ree. Then you wake me, and I'll tek' a
turn till five. Then we must be movin', for to-morrer's a long day.'

'To-day's a long day, you mean,' laughed Dick.

'So it is,' replied the Raven. 'It's to-day a'ready--o' course it is.'

He was about to coil himself round like a dog upon the hearth, when he
cast a quick glance on the heap of firewood.

'Not enough theer,' he said; 'an' I ain't a-goin' to have ye hoppin'
round on yer game foot.'

He sprang up again, and, in spite of Dick's protestations, caught up
the axe and a flaming brand from the fire, and went down to the burnt
gorse-patch, and hacked away till he had as many of the long stems as
he could drag.

'They're a bit wet outside,' he said, as he returned; 'but they'll
ketch all right if ye keep a good fire up, and theer's a plenty to last
till I've finished my nap. Then I can fill in my time wi' cuttin' any
amount.'

He curled himself up again, and was asleep in a moment.

Dick's watch was only two hours, but it seemed a long, long time. He
kept a rousing fire going, such a fire as the rain could make no
impression upon, and lost itself in the glowing depths in an angry
spluttering. Once the heat made him so drowsy that he dreaded the
terrible disgrace of falling asleep on his post. So he stuck his head
from under the shelter, and washed the sleep out of his eyes in the
slashing downpour. But even after that he was half asleep again, when
a sluice of cold water came in at the point where the blankets
overlapped, and very obligingly ran down his neck, and fetched him up
with a jump. Now he had a job to do in arranging their cover, and he
moved the ground rail a little back, and drew the blankets tauter. The
simple shelter did its work nobly. It is true that towards the bottom
the weight of water caused the blankets to sag, and there was a steady
drip at that point; but it was beyond the spot where the scouts were
crouching, and the sharp slant of the upper part ran the water safely
over their heads.

Chippy woke upon the stroke of three in a manner which seemed to Dick
perfectly miraculous.

'How did you do it?' asked the latter. 'I should never have awakened
of myself in that style.'

'Yer must fix it on yer mind,' replied the Raven, 'and then somehow or
other yer eyes open at the right time.'

'Well,' laughed Dick, 'I'm afraid it's no use my trying to fix five
o'clock in my mind. You'll have to wake me, Chippy.'

'I'll wake ye fast en