nty they'd take, wouldn't they? How's yours?"

"They ache horribly, Ned."

"Oh, mine don't. I shouldn't know I'd got any if I couldn't see 'em.
Plain enough though, ain't they?"

Ned had no time to say more, for his captor urged him on.

"Just like driving a donkey, sir, ain't it?--All right, blackie, I'll
go."

The party descended as rapidly as they could till just after the great
orange sun had descended over the rim of the sea, and then, as if
perfectly familiar with the place, they turned suddenly off to the left,
down a second ravine much steeper than the larger one they had left, and
after going down about a quarter of a mile to where dwarf trees were
beginning to grow thickly again, they stopped short in a natural shelter
close by a rock pool, into which a clear thread of water trickled.

Jack's captor pointed to the pool, and the lad lay down and drank
deeply, Ned following his example without orders, and upon being
satisfied they rose, to find the men busily preparing a fire.--Then one
of the party rubbed a couple of pieces of wood together till the
friction produced sparks, which began to glow in the wood dust fanned by
the fire-maker's breath, and soon after the fire was burning merrily.

Jack did not see it dug out, but a quantity of closely-packed green
leaves were lying about, and a rough hollow was close at hand where it
had evidently been buried--_it_ proving to be the hind-quarters of a
small pig, which as the fire burned up well was put to roast, and soon
began to send out a pleasant odour.

The prisoners had taken the place pointed out to them, and found that
they were well guarded, Ned drawing Jack's attention to this fact.

"And that means, sir," he said, "that it's of no use to try and run
unless they go sound off to sleep again as soon as they've had a feast.
We might perhaps steal off then, but not if we're watched. I don't want
any more arrows in me, and I'm sure you feel the same. I say, sir, I
hope they mean to ask us to dinner. Only fancy niggers dining at
quality hours in black soots!"

"Don't talk about eating, Ned; the idea makes me feel sick."

"Fight it down then, sir. You must eat, or you can't try to get away,
and if you can't try to get away, I can't."

"I'll try, Ned," said Jack abruptly.

"That's right, sir; only let's wait and see if they give us any first.
Shame on 'em if they don't."

The pig extracted from the blacks' hiding-place began to smell tempting
e