My disappearance would be soon noticed, and the tug would take out a dozen men who would explore every nook and cranny.

I should inevitably be recaptured, brought back to the Beehive, and deprived of my liberty for good.
I must therefore give up all idea of making my escape, unless I can see that it has some chance of being successful, and if ever an opportunity does present itself I shall not be slow to take advantage of it.
On strolling round by the rows of cells I am able to observe a few of these companions of the Count d'Artigas who are content to pass their monotonous existence in the depths of Back Cup.

As I said before, calculating from the number of cells in the Beehive, there must be between eighty and a hundred of them.
They pay no attention whatever to me as I pass, and on examining them closely it seems to me that they must have been recruited from every country.

I do not distinguish any community of origin among them, not even a similarity by which they might be classed as North Americans, Europeans or Asiatics.

The color of their skin shades from white to yellow and black--the black peculiar to Australia rather than to Africa.