s about us, and look for an empty
house in which we might hide and discover how we might leave the town on
the land side, where it is not likely the fortifications will be nearly so
strong as on the sea-face."

The next morning the captives were deprived of their clothes, and in their
place were given dirty linen jackets and loose trousers. Their shoes were
also taken away. They then fell in with the rest of the captives. On
leaving the prison they were formed into companies, each of which, under a
strong guard, marched off in different directions. The three friends kept
close together, and were assigned to a company which was told off to clean
the streets of a certain quarter of the town. They were furnished with
brooms and brushes, and were soon hard at work. As the morning went on,
the heat became tremendous. Several men fell, but the overseers lashed
them until they got upon their feet again.

"My eye! this is like working in an oven," Dimchurch muttered; "the dust
is choking me. We must certainly get out of this as soon as we can, sir."

"I agree with you, Dimchurch. I feel as if I were melting away. If I were
to put a bit of food in my mouth I believe the heat would bake it in no
time."

"I couldn't swallow anything," Tom said, "not even a mackerel fresh out of
the sea."

"You know we agreed that we must make the best of everything," Will said.
"If we work as we are doing we can't but please our overseers, and shall
save ourselves from blows."

"They had better not strike me," Dimchurch said; "the man that did it
would never live to strike another."

"That might be," Will said, "but it would be a small satisfaction to you
if you were to be flogged to death afterwards."

"No, I suppose not, sir; but flesh and blood can't stand such a thing as
being struck by one of these yellow hounds."

At twelve o'clock the gang returned, and the men drank eagerly from a
fountain in the courtyard of the prison.

"Take as little as you can," Will said; "if you drink much it will do you
harm. You can drink often if you like, provided that you only take a sip
at a time."

"It is easy to say, Mr. Gilmore, but it is not so easy to do. I feel as if
I could drink till I burst."

"I dare say you do; I feel the same myself; but I am sure that to take a
lot of water just now would do us harm instead of good."

Their abstinence so far benefited them that they felt their work in the
afternoon less than they had done in the mo