seemed to be an endless length of time the sudden
silence which fell upon them told them that they were somewhere about
their resting-place, and drawing back from the edge of the little river,
Smith sank down upon the lava with a groan.

"Oh, murder in Irish!" he said. "I thought I was gone, sir. I was
feeling along with my left hoof, when my right suddenly give a slip on a
bit of rock as seemed like glass, and there it was slithering away more
and more. If you hadn't ha' held on, you might ha' told 'em to sell off
my kit by auction when you got back."

"I thought you were gone too, Smith," said Oliver, with a shudder.

"Yes, sir, it was werry 'orrid; and do you know, I fancy that's where
poor old Billy slipped and went down."

"Possibly," said Oliver, and seating himself they talked at intervals
for hours in the tomb-like silence of the awful place, till a peculiar
drowsy feeling stole over Oliver, and he started back into wakefulness
with a shudder of horror, for it suddenly struck him that he was
beginning to be influenced by some mephitic gas once more, such as had
affected them along the line of the mist at the foot of the mountain.

"Smith!" he cried excitedly, "do you feel sleepy?"

A low deep breathing was the only reply.

"Smith! wake up!" he cried; but there was a want of energy in his words,
and five minutes after his efforts had grown feeble in the extreme. In
another, he too had succumbed, not to a dangerous soporific vapour, but
to the weariness produced by long exertion, and slept as soundly as his
companion, and as if there was nothing whatever to fear.

CHAPTER FORTY THREE.

SMITH HAS A STARTLER.

Oliver Lane was dreaming of pleasant gushing streams, in which swam fish
of glistening colours, deep down in the soft shades, when the sun
appeared to come out suddenly and dazzle his eyes, so that he could not
bear it, and he sprang up to find Mr Rimmer leaning over him, holding a
lantern.

"That's better, sir!" he cried. "I was beginning to be afraid that you
had breathed bad air."

"I--I--what time is it?" said Oliver confusedly. "Anything the matter?"

"Matter!" said the mate. "Here, Smith, my lad, rouse!"

"Rouse up it is, sir!" cried the man, scrambling to his feet. "My
trick? Eh? Oh, all right. Just dropped asleep."

"I couldn't for the moment recall where I was," said Oliver, "Thank
goodness you have all come. We could do nothing, and sleep overcame us
at last."

"T