nd. "Set our arms free,
you fellows. If you want us to go along with you, we will walk quietly
enough, since we can't help ourselves."

The Brazilians, of course, not understanding this, only grinned, and
having collected various articles scattered about on the grass, they
prepared to leave the waterside. Just then, Snatchblock and the rest of
the party from different directions, appeared, very much astonished at
seeing the way in which their companions were being treated, and that
their boat was carried off. Before they could unite, several more
natives coming to the spot, rushed down on them and made them prisoners.
Snatchblock showed fight, and two or three of his assailants bit the
ground before they succeeded in capturing him. The whole naval party
were then marched up the hill towards a village which appeared in the
distance, their captors being joined on the way by several more people,
who abused and threatened them with violent gestures.

"I can't make out whom they take us for," said Higson to Norris, who was
dragged along near him. "Try and ascertain. There is surely some
mistake."

Norris expostulated as well as he could, but received the same reply as
before, "Piratas! piratas!" while their captors pointed with significant
gestures to some horizontal branches of trees which stretched across the
path, intimating, as they all supposed, that the branches would be
convenient for hanging them on.

"I say, Gerald, I don't like this at all at all!" cried Desmond; "if the
people are giving to practising Lynch law here abouts, they may hang us
up as they threaten to do without ceremony."

"I don't think they will dare to do that, for they must guess who we
really are," answered Tom.

"Whatever they may think, they call us `pirates,'" said Desmond.
"Arrah, now, you unmannerly brutes, just behave properly to a
gentleman!" he exclaimed, turning round to the Brazilians, who were
roughly hauling him on away from Tom. Snatchblock and his messmate
walked along, abusing their captors for their own gratification, knowing
pretty well that not a word they uttered could be understood.

At last they arrived in front of a building, with a door and a couple of
strongly-barred windows on either side. The door being opened by an
official-looking personage, who produced a huge key from his pocket,
they were all unceremoniously thrust in one by one. Again Higson
protested against the treatment they were receiving, but