In the Sunk Lands — page 184: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

e - : ° 7 a \ va \ IN THE SUNK LANDS. 169 sweet compared with the boys’ feelings as they trudged along behind their captors, who construed every stumble—and bound as they were, these were many—as the - first principles of loitering, and promptly jabbed their knives into their backs until they howled. ‘¢T would give ten dollars if these fasten- ings were off for two minutes !”’ said Treve, orimly. ‘* Here, too !”” was Bob’s dismal rejoinder. They skirted a canebrake that seemed to run for miles, and then, switching off, they crossed some low ground, where the marshy earth made travel trebly difficult. But their captors were as unrelenting as ever, and hurried them on, and when they eame in sight of a settlement of a dozen houses the boys were by no means sorry. A great pack of dogs ran out to meet them, growling savagely at the captives— to the amusement of the others—while a dozen women possessed of irritable tempers, calico dresses, angular features and shrill voices, stood in the doorways of their res- pective domiciles with their arms akimbo, and stared in open-mouthed amazement. EomMmicbooks cc