whatmatter？Lifemorethanthesethingswhichcangetagain。Come。
　　No,oneminute,wait。"
　　ThenhewenttothebodyofDeleroyandwithwonderfulswiftnesstookoffitthechaincoatheworebeneathhistunic,whichheputonhisownbody。Alsohetookhisswordandbuckleditabouthim,whiletheparchmentwrithethrewuponthefire。Thenheextinguishedthehanginglampandgavemeoneofthecandles,takingtheotherhimself。
　　AtthedoorIheldupmycandleandbythelightofitlookedmylastupontheashenfaceofBlanche,whichfaceIknewmustgowithmethroughallmylife'sdays。
　　Karilockedthestoutoakendoorofthesolarfromtheoutsideandtookmeintomychamber,wherewasthearmouroftheknightwhomIhadkilledonHastingsHill,whicharmourIhadcausedtobealteredtofitmyself。Swiftlyhebuckleditontome,throwingoverallalong,darkrobesuchasmerchantswear。Fromthecupboard,too,hebroughtthebigblackbowandasheathofarrows,alsoapursefulofgoldpiecesfromwheretheywerekept,andwiththemtheleathernbagwhichhehadwornwhenIfoundhimonthequay。
　　Wewentintotheroomwherethefeasthadbeenheldandtheredranksomewine,thougheatIcouldnot。ThecupfromwhichIdrankwas,asitchanced,thesameinwhichIhadpledgedBlancheatthebridefeast。NowIpledgedherspiritwhereonIprayedGod'smercy。
　　Weleftthehouseandinthestablesaddledtwohorses,strong,quietbeasts。Thenbywayofthebackyardwerodeoutintothenight,noneseeingus,forbynowallwereasleep,andinthatweatherthestreetswereempty,evenofsuchaswalkedthemindarkness。
　　WereachedthequayIknownothowlongafterwardswhosemindwasfullofthoughtsthatblottedoutallelse。Howstrangehadbeenmylife——
　　thatwasoneofthem。WithinafewyearsIhadrisentogreatwealth,andwonthewomanIdesired。Andnowwherewasthewealthandwherewasthewoman,andwhatwasI？Oneflyinghisnativelandbynightwithblooduponhishands,thebloodofaKing'sfavouritethat,ifheweretaken,wouldbringhimtothenoose。Oh！howgreatwasthecontrastbetweenthemornandthemidnightofthatdayforme！"Vanityofvanities。Allisvanity！"
　　Ithinkthatmymindmusthavewandered,forwhenmysoulwasswallowedinthisdeepestpitofhell,itseemedtomethathewhomI
　　hadworshippedasaheavenlypatron,St。Hubert,appearedstridingbymyhorsewithashiningcountenanceandsaidtome:
　　"Havegoodcourage,Godson,andrememberyourmother'swords——awanderershallyoube,butwhere'eryougothegoodbowandthegoodswordshallkeepyousafeandIwanderwithyou。Nordoesalllovediewithonewoman'spassingbreath。"
　　Thisphantasy,asitwere,lancedtheabscessofmypainandforawhileIwaseasier。Alsosomethingofhopecamebacktome。Inolongerdesiredtodiebutrathertoliveandinlife,notinthetomb,tofindforgetfulness。
　　Wereachedthequayandplacedthehorsesinashedthatservedasstablesthere,riddingthemoftheirbitsandsaddlesthattheymighteatofthehayintheracks。Thethoughttodothiscametome,whichshowedthatmymindwasworkingagainsincestillIcouldattendtothewantsofothercreatures。ThenwewenttothequaysidewherewasmadefastthatboatinwhichIhadcomeashoresomehoursgone。Therewasamoonwhichnowandagainshowedbetweenthedriftingclouds,andbythelightofitIsawthatthe/Blanche/laysafeatheranchorsnotabowshotaway。Thegalehadfallenmuchwiththerisingofthemoon,asitoftendoes,andsoitcameaboutthatalthoughtheboatwasover—largefortwomentohandlerightly,KariandI,bywatchingourchance,wereabletorowittotheship,ontowhichweclimbedbytheladder。
　　Herewefoundasailoronwatchwhowasamazedtoseeus,andwithhishelp,madetheboatfastbythetowropetothesternoftheship。
　　ThisdoneIcausedthecaptaintobeawakenedandtoldhimbrieflythatasthegalehadabatedandtideandwindserved,Idesiredtosailatonce。Hestaredatme,thinkingmemad,whomheknewtohavebeenmarriedbutthatday。
