His hair,
stiffened with black grease, stood out all around his head, and the
same oily composition had been used to blacken his forehead, neck, and
hands.
Some brandy and hot water, combined with the warmth of the saloon, soon
revived him. He ate a quantity of bread with the eagerness of a man
suffering from starvation; but he could not endure the heated
atmosphere, although the temperature was barely sufficient to guard the
injured occupants from the outer cold. When offered an overcoat, he
refused it at first, saying:
"I do not need so much clothing. It will make me ill. I only felt
cold in the water because it is mostly melted ice."
He was so grateful to his rescuers, however, that he took the garment
to oblige them when he saw they were incredulous. Christobal brought
him to the chart-house, where most of the others were assembled, and
there questioned him.
It was a most astonishing story which Francisco Suarez, gold-miner and
prospector, laid before an exceedingly attentive audience. As the man
spoke, so did he recover the freer usage of a civilized tongue. At
first his words had a hoarse, guttural sound, but Dr.
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