hurt me, so that I became no longer a subject for
their merriment.

At length, about noon, we stopped to rest; and most of our guards, after
eating their meal of plantains, went to sleep. I thought that it would
be a good opportunity to try and get near the captain, to learn if he
thought that there was any chance of our escaping. Some few of the
Maroons, with arms in their hands, sat up watching us narrowly; I
therefore put on as unconcerned a manner as possible, and lay down on
the ground, pretending to go to sleep likewise. I in return watched our
guards, and one by one I saw sleep exerting its influence over them.
Their eyes rolled round in their heads like those of owls; their heads
nodded; then they looked up, trying to appear prodigiously wise; but it
would not do, and at length the whole camp was asleep. I considered
that now or never was my time for communicating with the captain.
Though I saw that no one near was likely to observe me, I thought that
some one at a distance might, and therefore that it would be necessary
to be cautious. Instead of getting up and walking, I rolled myself
gently over and over till I got close up to him.

"Captain," said I, very softly--"Captain Helfrich, sir. I am here.
What can I do?"

He was drowsy, and at first did not hear me; but soon rousing himself,
he turned his eyes towards me, for he could not move his head. "Ah,
Jack! is that you?" said he; "we are in a bad plight, lad."

"Do you think the savages are going to kill us, sir?" said I.

"No doubt about it, Jack, if we are not rescued, or don't manage to
escape," he answered. "I see little prospect of either event."

"But what can I do, sir?" I asked.

"Little enough, I am afraid, lad," he replied, in a subdued, calm tone.
"But stay, if you can manage to get your hands near my teeth, I will try
and bite the bands off them, and then you can loosen the lashings round
my limbs. We must wait for the night before we try to escape. We
should now be seen, and pursued immediately."

I did as he bid me, and by means of his strong teeth he was soon able to
free my hands from the ropes which had confined them. I also at length,
with much more difficulty, so far slackened all his bands and the
lashings which secured him to the litter, that he might with ease slip
his limbs completely out of them. Having accomplished this important
undertaking, I crawled back to the spot I had before occupied. Scarcely
had I got