ieve himself
of his bonds he lay still, patiently waiting for his release.

The road seemed to grow rougher and rougher, and he felt that he must be
going along some out-of-the-way by-lane, full of tremendous ruts, for
sometimes one wheel would be down low, sometimes the other; and every
now and then the cart seemed to stick fast, and then followed the sound
of blows.

Whenever there came this sound of blows the cart began to echo back the
noise with a series of tremendous kicks; for it soon became evident that
this was no patient, long-suffering donkey, but one with a spirit of its
own, and ready to resist.

On again, and then another stick-fast.

Whack! whack! whack! went a stick, and clatter, clatter came the
donkey's heels against the front of the cart, in such close proximity to
Hilary's head that he began to be alarmed for the safety of his skull,
and after a good dead of wriggling he managed to screw himself so far
round that when the next assault took place with the stick and battering
with the donkey's heels the front boards of the cart only jarred against
Hilary's arm.

Another term of progress, during which the road seemed better, and they
appeared to get along some distance before there was another jerk up and
another jerk down, and then a series of jumps as if they were going
downhill; and then the cart gave a big bump and stuck fast.

The driver shouted and banged the donkey, and the donkey brayed and
battered the front of the cart, and once more, in spite of his pain and
discomfort, Hilary lay under the straw and laughed as he pictured
accurately enough the scene that was taking place in that narrow lane.

For he was in a rutty, little-used track, in a roughly-made, springless
cart, drawn by a big, ragged, powerful jackass, which every time the
cart stuck, and his driver used the light ash stick he carried, laid
down his ears, bared his teeth, and kicked at the front of the cart,
which was rough with indentations and splinters, the result of the
prowess of the donkey's heels.

On again--stop again--jolt here--jolt there--more blows and kicking, and
Hilary still lying there half stifled beneath the straw; but his youth
and abundant vitality kept him up, so that he lay listening to the
battles between the donkey and his driver; then he thought of his men,
and wondered whether they had made a good search for him; then he began
to think of the lieutenant, and wondered what he would say when the men