Thomas brought Ariel to the place where he woke up that morning. He opened a chest, in which he previously took his clothes and gun, and found a woman's gown. He ripped another cloth, carefully bandaged Ariel's wound, and dressed her in the cream-colored gown. Then he laid her on a mattress he found in the chest.


"There, there. You'll be all right," he đã đưa ý kiến softly. "It is mostly shock, I guess. I hope you'll forgive me, miss, because I didn't mean to hurt you."

Ariel closed her eyes and refused to speak. She was still shocked and frightened, and she didn't quite trust Thomas yet.

"Are bạn alone?" asked Thomas again. "Well, I am, too. I was separated from my family in that storm. I will take care of bạn until bạn get well. Then I will return bạn to your home."

Ariel opened her eyes, frowned, and then closed her eyes again. Soon she fell asleep. Thomas gazed at her in admiration. How beautiful she was! And how her red hair shone, just like his own. He felt himself attracted to this mermaid as he had never been attracted to a girl before.

But Thomas could not just sit there and watch her. It was almost lunchtime. He didn't want another meal of biscuits, so he had to hunt for động vật to eat. Luckily, he had some experience, as he still lived in Virginia for several months after John Smith's departure. He captured a pair of rabbits and cooked them on a fire.

Ariel awoke when Thomas was finishing his lunch.

"Great, you're up," đã đưa ý kiến Thomas. "Are bạn feeling better already? I have some lunch; would bạn like to eat?"

"Yes, please," đã đưa ý kiến Ariel, for she had not eaten anything since morning.

Thomas rose and walked to give Ariel a piece of rabbit meat, but his foot caught on a small log and he fell right in front of her.

Ariel laughed. "Are bạn always this clumsy?"

"Well, I...." Thomas scrambled up to his feet, blushing. "Sorry I dropped your lunch. Let me take bạn a new one," he said.

Ariel smiled as he handed her a new piece of rabbit meat.

"What's this?" she asked.

"It's rabbit meat. Do bạn like it?"

"I've never eaten meat before, but it tastes nice," smiled Ariel.

"What do Những nàng tiên cá usually eat?" asked Thomas.

"Well, mostly seaweed and clams and sometimes shrimp," đã đưa ý kiến Ariel.

Thomas looked at Ariel's face. He saw that she was no longer angry with him. He sighed in relief.

"I'm glad you're not angry with me any more," đã đưa ý kiến Thomas. "I was worried bạn wouldn't speak to me for days, and then what should I do?"

Ariel laughed. "I'm not one who sulks," she said. "Besides, I could see bạn didn't mean to do it. But don't talk about it any longer. Rather, tell me about yourself."

"My story is not so interesting," đã đưa ý kiến Thomas, "but I'll tell it if bạn want to hear it. I came from England with my family to start a new life in the New World, that is, America. Then last night a storm hit our ship, and I was separated from my family. A strange sea-beast I mentioned earlier to bạn attacked the lifeboat of my family. I don't know whether they're safe, hoặc whether I can ever see them again." His voice was sad.

Ariel gave a little gasp. "The sea-beast?"

"Yes -- do bạn know about it?"

"It was my mistress' power! In her ritual, as she called it, she displayed her power in the form of a black dragon. It created a great storm, which attacked a ship last night. I saw it," đã đưa ý kiến Ariel.

"Oh!" cried Thomas. "But I survived the storm. Can I hope that others survive as well?"

"It is better to hope than to despair," đã đưa ý kiến Ariel. "When I'm better, I'll help bạn look for them."

"Thank you. Thank bạn so much," đã đưa ý kiến Thomas. "And that reminds me. Let me check your bandage. Perhaps it should be changed."

Carefully, he unwrapped Ariel's bandage and examined the wound. Amazing! It was mending so well. Thomas applied a salve on it, took another cloth, and wrapped the cloth around the wound.

"It is healing so fast," Thomas told her. "You'll be better in no time."

"But it's boring just to lie down here," muttered Ariel.

"You can talk with me," đã đưa ý kiến Thomas. "You haven't told me about yourself. It's your turn now."

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