as
graphic, and not calculated entirely to cure my "cold in the head."

"You see, it's this way," said he. "Jarman was smoking in Sharpe's
room, and chucked his cigar into the waste-paper basket or somewhere by
mistake, and while he and Sharpe toddled across the quad, the thing
flared up and went up the curtains, and when old Sharpe came back the
whole place was in a blaze. I twigged it pretty sharp, and so did Trim,
and there was a regular stampede. No one ever supposed you'd go snoring
all through it. Crofter and Wales were first outside, looking as white
as milk. Bless you, it was such a rush and shindy, no one could see
anybody. Of course we made sure you were all serene. Think of you
sleeping through it!"

"I was in the end cubicle, you see," said I.

"For all that, you might have stuck your head out to see what the fun
was about," said Langrish, in rather an aggrieved tone. "Sharpe turned
up presently, with his face all grimy with smoke, and yelled, 'Is every
one here?' 'Yes,' said Crofter--silly ass, how could he tell? Then
Coxhead said to me, 'Where's Sarah got to?' That made me look round,
and I can tell you I was pretty sick when I couldn't see you. Just
fancy a chap sleeping away through it all! Why, the ant and the
sluggard," said Langrish, getting a little mixed in his proverbs,
"weren't in it with you. So I yelled 'Sarah!' with all my might. You
should have seen the chaps sit up when they heard your name. Then old
Tempest, with his mouth shut and looking middling pasty about the face,
broke through the scrimmage and sent us right and left, and made a
regular header into the place. Sharpe yelled to him to come back; some
tried to yell, but couldn't for lumps in their throats, and we all
closed up. I can tell you it was a hot place. The smoke rolled out and
got in our eyes, and the wood and stuff cracked and blazed, and sounded
like the waves at Dover. We never expected to see him or you come back.
The stairs were going to bits as fast as they could, and great bits of
burning wood were tumbling off the roof. Then the smoke shifted
somehow, and we heard Sharpe yell, 'Heavens!' Then there was a dull row
like something tumbling, and Pridgin and Sharpe dashed in. We got kept
back, or we'd have given you a leg-up too. Then you strolled in, fast
asleep still--I never saw such a snoozer!--on Tempest's arm. He was
pretty well done, and couldn't have pulled it off if Sharpe and Pridgin
had