NOTES BY TUE WAY. 333 tnany of whom found themselves treading upon soil already stained by the blood of the ranks in front. No chance again opened for Dîck to gct any communi- cation with his friends, who had been sent to the van of the procession. Urged on by the whip thcy conthmcd to march in single file, their heads in the heavy forks. If cvcr the havildar strolled a few yards away. Bat took the opportunity of murmuring a few words of encouragement to his poor old father, whilc he tried to pîck out the casicst path for him, and to relax the pace to suit his enfccbled limbs. Lar^ tears rolled down old Tom's chccks vh12n he iound that his son's efforts only rcsulted in bringing down upon hIs back somc sharp cuts of the havildar's whip. Acta'on and Austin, subject to hardly Icss brutality, followed a few steps behind, but ail four could not help feeling cnvious at theluck of Hercules, who might havc danger» to cncountcr, but at least had his liberty. Immedtately upon thcir capture, Tom had reveakd to his companions the fact that thcy werc in Africa, and informing them how thcy had been bctraycd by Harris, made them understand that they had no mcrcy to e.x])cct. Old Nan had been placed amoiigst a group of womcn in the central ranks. She was chaincd to a young mothcr with two children, the one at the brcast, the other oniy threc ycars old, and scarccly able to walk. Moved by compassion, Nan took the littlc onc into hcr owu amis, thus not only saving ît from fatigue, but from the blows it would very likely havc rcccivcd for lagging behind. The molher shed tears of gratitude, but the wcight was almost too mtich for Nan's strcngth, and shc felt as if shc must break down under hcr self-imposed burdcn. Shc thought fondly of littlc Jack, and imagining him borne along in the arms of his weary mothcr, could not help asking hcrself wlietlier she should ever sec him or her kind mistress agaJn. Far in the rear, Dick could not sce the head of tlie caravan except occasionallj', whcii the ground was rathcr on the rise. The voices of the agents and dricrs, harsh and excited as thcy were, scarccly roused him from his melancholy rcflcctions. His thoughts wcre not of himself
