as yet in favour of
tomahawking the captives and retreating without delay. But the others
would not consent to it. They were not satisfied with the small amount
of suffering yet endured by the prisoners. They were resolved to glut
their savage vengeance. And the prisoners now observed that all traces
of mirth had vanished from their faces. Their eyes gleamed with
fiendish fury, and drawing forth their glittering tomahawks, they
vanished in the thicket, and were soon heard chopping off the small
boughs of the trees.

"What are they doing Sneak?" asked Joe.

"Don't you know what they're doing? ain't they cutting wood as fast as
they kin?" replied Sneak.

"Well, I'm not sorry for that." said Joe. "because its almost dark,
and I'm getting chilly. If they'd only give me something to eat, I'd
feel a heap more comfortable."

"You varasherous fool you, they're cutting wood to burn us up with.
Oh, I wish I was loose!"

"Oh, goodness gracious!" cried Joe, "I never thought of that! Oh, I'm
gone!"

"Are you?" cried Sneak, eagerly; "I'd like to be off too, and we'd
give them a race for it yit."

"Oh! Sneak, I mean I'm ruined, lost for ever! Oh! St. Peter, pity my
helpless condition!"

"Don't think about pity now," said Sneak; "nothing of that sort is
going to do us any good. We must git loose from these trees and run
for it, or we'll be roasted like wild turkeys in less than an hour.
I've got one hand loose!".

"So have I almost!" cried Joe, struggling violently.

"One of 'em's coming!--shove your hand back, and pertend like you're
fast, till he goes away agin!" said Sneak, in a hurried undertone.

The savage emerged from the bushes the next moment, and after
depositing an armful of billets of wood at the feet of Joe, and
walking round behind the prisoners to see if they were still secure,
returned for more fuel.

"Now work for your life!" said Sneak, extricating his wrist from the
cord, and striving to get his feet loose.

"Hang it, Sneak, I can't get my hand out, though the string's quite
loose! Make haste, Sneak, and come and help me," said Joe, in a tone
that indicated his earnestness.

"Let every man look out for himself," replied Sneak, tugging away at
the cord that bound his feet to the tree.

"Oh, Sneak, don't leave me here, to be burnt by myself!" said Joe.

"You wouldn't promise to give any thing to ransom me, a while
ago--I'll cut stick as quick as I kin."

"Oh, Sneak, I can't untie my hands! If yo