enture forth
and bring back such information as would enable them to decide on their
further movements.

From the time I awoke, the unpleasant conviction began gradually to
force itself on my mind that the attitude and disposition of the
escaped prisoners towards George and myself was undergoing a change.
In the first glow of their gratitude for the small kindnesses and
services which we had shown them, they had gone to an extreme in their
expression of good will, but now a reaction became evident. Any
obligation to us which they might have felt on the previous evening was
now forgotten. They began to resent our presence among them, and
appeared to regret that they had not taken their leader's advice, and
not hampered their escape by bringing us with them to the coast. As
far as was possible in such a limited space, they excluded us from
their society, allowing us to have no share in their conversation,
which, for the most part, seemed to turn on the various misdeeds for
which they had suffered.

"What's to be done with 'em when we get out of here?" I heard one man
remark.

"That'll be seen when the time comes," answered another. "I don't
suppose they'd thank us to take 'em with us over to France."

On comparing notes with George, I found he had already remarked the
same thing, but had refrained from mentioning it for fear of causing me
unnecessary alarm.

"Laugh every now and again as if we were talking about something
comic," he whispered as we sat together, a little apart from the rest.
"It won't do to let 'em think we suspect them or notice any change."

So with many feigned grins and chuckles we continued our talk, though
Heaven knows I never in my life felt less in a laughing mood.

"What d'you think they'll do with us?" I asked.

"How can I tell?" he answered. "But any one could see that there's
rocks ahead for you and me. Put yourself in their place, and leave
everything out of the question but your own safety, and think what's to
be done. Once give us our freedom, and how are they to know that we
shan't loose the dogs on their heels the very next minute? Another
thing: if they take us with them, we shall be able to identify the men
who help them in their escape--the crew of some smuggling craft, I
expect--and it's not likely, with that knowledge in our heads, we shall
be left to walk straight off to the nearest justice of the peace."

"Then what will they do with us? They can't leave us here