us, escorted by a large
mastiff. When she arrived at the copse of trees where we lay concealed,
she cried out to the dog in Dutch, who immediately scoured the wood
until he came to our hiding-place, when he crouched down at the
entrance, barking furiously, and putting us in no small dread, lest he
should attack us; but the little girl spoke to him again, and he
remained in the same position, looking at us, wagging his tail, with his
under jaw lying on the snow. She soon came up, and looking underneath,
put a basket in, and nodded her head. We emptied the basket. O'brien
took out a Napoleon and offered it to her; she refused it, but O'Brien
forced it into her hand, upon which she again spoke to the dog, who
commenced barking so furiously at us, that we expected every moment he
would fly upon us. The girl at the same time presenting the Napoleon,
and pointing to the dog, I went forward and took the Napoleon from her,
at which she immediately silenced the enormous brute, and laughing at
us, hastened away.

"By the powers, that's a fine little girl!" said O'Brien; "I'll back her
and her dog against any man. Well, I never had a dog set at me for
giving money before, but we live and learn, Peter; and now let's see
what she's brought in the basket." We found half-boiled eggs, bread,
and a smoked mutton-ham, with a large bottle of gin. "What a nice
little girl! I hope she will often favour us with her company. I've
been thinking, Peter, that we're quite as well off here, as in a
midshipman's berth."

"You forget that you are a lieutenant."

"Well, so I did, Peter, and that's the truth, but it's the force of
habit. Now let's make our dinner. It's a new-fashioned way though, of
making a meal lying down; but, however, it's economical, for it must
take longer to swallow the victuals."

"The Romans used to eat their meals lying down, so I have read,
O'Brien."

"I can't say that I ever heard it mentioned in Ireland, but that don't
prove that it was not the case; so, Peter, I'll take your word for it.
Murder! how fast it snows again. I wonder what my father's thinking on
just at this moment."

This observation of O'Brien induced us to talk about our friends and
relations in England, and after much conversation we fell fast asleep.
The next morning we found the snow had fallen about eight inches, and
weighing down our upper blanket so much, that we were obliged to go out
and cut stakes to support it up from the ins