that advantage. I had seen nothing but the sea, rocks, and sea-birds,
and had but one companion. Here was my great difficulty, which, I may
say, was never surmounted, until I had visited and mixed with
civilisation and men. The difficulty, however, only increased my
ardour. I was naturally of an ingenious mind, I had a remarkable
memory, and every increase of knowledge was to me a source of
delight. In fact, I had now something to live for, before I had not;
and I verily believe, that if Jackson had been by any chance removed
from me at this particular time, I should soon have become a lunatic,
from the sudden drying up of the well which supplied my inordinate
thirst for knowledge.

Some days passed before I asked Jackson to continue his narrative,
during which we lived in great harmony. Whether it was that he was
deceiving me, and commanding his temper till he had an opportunity of
revenge, or whether it was that his forlorn and helpless condition
had softened him down, I could not say, but he appeared gradually to
be forming an attachment to me; I was however on my guard at all
times. His wounded wrist had now healed up, but his hand was quite
useless, as all the tendons had been severed. I had therefore less to
fear from him than before. At my request that he would continue his
history, Jackson related as follows:--

"After sailing in vessel after vessel, and generally dismissed after
the voyage for my failing of intemperance, I embarked on board a ship
bound to Chili, and after having been on the coast for nearly a year,
we were about to proceed home with a cargo, when we anchored at
Valdivia, previous to our homeward voyage, as we had some few
articles to ship at that port. We were again ready for sea, when we
heard from the captain, that he had agreed to take two passengers, a