s, I must have been
knocked down and stunned, and I could only suppose that in the darkness
and confusion I had been carried off and taken on board without any of
you missing me; my hands and feet were tied, and there was something
shoved into my mouth that prevented me from speaking.

"I should think that it must have been an hour before I quite recovered
my senses, and got the thing fairly into my mind. Then a man with a
knife leant over me, and made signs that if I spoke he would stab me,
and another took the gag out of my mouth and poured some water down my
throat, and then put it in again. I saw that he was a dark colored man,
and I then understood it all; it was those Hindoos who had got up the
attack upon us and had carried me off. I had no doubt they had got the
diamonds I had sewn up in the waistband of my trousers.

"I wondered why they were keeping me, but was sure they would stab
me presently and throw me overboard. I knew that they had killed two
soldiers for the sake of the diamonds, and if it hadn't been that they
had given me the water, I should not have had a shadow of doubt about my
fate."

"I puzzled over why they should have done so, and came to the conclusion
that they dared not do it on board, because of the crew, and that they
intended to take me on shore somewhere, and there dispose of me. I made
many attempts to loosen my ropes, but they would not give the slightest.
At last I think I dozed off for a time. After I had had the water they
drew a blanket or something of that sort over me. It had been there
before, but it had only been pulled up as high as my nose, and I felt
sure that it was only done to prevent the Dutchmen on the boat seeing
that I was bound and gagged; this time they pulled it right over my
face. When they took it off again I could see it was nearly morning, for
there was a faint light in the sky. They were moving about on the deck,
and presently I saw one of the sailors get into the boat and pull it
along, hand over hand, by the rail, until he was close to me. Then four
Lascar sort of chaps--I could scarcely make out their features--lifted
me and lowered me into the boat and got in themselves.

"I did not attempt to struggle. No doubt they had made up some tale
that I was mad or something of that sort, and I thought that I had best
pretend to be quiet and peaceable till I could see some sort of chance
of making a fight for it. It was but a few yards from the shore. The man