ficulty, and staggered forward a few paces,
but only to fall again. This time, however, he did not wait for the
lash, but made very determined efforts of his own accord to rise and
advance, without showing the smallest sign of resentment. Even his
captors seemed touched, for one of them removed a small portion of his
burden, so that, thereafter, the poor fellow proceeded with less
difficulty, though still with a little staggering and an occasional
groan.

That night they reached a village near the banks of a broad river, where
they put up for the night. After their usual not too heavy supper was
over, the prisoners were thrust into a sort of hut or cattle-shed, and
left to make themselves as comfortable as they could on the bare floor.

"I don't feel quite so much inclined for sleep to-night," said Miles to
Molloy.

"No more do I," remarked the sailor, stretching himself like a wearied
Goliath on the earthen floor, and placing his arms under his head for a
pillow.

"I feel pretty well used up too," said Simkin, throwing himself down
with a sigh that was more eloquent than his tongue. He was indeed
anything but Rattling Bill by that time.

Moses Pyne being, like his great namesake, a meek man, sympathised with
the others, but said nothing about himself, though his looks betrayed
him. Armstrong and Stevenson were silent. They seemed too much
exhausted to indulge in speech.

"Poor fellow!" said Moses to Molloy, "I don't wonder you are tired, for
you not only carried twice as much as any of us, but you took part of
_my_ load. Indeed he did, comrades," added Moses, turning to his
friends with an apologetic air. "I didn't want him to do it, but he
jerked part o' my load suddenly out o' my hand an' wouldn't give it up
again; an', you know, I didn't dare to make a row, for that would have
brought the lash down on both of us. But I didn't want him to carry so
much, an' him so tired."

"Tired!" exclaimed the sailor, with a loud laugh. "Why, I warn't tired
a bit. An', you know, you'd have dropped down, Moses, if I hadn't
helped ye at that time."

"Well, I confess I _was_ ready to drop," returned Moses, with a humbled
look; "but I would much rather have dropped than have added to your
burden. How can you say you wasn't tired when you had fallen down only
five minutes before, an' groaned heavily when you rose, and your legs
trembled so? I could _see_ it!"

To this the seaman's only reply was the expansion of