ef off my eyes. I lay quiet for some time to recover
my breath. Though I could not move to feel about, I was convinced, by
the closeness of the atmosphere, that I was in a small place--probably
in a compartment of the boatswain's store-room. My next object was to
get the handkerchief off my eyes, to ascertain if any light penetrated
my place of confinement. It was a difficult matter to do this without
hurting myself, but I tried, by turning over and rubbing the knot at the
back of my head against the boards on which I lay, to work it upwards,
though at the expense of making a sore place, so tightly was it secured.
At last I succeeded in getting it off. All was dark, as I had
expected. The next task I undertook was to free my arms. This was a
far more difficult undertaking. I made up my mind to bite through the
ropes if I could get my teeth into them; but that, after many attempts,
I found to be impossible. I avoided, as much as I could, drawing them
tighter round my wrists. I endeavoured, by making one of my hands as
small as I could, to draw it out of the knot, but again and again I was
obliged to desist. Still I recollected how I had before escaped from
the hold, as well as from the mill, and I repeated to myself, "Fortune
favours the persevering."

I had been on foot for a number of hours; and, wearied by the exertions
I had lately made, I at last began to feel very sleepy, and shortly
dropped off into an uncomfortable slumber. I was awakened by a gruff
voice, which I recognised as that of the boatswain.

"Gregory, I do believe the young rascal is dead," he said.

"It may save a world of trouble if he is," answered old Growles; "for
those passengers are making a precious fuss about him. If he was to get
ashore, he'd be telling tales. We can say he died in his sleep, and let
them have his body, which will show how it happened."

"Not if he's black in the face. Here, hand the lantern, and let's have
a look."

All this time I was afraid to open my eyes, or even to breathe; and I
thought that, if I could sham being dead, they would carry me on deck,
and I would then soon show them the contrary. I guessed that I must
have rolled over with my face away from the door, so that they couldn't
see it. Presently I felt a hand placed on my shoulder to draw me round.
I let them move me as they liked, and I knew, from the light which I
saw through my eyelids, that the rays of a lantern were cast on me. I
flat