, for, with a look of revulsion, Nic cried hoarsely:

"Don't touch me; don't come near me. Wretch--villain! This is all your
work."

"And so say we, my fine fellow," cried Humpy Dee, whose eyes sparkled
with malignant joy. "His doing, every bit, 'cept what you put in, and
for that you've got to take your share the same as us. And all because
a few poor fellows wanted a bit o' salmon. Hor, hor, hor! I say, take
it coolly. No one won't believe ye, and you may think yourself lucky to
get off so well."

Nic turned from the man with a look of disgust, and sat up, resting his
throbbing head in his hands; while, as Humpy Dee went back to his
companions, whistling as he went, Pete threw himself upon the floor,
watching him, with his hands opening and shutting in a strange way, as
if they were eager to seize the brutal ruffian by the throat.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.

CHAINS AND SLAVERY.

Pete calmed down after a while, and began to feel a bit sulky. He had
common-sense enough to begin looking at the state of affairs from a
matter-of-fact point of view, and he lay conning the position over.

"Just as he likes," he said. "He pitches me over, and won't have any
more to do with me. Well, it aren't no wonder, zeeing what I've been.
Wonder what made me turn so zoft and zilly about him! Zeeing how hard
it was for him to be zarved as he was, and then hooked off along with
us."

"Dunno that it's any worse for him than it is for me," he muttered; "but
zeemed to feel a bit sorry about him, poor lad!--there I go again: poor
lad! No more poor lad than I be. Got it into my thick head that it was
nice to help him while he was so bad, and that, now our lads have
pitched me overboard, we was going to be mates and help one another.
But we aren't, for he's pitched me overboard too."

"Well," muttered Pete, with a bitter laugh, "I can zwim as well as most
on 'em, and I shan't hurt much; and as for him, he must take his chance
with the rest on us. He's got his wits back again, and don't zeem like
to go wool-gathering again; and, if he's sharp, he'll speak up and make
that t'other man understand it's all a blunder about him being sent off
along o' we. But there, he wants to go his own fashion, zo he must.
But if I was him I should kick up a dust before we start, and have
myself zent back home by the next ship."

He glanced in the gloom at where Nic was seated, and a feeling of sorrow
for the poor fellow filled him again; but