　　Surely,hesaid,Ishouldwaitforthelightandtogatherupthoseoftheship'scompanywhowerestillashore。IansweredthatIwouldwaitfornothing,andwhenheaskedwhy,wasinspiredtotellhimthatitwasbecauseIwentabouttheKing'sbusiness,havinglettersfromhisGracetodelivertohisEnvoysintheSouthSeasthatbrookedofnodelay,sinceonthemhungpeaceorwar。
　　"Beware,"Isaidtohim,"howyou,oranyofyou,daretodisobeytheKing'sorders,foryouknowthatthefateofsuchisashortshriftandalongrope。"
　　Thenthatcaptaingrewfrightenedandsummonedthesailors,whobynowhadsleptofftheirdrink,andtothemhetoldmycommands。Theymurmured,pointingtothesky,butwhentheysawmestandingthere,wearingaknight'sarmourandlookingverysternwithmyhanduponmysword,whenalsothroughKariIpromisedthemdoublepayforthevoyage,they,too,grewfrightened,andhavingsetsomesmallsails,gotuptheanchors。
　　Soitcameaboutthatwithinlittlemorethananhourofourboardingofthatshipshewasrunningouttowardstheseaasfastastideandwindcoulddriveher。Ithinkthatitwasnottoosoon,forasthequayvanishedinthegloomIsawmenwithlanternsmovingonit,andthoughttomyselfthatperhapsanalarmhadbeengivenandtheywerecometotakeme。
　　Thiscaptainwasonewhoknewtheriverwell,andwiththehelpofanothersailorhesteeredusdownitsreachessafely。BydawnwehadpassedTilburyandatfulllightwereoffGravesendracingfortheopensea。Nowitwasthatbehindusweperceivedfromtherushingcloudsthatthegale,whichhadlulledduringthenight,wascomingupmorestronglythaneverandstilleasterly。Thesailorsgrewafraidagainandtogetherwiththecaptainvowedthatitwasmadnesstofacetheseainsuchweather,andthatwemustanchor,ormaketheshoreifwecould。
　　Irefusedtolistentothem,whereattheyseemedtogiveway。
　　AtthatmomentKari,whohadgoneforward,calledtome。Iwenttohimandhepointedouttomemengallopingalongthebankandwavingkerchiefs,asthoughtosignaltoustostop。
　　"Ithink,Master,"saidKari,"thatsomehaveenteredthesun—roomatyourhouse。"
　　Inoddedandwatchedthemenwhogallopedandwaved。ForsomeminutesIwatchedthemtillsuddenlyIsawthattheshipwasalteringhercoursesothatherbowpointedfirstonewayandthenanother,asthoughshewerenolongerbeingsteered。Weranafttolearnthecause,andfoundthis。
　　Thatcrewofdastards,everymanofthemandthecaptainwiththem,haddrawnuptheboatinwhichKariandIcameaboard,thatwasstilltiedtotheship'sstern,andsliddowntheropeintoher,purposingtowinashorebeforeitwastoolate。Karismiledasthoughhewerenotastonished,butinmyrageIshoutedatthem,callingthemcursandtraitors。IthinkthatthecaptainheardmywordsforIsawhimturnhisheadandlookawayasthoughinshame,butnottheothers。
　　Theywereengagedinhuntingfortheoars,onlytofindthemgone,foritwouldseemthattheyhadbeenwashedorhadfallenoverboard。
　　Thentheytriedtosetsomekindofsailbyaidofaboathook,butwhiletheyweredoingthis,theboat,whichhaddriftedsideontothegreatwavesraisedbythegaleuponthefaceofthebroadriver,overturned。Isawsomeofthemenclingingtotheboatandoneortwoscramblingontoherkeel,butwhatchancedtothemandtheothersI
　　donotknow,whohadrushedtothesteeringgeartosettheshipuponhercourseagain,lestherfateshouldbethatoftheboat,orweshouldgoashoreandbecapturedbythosewhogallopedonthebank,orbedrowned。ThiswasthelastIeversaworheardofthecrewofthe/Blanche/。
　　Theship'sbowcameroundand,drivenbytheever—increasinggale,sherushedonhercoursetowardsthesea,bearinguswithher,twoweakandlonelymen。
　　"Kari,"Isaid,"whatshallwedo？Trytorunashore,orsailon？"
