, they struck from behind, they
caught him by the knees and toppled him down, they fell on him prostrate,
they trampled and kicked. He was on his feet again, breathed and fain,
when one from behind got in a stroke at his head with a spar; then he
flung up his hands and dropped among them.

When Christian came to himself he was made fast hand and foot. Torches
and dark figures flashed and swayed before his giddy sight; all round
they hemmed him in. He wanted sense, remembrance, and settled vision.
What meant this savage, cruel hate looking out of every face? these
yells, curses, and accusations dinning at his ears? He was bound upright
in the midst--where? no, where! One came and wrenched off remnants of his
shirt; another stood by making ready. The wretched boy understood, and
strained and struggled desperately for freedom.

Such a scene was not unprecedented among the fishers. According to a
rough, unwritten law, the punishment of thieves they took into their own
hands, and enforced confession and restitution. Scrupulous to a fault,
honourable, proud, Christian maddened at the intolerable degradation
threatening. A thief's portion dealt out to him! the shame of it he could
not bear.

The circle of pitiless, excited eyes watched the swell of splendid
strength expended to exhaustion against stock and cord. He could not
escape from bonds; he could not escape from life; with bleeding wrists,
panting, trembling, sane, impotence confronted him with his inevitable
award.

The shame of it he had to bear. And he could not even effectually hide
his face.

He heard the common formula when confession was demanded concerning
unlawful takings. Truly his eyes looked wicked then, and his teeth showed
in a vicious grin. He heard more, charges so monstrous, that he deemed
them sprung of mere insolent mockery, or else of delirium. Dead silence
fell, that he might answer. He would not. Oh, frenzy was returning,
revolting him against meet despair.

The pain that he had to bear broke upon his body.

Of all the watching throng, none pitied him, none questioned the just
rigour of any penal extreme upon him. To the long distrust and the later
developed abhorrence, the day had brought forth a new fierce lust after
vengeance, exasperated now the might of his hands, superhuman, had done
such terrible work. None but with pulse of satisfaction must keep time to
the stroke of the subjugated boy's long torture; none but would reckon
long for