o you think of that?"

"Of what?"

"Here's one of 'em licking my face. Oh, I zay, it don't mean tasting me
first to zee whether I'm good, do it?"

"No; the poor brutes believe we are friends, I suppose, from being shut
up with us. But, Pete, they've all gone off after the others. Couldn't
we try to escape again?"

"Nay; t'others have got the boat."

"But the high ground yonder, or the woods?"

"Nay; they'd hunt us down with the dogs. The beggars would go at us if
they hounded 'em on."

Nic was silenced for a few moments, and he sat with a dog on either side
and his arms on their necks.

"But we could get out again; the shingles must be off the roof."

"Yes; that's how Humpy and the others got out, zir. They must ha' known
all our plans."

"Let's creep out, then; the dogs couldn't follow."

"S'pose not, zir; but they'd make howl enough to bring the gaffers back
to lay 'em on our scent. I don't think it's any use to try. I'd face
it and the dogs too with my knife; they never took it away from me. Did
they take yourn?"

"I don't know, Pete. No: here it is."

"And it would be too hard on you to have to face 'em. Best not to try.
We had our go and missed; p'raps we'd better take what they give us and
not grumble."

"Impossible, Pete. I'd rather face the dogs than the lash. But I don't
believe they'd hurt us now."

"P'raps not, zir," said Pete sadly. "This here one's as playful as a
puppy. He's 'tending to bite my arm, but he don't hurt a bit."

There was silence again for a few minutes, during which time Nic sat
with his heart beating hard, listening to the familiar sounds which came
from the forest, while the passionate desire to flee grew and grew till
it swept everything before it.

"Pete," he cried at last, "we must escape. Better starve in the woods
than lead such a life as this. We shall be flogged to-morrow, and it
will kill me, I know."

"The dogs'll hunt us down if we go, lad, and we shall get it worse.
Better face what we've got to have."

"I will not; I cannot, Pete. The way is open, man. Let's try for our
liberty before these wretches come back."

"Zay the word, then, Master Nic; but the dogs is friends now, as long as
we're quiet; they won't let us go."

"Ah, I know!" cried Nic wildly. "Why didn't I think of it before?"

"Think of what, zir?"

"This. Perhaps they might attack us if they thought they were going to
be left."

"That's zo."

"And if we got away