not to-day at any rate, because you may
disremember it's Friday, and it's agen the laws of the Church to ate
meat this day. So I'd propose that we wait till to-morrow, and if we
grow very wake with the hunger, we can make use of the dog to stay
our stomachs a little while longer, and something better may turn up
in the meantime."

"Is it to cook my dog Watch you mean?" asked Crow. (Here Watch went
to his master, and lay down at his feet, looking up in his face and
patting the ground with his tail.) "I tell you what it is, Sparrow,
you are not going to ate my dog. What has the poor fellow done to
you, I'd like to know? You may cook Spiller if you like, to-day or
to-morrow, it's all the same to me--and I grant he well deserves it
--but if you meddle with Watch you'll have to deal with me."

"It's no use going on this way, mates," said Brown. "We might as
well be moving while we have strength enough to do so. Come along."

The men began to rise to their feet. Macnamara suddenly snatched
Spiller's gun, and fired off both barrels; he then said, "Now hand
over your shot and powder." Spiller, half scared to death, handed
them over.

"Now," said Macnamara, "you are my prisoner. I am going to take care
of you until you are wanted; and if I see you so much as wink the
wrong way I'll blow your brains out, if you have any. Here's your
empty gun. Now march."

All the men followed. The country was full of scrub, and they walked
through it in Indian file. Not a bird or beast was killed that day
or the next. A consultation was held at night, and it was agreed to
kill Watch in the morning if nothing else turned up, Crow by this
time being too hungry to say another word in favour of his dog. But
at daylight an eaglehawk was watching them from a tree, and Brown
shot it. It was soon put in the ashes, and when cooked was divided
among the seven.

On the eighth day Macnamara said, "I can smell the ocean." His name
means "sons of the sea," and he was born and reared on the shore of
the Atlantic. Sand hummocks were soon seen, and the roar of the
breakers beyond could be heard. Two redbills were shot and eaten,
and Spiller and Watch were kept for future use. On the ninth day
they shot a native bear, which afforded a sumptuous repast, and gave
them strength to travel two days longer. When they camped at night a
tribe of blacks made a huge fire within a short distance, howling
their war songs, and brandishing their w