All the clothing worn by him originally, and of that there was scarcely any when found, had been worn threadbare, and he was now dressed in native garments. The chair in which he was reclining was undoubtedly from some wrecked ship, and had been in the possession of the villagers for years.
John spoke to the old man concerning the patient, and advised him that they would soon call to take him away. They would thus relieve them of the burden, and endeavor to restore him to health, if it were possible to do so.
The old man was thankful for the kind words uttered by John, and the latter assured him that before many moons passed he would return and show his appreciation for their kindness to a fellow creature.
"But we do not feel that we have done anything which especially merits praise. He is one like ourselves, who was in distress, and we helped him."
"Yes; you have done that which is right. We intend to reward you not that you should be paid for doing what is right, but to show that we appreciate your noble actions," answered John.
The party, after many wishes and hearty good-byes, filed out of the village, some of them loath to go.
Calmo was silent. He was not the same as before they marched through the village. John noticed it, but he wisely refrained from commenting on the sights they had witnessed. There was cleanliness and order in Hutoton; and filth and disorder in Sasite. It was impossible to be unconscious of[p. 188] the difference between the industry in one place, and the utter shiftlessness in the other.
As it required two days to make the return journey, they were absent from Sasite nearly seven days, and, according to the calculations, the Pioneer would be in from Unity within the next two days.
During the intervening time the boys roamed at will through the island, and on the second day went directly south, so as to scour the sea front below the village.