."

"Never mind the topper they gave you, Jimmy. We'll escape and find our
friends."

"Don't know um," said Jimmy dolefully. "Bad good black fellow got no
muttons--no grub--no wallaby. Eat Mass Joe--eat Jimmy."

"Do you think they are cannibals, Jimmy?" I said excitedly.

Jimmy opened his mouth and his eyes very wide and stared at me.

"I say, do you think they are cannibals? How stupid! Do you think they
eat man?"

"Yes; 'tupid, 'tupid. Eat man, lot o' man. Bad, bad. Make um sick,
sick."

I turned cold, for here was corroboration of my fear. This was why they
were treating us well instead of killing us at once; and I was turning a
shuddering look at the circle of black faces around me when Jimmy
exclaimed:

"Sha'n't ums eat Jimmy. No, no. Jimmy eat a whole lot fust. No eat
Mass Joe. Jimmy killum killum all lot."

I stood there tightly bound, talking from time to time to the black,
happier in mind at having a companion in my imprisonment, and trying to
make him understand that our best policy was to wait our time; and then
when our captors were more off their guard we could perhaps escape.

"No good 't all," said Jimmy, shaking his head. "Go eat um, Mass Joe,
poor Jimmy. Make up fat um--fat um like big sheep. No run at all,
catch fas'."

"Not so bad as that, Jimmy," I said, laughing in spite of my position at
the idea of being made so fat that we could neither of us run.

Just then there was a movement among our captors, and having apparently
satisfied themselves with a long inspection of their prisoners they were
evidently about to take us back to our prisons.

"Jimmy gib all big kick?" said the black.

"No, no," I cried, "go quietly."

"Jimmy come 'long Mass Joe?" he said next.

"If they will let you," I replied; "but if they will not, go back to
your own place quietly."

"Mass Joe no kind poor Jimmy," he whimpered. "Want kick um. Mass Joe
say no."

"Wait till I tell you, Jimmy," I replied. "Now go quietly."

He made an attempt to accompany me, but the blacks seized him sharply
and led him one way, me the other; and as the sun set and the darkness
began to come on, I lay in my hut watching the boy and the tall painted
chief talking earnestly together, for I could not see Jimmy's prison
from inside my own.

I felt lighter of heart and more ready to take a hopeful view of my
position now that my sufferings from my injuries were less, and that I
had a companion upon whom I c