ists."

"O' course," said the master. "See, lads," he said, turning round to
his two companions; "he gets the hook in threw the last knot and hitches
the end out. That's easy enough;" and the two men uttered a low growl.

"Oh, is it?" said Esau. "Just you be tied up with your hands behind you
for hours, and all pins-and-needles, and numb, and you try behind you to
get that hook through the knot in the right place. You wouldn't say it
was easy."

"But anyways that was hard, I reckon," said the master.

"Yes, that was hard," said Esau; "but I kep on seeming to tighten it,
and the more I tried the worse it was; till all at once, as I strained
and reached up behind me, I slipped a little, and the hook was fast
somehow, and nearly jerked my arms out of my shoulders as I hung forward
now, with my feet giving way, and I couldn't get up again."

"If a fellow had on'y ha' been there with a knife," said the master,
shaking his head.

"Yes; but he wasn't," cried Esau; "and there I hung for ever so long,
giving myself a bit of a wriggle now and then, but afraid to do much, it
hurt so, dragging at my arms, while they were twisted up. I s'pose I
must have been 'bout an hour like that, but it seemed a week, and I was
beginning to get sick again, when all at once, after a good struggle, I
fell forward on to my face in amongst the dry leaves. My wrists and
hands were tingling dreadfully, but they did not feel so numb now; and
after a bit, as I moved them gently up and down, one over the other, so
as to get rid of the pain, I began to find I could move them a little
more and a little more, till at last, as I worked away at them in a
regular state of 'citement, I pulled one of 'em right out, and sat up
comfortable with my hands in my lap."

"Well done, well done," cried the master; and I could not help joining
in the murmur of satisfaction uttered by the men.

"And then yew began to look at the rope round your legs," said one of
the latter.

"That I just did," said Esau; "but my fingers were so bad it took me
hours, as it seemed, before I had those knots undone."

"But yew got 'em off?" said the master. "Oh yes, I got 'em off at last,
every knot undone; but when I'd unwound the rope, there I sat, feeling
as if it was not a bit of use, for I could not move my feet, nor yet
stand. They felt as if they were made of wood."

"Yew should have chafed 'em, stranger," said one of the men.

"Well, of course that's what he did