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There was a warm breeze blowing, and his clothes soon dried, and onceagain he felt like a human being.
A new trouble arose. He found his limbs so weak that he could notstand.
His flesh was hot and dry, his mouth parched, and his eyes were likeburning coals.
He had fever.
The fact was appalling enough at ordinary times, but how much more sounder the circumstances?
He dare not seek a house, even if he could crawl as far, for he knewthat fever meant delirium, and in his delirium he might betray himselfand so injure the cause he loved so well.
He had not lived in the mountains without knowing the value of herbs,so he look
ed around to find those natural medicines which at home hadbeen used by the Indians and most of the white folks of the GreenMountains.
He wanted agrimony, but did not see any; but he did find yarrow inabundance.
Now, the leaves and flowers of the common yarrow, or the _achilleamilefolium_ of botanists, are an excellent thing in fevers, producingperspiration and cleansing the blood at the same time; but Eben knewthat it should be macerated in boiling water.
Boiling water was out of the question, and, in fact, there seemed to beno water save sea water near, so he gathered a quantity of the leavesand chewed them. The taste was bitter and aromatic, but refreshing tothe fever-stricken boy.
After a time he felt a nausea, and stopped eating.
He turned over on his back and fell asleep.
When he awoke the sun was high in the heavens and he fancied he hadslept four or five hours; in reality he had slept nearly thirty hours.
His body was covered with a cold perspiration and his mouth seemed lessparched.
As he raised himself to look around he saw that he was not alone.
A man, evidently poor, if judged by his dress, stood some distanceaway, watching him closely.
"So you did wake, eh? I reckon'd that you were going to sleep tillGabriel blew his trump."
"Have I slept long?" asked Eben.
"Well, now, I can't say 'zactly, for I reckon you had been asleep along time when I found you, and I've been here nigh on to ten hours."
"You have been watching me that long? Why?"
"Mebbe I took a fancy to you, and mebbe I know you."
"You know me?"
"Well, now, I reckon if I were to call you Ebenezer Pike----"
"If you did?"
"Yes, I was saying I reckon that you would have to say that was yourname."
"What gave you that idea? And who is Ebenezer Pike?"
"I am no tory. Yesterday I heard that a prisoner had escaped from thewar ship out there, and that the one who had got away was at the bottomof the sea. I was curious, and I asked all about it. Then I was askedif a body wouldn't float into land; and I said mebbe; and then thebluejacket told me he would give me ten shillings if I found the bodyand gave it up to him. So I searched and found--you."
"And discovered that I was not worth ten shillings?"
"Never mind what I found; I tell you I ain't no tory, and ten pounds,nor ten hundred pounds, would make me give up a live American hero.His dead body wouldn't be of no account to him, so I might give upthat."
