They strolled on for half an hour in silence, mending their pace as they
recovered their wind, until at the end of that time they had settled
down into a steady three-and-a-half miles an hour, and felt rather more
like getting home than they had done.

"Another hour will do it," said Dick. "I say, we might smuggle in after
all, Georgie. What a crow if we do, eh?"

Georgie inwardly reflected that there would be a crow of some sort or
other whatever happened, but he prudently reserved his opinion and said,
"Rather!"

"We ought to come to the cross-roads before long," said Dick. "I hope
to goodness you know which one goes to Templeton."

"No, I don't; but there's bound to be a post."

There was a post, but, though they climbed up it and rubbed their eye-
lashes along each arm, they could get no guiding out of it. They could
see an L on one arm, and an N on another, and a full stop on each of the
other two, but, even with this intelligence, they felt that the road to
Templeton was still open to doubt, as, indeed, after their wanderings
round and round the sign-post, they presently had to admit was the case
with the road by which they had just come.

"We'd better make ourselves snug here for the night," said Heathcote,
who fully took in the situation.

"That would be coming to a full stop with a vengeance!" said Dick.

"Shut up; I let you off--and, by Jove, here's somebody coming!"

The red embers of a pipe, followed by a hulking nautical form, hove
slowly in sight as he spoke, and never did a sail cheer the eyes of
shipwrecked mariners as did this apparition bring comfort to Dick and
Heathcote.

"I say," said the former, advancing out of the shades and almost
startling the unsuspecting salt, "we've lost our way. Which road goes
to Templeton?"

The big sailor gave a grunt and lay to in an unsteady way, which
convinced our heroes, unlearned as they were in such matters, that he
wasn't quite sober.

"What d'yer want ter go ter Templeton fur?" demanded he.

"We belong to the school, and we've got left behind."

The sailor laughed an unsympathetic laugh and took his pipe out of his
mouth.

"Yer belong to the school, do yer, and yer've lost yer way?"

"Yes; can you put us right?"

"Yes, I can put yer right," said the brawny young salt, putting his pipe
back between his lips. "What'll yer stand?"

"We'll give you a shilling," said Dick.

"Yer will? Yer'll give me a sovereign apiece, or I'll bash ye