"I think it must be our friends," I said, feeling unwilling to give up the idea; and I was going to add something, when there came to us plainly enough the sound of feet passing somewhere overhead, and directly after a voice shouted something, but what we could not hear. CHAPTER THIRTY TWO. Our heads, on comparing notes, began to feel more bearable, and as the throbbing gradually died away we could feel that the effort to think was easier, while our thoughts were clearer, and before long we began to feel about so as to learn what kind of place we were in, and made out that it was an oblong kind of space between cases, and with barrels underneath, and upon which we had been lying when we began to come to. We could learn nothing further, and there were no replies now to the tappings we gave from time to time, a fact which made my heart sink rather low. For I knew that there must be some reason for this, and I was trying to puzzle it out, when Barney Blane said suddenly-- "Say, messmates, arn't it 'bout time as some 'un came round to feed the crew?" "Ay," said Bob, "and the sooner they do it the better. I'm getting wild for want o' somethin' to stow in my hold. They've got to bring something too, or I'll soon let 'em know." "Know what, Bob?" I said anxiously, for the man's voice sounded fierce and strange. "Why, sir, they threatened us as to what they'd do; fired it right into my ear, Jarette did. He says to me he says, `If yer don't soon let us out, I'll set fire to the ship.'" "Yes, I know he did," I said. "That's 'robborative evidence, messmates, when yer orficer says you're right. Well, then, what I says to him is this, I've got a box o' matches in my pocket, and if they don't soon let us out, or put us somewhere so as we can breathe, I'll set the blessed old Burgh Castle alight myself and burn our way out." "Nonsense," I cried; "you're mad." "And 'nuff to make me, sir. That there stuff we took's set up a reg'lar fierce annymile or something in my inside, as goes on gnaw, gnaw, gnaw, till I shan't be able to stand it much longer, and shall have to break out." "Well, you are a rum 'un, Bob," said Barney. "Why, you're not going to turn canniball, are yer, at your time o' life?" "What d'yer mean?" "Talking about eating your messmates." "Who did? What yer talking about? Nobody wouldn't want to eat you, Barney. If I wanted to get the flavour o' 'bacco in my mouth I'd get it from a quid, and while a man could get at a bit o' oak or an old shoe he wouldn't think o' trying to gnaw old Neb. What d'yer mean?" "Then what d'yer talk o' roasting us for in that there mad way, matey?" "Oh, well, I don't know as I meant it, messmate, but I'm that hungry just now as never was." "That will do," I said, asserting my position as officer. "Silence, please." "All right, sir; all right," growled Bob. "I'm ready. What yer going to do?" "Try and feel about, Bob, to find where the hatch is. We must get some air somehow."