I say, what a blessing it is to have a thick skull! My old schoolmaster used to tell me I was a blockhead, and I thought he was wrong; but he was right enough, or I shouldn't be here." "The loss is bad enough without that," I replied.
"Horrible; but they've paid dearly for it," he said.

"But I say, what about rations?
We can't starve." I told him what I had overheard during the officers' talk with the Sergeant.
"Yes," said Denham peevishly; "but that means waiting till to-morrow morning.

We must make a sally and get something." "I wish we could," I said, for now that my mind was at rest I felt ravenously hungry.

"Hullo! what's going on there ?" Denham turned sharply, and, to our astonishment, Sergeant Briggs was coming from the gate leading half-a-dozen men stripped to shirt and breeches, carrying in half-quarters of some newly-killed animal.
"Why, hullo!" I cried, "what luck! They've found and been slaughtering an ox." "Yes," said Denham dryly, "and there's more meat out yonder.

We shan't starve.