"Who are you?" I asked, thinking the unknown man could hardly have caught me in a more undignified position.
"A friend. We"ve met before."
I heard a terrible rumbling sound, I choked in a sudden cloud of dust, and then a pair of hands restored me to an upright position. The glow of a lantern gave welcome light, and I saw the blackened forehead and eyes of the man who had rescued me on a previous occasion. From the nose down, a kerchief covered his face as though he were d**k Turpin.
"Who are you?"
"A friend." The man repeated. He sawed at my bonds with a knife.
I gasped as the ropes parted. The return of circulation was agonising. I writhed as the man knelt at my feet. "Pray permit me." He rubbed at my ankles, easing the pain, and performed the same operation to my wrists and hands.
