health and strength must be
preserved intact; therefore during the remainder of that day an abundant
supply of food was provided for them, and they were urged with the
utmost solicitude to partake of it freely. Which they did; for as Phil
remarked to Dick, their strength was never of such vital importance to
them as now; since it was not to be supposed that they were going to
submit to be slowly tortured to death without at least making an effort
to escape; and for that effort to be successful they must keep well and
strong.

The worst of it was that they were quite unable to obtain the slightest
inkling of the form which their torture was to take; the men who guarded
them were willing enough to converse with them upon general subjects,
indeed they were full of curiosity, and asked innumerable questions
respecting the past adventures of the Englishmen; but when it came to
talking about the forthcoming festivities they at once fell silent; they
either could not or would not give the slightest information.

"Well," said Phil, at the conclusion of a long conversation with their
jailers, "we are at least unbound; our hands and feet are free; and
before I suffer myself to be again tied up a good many of the Mayubuna
are going to die."

"I say ditto to that," replied Dick, rising to his feet and stretching
his long limbs as though to test their strength, an action which, by the
by, at once brought the guard facing round with their spears poised and
their bows bent, so alert were they to act upon the slightest thing that
seemed to hint at an attempt to escape. Yet that was precisely the
problem that was exercising the minds of the two white men all through
that day and the succeeding night; and three times during that night did
they make tentative efforts to escape the watchfulness of their gaolers,
but without success.

One thing, however, was pretty evident, and that was that the torture,
whatever might be its nature, was to begin on the morrow; for the
village was in a perfect ferment of excitement all day, and all through
the night, too, for that matter; people were constantly coming and going
in crowds past the hut, merely for the sake, apparently, of getting a
casual peep at the prisoners as they passed; and with nightfall great
fires were lighted in the square, and singing and dancing went on all
through the night as a fitting introduction to the entertainment of the
following day.

At length, after a sleepless