XIV.

XIV.Alas! within a single weekThe Messengers despatched to seekOur hiding-place had found us,We made an excellent defence(I use the word in legal sense),But none the less they bound us.(Not in the legal sense at allBut with a heavy chain and ball).Illustration: An African showing Blood’s shirt to the other two travellers.With barbarism past beliefThey flaunted in our facesThe relics of our noble chief;With insolent grimaces,Raised the historic shirt beforeOur eyes, and pointed on the floorTo dog-eared cards and loaded dice;It seems they sold him by the slice.Well, every man has got his price.The horrors followed thick and fast,I turned my head to give a lastFarewell to Sin; but, ah! too late,I only saw his horrid fate—Some savages around a potThat seemed uncomfortably hot;And in the centre of the groupMy dear companion making soup.Illustration: Cooking cauldron in the midst of a group of Africans with Sin’s hand reaching out of it.Illustration: Our traveller unclothed hanging by his feet from a tree, and Africans whipping and jobbing him, and filling his mouth with soap.Then I was pleased to recognizeTwo thumbscrews suited to my size,And I was very glad to seeThat they were going to torture me.I find the torture pays me best,It simply teems with interest.They hung me up above the floorHead downwards by a rope;They thrashed me half an hour or more,They filled my mouth with soap;They jobbed me with a pointed poleTo make me lose my self-control,But they did not succeed.Till (if it’s not too coarse to state)There happened what I simply hate,My nose began to bleed.Then, I admit, I said a wordWhich luckily they never heard;But in a very little whileMy calm and my contemptuous smileCompelled them to proceed.They filed my canine teeth to pointsAnd made me bite my tongue.They racked me till they burst my joints,And after that they hungA stone upon my neck that weighedAt least a hundred pounds, and madeMe run like mad for twenty miles,And climb a lot of lofty stiles.They tried a dodge that rarely fails,The tub of Regulus with nails—The cask is rather rude and flat,But native casks are all like that—The nails stuck in for quite an inch,But did I flinch? I did not flinch.Illustration: Our traveller trapped in a nail-studded barrel singing and the barrel being rolled by an African.In tones determined, loud, and strongI sang a patriotic song,Thank Heaven it did not last for long!My misery was past;My superhuman courage roseSuperior to my savage foes;They worshipped me at last.With many heartfelt compliments,They sent me back at their expense,And here I am returned to findThe pleasures I had left behind.To go the London rounds!To note the quite peculiar airOf courtesy, and everywhereThe same unfailing public trustIn manuscript that fetches justA thousand! not of thin Rupees,Nor Reis (which are Portuguese),Nor Rubles; but a thousand clearOf heavy, round, impressive, dear,Familiar English pounds!Oh! England, who would leave thy shores—Excuse me, but I see it boresA busy journalistTo hear a rhapsody which heCould write without detaining me,So I will not insist.Only permit me once againTo make it clearly understoodThat both those honourable men,Commander Sin and Captain Blood,Would swear to all that I have said,Were they alive;but they are dead!Illustration: Portraits of our three travellers being viewed by two weeping men.

Alas! within a single weekThe Messengers despatched to seekOur hiding-place had found us,We made an excellent defence(I use the word in legal sense),But none the less they bound us.(Not in the legal sense at allBut with a heavy chain and ball).

Alas! within a single week

The Messengers despatched to seek

Our hiding-place had found us,

We made an excellent defence

(I use the word in legal sense),

But none the less they bound us.

(Not in the legal sense at all

But with a heavy chain and ball).

Illustration: An African showing Blood’s shirt to the other two travellers.

With barbarism past beliefThey flaunted in our facesThe relics of our noble chief;With insolent grimaces,Raised the historic shirt beforeOur eyes, and pointed on the floorTo dog-eared cards and loaded dice;It seems they sold him by the slice.Well, every man has got his price.The horrors followed thick and fast,I turned my head to give a lastFarewell to Sin; but, ah! too late,I only saw his horrid fate—Some savages around a potThat seemed uncomfortably hot;And in the centre of the groupMy dear companion making soup.

With barbarism past belief

They flaunted in our faces

The relics of our noble chief;

With insolent grimaces,

Raised the historic shirt before

Our eyes, and pointed on the floor

To dog-eared cards and loaded dice;

It seems they sold him by the slice.

Well, every man has got his price.

The horrors followed thick and fast,I turned my head to give a lastFarewell to Sin; but, ah! too late,I only saw his horrid fate—Some savages around a potThat seemed uncomfortably hot;And in the centre of the groupMy dear companion making soup.

The horrors followed thick and fast,

I turned my head to give a last

Farewell to Sin; but, ah! too late,

I only saw his horrid fate—

Some savages around a pot

That seemed uncomfortably hot;

And in the centre of the group

My dear companion making soup.

Illustration: Cooking cauldron in the midst of a group of Africans with Sin’s hand reaching out of it.

Illustration: Our traveller unclothed hanging by his feet from a tree, and Africans whipping and jobbing him, and filling his mouth with soap.

