urs."

"Who are you?" said Nic, taking his new acquaintance's tone.

"I?" said the officer, laughing at the manner in which the question was
put. "Lieutenant Lance, His Majesty's 300th Light Infantry. This is
Ensign Harvey of my company. Both at your service, sir, and our company
too."

"Thank you," said Nic, laughing; "but I'm not likely to need it."

"Unless the birds want to take _flight_," said the ensign.

Nic looked at him inquiringly.

"He means the gaol birds, youngster," said the elder officer, laughing,
"if they rise against us. Not a very nice arrangement for your lady
coming out in a ship like this."

"Is there any danger?" said Nic anxiously.

"No," said the ensign, rather importantly; "we shall see that there's
not."

"Then you are here to guard them?" asked Nic.

"Bah, no! We are going to join our regiment. There is a warder guard.
Of course, if there was any necessity--"

Nic looked rather startled, and the lieutenant said, smiling:

"There'll be nothing to mind, my lad. The winds and waves will trouble
you more than the convicts; but they're not pleasant fellow-passengers
to have, on board."

Nic did not think so the next morning, when, after guard had been
mounted under the lieutenant's charge, just as they were getting well
out of the mouth of the river, with the soldiers stationed at intervals
with loaded muskets and fixed bayonets, orders were given, and the
stern-looking warders ushered up the convict gang of fifty men from
below to take their allotted amount of air and exercise in the forward
part of the deck; for almost without exception they were a
villainous-looking lot, their closely cropped hair and ugly prison garb
adding to the bad effect.

Talking was strictly forbidden, every movement being carefully watched,
and not least by Nic, at whom the prisoners looked curiously as they
passed, one man putting on a pleading, piteous aspect, as if asking for
the boy's compassion, and twice over his lips moved as if he were saying
something.

But somehow, though the man was not bad-looking, and formed one of the
exceptions to the brutally fierce faces around, his pleading look did
not excite Nic's pity, but caused a feeling of irritation that he could
not explain.

This happened again and again, when, attracted by the daily coming up of
the men on deck, Nic found himself watching them, unconscious of the
fact that he was watched the while.

Every now and then the chief w