Part 86 (2/2)

”Then he has escaped,” whispered Don joyfully

”Yes Sopainfully ”Good lads, both”

”I don't like to leave you,” said Don again

”Ah! That's right Don, my lad, can you take hold--of --to escape”

A thrill of horror ran through Don as he caught hold of the Englishman's icy hand, and the tears started to his eyes as in a broken voice he repeated the old, old words of supplication; but before his lips had formed half the beautiful old prayer and breathed it into the poor fellow's ear, Don felt his hand twitched spasmodically, and one of the chiefs shouted some order

”Down, Mas' Don! Lie still!” whispered Jeain Think we could crawl into the bush from here?”

”No, Jem; it would be impossible”

”So it would, lad, so it would; but as he said, poor chap, we must take to the woods Think any of these would coed to look in Toain, but he dared not stir

A fewcanoe, which was being urged rapidly over the s time before Don could frame the words he wished to say For whenever he tried to speak there was a strange choking sensation in his throat, and he ended by asking the question azed wildly in his companion's face

”Tomati, Mas' Don?” said Jeht that hat you meant, my lad Didn't you understand him when he spoke?”

”No--yes--I'm afraid I did,” whispered back Don

”Yes, you did, ot away”

Don gazed wildly in Jem's eyes, and then bent his head lon to hide the elish chief was an escaped convict from Norfolk Island He had been a true friend and defender to them both; and Don in his misery, pain, and starvation could only ask himself whether that was the way that he must escape--the only open road

It was quite an hour before he spoke again, and then hardly above his breath

”Jeain?”

Jem looked at him wistfully, and tried to answer cheerily, but the paddles were flashi+ng in the sun, and the canoe was bearing them farther and farther away to a life of slavery, perhaps to a death of such horror that he dared not even think of it, much less speak

CHAPTER FORTY THREE

A SEARCH IN THE DARK

Two days' more water journey within easy reach of the verdant shore, past inlet, gulf, bay, and island, round jagged points, about which the waves beat and foa, and endless barbaric triumphal clamour, the captured canoes with their loads of prisoners and spoil were run up to a black beach, where a crowd of warriors with their woerly awaited their colish prisoners hardly had the spirit to scan the beautiful nook, through which a foae war canoes, and close by which was the large open _whare_ with its carven posts and grotesque heads, quite a village of huts being scattered around

Similarly placed to that which he had helped to defend, Don could see upon a shoulder of the hill which ran up behind the _whare_, a great strongly ed by some enemy

But the whole scene with its natural beauty, seeed out of the canoe, to stagger and fall upon the sands--the fate of many of the wounded prisoners, who ned the ensued, in the hted as soon as the canoes caht, ell used by the wo a banquet was prepared, in which three pigs and a vast number of potatoes formed the principal dishes