nything to those whom he might meet.

"He'll like enough be doing it," said the leader. "I tilled him to
fetch a rope, and if he does anything else, he'll hear of it from me.
What we wants is to take our prisoner up proper to the master, and get
our reward."

Then they began muttering in a low voice among themselves, taking care
that their prisoner should not hear, as he lay upon his back, staring
straight up at the blue sky, and thinking of how soon it had come upon
him to be suffering Mark Eden's reverse.

At last a hail came from below, and the man panted breathlessly up to
them, throwing down a coil of thin rope, with which, after turning him
over upon his face, the men, in spite of his struggles, tightly and
cruelly tied their prisoner's arms behind him, and then his ankles and
knees. They were about to lift him up, when there was a sharp barking
heard again.

"Here, you, Tom," cried the leader, who had been most savage in dragging
the knots as tightly as possible, "I told you to take those dogs back."

"Well, so I did. I didn't bring 'em."

"They've come all the same," cried the other. "Well, it don't matter
now. Perhaps Buzz wants a taste of these here naked legs."

The dog barked close at hand now.

"Here, you, jump up, before he has you," cried the leader brutally; and
then he stared wonderingly, for there was a sharp rustling amongst the
bushes, and the dog sprang out to them, closely followed by Mark Eden,
who cried in wonder:

"Why, hallo: then this is what Buzz meant! Whom have you got there?"

The men drew back, and Mark stooped, as the dog barked violently, turned
the prisoner over, and once more the two enemies were gazing curiously
in each other's eyes.

Ralph did not flinch, but a dull feeling of despair ran through him as
he saw Mark Eden's face light up, his eyes flashing, and a smile of
triumph playing about his lips.

Mark did not speak for a time. Then he turned his back upon the
prisoner.

"Do you know who this is?" he said to the men.

"Oh yes, Master Mark, we know him. Don't you? It's young Darley, from
below there. We was having a bit of a ramble 'fore going down in the
mine, and we'd got the dogs, to see if there was any chance of a rabbit
pie for supper; but they didn't find one; they found his nabbs here
instead. We had to hold the dogs' muzzles to keep 'em quiet till he'd
got by."

"What was he doing?"

"Wading, and ketching our trout. We let him go right u