f death,
you should take one of these, as I mean to do, and cheat the Abati of
their vengeance."

"That is all very fine," said the Professor as he pocketed his tabloid,
"but I never could swallow a pill without water at the best of times,
and I don't believe those beasts will give one any. Well, I suppose I
must suck it, that's all. Oh! if only the luck would turn, if only the
luck would turn!"

Three more days went by without any sign of Higgs's aspiration being
fulfilled. On the contrary, except in one respect, the luck remained
steadily against us. The exception was that we got plenty to eat and
consequently regained our normal state of health and strength more
rapidly than might have been expected. With us it was literally a case
of "Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die."

Only somehow I don't think that any of us really believed that we should
die, though whether this was because we had all, except poor Quick,
survived so much, or from a sneaking faith in Maqueda's optimistic
dreams, I cannot say. At any rate we ate our food with appetite, took
exercise in an inner yard of the prison, and strove to grow as strong as
we could, feeling that soon we might need all our powers. Oliver was the
most miserable among us, not for his own sake, but because, poor fellow,
he was haunted with fears as to Maqueda and her fate, although of these
he said little or nothing to us. On the other hand, my son Roderick was
by far the most cheerful. He had lived for so many years upon the brink
of death that this familiar gulf seemed to have no terrors for him.

"All come right somehow, my father," he said airily. "Who can know what
happen? Perhaps Child of King drag us out of mud-hole, for after all
she was very strong cow, or what you call it, heifer, and I think toss
Joshua if he drive her into corner. Or perhaps other thing occur."

"What other thing, Roderick?" I asked.

"Oh! don't know, can't say, but I think Fung thing. Believe we not done
with Fung yet, believe they not run far. Believe they take thought for
morrow and come back again. Only," he added sadly, "hope my wife not
come back, for that old girl too full of lofty temper for me. Still,
cheer up, not dead yet by long day's march, and meanwhile food good
and this very jolly rest after beastly underground city. Now I tell
Professor some more stories about Fung religion, den of lions, and so
forth."

On the morning after this conversation a crisis came. Just as