alone now, and his first proceeding was to take his
stand by the black, who had set down the heavy basket, and call Humpy
Dee to come forward, by the name of Number One.

The man rose heavily, and this seemed to be a signal for the three
hounds to spring to their feet again, making the man hesitate.

"Them dogs bite, master?" he said.

"Yes; they'll be at your throat in a moment if you make the slightest
attempt to escape," said the overseer sharply.

"Who's going to try to escape?" grumbled Humpy.

"You are thinking of it, sir," said the overseer. "Mind this," he
continued--drawing the light jacket he wore aside and tapping his belt,
thus showing a brace of heavy pistols--"I am a good shot, and I could
easily bring you down as you ran."

"Who's going to run?" grumbled Humpy. "Man can't run with things like
these on his legs."

"I have seen men run pretty fast in fetters," said the overseer quietly;
"but they did not run far. Come here."

Humpy shuffled along two or three steps, trailing his irons behind him,
and the overseer shouted at him:

"Pick up the links by the middle ring, sir, and move smartly."

He cracked his whip, and a thrill ran through Nic.

Humpy did as he was told, and walked more quickly to where the overseer
stood; but before he reached him the herculean black who stood by his
basket, which looked like a coarsely-made imitation of the kind used by
a carpenter for his tools, clapped a hand upon the prisoner's shoulder
and stopped him short, making Humpy turn upon him savagely.

"Ah!" roared the overseer, as if he were speaking to one of the dogs.

Humpy was overawed, and he stood still, while the black bent down, took
a ball of oakum out of the basket, cut off about a foot, passed the
piece through the centre ring of the irons, and deftly tied it to the
prisoner's waist-belt. Then, as Nic and Pete watched, the action going
on fascinating them, the black made a sign to one of his companions, who
dropped upon his knees by the basket, took out a hammer, and handed it
to the first black. Then the kneeling man lifted out a small block of
iron, which looked like a pyramid with the top flattened, clapped it on
the floor, and the first black began to manipulate Humpy as a blacksmith
would a horse he was about to shoe, dragging him to the little anvil
with one hand, using the hammer-handle to poke him into position with
the other.

"Going to take off his irons," thought Pete, and the same i