ourishing
their spears and looking formidable enough to make the bravest heart
beat faster.

CHAPTER FORTY THREE.

PRISONERS.

It was the day following their being made prisoners--the party of four,
Mak and the pigmy having seemed to melt away amongst the trees at the
first onset of the Illakas and not having been seen since.

The two boys were utterly disheartened, while their companions, tightly
bound, with the canes which were twisted and knotted about their arms
and wrists and thoroughly secured behind their backs, looked despondent,
Dan in particular, who kept fixing his eyes upon Mark and then turning
to shake his head at his companion.

For all had had a long and wearisome tramp, urged on by their captors,
who at the slightest suggestion of hanging back made threatening
gestures with the points of their spears. To the wonder of his party,
this last misfortune had seemed to act like a stimulus to Mark, and
though slowly, he had kept on as well as he could and had only broken
down twice; but now this was the third time, and after what Dan muttered
to Buck was "a crackling jabbering," their captors made preparations for
lighting a fire, and some of them went off as if in search of food,
while the prisoners gladly sank down to rest.

"Say, messmate, drop a word or two to the poor chap."

"All right," growled Buck, and he turned to where Mark lay alone with
his eyes closed. "Come, hold up, Mr Mark, sir. Never say die. They
don't mean to kill us, or they'd have done it before. What do you say,
Dan?"

"Same as you do, messmate. But what do you say to waiting until night
and then as soon as they are all asleep make an escape of it?"

"Can't be done, cookie, and Mr Mark knows as well as as I do that he'd
break down before we had gone a couple of score yards. Wish I'd got my
waggon here, and the span of oxen. That would just suit you now, sir."

"Don't talk to me, Buck; don't talk to me."

"Must, sir. I want to cheer you up a bit. Don't be rough upon us two.
We never meant to let you go on by yourselves, and we set the little Pig
after you directly to keep his eye on you, ready for us to come up soon
as you gave in and couldn't walk any farther. And it's my belief that
that little chap has been creeping about among the leaves ever since we
started again."

Mark looked at him listlessly, and then half closed his eyes again,
utterly exhausted.

"Where do you think they are going to take us, Bu