y, out of her complement of over
three hundred--were crawling slowly and carefully, on hands and knees,
down a steep jungle path, not half a mile from the scene of the rescue,
on their way to the beach. How they come to be in this position,
creeping along and keeping cautiously within the shadow cast by the
moon, can soon be told.

Immediately the cannibals had been slain by the Japanese volleys, and
the officer and his men had cast loose the cramped and stiffened forms
of the prisoners, the wounded Formosans--of whom there were very few--
had been executed by the orders of the Japanese captain, who said that
he could not afford to take any savage prisoners. But he courteously
informed Frobisher that, although he was delighted and honoured at
having been the means of succouring the "honourable captain" and his men
in their extremity, he would be obliged, as the two countries were still
at war, to make him and all his men prisoners until such time as they
could be exchanged. If, however, Frobisher would give his parole for
himself and his crew, he would be very glad to give them all a passage
to Japan when the transports returned thither; otherwise, he should be
obliged to keep them with him on the island until he was relieved or the
Japanese garrison withdrawn.

Frobisher and Drake, after consulting, decided that they would not give
their parole. They were both eager to get away from Formosa and back to
their duty as soon as possible, and they believed they might be able to
form a plan by which to bring this about, if they were not sent to
Japan.

He therefore informed General Oki of his decision. That officer
shrugged his shoulders, and ordered the two Englishmen and the
twenty-three Chinese to be closely guarded until a building could be
erected as a prison for them. This was soon run up, and the twenty-five
men placed therein, with sentries stationed at the doors night and day.

They were well treated, but very strictly guarded; and it was a long
time before even a glimmering of an opportunity to escape occurred. The
gunboat had convoyed the transports back to Nagasaki; and as escape was
impossible without the assistance of a ship, it became necessary to wait
until another returned, as she was expected to do, in about three
months' time, with stores.

It was longer than that, however, before she appeared, and provisions
were becoming exceedingly scarce when one day everybody awoke to find
one of the late