He then deplored the hardship of being an invalid in such a place, where there was not the slightest provision for his comfort.

This awakened the compassion of our good old keeper, who offered to send him to a place where he would be better cared for.

Long Ghost acquiesced; and being at once mounted upon the shoulders of four of Captain Bob's men, was marched off in state, like the Grand Lama of Thibet.
Now, I do not pretend to account for his remarkable swoon; but his reason for suffering himself to be thus removed from the Calabooza was strongly suspected to be nothing more than a desire to insure more regularity in his dinner-hour; hoping that the benevolent native to whom he was going would set a good table.
The next morning, we were all envying his fortune; when, of a sudden, he bolted in upon us, looking decidedly out of humour.
"Hang it!" he cried; "I'm worse off than ever; let me have some breakfast!" We lowered our slender bag of ship-stores from a rafter, and handed him a biscuit.

While this was being munched, he went on and told us his story.
"After leaving here, they trotted me back into a valley, and left me in a hut, where an old woman lived by herself.

This must be the nurse, thought I; and so I asked her to kill a pig, and bake it; for I felt my appetite returning.