After a long look I saw that he did not resume his narrative. By
that I knew that the stranger was troubling him.
Shiela came below to see me. The traces of tears were in her eyes.
"It's a large ship to the northward," she said. "From something Captain
Blaise whispered to father it may be a man-o'-war, though I hope not.
But what have you done since I've been gone? You mustn't feel put out
when I have to go on deck. It's an ungrateful girl, you know, who is not
courteous to her host, especially when that host is Captain Blaise.
Think what father and I owe him! And what a wonderfully interesting man
he is! And what adventures he has had!"
"But what made you cry?"
"Captain Blaise was telling of a happening on this very spot almost. It
was a ship from Cadiz for Savannah. She had taken fire. He picked up
among others three people lashed to some pieces of wreckage--a man, a
woman, and their baby. She was dead and he dying. He did die later
aboard his ship, the predecessor of the _Bess_. The baby lived. Do you
recall the story?"
"No, he never told me that one. And the baby?"
"The father had practically supported the baby in the water for four
days--the baby was less than a year old--and the mother had nursed him
till she died. For two days, the man said, with nothing to eat herself.
She and he, they had practically killed themselves for the baby boy.
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