Then I was pleased to recognizeTwo thumbscrews suited to my size,And I was very glad to seeThat they were going to torture me.I find the torture pays me best,It simply teems with interest.They hung me up above the floorHead downwards by a rope;They thrashed me half an hour or more,They filled my mouth with soap;They jobbed me with a pointed poleTo make me lose my self-control,But they did not succeed.Till (if it’s not too coarse to state)There happened what I simply hate,My nose began to bleed.Then, I admit, I said a wordWhich luckily they never heard;But in a very little whileMy calm and my contemptuous smileCompelled them to proceed.They filed my canine teeth to pointsAnd made me bite my tongue.They racked me till they burst my joints,And after that they hungA stone upon my neck that weighedAt least a hundred pounds, and madeMe run like mad for twenty miles,And climb a lot of lofty stiles.They tried a dodge that rarely fails,The tub of Regulus with nails—The cask is rather rude and flat,But native casks are all like that—The nails stuck in for quite an inch,But did I flinch? I did not flinch.

Then I was pleased to recognizeTwo thumbscrews suited to my size,And I was very glad to seeThat they were going to torture me.I find the torture pays me best,It simply teems with interest.

Then I was pleased to recognize

Two thumbscrews suited to my size,

And I was very glad to see

That they were going to torture me.

I find the torture pays me best,

It simply teems with interest.

They hung me up above the floorHead downwards by a rope;They thrashed me half an hour or more,They filled my mouth with soap;They jobbed me with a pointed poleTo make me lose my self-control,But they did not succeed.Till (if it’s not too coarse to state)There happened what I simply hate,My nose began to bleed.Then, I admit, I said a wordWhich luckily they never heard;But in a very little whileMy calm and my contemptuous smileCompelled them to proceed.They filed my canine teeth to pointsAnd made me bite my tongue.They racked me till they burst my joints,And after that they hungA stone upon my neck that weighedAt least a hundred pounds, and madeMe run like mad for twenty miles,And climb a lot of lofty stiles.They tried a dodge that rarely fails,The tub of Regulus with nails—The cask is rather rude and flat,But native casks are all like that—The nails stuck in for quite an inch,But did I flinch? I did not flinch.

They hung me up above the floor

Head downwards by a rope;

They thrashed me half an hour or more,

They filled my mouth with soap;

They jobbed me with a pointed pole

To make me lose my self-control,

But they did not succeed.

Till (if it’s not too coarse to state)

There happened what I simply hate,

My nose began to bleed.

Then, I admit, I said a word

Which luckily they never heard;

But in a very little while

My calm and my contemptuous smile

Compelled them to proceed.

They filed my canine teeth to points

And made me bite my tongue.

They racked me till they burst my joints,

And after that they hung

A stone upon my neck that weighed

At least a hundred pounds, and made

Me run like mad for twenty miles,

And climb a lot of lofty stiles.

They tried a dodge that rarely fails,

The tub of Regulus with nails—

The cask is rather rude and flat,

But native casks are all like that—

The nails stuck in for quite an inch,

But did I flinch? I did not flinch.

Illustration: Our traveller trapped in a nail-studded barrel singing and the barrel being rolled by an African.

In tones determined, loud, and strongI sang a patriotic song,Thank Heaven it did not last for long!My misery was past;My superhuman courage roseSuperior to my savage foes;They worshipped me at last.With many heartfelt compliments,They sent me back at their expense,And here I am returned to findThe pleasures I had left behind.To go the London rounds!To note the quite peculiar airOf courtesy, and everywhereThe same unfailing public trustIn manuscript that fetches justA thousand! not of thin Rupees,Nor Reis (which are Portuguese),Nor Rubles; but a thousand clearOf heavy, round, impressive, dear,Familiar English pounds!Oh! England, who would leave thy shores—Excuse me, but I see it boresA busy journalistTo hear a rhapsody which heCould write without detaining me,So I will not insist.Only permit me once againTo make it clearly understoodThat both those honourable men,Commander Sin and Captain Blood,Would swear to all that I have said,Were they alive;but they are dead!

In tones determined, loud, and strong

I sang a patriotic song,

Thank Heaven it did not last for long!

My misery was past;

My superhuman courage rose

Superior to my savage foes;

They worshipped me at last.

With many heartfelt compliments,

They sent me back at their expense,

And here I am returned to find

The pleasures I had left behind.

To go the London rounds!To note the quite peculiar airOf courtesy, and everywhereThe same unfailing public trustIn manuscript that fetches justA thousand! not of thin Rupees,Nor Reis (which are Portuguese),Nor Rubles; but a thousand clearOf heavy, round, impressive, dear,Familiar English pounds!

To go the London rounds!

To note the quite peculiar air

Of courtesy, and everywhere

The same unfailing public trust

In manuscript that fetches just

A thousand! not of thin Rupees,

Nor Reis (which are Portuguese),

Nor Rubles; but a thousand clear

Of heavy, round, impressive, dear,

Familiar English pounds!

Oh! England, who would leave thy shores—Excuse me, but I see it boresA busy journalistTo hear a rhapsody which heCould write without detaining me,So I will not insist.Only permit me once againTo make it clearly understoodThat both those honourable men,Commander Sin and Captain Blood,Would swear to all that I have said,Were they alive;but they are dead!

Oh! England, who would leave thy shores—

Excuse me, but I see it bores

A busy journalist

To hear a rhapsody which he

Could write without detaining me,

So I will not insist.

Only permit me once again

To make it clearly understood

That both those honourable men,

Commander Sin and Captain Blood,

Would swear to all that I have said,

Were they alive;

but they are dead!

Illustration: Portraits of our three travellers being viewed by two weeping men.

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