　　Hethoughtawhilethenanswered,pointingtothosewhogalloped,nowbuttinyfiguresonthedistantbank:
　　"Master,yonderisdeath,suredeath;andyonder,"herehepointedtothesea,"isdeath——perhaps。Master,youhaveaGod,andI,Kari,haveanotherGod,mayhapsameGodwithdifferentname。Isay——TrustourGodsandsailon,forGodsbetterthanmen。Ifwedieinwater,whatmatter？Watersofterthanrope,butIthinknotdie。"
　　Inodded,forthereasoningseemedgood。RatherwouldIbedrownedthanfallintothehandsofthosewhoweregallopingontheshore,tobedraggedbacktoLondonandafelon'sdoom。
　　SoIpresseduponthetillertobringthe/Blanche/moreintomid—
　　channel,andheadedforthesea。Widerandwidergrewtheestuaryandfartherandfartherawaytheshoresasthe/Blanche/scuddedonbeneathhersmallsailswiththeweightofthegalebehindher,tillatlasttherewastheopensea。
　　Withinafewfeetofthetillerwasadeck—house,inwhichthecrewate,builtofsolidoakandclampedwithiron。Herewasfoodinplenty,ale,too,andwiththesewefilledourselves。Also,leavingKaritoholdthetiller,Itookoffmyarmourandinplaceofitclothedmyselfintheroughseagarmentsthatlayaboutwithtallgreasedboots,andthensenthimtodolikewise。
　　Soonwelostsightoflandandwereclimbingthegreatoceanbillows,whosefoamycrestsrolledandspurtedwherevertheeyefell。Wecouldsetnocoursebutmustgowherethegaledroveus,away,awayweknewnotwhither。AsIhavesaid,the/Blanche/wasnewandstrongandthebestshipthateverIhadsailedinuponaheavysea。Moreover,herhatcheswerecloseddown,forthisthesailorshaddoneafterweweighed,sosherodethewaterslikeaduck,takingnoharm。Oh！wellitwasformethatfrommychildhoodIhadhadtodowithshipsandthesailingofthem,andflyingfromthefollowingwavesthuswasabletosteerandkeepthe/Blanche's/pooprightinthewind,whichseemedtoblowfirstfromonequarterandthenfromthat。
　　Nowovermymemoryoftheseeventstherecomesagreatconfusionandsenseofamazement。Allbecamefragmentaryanddisjointed,separatedalsobywhatseemedtobeconsiderableperiodsoftime——daysorweeksperhaps。Therewasasenseofendlessroaringseasbeforewhichtheshipfledonandon,drivenbyascreaminggalethatInoteddimlyseemedtoblowfirstfromthenorthwestandthensteadilyfromtheeast。
　　Iseemyself,verydistinctly,lashingthetillertoironringsthatwerescrewedinthedeckbeams,andknowthatIdidthisbecauseIwastooweaktoholditanylongeranddesiredtosetitsothatthe/Blanche/shouldcontinuetodrivestraightbeforethegale。Iseemyselflyinginthedeck—houseofwhichIhavespoken,whileKarifedmewithfoodandwaterandsometimesthrustintomymouthlittlepelletsofIknewnotwhat,whichhetookfromtheleathernbagheworeabouthim。Irememberedthatbag。IthadbeenonhispersonwhenIrescuedhimatthequay,forIhadseenitfirstashewashedhimselfafterwards,halffullofsomething,andwonderedwhatitcontained。Later,IhadseenitinhishandagainwhenweleftmyhouseafterthedeathofBlanche。InotedthatwheneverhegavemeoneofthesepelletsIseemedtogrowstrongforawhile,andthentofallintosleep,deepandprolonged。
　　Aftermoredays——orweeks,Ibegantobeholdmarvelsandtohearstrangevoices。IthoughtthatIwastalkingwithmymotherandwithmypatron,St。Hubert;alsothatBlanchecametomeandexplainedeverything,showinghowlittleshehadbeentoblameforallthathadhappenedtomeandher。ThesethingsmademecertainthatIwasdeadandIwasgladtobedead,sincenowIknewtherewouldbenomorepainorstrivings;thattheendeavourswhichmakeuplifefromhourtohourhadceasedandthatrestwaswon。Onlythenappearedmyuncle,JohnGrimmer,whokeptquotinghisfavouritetextatme——"Vanityofvanities。Allisvanity,"hesaid,adding:"DidInottellyouthatitwasthusyearsago？Nowyouhavelearneditforyourself。Only,NephewHubert,don'tthinkthatyouhavefinishedwithvanitiesyet,asI
