l tell you what's just
come into my mind. I only feel astonished it didn't occur to any of us
sooner."

"Mother av Moses!" cried Terence, jocularly adopting his native brogue;
"and why don't you out with it at wanse?--you Scatch are the thrue
_rid-tape_ of society."

"Never mind, Colly!" interposed Blount; "there's no time to listen to
Terry's badinage. We're all too sleepy for jesting; tell us what you've
got in your mind."

"All of ye do as you see me, and, I'll be your bail, ye'll sleep sound
till the dawn o' the day. Good night!"

As Colin pronounced the salutation he sank down to the bottom of the
ravine, where, stretched longitudinally, he might repose without the
slightest danger of being awakened by slipping from his couch.

On seeing him thus disposed, the others only wondered they had not
thought of the thing before.

They were too sleepy to speculate long upon their own thoughtlessness;
and one after the other, imitating the example set them by the young
Scotchman, laid their bodies lengthwise along the bottom of the ravine,
and entered upon the enjoyment of a slumber from which all the
kettle-drums in creation would scarce have awaked them.

CHAPTER XI.

'WARE THE SAND!

As the gully in which they had gone to rest was too narrow to permit of
them lying side by side, they were disposed in a sort of lengthened
chain, with their heads all turned in the same direction. The bottom of
the ravine, as already stated, had a slight inclination; and they had,
of course, placed themselves so that their heads should be higher than
their feet.

The old sailor was at the lower end of this singular series, with the
feet of Harry Blount just above the crown of his head. Above the head of
Harry were the heels of Terence O'Connor; and, at the top of all,
reclined Colin,--in the place where he had first stretched himself.

On account of the slope of the ground, the four were thus disposed in a
sort of _echelon_ formation, of which Old Bill was the base. They had
dropped into their respective positions, one after the other, as they
lay.

The sailor had been the last to commit himself to this curious couch; he
was also the last to surrender to sleep. For some time after the others
had become unconscious of outward impressions, he lay listening to the
"sough" of the sea, and the sighing of the breeze, as it blew along the
smooth sides of the sand-hills.

He did not remain awake for any great length of tim