"Well," I exclaimed, "that is a most extraordinary story, extraordinary not only from the fact of your having been the heroine of such a terrible adventure, but even more so from the circumstance that you were rescued and have been taken care of ever since by Ricardo.  One would have thought that it would have been the most natural thing in the world for him to have callously left you all to perish.  How many of your boat's crew were alive when he picked you up?"