"That you are not, sir. I'm just the same as you, but it's only excitement, and what any one would feel. Now then they've gone down and blocked our road, so we must go up another way. Just give 'em another five minutes, and then we'll go and get our 'taters." The ashes were soon being raked aside, and the invaluable potatoes about to be uncovered, when Ned sniffed. "I say, Mr Jack, sir, they smell good." "Why, what's that, Ned?" cried Jack, pointing through the gloom at something long and stiff curled up into a knot. "That, sir? Well, I am stunned. Why, it's one of they snakes, sir, got closer in to get warm, and he overdid it. He's cooked; and just you smell, sir." "Ugh! throw it away." "But it smells 'licious, sir. It does really." "It makes me feel sick, Ned--the idea's horrible. Why it will have spoiled all the potatoes." "Don't make me feel sick, sir; makes me feel hungry. You've no idea how good it smells." "What! a horrible reptile?" "So's a turtle, sir; and you won't say turtle-soup isn't good." "But a snake, and perhaps poisonous, Ned?" "We shouldn't eat his head, sir. Don't see why you might not just as well eat a snake as an eel, sir." "Throw it away!" cried Jack sharply. "All right, sir, you're master.--Good-bye, good victuals!" Ned added in an undertone.--"Won't have hurt the taters, sir, there was all this thick layer of ashes between." "Are they burnt up?" "No, sir, just right, and floury as can be. Look at that." It was getting too dark to see much; but Jack made out that the little round vegetable was all floury where it was broken. The whole cooking was raked out, the ashes scattered away, and Ned proceeded to take out his knife and hand it to his young master, with instructions to cut out his shirt-sleeves just at the shoulder. "I shall be warm enough without them, sir," he said. "There: now we'll just tie up the ends, and here we have a good bag apiece to carry the taters in. Nothing like having a bit of string in your pocket, sir. I wonder whether Robinson Crusoe had a bit o' string when he was wrecked; I 'spose he would have, because he could have twisted up a bit out of the old ropes. It's always useful, sir. There you are, now. I'll tie the bags together, and swing 'em over my shoulder, one on each side." "I'll carry one." "You shall have 'em both, sir, when I'm tired and want a bit of a rest. Now then, ready, sir?" "Yes."