THE SECIIETARy's DAUGHTER. 281 



that with proper care she might recover ; and 

 being obliged to go on board himself, sent medi- 

 cines on shore, which I carried to the child. I 

 was in the first instance prompted by the desire 

 of being civil to a person who had showji great 

 attention to the officers during my absence 

 at Topic ; and I was glad also to have an op. 

 portunity of seeing the interior of a New Gali- 

 cian family. But I soon acquired a far deep- 

 er interest in the case, by the increasing illness 

 of our little patient, one of the prettiest and most 

 engaging children I ever saw. The doctor, at 

 my request, visited her as often as he could come 

 on shore ; but as he was in close attendance upon 

 several yellow-fever patients, not only in the Con- 

 way, but in the merchant- ships in the anchorage, 

 the task of watching the child's illness fell princi- 

 pally upon me. The poor parents would not be- 

 lieve, notwithstanding my reiterated assurances, 

 that I knew nothing of medicine : but it was too 

 late to draw back at this stage of the case, since 

 it was through me alone that any report could be 

 communicated to the medical gentleman on board. 

 Yet I saw with much regret, that the whole 

 family were becoming more and more dependent 



