"What do I care for the future?" muttered Terence; "the present is everything. He is a fool who kills himself to-day to keep from being hungry ten years after. I will try to work to-morrow, if I live so long." "Yes, call an' tell 'em, Jim, as 'ow we gives in, an' they'll send us some refreshment," entreated the old sailor. "It ain't in human natur to die of starvation if one can 'elp it." But neither Jim nor the Krooman would communicate to the Arabs the wishes of their companions; and the words and signals the old sailor made to attract the attention of those outside were unheeded. Early in the evening, both Colin and the Krooman also expressed themselves willing to sacrifice the future for the present. "We have nothing to do with the future," said Colin, in answer to Jim's entreaties that they should remain firm. "The future is the care of God, and we are only concerned with the present. We ought to promise anything if we can obtain food by it." "I think so too, now," said the Krooman; "for it am worse than sure dat if we starve now we no be slaves bom-bye." "They will not quite starve us to death," said Jim. "I have told you before that we are worth too much for that. If we will not work they will sell us, and we may reach Mogador. If we do work, we may stay here for years. I entreat you to hold out one day longer." "I cannot," answered one. "Nor I," exclaimed another. "Let us first get something to eat, and then take our liberty by force," said Terence. "I fancy that if I had a drink of water I could whip all the Arabs on earth." "And so could I," said Colin. "And I, too," added Harry Blount. Sailor Bill had sunk upon the floor, hardly conscious of what the others were saying; but, partly aroused by the word water, repeated it, muttering, in a hoarse whisper, "Water! water!" The Krooman and the three youths joined in the cry; and then all, as loudly as their parched throats would permit, shouted the words, "Water! water!" The call for water was apparently unheeded by the Arab men, but it was evidently music to many of the children of the village, for it attracted them to the door of the goat-penn, around which they clustered, listening with strong expressions of delight. Through a long night of indescribable agony, the cry of "Water! Water!" was often repeated in the penn, and at each time in tones fainter and more supplicating than before. The cry at length became changed from a demand to a piteous prayer. CHAPTER SIXTY NINE. VICTORY. Next morning, when the Arabs opened the door of the prison, Sailor Bill and Colin were found unable to rise; and the old salt seemed quite unconscious of all efforts made to awaken his attention.