s lowering himself
gently down upon a huge boulder stone and dragging round the wallet
which hung from his right shoulder.

"Phew!" he gasped. "Pretty job I have had to find you, Pickle! I took
a short cut, as I thought, and it proved a long one. I have had a
round. Aren't you hungry, boy?"

"Starving, uncle," replied the lad, as he dropped the fish into the
creel, hooked his fly on to one of the rings, and tightened the line.
"But let's come out here on to the heath. It will be more soft and
comfortable to sit down."

"Bah!" barked Uncle Paul. "I am not going to stir again till I have had
something to eat and a rest. There, lay your rod down. Bother the
soldiers! There was another party of them out yonder, shouted at me to
stop, and because I didn't, made as if they were going to fire. Yes,
they had better! But I had to stop; and then they began questioning me
about their escaped French prisoners, and wanted to know who I was and
where I was going, and I thought that they were going to make me a
prisoner and march me off yonder, only I showed them my card and asked
them if I sounded like a French prisoner. They were civil then, and I
gave them a shilling. That's two shillings I have fooled away out here
on this moor, where I should have said it wasn't possible for a man to
spend a farthing. Come on; help yourself," and he held out the wallet
for his companion to take one of the big sandwiches it contained.

"I think we had better go on outside, uncle," said the boy. "There's
more breeze out there, and the rocks don't reflect the heat."

"Do you?" said Uncle Paul, with his mouth full. "There's quite wind
enough in here to keep me alive, and I am so hot I don't want to go out
to be blown on and catch cold.--My word, the old lady didn't forget the
mustard! Come, eat away, Pickle. Let's start fair, or you will soon be
a sandwich behind. My word, what an appetite this air does give one!"

"Yes, uncle," said the boy, who, in spite of an effort to control
himself, could not help darting an anxious glance from time to time at
the opening between the rocks.

"Capital sandwiches, Pickle," continued the uncle, eating away with the
most intense enjoyment. "One doesn't want any other pickle with these.
What does the old proverb say--Hunger's sweet sauce. Hullo! what are
you getting up for?"

"Oh, I am going on eating, uncle," replied the boy. "I was only going
to walk to the end and see how far the so