Velly bad men here." "How far is Canton away ?" Jack asked.

"Could you not send down to tell the English we are here ?" "Fourteen days' journey off," the man said; "no see how can do anything." "Well," Jack said, "when you get back again to Canton let our people know what has been the end of us; we shall not last much longer." "All light," the man said; "will see what me can do.

Muchee think tonight!" And after saying a few words to the guards, who had been regarding this conversation with an air of surprise, the Chinaman retired.
The guards had for some time abandoned the precaution of sitting up at night by the cage, convinced that their captives had no longer strength to attempt to break through its fastenings or to drag themselves many yards away if they could do so.

They therefore left it standing in the open, and, wrapping themselves in their thickly wadded coats, for the nights were cold, lay down by the side of the cage.
The coolness of the nights had, indeed, assisted to keep the two prisoners alive.

During the day the sun was excessively hot, and the crowd of visitors round the cage impeded the circulation of the air and added to their sufferings.