“Well, aroon, here’s fifteen pince for you, that we skham—­Will I tell him how we cot it?”

“No, don’t,” replied his neighbors; “the boy’s given to devotion, and maybe might scruple to take it.”

“Here’s fifteen pince, avourneen, on the shovel, that we’re givin’ you for God’s sake.  If you over * this, won’t you offer up a prayer for us?  Won’t you, avick?”

     That is—­to get over—­to survive.

“I can never forget your kindness,” replied Jemmy; “I will always pray for you, and may God for ever bless you and yours!

“Poor crathur!  May the Heavens above have prosthration on him!  Upon my sowl, it’s good to have his blessin’ an’ his prayer.  Now don’t fret, Jemmy; we’re lavin’ you wid a lot o’ neighbors here.  They’ll watch you time about, so that whin you want anything, call, avourneen, an’ there’ll still be some one here to answer.  God bless you, an’ restore you, till we come wid the milk we’ll stale for you, wid the help o’ God.  Bad cess to me, but it ’ud be a mortual sin, so it would, to let the poor boy die at all, an’ him so far from home.  For, as the Catechiz says ‘There is but one Faith, one Church, and one Baptism!’ Well, the readin’ that’s in that Catechiz is mighty improvin’, glory be to God!”

It would be utterly impossible to detail the affliction which our poor scholar suffered in this wretched shed, for the space of a fortnight, notwithstanding the efforts of those kind-hearted people to render his situation comfortable.

The little wigwam they had constructed near him was never, even for a moment, during his whole illness, without two or three persons ready to attend him.  In the evening their numbers increased; a fire was always kept burning, over which a little pot for making whey or gruel was suspended.  At night they amused each other with anecdotes and laughter, and occasionally with songs, when certain that their patient was not asleep.  Their exertions to steal milk for him were performed with uncommon glee, and related among themselves with great humor.  These thefts would have been unnecessary, had not the famine which then prevailed through the province been so excessive.  The crowds that swarmed about the houses of wealthy farmers, supplicating a morsel to keep body and soul together, resembled nothing which our English readers ever had an opportunity of seeing.  Ragged, emaciated creatures, tottered about with an expression of wildness and voracity in their gaunt features; fathers and mothers reeled under the burthen of their beloved children, the latter either sick, or literally expiring for want of food; and the widow, in many instances, was compelled to lay down her head to die, with the wail, the feeble wail, of her withered orphans mingling with her last moans!  In such a state of things it was difficult to procure a sufficient quantity of milk to allay the natural thirst even of one individual, when parched by the scorching heat of a fever.  Notwithstanding this, his wants were for the most part anticipated, so far as their means would allow them; his shed was kept waterproof; and either shovel or pitchfork always ready to be extended to him, by way of substitution for the right hand of fellowship.