on their heads, and only the bits out
of their mouths--we could have managed without the bits at a
pinch--everything ready to be out of the house in one minute, and in
saddle and off full-split the next. We were learned that trick pretty
well before things came to an end.

Besides that, Jonathan kept a good look-out, too, for strangers of the
wrong sort. It wasn't a bad place in that way. There was a long stony
track coming down to the house, and you could see a horseman or a
carriage of any kind nearly a mile off. Then, in the old times, the
timber had been cleared pretty nigh all round the place, so there was
no chance of any one sneaking up unknown to people. There couldn't have
been a better harbour for our sort, and many a jolly spree we had there
afterwards. Many a queer sight that old table in the little parlour saw
years after, and the notes and gold and watches and rings and things
I've seen the girls handling would have stunned you. But that was all to
come.

Well, about an hour before dark Jim wakes us up, and we both felt as
right as the bank. It took a good deal to knock either of us out of time
in those days. I looked round for a bit and then burst out laughing.

'What's that about, Dick?' says Jim, rather serious.

'Blest if I didn't think I was in the thundering old cell again,' I
said. 'I could have sworn I heard the bolt snap as your foot sounded in
the room.'

'Well, I hope we shan't, any of us, be shopped again for a while,' says
he, rather slow like. 'It's bad work, I'm afraid, and worse to come; but
we're in it up to our neck and must see it out. We'll have another feed
and be off at sundown. We've the devil's own ride before daylight.'

'Anybody called?' says Starlight, sauntering in, washed and dressed and
comfortable-looking. 'You told them we were not at home, Jim, I hope.'

Jim smiled in spite of himself, though he wasn't in a very gay humour.
Poor old Jim was looking ahead a bit, I expect, and didn't see anything
much to be proud of.

We had a scrumptious feed that night, beefsteaks and eggs, fresh butter
and milk, things we hadn't smelt for months. Then the girls waited
on us; a good-looking pair they was too, full of larks and fun of all
kinds, and not very particular what sort of jokes they laughed at. They
knew well enough, of course, where we'd come from, and what we laid by
all day and travelled at night for; they thought none the worse of us
for that, not they. They'd been bre