skin too, and you ain't going to be called till the sun's
going down, and after that we shall see."

Ten minutes later Bracy was sleeping, carefully wrapped in Gedge's
_poshtin_, while the latter was eating heartily of the remains of his
rations.

"And he might ha' been dead, and me left alone!" said Gedge, speaking to
himself. "My! how soon things change! Shall I have a bit more, or
shan't I! Yes; I can't put my greatcoat on outside, so I must put some
extra lining in."

CHAPTER THIRTY TWO.

ONLY HUMAN.

As the sun gathered force in rising higher, a thin veil of snow was
melted from off a broad patch of rock, which dried rapidly; and, after a
little consideration, Gedge went to Bracy's shoulders, took fast hold of
his _poshtin_, and drew him softly and quickly off the icy surface right
on to the warm, dry rock, the young officer's eyes opening widely in
transit, and then closing again without their owner becoming conscious,
but, as his head was gently lowered down again upon its sheepskin
pillow, the deep sleep of exhaustion went on.

"Needn't ha' been 'fraid o' waking you," said Gedge softly, and looking
down at the sleeper as if proud of his work.--"There, you'll be dry and
warm as a toast, and won't wake up lying in a pond o' water.--Now I'll
just have a look round, and then sit down and wait till he wakes."

Gedge took his good look round, making use of Bracy's glass, and in two
places made out bodies of white-coated men whose weapons glinted in the
sun shine; but they were far away, and in hollows among the hills.

"That's all I can make out," said Gedge, closing the glass and replacing
it softly in the case slung from Bracy's shoulders; "but there's holes
and cracks and all sorts o' places where any number more may be. Blest
if I don't think all the country must have heard that we're going for
help, and turned out to stop us. My! how easy it all looked when we
started! Just a long walk and a little dodging the niggers, and the job
done. One never thought o' climbing up here and skating down, and have
a launching in the snow."

Gedge yawned tremendously, and being now in excellent spirits and
contentment with himself, he chuckled softly.

"That was a good one," he said. "What a mouth I've got! I say, though,
my lad, mouths have to be filled, and there ain't much left. We were
going, I thought, to shoot pheasants, and kill a sheep now and then, to
make a fire and have roast bird one day, l