well in de
kettle."

"So we can. I forgot that. We shall do capitally."

The kettle was not long in boiling. Chloe produced some spoons and
knives and forks from the basket.

"Spoons and forks are luxuries, Chloe," Vincent said, laughing. "We
could have managed without them."

"Yes, sah; but me not going to leave massa's silver for dose villains to
find."

Lucy laughed. "At any rate, Chloe, we can turn the silver into money if
we run short. Now the kettle is boiling."

It was taken off the fire, and Lucy poured some tea into it from the
canister, and then proceeded to cut up the bread. A number of slices of
bacon had already been cut-off, and a stick thrust through them, and
Dan, who was squatted at the other side of the fire holding it over the
flames, now pronounced them to be ready. The bread served as plates, and
the party were soon engaged upon their meal, laughing and talking over
it as if it had been an ordinary picnic in the woods, though at times
Vincent's face contracted from the sharp twitching of pain in his
shoulder. Vincent and Lucy first drank their tea, and the mugs were then
handed to Dan and Chloe.

"This is great fun," Lucy said, "If it goes on like it all through our
journey, we shall have no need to grumble. Shall we, Chloe?"

"If you don't grumble, Miss Lucy, you may be quite sure dat Chloe will
not. But we hab not begun our journey at present; and I spec dat we
shall find it pretty hard work before we get to de end. But neber mind
dat; anyting is better dan being all by ourselves in dat house. Terrible
sponsibility dat!"

"It was lonely," the girl said, "and I am glad we are away from it,
whatever happens. What a day this has been! Who could have dreamed, when
I got up in the morning, that all this would take place before night? It
seems almost like a dream, and I can hardly believe"--and here she
stopped with a little shiver as she thought of the scene she had passed
through with the band of bushwhackers.

"I would not think anything at all about it," Vincent said. "And now I
should recommend your getting to sleep as soon as you can. We will be
off at daybreak and it is just twelve o'clock now."

Five minutes later Lucy and her old nurse were snugly ensconced in their
little bower, while Vincent and Dan stretched themselves at full length
on the other side of the fire. In spite of the pain in his shoulder
Vincent dozed off occasionally, but he was heartily glad when he saw the
fir