that afternoon the train crawled and jolted into Lima;
the trucks were at once surrounded by soldiery who were waiting for
their arrival, and the unhappy prisoners were roughly hauled out and
formed up in a square as before. The weary, hungry and thirsty
prisoners were hurried off to the castle of Lima, where, in the
courtyard, they were given the first food and water that many of them
had received for nearly thirty-six hours.

While the starving wretches were refreshing themselves, the gates opened
to admit another body of about fifty Chilians surrounded by guards.
These were herded in among those who had arrived by the train, and
likewise were given food and water, upon which they fell like ravenous
wild beasts. After having satisfied his hunger, Jim seized the
opportunity to look round him a little. There were now about two
hundred Chilians present, and it was evident, from the preparations that
were being made, that they were all to be taken to the mines. Even as
he looked about him the new force of guards began to form up. There
were quite a hundred of them, Jim noticed, or about one to every two
prisoners. But the Peruvians were all armed with rifle and bayonet,
whereas the Chilians were not; moreover, the guards were free, while the
Chilian prisoners were manacled together in groups of a dozen.

Douglas had been led to expect that they would be kept a day or two at
Lima, but he now saw that he had been mistaken in his surmise.
Apparently the second body of prisoners had arrived sooner than they
were expected, and consequently the authorities had decided that all the
Chilians should commence their march without delay. The captives were
now ordered to stand up, and were formed into one company of five men
deep. After this was done a number of Peruvians brought in a couple of
wagons, which they at once began to unload, taking therefrom a number of
pickaxes and shovels, which were then served out among the prisoners,
and each man was given one of each tool. The reason for this, Jim
discovered, was that there were not sufficient implements at Sorata to
supply the new labourers, so the prisoners were compelled to carry with
them the tools wherewith they were to do their work when they reached
their destination.

"_Carrajo_!" exclaimed Douglas under his breath, as he watched his
fellow-prisoners shoulder the pickaxes and shovels. "Do those fools of
Peruvians know what they are doing? Why, they are absolute