　　have,forIsaythatthereareplentymoretocomeforyou。"
　　Thusheseemedtotalkonaboutthisandothermatters,suchaswhatwouldhappentohiswealthandwhetherthehospitalswouldbequicktoseizethelandstowhichhehadgivenitthereversion,tillIgrewquitetiredofhimandwishedthathewouldgoaway。
　　ThenatlengththerewasagreatcrashthatIthinkdisturbedhim,forhedidgo,sayingthatitwasonlyanother"vanity,"afterwhichI
　　seemedtofallasleepforweeksandweeks。
　　Iwokeupagainforawarmthandbrightnessonmyfacecausedmetoopenmyeyes。Iliftedmyhandtoshieldthemfromthebrightnessandnotedwithakindofwonderthatitwassothinthatthelightshonethroughitasitdoesthroughparchment,andthattheboneswerevisiblebeneaththeskin。Iletitfallfromweakness,anditdroppedontohairwhichIknewmustbethatofabeard,whichsetmewondering,forithadbeenmyfashiontogoclean—shaven。How,then,didIcomebyabeard？IlookedaboutmeandsawthatIwaslyingonthedeckofaship,yes,ofthe/Blanche/itself,forIknewtheshapeofherstern,alsocertainknotsinoneoftheuprightsofthedeck—
　　housethatformedaruderesemblancetoahumanface。Nothingofthisdeck—housewasleftnow,exceptthecornerpostsbetweenwhichIlay,andtothetopsofthesewaslashedapieceofcanvasasthoughtokeepoffthesunandtheweather。
　　WithdifficultyIliftedmyheadalittleandlookedaboutme。Thebulwarksoftheshiphadgone,butsomeoftheuprightstowhichtheplankshadbeennailedremained,andbetweenthemIperceivedtall—
　　stemmedtreeswithtuftsofgreatleavesatthetopofthem,whichtreesseemedtobewithinafewyardsofme。Bright—wingedbirdsflewaboutthemandintheircrownsIsawapessuchasthesailorsusedtobringhomefromBarbary。Itwouldseem,then,thatImustbeinariver（infact,itwasalittlebayorcreek,oneithersideofwhichthesetreesappeared）。
　　Notingtheseandthecreepingplantswithbeautifulflowers,suchasI
　　hadneverseen,thatclimbedupthem,andthesweetscentsthatfloatedontheair,andtheclearlight,nowIgrewsurethatIwasdeadandhadreachedParadise。OnlythenhowcameitthatIstilllayontheship,forneverhadIheardthatsuchthingsalsowenttoParadise？Nay,Imustdream;itwasnothingbutadreamthatIwishedweretrue,rememberingasIdidtheterrorsofthatgale—tossedsea。
　　Or,ifIdidnotdream,thenIwasinsomenewworld。
　　WhileImusedthusIheardasoundofsoftfootstepsandpresentlysawafigurebendingoverme。ItwasKari,verythinandhollow—eyed,much,indeed,ashehadbeenwhenIfoundhimonthequayinLondon,butstillKariwithoutdoubt。Helookedatmeinhisgravefashion,thensaidsoftly:
　　"Masterawake？"
　　"Yes,Kari,"Isaid,"buttellme,whereamI？"
　　Hedidnotansweratoncebutwentawayandreturnedpresentlywithabowlfromwhichhebademedrink,holdingittomylips。Ididso,swallowingwhatseemedtobebroththoughIthoughtitstrangelyflavoured,afterwhichIfeltmuchstronger,forwhateverwasinthatbrothranthroughmyveinslikewine。AtlasthespokeinhisqueerEnglish。
　　"Master,"hesaid,"whenwestillinThamesRiver,youaskmewhetherweshouldrunashoreintothehandsofthehunterswhotrytocatchus,orsailon。Ianswer,'YouhaveGodandIhaveGodandbetterfallintohandsofgodsthanintohandsofmen。'Sowesailonintothebigstorm。Forlongwesail,andthoughonceitturn,alwaysthegreatwindblew,behindus。Yougrowweakandyourmindleaveyou,butIkeepyoualivewithmedicinethatIhaveandformanydaysIstayawakeandsteer。Thenatlastmymindleaveme,too,andIknownomore。ThreedaysagoIwakeupandfindtheshipinthisplace。ThenI
　　eatmoremedicineandgetstrength,alsofoodfrompeopleontheshorewhothinkusgods。Thatallthestory,exceptthatyoulive,notdie。
　　YourGodandmyGodbringusheresafe。"