Part 20 (2/2)

”How should I know? Ask the king And don't botherto sleep”

”You are not I want to talk Now, they

They can't intend to eat us, because there isn't enough to go around

And there is Desiree What the deuce was she doing up there without any clothes on? I say, Paul, we've got to find her”

”With pleasure But, first, how are we going to get out of this?”

”Inowhere Harry's loquacity I understood; the poor lad meant to show me that he had resolved not to ”whine” Yet his cheerfulness was but partly assu sadly frayed about the edge

We slept through another watch uneventfully, and oke found our platter of fish and basin of water beside us I estimated that some seventy-two hours had then passed since we had been carried from the cavern; Harry said not less than a hundred

However that th

Indeed, Harry declared himself perfectly fit; but I still felt some discomfort, caused partly by the knife-wound on my knee, which had not entirely healed, and partly, I think, by the strangeness and monotony of our diet Harry's palate was less particular

On awaking, and after breaking our fast, ere both filled with an odd contentment I really believe that we had abandoned hope, and that the basis of our listlessness was despair; and surely not without reason For what chance had we to escape from the Incas, handicapped as ere by the darkness, and our want of weapons, and their overwhel numbers?

And beyond that--if by some lucky chance we did escape--what remained?

To wander about in the endless caves of darkness and starve to death

At the time I don't think I stated the case, even to myself, with such brutal frankness, but facts make their impression whether you invite them or not But, as I say, ere filled with an odd contenth despair may have possessed our hearts, it was certainly not allowed to infect our tongues

Breakfast was hilarious Harry sang an old drinking-song to the water-basin with touching sentiave hi

”The last ti that,” said Harry as the last echoes died away, ”was at the Midlothian Bunk Stafford was there, and Billy Du Mont, and Fred Marston--I say, do you remember Freddie? And his East Side crocodiles?

”My, but weren't they daisies? And polo? They could play it in their sleep And--what's this? Paul! So's up! Here they come--Mr

and Mrs Inca and all the children!”

I sprang hastily to h the half darkness they came, hundreds of them, and, as always, in utter silence Diether round us on every side, leaving us in the center of a small circle in their midst

”Nohat the deuce do they want?” I muttered ”Can't they let us eat in peace?”

Harry observed: ”Wasn't I right? 'Most awful vile!'”

I think we both felt that ere joking in the face of death

The for us stood silent for perhaps ten seconds Then four of their nuestures with a hairy ar to our rear We turned and saw a narrow lane lined on either side by our captors Nothing was distinct; still we could see well enough to guess their