THE UTILITY OF ADVERSITY—­AN ENCOUNTER—­THE HOROKEN—­BILL ALIAS BOB.

A light but favorable breeze carried them away from land, and they were once again on the open sea.  Willis, after a prolonged investigation of the sun’s position, taken in relation to some observations he had made the day before, concluded that the best course to pursue, under existing circumstances, was to steer for the Marian Islands.[H] In addition to the distance they had originally to traverse, all the way lost during the storm was now before them.  As regards provisions, they had little to fear; they could rely upon falling in with a boobie or sea-cow occasionally, and fresh fish were to be had at any time.  Their supply of water, however, gave them some uneasiness, for the quantity was limited, and they might be retarded by calms and contrary winds.  The chances of meeting a European ship were too slender to enter for anything into their calculations.

“It appears to me,” said Jack, one beautiful evening, when they were some hundreds of miles from any habitable spot, “that, having escaped so many dangers, the watchful eye of Providence must be guarding us from evil.”

“Very possibly,” replied Fritz; “one of the early chroniclers of the Christian Church says that Lazarus, whom our Saviour resuscitated at the gates of Jerusalem, became afterwards one of the most popular preachers of Christianity, and in consequence the Jews regarded him with implacable hatred.”

“But what, in all the world, has that to do with the Pacific Ocean?” inquired Jack.

“Very little with the Pacific in particular, but a great deal with the ocean in general.  Lazarus, his sisters, and some of his friends, were thrown into prison, tried, and condemned.”

“And stoned or crucified,” added Jack.

“No; the high priest of the temple had a great variety of punishments on hand besides these.  He resolved to expose them to the mercy of the waves, without provisions, and without a mast, sail, or rudder.”

“Thank goodness, we are not so badly off as that.”

“He, for whom Lazarus suffered, and who is the same that nourishes the birds of the air and feeds the beasts of the field; watched over the forlorn craft; under his guidance, the little colony of martyrs were wafted in safety to the fertile coasts of Provence.  They landed, according to the tradition, at Marseilles, of whom Lazarus was the first bishop, and has always been the patron saint.  Who knows?—­the same good fortune may perhaps await us.”

“We are not martyrs.”

“True; but Providence does not always measure its favors by the merits of those upon whom they are bestowed—­misfortune, alone, is often a sufficient claim; so it is well for us to be patient under a little suffering, for sweet often is the reward.”

“A little hardship, now and then,” added Jack, “is, no doubt, salutary.  The Italians say:  ‘Le avversita sono per l’animo cio ch’ e un temporale per l’aria.’  Suffering teaches us to prize health and happiness; were there no such things as pain and grief, we should be apt to regard these blessings as valueless, and to estimate them as our legitimate rights.  For my own part, I was never so happy in my whole life as when I embraced you the other day, after escaping out of the clutches of the savages.”