"What do you suppose they intend to do with us? And what are they going to do with Dan?"
"Poor Dan! I'm afraid he is worse off than we are."
"That depends. Perhaps they intend to take us off to sea and pitch us overboard."
"Let us hope not."
"That captain looks villainous enough for anything. And his men are equally bad. They must have been brigands before they turned sailors."
"I don't believe Ramon Delverez will sail with us."
"Neither do I. Well, all we can do is to await developments—and try to get some fresh air."
Down in the hold of the Viscount it was suffocating, and the smell of tar and bilge water was sickening. We climbed around to where we thought the air was purest and tried to make ourselves comfortable on some bales of goods, but our efforts were not altogether successful.
Nature can stand just so much and no more, and despite the excitement and the uncertainty of the future, I grew sleepy and so did Oliver, and as hour after hour passed we at last went sound asleep, a nap from which I did not arouse until long after sunrise the next day.
A heavy tramping on deck, accompanied by
