But he ate the food, as the long marching had made him hungry, and lay down within the rim of the firelight.
The men also ate, and Ned saw that they were surly.

Doubtless they had endured much hardship recently and had secured little spoil.

He heard muttered sounds which he knew were curses.

He became more uneasy than ever.

Certainly little human kindness lurked in the hearts of such as these, and he believed that Carossa was playing with them for his own amusement, just as a trainer with a steel bar makes the animals in a cage do their tricks.
The mutterings among the men increased.