n and
unexpected rescue from the horrors of a death from protracted torment,
such as he had witnessed in the case of the other four. For it now
appeared that--without harrowing the reader's feelings by entering into
unnecessary details--the sufferings of one or two of the unfortunate men
must have been prolonged to the extent of quite three hours. The
ringleader, Tonkin, had been, singularly enough, the man who had been
subjected to certain peculiar refinements of torture which, while
inflicting what one could readily conceive would be the most
excruciating agony, were not of a nature to produce death save by the
long-drawn-out process of physical exhaustion. We spoke such comforting
words to the poor creatures as we could think of, at the same time not
forgetting to administer a little much-needed stimulant and food. The
production of the latter reminded us all that we felt atrociously hungry
and thirsty, and as soon as we were safely clear of the creek and once
more in the main channel of the river, we fell to upon the basket of
provisions that Briggs had so thoughtfully provided for our refreshment.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Note: What would Grenvile have thought of the much more perfect service
of the present day, I wonder?--H.C.

CHAPTER NINE.

A NIGHT ATTACK.

We arrived safely alongside the ship just as the sun was dipping beneath
the western horizon, to the great relief and joy of those whom we had
left on board, and we learned with much satisfaction that nothing
whatever of an alarming character had transpired during our long
absence. The occupants of the cuddy were very naturally anxious to be
furnished with the fullest details of our afternoon's adventure; but I
left the telling of that to the general, and retired below to indulge in
the luxury of a good wash and a complete change of clothing before
sitting down to dinner.

That the tragic occurrences of the day had put an effectual end to the
mutiny was, of course, a foregone conclusion, and I was not at all
surprised to learn that, within a quarter of an hour of our return, the
men--having doubtless consulted together in the forecastle--had come aft
in a body to express to Carter their contrition for their insubordinate
behaviour, and to request that they might be allowed to turn-to again,
at the same time giving the most elaborate assurances of good behaviour
in the future. As a matter of fa