e'll have to grin and bear it, and
take monkey's allowance if he cuts up rough. All we want to do now is
to get away from here; for, no matter how your captain may treat us, Dr
Hellyer would serve us out worse if he caught us again! Do help us,
Jorrocks, like a good fellow! Stow us away in the hold, or somewhere,
until we are out of port."

Our united entreaties at last prevailed, Jorrocks consenting finally to
conceal us on board the brig, although not until after much persuasion.

"Mind, though, you ain't going to split on who helped yer?" he
provisoed.

"No, Jorrocks, we pledge our words to that," Tom and I chorused.

"Then, come along o' me," the good-natured salt said, and lifting the
scuttle communicating with the hold forwards, he told us to get down
into the forepeak, showing us how to swing by our hands from the coaming
round the hole in the deck, as there was no ladder-way.

"There, you stow yourselves well forrud," he enjoined, as soon as we had
descended, chucking down a spare tarpaulin and some pieces of canvas
after us to make ourselves comfortable with. "Lie quiet, mind," he
added as a parting injunction, "the rest of the hands and the skipper
will be soon aboard, and it'll be all up if they finds you out afore we
start."

"All right, we'll be as still as if we're dead," I said.

"Then, belay there," replied Jorrocks, shouting out kindly, as he
replaced the hatch cover, which stopped up the entrance to our hiding
place so effectually that the interior became as dark as Erebus. "Good,
night, lads, and good fortune! I'll try and smuggle you down some
breakfast in the mornin'."

"Thank you; good night!" we shouted in return, although we doubted
whether he could hear us now the scuttle was on.

Thus left to ourselves, we scraped together, by feeling, as we could not
see, the materials Jorrocks had supplied us with for a bed, on which we
flung ourselves with much satisfaction, thoroughly tired out on account
of the Doctor's having kept us standing up all day, in addition to the
exertions we had since made in making our escape from school.

The novelty of our new situation, combined with its strange
surroundings, kept us awake for a little time, but we were too much
fatigued both in body and mind for our eyelids to remain long open; and
soon, in spite of our daring escapade and the fact that the unknown
future was a world of mystery before us, we were as snugly asleep as if
in our beds in the