ir. He crawls about as if
he were trying to put away as much time as possible. The boy, too, has
disappeared."

"Perhaps he has gone to get some more water," Nelson suggested.

"He could have gone a dozen times by now, sir. It is possible that he
takes us for French officers. A peasant living in such a spot as this,
sixteen or twenty miles from a town, might not even know that there are
English troops in the country."

Having satisfied their hunger and thirst, they tried to make the man
understand that they were willing to buy all the bread and cheese he had,
together with a large jar for carrying water.

The man showed a prodigious amount of stupidity, and although his eyes
glistened when Nelson produced gold, he still seemed unable to understand
that, having had as much as they could eat, they wanted to buy more. At
last Nelson, in a passion, said: "Look here, my man, there is a sovereign,
which is worth at least twenty times your miserable store of bread and
cheese. If you don't choose to accept the money you needn't, but we will
take the food whether or no," and he pointed to his store. As he spoke
there was a sound of footsteps outside, and a moment later the door was
darkened by the entry of a dozen wild figures, who flung themselves upon
the two officers before they had time to make any effort to defend
themselves.

In vain Nelson attempted in French and Italian to make himself understood.
The men would not listen, but poured out objurgations upon them whenever
they attempted to speak. The word Francais frequently occurred in their
speeches, mixed up with what were evidently expressions of hatred.

"This is awkward, Mr. Gilmore," Nelson said quietly as they lay bound
together in a corner of the hut. "A more unpleasant situation I was never
in."

"I was in one as bad once before. I was captured by a band of negroes in
Cuba, and they were preparing to burn me alive when I managed to escape."

"I should not be at all surprised if that is what these gentlemen are
preparing to do now, Gilmore. I am sorry I have brought you into this."

"It cannot be helped, sir," Will said cheerfully; "and if they do kill us,
my loss to the nation will be as nothing compared with yours. There is no
doubt they take us for French officers who have lost their way in the
mountains, and they are preparing to punish us for the misdeeds of our
supposed countrymen. There are only two things that could help us out of
this plight so f