wife has probably been lost and he has saved their child."

She took his hand in hers and felt that his pulse was yet beating; a
bruise on the temple seemed to be the only wound and was caused by the
blow which had stunned him.

As Jovita chafed his hands and smoothed his forehead, he opened his
eyes, and then looking about astonished at his surroundings, asked,
"Where is the Christchild? Surely I have saved him."

The little one from the back of the horse began in his strange tones to
sing the "Song of the Hemlock" in answer to Crescimir's enquiry.

"I hardly know where we are, for in the darkness and swift whirl of last
night I lost my way," he said, sitting up. "I remember now that
something struck me when the raft stopped. I thank God that the
Christchild was not lost, dear little fellow."

"Christchild?" exclaimed Jovita, looking at him in surprise, "Have you
given your boy that name?"

"I do not know, Señorita, who the child is, but he came to my door last
night, Christmas Eve, and brought me some of the merriest hours I have
had since I left old Illyria, and had not the flood carried away
everything, I would have marked yesterday as one of the happiest in my
life. He is a strange little fellow and will not, or else cannot speak,
yet he sings beautifully in his own odd way as you hear him now. I
called him Christchild as I knew no better name. Are you not the
Señorita of El Tulucay? I know that horse which you have and have often
seen him with a lady on his back flying over all the fields about here."