ling sound!

Still it must be done, and he very softly drew his fingers toward the
buckle at his breast, meaning to undo the strap instead of drawing it
over his head. He kept his eyes fixed upon the men as they still
watched that hole waiting for their prey. The nulla-nullas were
balanced in their hands, and moment by moment, as his fingers busied
themselves over the tongue of that buckle, which would not yield, Nic
expected to see Frank Mayne's head rise above the surface by the moist
mossy sides. The water bubbled and gurgled, the insects hummed
overhead, and that tongue would not yield till he put more pressure on,
and then, with a sudden rush, it was loose.

The two men sprang up quickly, and Nic was in the act of rising too,
presenting the gun, when there was a quick rustle, and a tremendous load
fell across his back, driving him forward; the gun went off, and the boy
was wrenched round and over upon his back, with a man's hands at his
throat, heavy knees upon his chest, and the horribly savage eyes of the
ruffian of whom he had been thinking a minute before glaring into his.

"Hooroar!" cried the droll-looking convict, pouncing upon the gun and
dragging it from Nic's hand; "just the little tool I wanted! Where's
its bread and cheese, mate? Why, deary me, if it ain't the little chap
as used to look at us aboard the ship! How do 'ee do, mate?"

He made a droll grimace, with his tongue in his cheek; but he turned
serious directly, as the savage convict roared at him:

"Look round, you fool! See if any one's coming."

The other two were startled for a moment, and looked round wildly. Then
there was another grimace.

"There ain't no one to be coming. Our bunny won't show out of his hole
after hearing that row; so you won't have no chance of knocking him on
the head to-day, mate. Here, I say, don't choke all the life out of the
boy."

"What!" growled the ruffian. "Why, I'll cut his very heart out if he
don't speak. Here, how many's along with you?"

Nic made no answer, and the ruffian drew out a knife.

"Did you hear what I said?" he croaked, in a low, guttural tone. "Who's
along with you?"

"Don't kill him," said the other fellow, with his smooth aspect gone.
"It's murder. Take him to the edge yonder, and let him fall over by
accident."

"Yah!" cried the other man, making a grimace: "let him be. Here, young
un, they won't hurt yer. You and me's old friends. But you must oblige
me with t