s embedded, so nearly passing through that as Brace placed
his hand beneath the arm he could feel the point of the missile.

"Don't hesitate," whispered Sir Humphrey. "Poisoned or not poisoned,
that arrow must be extracted. Will you cut down to it or shall I let
Briscoe?"

"I'll do it," said Brace, through his set teeth; "but I can't help
hurting you, Free: I must do that."

"Go on. Act," said his brother firmly. "_I'm_ not a child. Cut
boldly."

Brace placed the point of the knife close to the shaft of the arrow, his
hand trembling so that he could not keep the point still. Then he was
as firm as a rock, for the thought came to him that he must be doing
wrong to make so terrible a cut, and he knew that he risked dividing
some important vessel.

The knife fell into the bottom of the boat with a loud jangling sound,
for the right idea had come, and Brace played the surgeon as if he had
been trained to the profession.

Keeping his left hand beneath his brother's arm just clear of the raised
skin where the point of the arrow pressed, he seized the shaft firmly,
gave a sudden thrust, and forced the arrow-head right through, keeping
up the pressure till both barbs were well clear, and with them four or
five inches of the thin bamboo.

"Now, one of you," he cried to Dan, "pick up my knife and cut through
the arrow."

The man grasped the idea, and with one cut divided the shaft, while in
less time than it takes to tell it Brace pulled with his left hand, and
the part of the shaft in the wound was drawn right through, while the
blood began to flow.

The next moment Brace's lips were applied to the wound, first on one
side and then on the other, making it bleed more freely; and this he
supplemented by holding his brother's arm over the side and bathing and
pressing the wound.

"It may be a false alarm, lad," said Sir Humphrey, speaking slowly and
calmly; "but it is as well to take the precaution."

"Yes, of course," said Brace huskily, and his heart sank low and the
chill of dread increased, for as he sucked the wound where the arrow had
entered he was conscious of a strange pungent acid taste, which clung to
his lips and caused a stinging sensation at the tip of his tongue.

He scooped up a little water in the hollow of his hand and then snatched
it away, flinging the water over his brother's face, for he was
conscious of a sharp pricking sensation as if he had scarified the skin
against a thorn.

But he