they pay us, to bring us here; for
they have heard of the way English sailors have made their escape from
prison, so they consider it is necessary to carry us all this distance
from the coast."

It was nearly dark when they arrived, so that they had not much time to
get their habitation in order. The night passed quietly enough, except
that they were startled, every now and then, by the asthmatic cough of
the horse, the croaking of the bull-frogs in a neighbouring pond, and
the sound of the sentry's musket, as he grounded it every now and then,
when he halted, after pacing up and down in front of the hut. Bill was
awoke by hearing a voice shouting--

"Hillo, shipmates, ahoy! Where are they, blacky? What! In there?
Then they are as bad off as we are."

Bill jumped up, and went to the door. There he saw an English sailor,
who was, however, a stranger to him.

"Hillo! Boy," said the sailor, "what cheer? What has brought you
here?"

Bill told him what had occurred.

"Well, we heard of some fresh arrivals, so I came along to see who you
were. We have had nearly two score of Englishmen here, officers and
men; some privateersmen, some merchant seamen, the men-of-war's men
having been taken mostly in prizes, except a dozen of us who belong to
the _Buzzard_ schooner, and we should not have been taken had not the
sloop of war we were engaging knocked away our fore-topmast, and pretty
well killed or wounded two-thirds of our ship's company. Some of them,
howsumdever, have been exchanged, and some have died; so that there are
only a few of us remaining to make you welcome."

In a short time, the rest of the Englishmen came to greet the newcomers.
One was a lieutenant, whose thin, careworn countenance showed suffering
and anxiety; and another was a grey-haired old mate, who evidently cared
very little what might become of him. The account they gave of their
treatment was far from satisfactory.

"We receive scarcely sufficient food to keep life in us," observed the
lieutenant.

All had similar complaints to make. Several days passed by, and Mr
Collinson found that his countrymen had ample reason for the complaints
they made.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.

Mr Collinson had expected to hear from Monsieur Mouret, but day after
day passed by and no news reached him. The other lieutenant, Mr Mason,
at length proposed that they should endeavour to make their escape to
the coast.

"I fear that the undertaking is too