Chapter X.—The Seeker Lost.

“Then my father, hearing this, and being stupefied with excessive grief, and not knowing where to go in quest of them, used to take me with him and go down to the harbour, and inquire of many where any one of them had seen or heard of a shipwreck four years ago.  And one turned one place, and another another.  Then he inquired whether they had seen the body of a woman with two children cast ashore.  And when they told him they had seen many corpses. in many places, my father groaned at the information.  But, with his bowels yearning, he asked unreasonable questions, that he might try to search so great an extent of sea.  However, he was pardonable, because, through affection towards those whom he was seeking for, he fed on vain hopes.  And at last, placing me under guardians, and leaving me at Rome when I was twelve years old, he himself, weeping, went down to the harbour, and went on board ship, and set out upon the search.  And from that day till this I have neither received a letter from him, nor do I know whether he be alive or dead.  But I rather suspect that he is dead somewhere, either overcome by grief, or perished by shipwreck.  And the proof of that is that it is now the twentieth year that I have heard no true intelligence concerning him.”