This order was obeyed, and Frank’s feet were stripped till they were bare. Then Merry realized the dastardly purpose of his captor, and, despite himself, he turned faint.
“Ha! ha! ha!” laughed the leader. “Now you are guessing it, and you’re getting pale. I knew you would lose your nerve. I’ll have the satisfaction of hearing you whimper and whine.”
“You cowardly cur!” came contemptuously from Frank’s lips. “You are not a human being! You are a brute! You should associate with cowardly savages. They would make fit companions for such a beast as you!”
“Be careful!” snarled the fellow. “Every word will be charged up against you, and you’ll not get off any the easier for them.”
“It is not possible for me to express my contempt for you by words!” said Frank, his voice clear and distinct.
“You’ll be expressing something else in a short time. Oh, you sing high now, you do; but your tune will change, and you will cry pretty soon.”
The wretch selected a brand from the fire and laughed as he flashed the blaze before Frank’s face.
“Is it warm?” he asked. “Well, it will seem warmer when I apply it to the tender skin on your feet.”
“Go ahead!” grated Merry; “but do not forget what I have told you. My turn will come!”
The fellow prepared to apply the blaze to Frank’s feet, but, as he stooped to do so, another voice was heard: