“Caught you, have I?” said a deep voice.
Hilary remained silent. It was of no avail to struggle, and he reserved his strength for a better opportunity to escape.
He thought of shouting aloud to the boats, which he hoped were now well on their way; but he restrained himself, as he felt that the success of their approach depended upon their secrecy, so he merely hung down his head, without offering the slightest resistance.
He had his reward.
“Get up, you lazy, skulking lubber!” cried his captor, “or I’ll rope’s-end you.” This, by the way, was rather cool language, especially after forcing the captive down upon his knees.
“Here are we to work like plantation niggers at the oars, rowing night and day, and you ’long-shore idlers leave us to do all the work.”
“Why, he takes me for one of their party,” thought Hilary; and, dark though it was, he felt astonished at the man’s stupidity, for it did not occur to him then that he was hatless, that his hair was rough, his face and hands anything but clean, and his old uniform shrunken by his immersion, and so caked with mud and dirt, and withal so torn and ragged, that even by broad daylight anyone would have strongly doubted that he was a king’s officer, while in the gloom of that ravine he could easily be taken for a rough-looking carrier belonging to their gang.
“Come on,” said the man hauling him along, “I’ve got a nice little job for you. I don’t care for your sulky looks. Go it, my lads. Got the lot?” he continued, as a line of loaded men filed past them, they having to stand back against the rock to let the burdened party pass.
“All? no; nor yet half,” was the reply. “There, get on.”
“All right. Take it easy,” was the reply; and, trying hard to make out the surroundings, Hilary made no resistance, but let himself be hurried along down the declivity they were in, till he found himself on a platform of trampled earth, where, as far as he could make out against the skyline, a rough kind of shears was rigged up, and, by means of a block, a couple of men were hauling up packages, and another was landing them upon the platform, and unfastening and sending down the empty hooks.