strange, and I suppose I must have been a little delirious.

I was sitting panting with the heat, resting my head against the rock,
listening to the breathing of Tom Jecks, and wondering why it was that
something hot and black and intangible should be always coming down and
pressing on my brain, when I started into wakefulness, or rather out of
my stupor, for Ching touched me, and I found that he had crept past Tom
Jecks to where I had made my seat, and had his lips close to my ear.

"Hoolay!" he whispered. "Flee cheahs! Pilate all go away! Go up see."

CHAPTER FORTY FOUR.

WITHIN AN ACE.

Ching's words sent a thrill of delight through me, rousing me, and
bringing me out of my half-delirious state.

Without a word, I crept cautiously up to my look-out place, listening to
the loud shouting and gabbling of the Chinamen as I got nearer to the
tuft of greeny growth, which I parted without so much hesitation now,
and, looking out, I could see that by the warm glow of the late
afternoon sun which made me shrink back with my heart sinking, and creep
down again to Ching.

"Yes?" he whispered. "Allee going 'way?"

"No," I replied, with my lips to his ear; "they are carrying up boards
and pieces of the wreck and sails, and making themselves a shelter.
They are going to stay."

Ching drew his breath with a low hiss, and was silent for a few minutes.
Then, quite cheerfully, he whispered--

"Velly bad job. Don'tee want bad wicked pilate here. Nevy mind: come,
eat blisket, dlink watee. Muchee best place. Muchee better than
pilate. Then go have good long s'eep."

We stole back to where the biscuit and water vessel had been placed for
safety; but when Ching handed me some biscuits I felt as if I could not
eat, though a little water refreshed me.

"No dlinkee much; no get more till pilate gone."

I shuddered as I thought of the consequences of being without water in
that stifling place, but the simple refreshments did me a wonderful
amount of good, and, after dipping my handkerchief in the vessel and
squeezing a few drops from time to time between Tom Jecks' lips as he
began to mutter, he dropped off to sleep again.

I sat listening then to the smothered sounds from without, where the
enemy were evidently very busy, and I was just dropping off again into
an uneasy slumber, when I started into wakefulness, for there was a loud
shout from the opening we had blocked up, and I felt that all was over.
They had f