was me, and I declare to goodness
I'd sooner have shot myself."

"Yes, my lad, I believe you," said Mr Raydon, very faintly, from
further away now.

"Is it--is it right through the heart?"

"No, no, no, not, so bad as that. The bullet has passed right through
just below the shoulder."

"There--then he'll bleed to death," groaned Esau.

"No; I've stopped that. Quick! more water; he's going off again."

"He's dying! he's dying!" cried Esau, very close to me now, as it seemed
to me; but his voice died out quickly, beginning as a shrill cry and
ending in a faint whisper, and it all grew dark and silent for a time.
Then once more I seemed to wake up with a shrill-toned bell ringing
loudly in my ears; and I lay with a terrible sensation of deathly
faintness till I heard Esau say, close to me--"I'll carry him, sir."

"No, no, my lad."

"But you don't know how strong I am, sir."

"We must not shake him more than we can help, and he must be in an easy
position. Have you your knife? I left mine."

"Yes, sir, here," cried Esau; and then in a low voice, "Oh, poor chap!
poor chap!--what have I done!"

I lay very still then, listening to a hacking noise as if some one were
chopping with a knife, and I listened again for what seemed a long time
to a good deal of rustling and panting, and what sounded like the
tearing up of handkerchiefs.

"There," said Mr Raydon, "if we are careful that will bear him. Now
then--no, wait a moment. I must tie the rifle to this pole. I want
something else."

"Here's my other boot-string, sir," I heard Esau say.

"Yes, capital. That will do. Now, are you ready? Get hold of his legs
quietly; don't hesitate, and when I say _now_, both lift together."

I had some faint, wondering thought as to whom they were talking about,
when a terrible pang shot through me, and I felt myself lifted up and
laid down again on what felt like a bed of fir-branches. The sickness
did not increase, and I lay there listening to some one moaning as if in
pain, while I became conscious of a curious, swinging motion as I was
being gently borne up and down and carried through the air.

Then I seemed to fall into an uneasy sleep, and to lie and dream about
Mr Raydon burning my chest with red-hot irons, and these changed to
little nuggets of gold which burnt me every time they touched my chest
or back. At times the pain ceased, and then it began again, always with
the swaying motion, while now and then,