t would result
in his hurting some one, and being rewarded with a blow on the head or a
spear thrust.

I grew so excited at last as the struggle went on that I waited till
there was a moment's pause when Jimmy and his captors were drawing
breath for a fresh attack, and shouted with all my might--

"Jimmy! be quiet!"

My guard, for there was still one at the door, jumped up and stared in,
while Jimmy and his captors looked in my direction.

Jimmy was the first to break silence by shouting loudly: "Mass Joe!
Mass Joe!"

"Here!" I shouted back; but I repented the next moment, for Jimmy
uttered a yell and made a bound to run towards where he had heard the
sound.

The result was that one savage threw himself down before the prisoner,
who fell headlong, and before he could recover, half a dozen of the
blacks were sitting upon him.

My heart seemed to stand still, and I felt that poor Jimmy's end had
come, but to my delight I could see that our captors were laughing at
the poor fellow's mad efforts to escape, and I shouted to him once
again:

"Be quiet! Lie still!"

There was no answer, for one of the men was sitting on Jimmy's head; but
he ceased struggling, and after a while the blacks rose, circled about
him with their spears, and a couple of them began to push my companion
towards the tree to which he had before been bound.

"Jimmy no fight?" he shouted to me.

"Not now," I shouted back. "Wait."

"All rightums," cried Jimmy: "but gettum waddy back, gibs um bang,
bang--knockum downum--whack, whack--bangum, bangum!"

This was all in a voice loud enough for me to hear, as the poor fellow
allowed his captors to bind him to the tree, after which he hung his
head and pretended or really did go to sleep.

Towards evening I saw the blacks take Jimmy some food, and some was
brought to me; and as I sat up and ate and drank I saw the
strangely-marked savage and the boy come into the centre of the space by
the huts, and lie down near Jimmy, who behaved a good deal after the
fashion of some captured beast, for he raised his head now and then,
utterly ignoring those who were around, and staring straight before him.
But in his case it was not right away toward the forest, but in the
direction of the hut where I was confined, and even at the distance
where I lay I could read the eagerness in the black's countenance as he
waited to hear me speak.

It was getting fast towards sundown, and I was wondering how long the