s
evening drew on Nic's excitement increased, and with it came a sensation
of strength such as he had not enjoyed for months.

It was as if his companion had endowed him with a portion of his own
elastic temperament, and success was going to attend their efforts. All
the weary despondency had passed away, and in imagination Nic saw the
boat floating down the river towards the sea, where, hope whispered, it
must be very easy to find some British ship whose captain would be ready
to listen to their unhappy story, and let them hide on board till he set
sail, and then let them work their passage home. "For," argued Nic now
in his excitement, "no Englishman could be so hardhearted as to refuse
help to a white slave."

He saw nothing of Pete after they had started for their day's work,
their duties taking them to different parts of the plantation; but that
was no more than he expected, and he toiled away with his hoe, telling
himself that this was the last time he would handle it, for they would--
they must--escape; and he wondered now that he could have hesitated so
long, and have let the notion that Humpy Dee was quietly trying to
undermine them act like a bugbear.

One thing was difficult, though, and that was to eat heartily in
readiness for what might be a long fast. Nic ate all he could force
down, however, and hid away the rest. But how long that hot day seemed,
before the darkness closed in and the strange sounds began to rise from
the woods and river!

Never had all these sounded so loudly before; and when at last Nic lay
down in his rustling bunk, and the place had been locked and the black
sentry placed at the door, it seemed to the listener as if the great
goat-suckers were whirring about just outside, and the bull-frogs had
come in a body to the very edge of the woods and up the ditches of the
plantation to croak.

Humpy Dee and his companions were talking together; the black sentry
yawned, and began to hum an air to himself; and soon after the voices of
the settler and the overseer passed, discussing some plan in connection
with the crops; but Nic did not hear either of the dogs bark, neither
did the one which had shown friendliness towards him come snuffling
about the entrance of the low shed.

"Why doesn't Pete say something?" thought Nic, who began to wonder at
the silence of his companion, not a word having passed since they met at
the rough supper; and now, for the first time that day, Nic's hear