the travail and hardship, my strength waxed the mightier; upon
arm and thigh, burnt nigh black by fierce suns, the muscles
showed hard and knotted; within my body, scarred by the lash, the
life leapt and glowed yet was the soul of me sick unto death.
But it seemed I could not die--finding thereby blessed rest and a
surcease from this agony of life as had this Frenchman, who of
all the naked wretches about me, was the only one with whom I had
any sort of fellowship. He had died (as I say) with the dawn, so
quietly that at first I thought he but fainted and pitied him,
but, when I knew, pity changed to bitterness.

Therefore, as I strove at the heavy oar I prayed 'twixt gnashing
teeth a prayer I had often prayed, and the matter of my praying
was thus:

"O God of Justice, for the agony I needs must now endure, for the
bloody stripes and bitter anguish give to me vengeance--
vengeance, O God, on mine enemy!"

So prayed I, hoarse-panting and with the sweat trickling down
whiles I stared at the naked back of him that rowed before me--a
great, fat fellow he had been once, but now the skin hung in
numberless creases whereon were many weals, some raw and bloody,
that crossed and re-crossed each other after the manner of lace-
work.

"Justice, O God, upon mine enemy! Since Death is not for me let
me live until I be avenged; for the pain I suffer so may I see
him suffer, for the anguish that is mine so may I watch his
agony. Thou art a just God, so, God of Justice, give to me