I was soft hearted and headed enough to propose that we should loose his hands, now that he had surrendered, and permit him reasonable liberty.

Will--least inclined of all of us to cruelty--was disposed to agree with me.

We might have overborne Fred's objections if Coutlass and Brown, returning from walking off their overnight debauch together, had not shouted and beckoned us in a mysterious sort of way, as if some new discovery puzzled them.
We walked about a hundred and fifty yards to where they stood by a row of low ant-hills.

Neither of them was in a sociable frame of mind.

It was obvious from the moment we could see their faces clearly that they had not called us to enjoy a joke.