"I remember now," he said faintly. "Don't laugh at me, you chaps. I turned sick as a dog as soon as that butchering was over. I never felt like this over the fighting. I say, Gnat, did I faint right away?" "Yes, dead!" I said; "I was nearly as bad." "Enough to make you. But oh, my leg, how it does sting! I say, isn't it queer that it should come on now? Did the fainting do it?" "I dunno," said Smith hastily, "but my arm aches horribly. I say, do let's get away from here, or I shall be obliged to look over yonder again." "Yes, I'm all right again now," said Barkins quietly. "Let's get away. I say, lads, it's of no use to be humbugs; we did all feel precious bad, eh?" We looked at each other dolefully. "Yes, let's get away," I said. "I thought we were coming out for a jolly day." Barkins shuddered and now stood up. "Yes," he said; "I hope the skipper liked it. Can you see him now?" "Skipper? Cap'n?" said Ching, whose ears were always sharp enough to catch our words. "Gone along, Mr Leardon. Make gland plocession all away back to palace. You go sail, soon catch more pilate." "I hope, if we do," said Smith, "that we shall not bring back any prisoners." The enclosure was thinning fast now, as we walked toward the gateway by which we had entered, where a strong body of soldiers had been on guard over the barricades, in case of an attempt being made by the pirates' friends to rescue them, and we saw plainly enough that had we wanted there would have been no getting away. "You likee go in and see plison?" said Ching insinuatingly. "Plenty bad men lock up safe." "No, thank you," I said eagerly. "Let's get out of this, and go and have some tea." "Yes, plenty tea. Ching show way." The Chinese soldiers stared at us haughtily as we walked by, and I drew myself up, hoping that no one there had witnessed our weakness, for if they had I knew that they could not feel much respect for the blue-jackets who hunted down the scoundrels that infested their seas. Both Barkins and Smith must have felt something after the fashion that I did, for they too drew themselves up, returned the haughty stares, and Barkins stopped short to look one truculent savage fellow over from head to foot, especially gazing at his weapons, and then, turning coolly to me, he said, with a nod in the man's direction-- "Tidy sort of stuff to make soldiers off, Gnat, but too heavy." The man's eyes flashed and his hand stole toward his sword hilt. "'Tention!" roared Barkins with a fierce stamp, and though the order was new to the guard, he took it to be a military command and stepped back to remain stiff and motionless. "Ha! that's better," cried Barkins, and he nodded and then passed on with us after Ching, whose eyes bespoke the agony of terror he felt. "Come long quickee," he whispered excitedly. "Very big blave that fellow. Killee--fightee man. You no 'flaid of him?" "Afraid? No," said Barkins shortly. "There, let's have this tea."