For nature was asserting herself on every hand, the growth of the forest penetrating the chamber like an invading army of leaves and stems, and mingling with the works of man to their steady overthrow; while, facing it all, stern, implacable, and calmly watching the progress of destruction going on, stood the stone idol, the work of a race passed from the face of the earth, and waiting, as it had waited for hundreds of years, till the potent forest growth should lay it low! For a time it was all a nightmare-like confusion to Humphrey; but with returning strength came order in his intellect, and he questioned Bart, who brought him food, and from time to time added carpets and various little luxuries of cabin furniture, which seemed strangely incongruous in that place. "Who told you to bring those things here?" he said one day. "Commodore Junk." "Why? Am I a prisoner?" "Yes." "Am I to be shot?" "Don't know." "Where am I?" "Here." "But what place is this?" "Don't know." "But--" "Want any more wine or fruit?" "No; I want my liberty." "Belongs to the captain." "Tell the captain I wish to see him." Bart said no more, but took his departure. The prisoner was more fortunate with Dinny, who could be communicative. "That's it, captain, darlin'," he said one day. "Don't ye fale like a little boy again, and that I'm your mother washing your poor face!" "Don't fool, my good fellow, but talk to me." "Talk to you, is it?" "Yes; you can talk to me." "Talk to ye--can I talk to ye! Hark at him, mate!" he cried, appealing to the great idol. "Why, I'm a divil at it." "Well, then, tell me how I came here." "Faix, didn't I carry ye on my back?" "Yes, but after the fight?" "Afther the foight--oh! is it afther the foight ye mane? Sure, and it was the skipper's ordhers, and I carried ye here, and Bart--you know the tother one--he brought in the bed and the rugs and things to make ye dacent. It's a bit damp, and the threes have a bad habit of putting in their noses like the pigs at home; but it's an illigant bed-room for a gintleman afther all." "It was the captain's orders, you say?" "Sure, an' it was." "And where are we?" "Why, here we are." "Yes, yes; but what place is this?" "Sure, an' it's the skipper's palace." "Commodore Junk's?" "Yis." "And what place is it--where are we?" "Faix, and they say that sick payple is hard to deal wid. It's what I'm telling you sure. It's the skipper's palace, and here it is." "My good fellow, you told me all that; but I want to know whereabouts it is." "Oh-h! Whereabouts it is, you mane!" "Yes, yes." "Why, right away in the woods." "Far from the shore!" "Ah, would ye!" cried Dinny, with a grin full of cunning. "Ye'd be getting all the information out of me, and then as soon as ye get well be running away." "Yes," said Humphrey, "If I can." "Well, that's honest," cried Dinny. "And it's meself would do it if I got a chance."