y, stepping alongside to where May had his
foot upon the shivering slave's chest. "No one is going to hurt you."

"Oh, massa! Oh, massa! Poor niggah, sah!" sobbed the poor fellow, and
he placed his hands together as if in prayer.

"Hold your tongue! Be quiet!" cried Murray. "Now then, speak out.
Where's your master?"

"Oh, massa! You massa now!" sobbed the poor wretch, shivering
violently.

"Be quiet, sir!" cried Murray. "Don't be afraid to speak. Now then,
tell me. Where is your master?" It was some minutes before the poor
fellow could grasp the fact that he was not going to be killed outright,
and in the meantime his companions had begun to show themselves, a face
here and a face there, around the edge of the long winding lake,
horribly frightened to a man, but fascinated and held to the spot by
their strong desire to see what became of their companion.

"See 'em, sir?" whispered Tom May.

"Oh yes, I see them; but I want to try and get some information out of
this poor shivering wretch."

"We might ketch the rest on 'em, sir," said the big sailor, "by using
this one as a bait. Shall we try, sir?"

"No, no; this one will know all they could tell, if we can make him
speak."

"Shall I try, sir?"

"No, no, Tom; you're too big and--"

"Ugly, sir?" said the man, with a grim smile, for Murray had stopped
speaking.

"Too ugly to him," said the middy, laughing.

"Here, you sir," he added gently, as he bent down and tapped his
prisoner upon the shoulder.

"Oh, massa! Poor niggah, sah!"

"Yes, yes; you said that before," cried Murray.

"Poor beggars, sir, they've been so ill-used that they think every white
man is going to murder 'em."

"Well, let's show the poor fellow that we are not all savages; but we've
begun pretty roughly, Tom, to win this one's confidence. You did give
it him pretty hard."

"Well, yes, sir, I was a bit rough to him; but if I hadn't been he'd
have got away."

"Now then, let me try. Here, my lad, I want your master."

"Massa, sah?" cried the shivering prisoner. "Yes, sah. Massa, sah!"
And as he spoke eagerly he made a snatch at the midshipman's ankle,
caught it between both hands, and raising the lad's foot placed it
quickly upon his forehead.

"Hullo! What do you mean by that?"

"Massa! Massa now, sah. Poor niggah massa."

"Oh, bother! Nonsense!" cried Murray. "No, no. Where's your master,
Mr Allen?"

"Massa Allen, sah. Good massa, sah. Sick man; g