'He is coming-to,' said one, 'and may live yet to tell us who he is, and
from what port his craft sailed.'
'There has been many a craft,' the other said, 'has sailed for many a
port, and made this beach her last; and many an honest man has landed on
it, and never one alive in such a sea. Nor would this one be living
either, if it had not been for that other brave heart to stand by and
save him. Brave heart, brave heart,' he said over to himself. 'Here, pass
me the bottle or I shall get the vapours. 'Tis good against these early
chills, and I have not been in this place for ten years past, since poor
Elzevir was cut adrift.'
I could not see the speaker's face from where I lay upon the floor, yet
seemed to know his voice; and so was fumbling in my weakened mind to put
a name to it, when he spoke of Elzevir, and sent my thoughts flying
elsewhere.
'Elzevir,' I said, 'where is Elzevir?' and sat up to look round,
expecting to see him lying near me, and remembering the wreck more
clearly now, and how he had saved me with that last shove forward on the
beach. But he was not to be seen, and so I guessed that his great
strength had brought him round quicker than had my youth, and that he was
gone back to the beach.
'Hush,' said one of the men at the table, 'lie down and get to sleep
again'; and then he added, speaking to his comrade: 'His brain is
wandering yet: do you see how he has caught up my words about Elzevir?'
'No,' I struck in, 'my head is clear enough; I am speaking of Elzevir
Block.
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