Part 26 (1/2)

”They want to murder us,” says Frere ”Give way, lances one with the other, pulled the boat's head round, and made for the vessel ”It's no use, Mr Frere,”

said the ood now, and they won't hurt us, I dare say”

”You dogs, you are in league with thenation ”Do you mutiny?”

”Come, come, sir,” returned the soldier, sulkily, ”this ain't the tiood as another just now”

This speech from the lips of a man who, but a few minutes before, would have risked his life to obey orders of his officer, didto convince Maurice Frere of the hopelessness of resistance His authority--born of circumstance, and supported by adventitious aid--had left him The musket shot had reduced him to the ranks He was now no more than anyone else; indeed, he was less thanpowers With a groan he resigned hi at the sleeve of the undress uniforone out of it When they reached the brig, they found that the jolly-boat had been lowered and laid alongside In her were eleven persons; Bates with forehead gashed, and hands bound, the stunned Gri, Lyon, Riley, Cheshi+re, and Lesly with muskets, and John Rex in the stern sheets, with Bates's pistols in his trousers' belt, and a loaded musket across his knees The white object which had been seen by the e white shahich wrapped Mrs

Vickers and Sylvia

Frere muttered an oath of relief when he saw this white bundle He had feared that the child was injured By the direction of Rex the whale-boat was brought alongside the jolly-boat, and Cheshi+re and Lesly boarded her Lesly then gave his musket to Rex, and bound Frere's hands behind him, in the same manner as had been done for Bates Frere atte his musket to his ear, swore he would blow out his brains if he uttered another syllable; Frere, catching the nant eye of John Rex, reer would pay off old scores, and was silent

”Step in here, sir, if you please,” said Rex, with polite irony ”I am sorry to be compelled to tie you, but I must consult my own safety as well as your convenience” Frere scowled, and, stepping aardly into the jolly-boat, fell Pinioned as he was, he could not rise without assistance, and Russen pulled hih In his present fraalled him worse than his bonds

Poor Mrs Vickers, with a woman's quick instinct, saw this, and, even amid her own trouble, found leisure to console him ”The wretches!” she said, under her breath, as Frere was flung down beside her, ”to subject you to such indignity!” Sylvia said nothing, and seemed to shrink from the lieutenant Perhaps in her childish fancy she had pictured hi to her rescue, ar mail, or, at the very least, as a muscular hero, ould settle affairs out of hand by sheer personal prowess If she had entertained any such notion, the reality must have struck coldly upon her senses Mr Frere, purple, clumsy, and bound, was not at all heroic

”Now, my lads,” says Rex--who seeive you your choice Stay at hell's Gates, or come with us!”

The soldiers paused, irresolute To join the mutineers ing Yet to stay with the prisoners was--as far as they could see--to incur the inevitable fate of starvation on a barren coast As is often the case on such occasions, a trifle sufficed to turn the scale The wounded Griht theof the sentence, and in his obfuscated condition of intellect ars!” said he, ”and leave us honest -up for this”

The phrase ”tying-up” brought with it recollection of the worst portion of military discipline, the cat, and revived in the minds of the pair already disposed to break the yoke that sat so heavily upon them, a train of dismal memories The life of a soldier on a convict station was at that time a hard one He was often stinted in rations, and of necessity deprived of all rational recreation, while punishment for offences was prompt and severe The companies drafted to the penal settlements were not coood precedent for the course they were about to take

”Coht The wind is freshening, and we o with you!” says theinto the water with averted face Upon which utterance the convicts burst into joyous oaths, and the pair were received with uard, got into the whale boat, and having loosed the two prisoners from their bonds, ordered them to take the place of Russen and Fair The whale-boat was , Fair, Russen, and the two recruits pulling, and the other four standing up, with their otten such a dread of authority in these men that they feared it even when it was bound and menaced by four muskets ”Keep your distance!” shouted Cheshi+re, as Frere and Bates, in obedience to orders, began to pull the jolly-boat towards the shore; and in this fashi+on was the disht when they reached it, but the clear sky began to thrill with a late ently upon the beach, glimmered with a radiance born of their ownashore, helped out Mrs Vickers, Sylvia, and the wounded Gri done under the muzzles of the muskets, Rex commanded that Bates and Frere should push the jolly-boat as far as they could fro her by a boat-hook as she came towards them, she was taken in tow

”Now, boys,” says Cheshi+re, with a savage delight, ”three cheers for old England and Liberty!”

Upon which a great shout went up, echoed by the grim hills which had witnessed so many miseries

To the wretched five, this exultant mirth sounded like a knell of death

”Great God!” cried Bates, running up to his knees in water after the departing boats, ”would you leave us here to starve?”

The only ansas the jerk and dip of the retreating oars