seemed to grow heavier
and heavier, and the night darker and darker. They could see that they
were passing though a vineyard, formed on terraces, built upon the
hillside. The assistant surgeon, who followed next their friend, had
slackened his speed, allowing the latter to get ahead of him. Suddenly
the medico lost sight of his guide, when stumbling he let his bags slip
off his shoulders, and was obliged to stop a minute to adjust them,
bringing everybody else behind him to a halt. Then to make up for lost
time he pushed on at greater speed than before. He heard their guide
cry out something, but what it was he could not tell. "Make haste you
in the rear," he exclaimed, but scarcely were the words out of his mouth
than he found himself going headforemost from the top of a high wall,
when he began to roll over and over, down a steep declivity. He was not
alone, for one after the other came his companions, the darkness
preventing those behind from discovering what had happened, Higson being
the last, till the whole party were rolling away down the hill,
struggling and kicking with the bags round their necks, some well-nigh
strangled by the cords which held them together.

"Och, it's kilt I am entirely!" exclaimed Paddy Desmond, who was the
first to find his voice. "Where are we after going to? Is the say
below us, does any one know?"

"Can't some of you fellows ahead stop yourselves?" sung out Higson, who
came thundering along with his big bundles about his neck; but the
ground had just been cleared, not a root or branch offered a holdfast,
and his weight giving a fresh impetus to the rest away they all went
again over another terrace wall, shrieks and shouts and groans
proceeding from those whose throats were not too tightly pressed by the
cords to allow them utterance. Their cries quickly brought their friend
to their assistance, when a level spot having fortunately been reached,
with his aid, after some hauling and twisting, they were at length got
on their legs, and their bundles and bags being replaced on their
shoulders they proceeded in the same order as before. One or two
groaned, occasionally, from the weight of their burdens or from the pain
of their bruises, but most of the party trudged on, laughing heartily at
their adventure.

"Hillo, why the gate is locked--never knew that before!" they heard
their guide exclaim. "Never mind, we can easily climb it." Saying this
he threw his bags over, and c