uring which he frequently pointed to his
mouth, with the intention probably of intimating to us, that at
present they had no intention of starving us. In this pitiful and
agonizing position we remained for an hour, not knowing what was to be
our fate. When I saw them put the ropes over the rafters, I concluded,
of course, that their intention was to hang us, and never have I so
despised death as I did in that moment; my only wish was, that they
would finish the murderous work as soon as possible. But the Japanese,
it seemed, had no idea, whatever, of taking such a step. Their sole
design and object was to render futile any attempt at escape on our
part. After a while they unbound our ancles, loosened the ropes about
our knees, and leading us out of the building, conducted us through
some cultivated fields into a wood. We were so tightly and skilfully
bound that a boy ten years of age might have conducted us in perfect
safety, but these anxious and careful people did not think so, for
each of us had an especial watchman who held the rope, and an armed
soldier to walk by his side. From a hill we saw our vessel for the
last time, and with bleeding hearts, bid it and our native land, a
long farewell.

II.

We walked along in single file, and had proceeded on our journey for
about half an hour, when we heard the distant thunder of cannon, and
concluded that our vessel must have attacked the fort. I was so
tightly bound, especially about the neck, that my face became swollen,
and I found that my breath was fast leaving me. I could scarcely
swallow, and only with the greatest difficulty, articulate. We
repeatedly begged our guards to loosen a little the cords which bound
us, but the noise of the cannon had thrown them into such paroxysms of
terror that they took no notice whatever of our entreaties, but kept
looking back, and urging us to go on faster. Life, at this moment,
appeared to me a most intolerable burden, and I made up my mind to get
rid of it, by leaping into the next stream of water we came to. But
this determination of mine, I found, was easier to be made than
carried out, for whenever we passed over a stream of the smallest size
even, our suspicious guards held us tightly by the arms. At last,
unable to proceed farther, I sank exhausted and senseless to the
ground. When I recovered, I found that blood had flowed from my mouth
and nostrils, and that I was sprinkled with water. For the first time,
the natives