ut
and put him on top."

This made the boys roar with laughter, and at last, somehow or other,
they squeezed, and pushed, and tumbled, and jumbled themselves together,
like a family of kittens, and not a soul could tell which were his own
arms or legs, as they stuck out, over, under, and across each other,
and then they shut their eyes, and tried to fall asleep.

But here new troubles began. Myriads of insects came buzzing around
them, a superannuated old bull-frog and his wife set up a dismal
bellowing, in a swampy spot close by, and, apparently, any quantity of
high-tempered owls were holding a mass meeting, all hooting and tooting,
and talking at once. A general attack was made on the poor little
gipsies by a nimble army of musquitoes, who seemed to be in a perfect
frenzy of delight, at the fine supper provided for them. The boys
slapped, and whacked, and kicked in the dark, and hit each other, three
times as often as they did their foes.

"Oh, murderation!" exclaimed poor Charlie, "what shall we do--what
_shall_ we do?" as the boys, unable to bear the torment any longer,
started to their feet, little George fairly blubbering with distress,
and rummaging in vain in his pocket, for his pocket-handkerchief, to
wipe away his tears, and rub his nose up, as little boys invariably do.

"Suppose we try to find some other place," said Richard, "we seem to
have come to the very spot where all the musquitoes live."

"Oh! don't," cried little George, "don't go running about the woods in
the dark. Who knows how many bears there may be up in the trees."

"And robbers, too, with guns and pistols," said Arthur.

"And how can we light another fire, if we leave this?" said Richard, who
was more practical than the rest. "By-the-way, I think I've heard that
smoke will drive away musquitoes; suppose we put on some green wood, and
make a great smudge."

Any thing was better than being bitten; so the boys poked and groped
around in the uncertain light, for the fire was very low, and picked up
all the branches they could find, and heaped them upon the fire, and,
sure enough, they did make a great "smudge," and set every body
coughing, choking, and crying, until they were half crazy.

By degrees the musquitoes did seem to be driven off a little, or else
the gipsies were so tired and sleepy that they ceased to hear or feel
them, for one after another became, first silent, then drowsy, and,
finally, dropped off into slumber, too sou