heir backs
against the wall. They were fine-looking men, nearly naked, and joined
together by means of a ponderous piece of iron above two feet long, with
a heavy ring at either end which encircled their necks. The rings were
so thick that their ends must have been forced together with
sledge-hammer and anvil after being put round the men's necks, and then
overlapped and riveted. Thus it became impossible to free them from
their fetters except by the slow and laborious process of cutting them
through with a file. Several old and healed-up sores on the necks and
collar-bones of both men indicated that they and their harsh couplings
had been acquainted for a long time, and one or two inflamed spots told
all too clearly that they had not yet become quite reconciled. _See
Note 1_.

"Now isn't that awful," said John Hockins in a low voice with a sort of
choke in it, "to think that these poor fellows--wi' that horrible thing
that can't be much under thirty pounds weight on their necks, an' that
must ha' bin there for months if not for years--are singin' an' prayin'
to the Almighty, an' here am I, John Hockins, with little or nothin' to
complain of as yet, haven't given so much as a thought to--"

The choke got the better of our sailor at this point, and he became
suddenly silent.

"Das so!" burst in Ebony, with extreme energy. "I's wid you dere! I
tell you what it is, 'Ockins, dem brown niggers is true Kistians, an' we
white folks is nuffin but hipperkrits."

"I hope we're not quite so bad as _that_, Ebony," said Mark, with a sad
smile. "Nevertheless, Hockins is right--we are far behind these poor
fellows in submission and gratitude to our Maker."

While he spoke the heavy door of the prison opened, and a jailor entered
with two large basins of boiled rice. The largest he put on the ground
before our three travellers, the other in front of the coupled men, and
then retired without a word.

"Well, thank God for this, anyhow," said Mark, taking up one of the
three spoons which lay on the rice and going to work with a will.

"Just so," responded the seaman. "I'm thankful too, and quite ready for
grub."

"Curious ting, 'Ockins," remarked Ebony, "dat your happytite an' mine
seems to be allers in de same state--sharp!"

The seaman's appetite was indeed so sharp that he did not vouchsafe a
reply. The prisoners in the dark corner seemed much in the same
condition, but their anxiety to begin did not prevent their