[371-1] This selection is from _Kidnapped_, the story of a young man,
David Balfour by name, who, by the treachery of an uncle who has usurped
David's right to the family estate and fortune, is taken by force on
board a brig bound for the Carolinas in North America. In the Carolinas,
according to the compact made between David's uncle and the captain of
the brig, David is to be sold. He is saved from this fate by the sinking
of the brig. The selection as here given begins at the point where David
is washed from the deck into the sea. The Island of Earraid is a small,
unimportant island off the coast of Scotland.
[381-2] A coble is a small boat used in fishing.