All that was left was to take his punishment and hold on until he was knocked out, but he meant to do this.

He did not stop for dinner with the rest, but occupied himself with something that needed doing, and forgot that he had gone without the meal.

Afterwards a pain began in his left side, but he had other aches, and the extra discomfort did not trouble him much.

In the afternoon he worked with a kind of sudden fury, and when at length the tired men dropped their tools found some difficulty in straightening his back.

He had never used his muscles as he had done for the past few days, but the strain would soon be over.
It was unusually dark when he went up the hill to the shack.