at night off we two scampered together, and without accident or
adventure reached the space at the back of the Exchange. Truly I was in
a world of wonders! I actually revelled in everything that can charm the
palate or the nose of a rat! Here was the division for Russian
imports,-- various and curious were they. There were chests of tea from
China, coffee from Arabia, sugar from the West Indies, and English
cotton goods, bales on bales piled up to a marvellous height. There
was a quantity of tobacco, heaps of cheese, spices of all sorts and
kinds. Now we came upon the odour of cinnamon or cloves; then the strong
perfume of musk betrayed an importation from India.

No wonder that the hours passed unheeded while we lingered in this
wonderful place! We passed on to the portion of the area devoted to
Russian exports, and here we were, if possible, still more delighted!
All the articles which Bright-eyes had mentioned as coming from Russia
were here; we were bewildered amongst heaps of furs, piles of leather,
barrels of tallow, and prodigious quantities of corn! Morn was breaking,
indeed, but we could not tear ourselves away, till the sounds of life,
and the signs of motion around us, alarmed me with the idea that it was
too late to retreat.

"Let's bury ourselves in this corn-sack," cried I, "we can sleep here
very well during the day, and recommence our explorations after dark."

Whiskerandos acceded to my proposition. Quiet we kept, very quiet.
Noisier the world seemed to grow, till at length voices were heard so
alarmingly near, that I crouched closer to my companion in terror!

Then-- oh! the horrible sensation which I experienced,-- never shall I
forget it! I felt that our sack was roughly pushed by some one, then
suddenly lifted on high!

"We are lost!" I gasped to Whiskerandos. Then another sort of motion
succeeded, accompanied by a heavy rumbling sound, like that of the
rolling wheel of a truck. Every hair of mine quivered with fear!

"Whiskerandos! oh, Whiskerandos! if they should be carrying us to a
mill!-- if we should be ground into powder between two great stones!"

"Be quiet and never despair," was the answer of the bold-hearted rat.

I believe that that terrible journey did not last long, but to me the
time appeared an age! Every turn of the grating wheel beneath me sent a
pang of anguish through my frame! At last the truck, if such it were,
stopped; in a few minutes the sack was again rudely moved, ca