rtar-gallery in one of his
extravagant gyrations.

"That won't do, Pup," said Bremner, shaking his head at the creature,
whose countenance expressed deep contrition. "Don't go on like that,
else you'll fall into the sea and be drownded, and then I shall be left
alone. What a dark night it is, to be sure! I doubt if it was wise of
me to stop here. Suppose the beacon were to be washed away?"

Bremner paused, and Pup wagged his tail interrogatively, as though to
say, "What then?"

"Ah! it's of no use supposin'," continued the man slowly. "The beacon
has stood it out all winter, and it ain't likely it's goin' to be washed
away to-night. But suppose I was to be took bad?"

Again the dog seemed to demand, "What then?"

"Well, that's not very likely either, for I never was took bad in my
life since I took the measles, and that's more than twenty years ago.
Come, Pup, don't let us look at the black side o' things, let us try to
be cheerful, my dog. Hallo!"

The exclamation was caused by the appearance of a green billow, which in
the uncertain light seemed to advance in a threatening attitude towards
the beacon as if to overwhelm it, but it fell at some distance, and only
rolled in a churning sea of milky foam among the posts, and sprang up
and licked the beams, as a serpent might do before swallowing them.

"Come, it was the light deceived me. If I go for to start at every wave
like that I'll have a poor night of it, for the tide has a long way to
rise yet. Let's go and have a bit supper, lad."

Bremner rose from the anvil, on which he had seated himself, and went up
the ladder into the cook-house above. Here all was pitch dark, owing to
the place being enclosed all round, which the mortar-gallery was not,
but a light was soon struck, a lamp trimmed, and the fire in the stove
kindled.

Bremner now busied himself in silently preparing a cup of tea, which,
with a quantity of sea-biscuit, a little cold salt pork, and a hunk of
stale bread, constituted his supper. Pup watched his every movement
with an expression of earnest solicitude, combined with goodwill, in his
sharp intelligent eyes.

When supper was ready Pup had his share, then, feeling that the duties
of the day were now satisfactorily accomplished, he coiled himself up at
his master's feet, and went to sleep. His master rolled himself up in a
rug, and lying down before the fire, also tried to sleep, but without
success for a long time.

As he lay