ting his companion's hands.

"Now, sir," he whispered, "I'll turn the blade edge outwards, and you
must work yourself up and down against it. Try now."

Jack made an effort, which hurt his wrist horribly without doing the
slightest good.

"That won't do, sir," whispered Ned. "I can't help you half so much as
by holding still. Now try again, not jigging as you did before, but
giving yourself a regular see-saw sort of swing. Now then 'fore they
wake. Off you go."

It was agony. The back of the knife-blade seemed to be cutting bluntly
down upon his wrist-bones, but setting his teeth hard, Jack forced
himself downward and drew back.

"That's the sort, sir. Don't do much, but it's doing something. If I
had my hands free I could soon cut the withes. Keep it up."

Setting his teeth harder, Jack kept on the sawing movement, apparently
without avail, but the pain grew less as the edge of the blade cut into
the cane.

"It's of no use, Ned," whispered the lad. "Let's try to undo the knots
with our teeth. I'll try on yours first."

"You keep on sawing," said the man in a low growl, and the words came so
fiercely that Jack involuntarily obeyed, and the next minute, to his
great surprise, there was a faint cracking sound; one strand of the cane
band was through, and the rest uncurled like a freed spring.

"Hah! I thought so," said Ned with a low chuckle of satisfaction. "Now
catch hold of the knife and cut the band round your ankles."

"I can hardly feel the handle," muttered Jack.

"You will directly. Look sharp, sir, sharp as your knife."

"Yes," said Jack, "but I'm going to cut your wrists free first."

"No, no, sir; your legs."

Jack set his teeth again as hard as when he was holding the back of the
knife-blade, and in response he took hold of Ned's hand with his left
and applied the edge across the cane which held the poor fellow's
wrists, and in a clumsy fumbling way began to saw downward.

"Mr Jack, Mr Jack!" whispered the man excitedly, "you shouldn't, you
shouldn't! I wanted to get you cut loose first."

"You hold your tongue and keep still," said the lad. "I don't want to
cut your wrist. Steady. Oh, how numb and helpless my hands feel."

"They cut well enough, sir," said Ned with a laugh, as the outer turn of
the cane band was divided, and once more the tough vegetable cord opened
like a spiral string.

"That's your sort, Mr Jack, sir. Give me hold of the knife. My turn
now."

"No