vered
completely and from sight, and in all respects furnishing a dwelling,
though rather a confined one for himself--enabled him to attend to the
duty assigned him without himself being seen. The night had been fairly
set in, when Bunce, with the aid of Chub Williams, with all due caution
proceeded to his task, and with so much success, that, in the course of
a couple of hours, they had succeeded, not only in making a fair outlet
for themselves, but for Lucy Munro too.

The watchman, in the meantime, holding his duty as merely nominal, gave
himself as little trouble as possible; and believing all things quiet,
had, after a little while, insinuated himself into the good graces of as
attractive a slumber as may usually be won in the warm summer season in
the south, by one to whom a nightwatch is a peculiarly ungracious
exercise. Before this conclusion, however, he looked forth every now and
then, and deceived by the natural stillness of earth and sky, he
committed the further care of the hours, somewhat in anticipation of the
time, to the successor who was to relieve him on the watch.

Without being conscious of this decision in their favor, and ignorant
entirely of the sentinel himself, the pedler fortunately chose this
period for his own departure with the young lady whom he was to escort;
and who, with probably far less fear than her gallant, did not scruple,
for a single instant, to go forth under his guidance. Chub took his
instructions from the lips of Lucy, and promised the most implicit
obedience.

They had scarcely been well gone when the sentinels were changed, and
one something more tenacious of discipline, or something less drowsy
than his predecessor, took his place. After muttering at intervals, as
directed, for the space of an hour, probably, from the time at which his
companion had departed, Chub thought it only prudent to sally forth too.
Accordingly, ascending to the break in the wall, through which his
companion had made his way, the urchin emerged from the cavern at the
unlucky moment, when, at some ten or fifteen paces in front of him, the
sentinel came forth from his niche to inspect the order of his watch.
Chub saw his adversary first, and his first impulse originated the
scream which drew the attention of Rivers, as already narrated. The
outlaw rushed quickly to the scene of difficulty, and before the
sentinel had well recovered from the astonishment occasioned by the
singularly sudden appearan