agreed that these things boded no good; and so,
having called their host into their confidence, with regard to the
boat, they quietly loaded all the fire-arms in the place, and put them
together in the hall. This done, they returned to the sitting-room,
and, having taken their grog, retired to bed.

It must be remembered that hitherto Major Buckley knew nothing of
George Hawker's previous appearance, but the Doctor now let him into
the secret. The Major's astonishment and wrath may be conceived, at
finding that his old PROTEGEE Mary, instead of being a comfortable
widow, was the persecuted wife of one of the greatest bushrangers
known. At first he was stunned and confused, but, ere he slept, his
clear straightforward mind had come to a determination that the first
evil was the worst, and that, God give him grace, he would hand the
scoundrel over to justice on the first opportunity, sure that he was
serving Mary best by doing so.

That night Jim and Sam lay together in a little room to the windward of
the house. They were soon fast asleep, but, in the middle of the night,
Jim was woke by a shake on the shoulder, and, rousing himself, saw that
Sam was sitting up in the bed.

"My God, Jim!" said he,--"I have had such an awful dream! I dreamed
that those fellows in the boat were carrying off Alice, and I stood by
and saw it, and could not move hand or foot. I am terribly frightened.
That was something more than a dream, Jim."

"You ate too much of that pie at dinner," said Jim, "and you've had the
nightmare,--that's what is the matter with you. Lord bless you, I often
have the nightmare when I have eaten too much at supper, and lie on my
back. Why, I dreamed the other night that the devil had got me under
the wool-press, screwing me down as hard as he could, and singing the
Hundredth Psalm all the time. That was a much worse dream than yours."

Sam was obliged to confess that it was. "But still," said he, "I think
mine was something more than a dream. I'm frightened still."

"Oh, nonsense; lie down again. You are pulling all the clothes off me."

They lay down, and Jim was soon asleep, but not so Sam. His dream had
taken such hold of his imagination, that he lay awake, listening to the
storm howling around the house. Now and then he could hear the
unearthly scream of some curlew piercing the din, and, above all, he
could hear the continuous earth-shaking thunder of the surf upon the
beach. Soon after daylight, gettin