it seemed to
me--two minutes, when I was awakened by Peterkin laying his hand on my
shoulder and saying--

"Now then, Ralph, it's time to rouse up."

"O Peterkin," said I, in a tone of remonstrance, "how could you be so
unkind as to waken me when I had just got to sleep? Shabby fellow!"

"Just got to sleep, say you? You've been snoring like an apoplectic
alderman for exactly two hours."

"You don't say so!" I exclaimed, getting into a sitting posture.

"Indeed you have. I'm sorry to rouse you, but time's up, and I'm
sleepy; so rub your eyes, man, and try to look a little less like an
astonished owl if you can. I have just replenished both the fires, so
you can lean your back against that palm-tree and take it easy for
three-quarters of an hour or so. After that you'll have to heap on more
wood."

I looked at Jack, who was now lying quite unconscious, breathing with
the slow, deep regularity of profound slumber, and with his mouth wide
open.

"What a chance for some waggish baboon to drop a nut or a berry in!"
said Peterkin, winking at me with one eye as he lay down in the spot
from which I had just risen.

He was very sleepy, poor fellow, and could hardly smile at his own
absurd fancy. He was asleep almost instantly. In fact, I do not
believe that he again opened the eye with which he had winked at me, but
that he merely shut the other and began to slumber forthwith.

I now began to feel quite interested in my responsible position as
guardian of the camp. I examined my rifle to see that it was in order
and capped; then leaning against the palm-tree, which was, as it were,
my sentry-box, I stood erect and rubbed my hands and took off my cap, so
that the pleasant night air might play about my temples, and more
effectually banish drowsiness.

In order to accomplish this more thoroughly I walked round both fires
and readjusted the logs, sending up showers of sparks as I did so. Then
I went to the edge of the circle of light, in the centre of which our
camp lay, and peered into the gloom of the dark forest.

There was something inexpressibly delightful yet solemn in my feelings
as I gazed into that profound obscurity where the great tree-stems and
the wild gigantic foliage nearest to me appeared ghost-like and
indistinct, and the deep solitudes of which were peopled, not only with
the strange fantastic forms of my excited fancy, but, as I knew full
well, with real wild creatures, both huge and small,