ed like a refuge to the two
comrades after the hazards that they had run during the past few hours.
And even Jim was fagged and worn, and now that there was time for
reaction his face showed it. There were deep cuts of fatigue in his
cheeks and his eyes looked haggard. They also burned, and his head was
full of a sort of vacant daze, from sleeplessness.

"I don't know, John, whether I'm hungrier or sleepier, but if I had to
choose I think that I would select a nap."

"You have had it a lot harder than I have, old chap," said the engineer;
"take a lay-off and get some sleep."

"I believe I will," agreed Jim; "I don't imagine that we will be
disturbed for some time at least."

There was plenty of hay in the warm, dusky mow, and a cozy, safe place
to rest in.

"I tell you what, Chief," said Jim, "let's both take a sleep, and then
we will be fresh for what may happen next."

"It wouldn't take much urging," replied the engineer; "I'm half dead for
sleep myself, but we had better make the doors secure first, in case
they should look for us here."

"No," rejoined Jim, "leave everything open; if they came to the stable
and found it locked on the inside, they would know, for sure, that we
were in here."

"But suppose some of the gang come in here while we are asleep, they
would be certain sure to hear one or both of us snoring."

"That's right enough," agreed Jim, "but I tell you what we can do, we'll
crawl down under the hay, get close to the wall, and our loudest snores
would be smothered."

"I guess you're right," agreed Berwick. "So lead on and I will follow."

"This reminds me of when I was a boy," declared Jim; "when we used to
tunnel in the hay to hide in the old barn on the back lot."

"When you were a boy," exclaimed Berwick, in good-natured raillery. "How
old do you consider yourself now, I should like to know?"

"Oh, I've lived in heartbeats, not in years," said Jim; "that makes me
about a hundred years old."

"It strikes me that it takes a good deal to make your heart beat faster
than usual," remarked the engineer; "you are a cool hand if there ever
was one." This was a sincere tribute.

Then the two comrades began to work back under and through the hay,
keeping close to the south wall, so that the hay showed no sign of
having been disturbed, and in a short time they had burrowed their way
clear through, until they reached the back wall. How comfortable and
cozy it was in the warm, dry hay! Jim str