nce we should attract no
attention."

They walked all night, and just as morning was breaking they saw a large
country house with the usual garden. They climbed over the wall, which was
not high, and drew some water in a bucket which they found standing at the
mouth of the well.

"This bucket we will confiscate," Will said; "we can hardly lie hidden all
day without having a drink. Of course they will miss it; but when they
cannot find it they will suppose that it has been mislaid or stolen. One
of the gardeners will probably get the blame, but we can't help that. Now
we will go another mile and then look for a hiding-place. There are a lot
of sand-hills scattered about, and if we can't find a hole that will suit
us we must scoop one out. I believe they are pretty hard inside, but our
crowbars will soon make a place large enough."

After an hour's walk they fixed upon a spot on the shady side of a hill
and began to make a cave that would allow the three to lie side by side.
The work was completed in less than an hour, and they crawled in and
scraped up some of the fallen sand so as partially to close the mouth
behind them.

"Thank goodness, we have got shelter and water!" Will said. "As for food,
we must forage for it to-night."

"I am quite content to go without it for to-day," Dimchurch said, "and to
lie here and sleep and do nothing. I don't think anything would tempt me
to get up and walk a mile farther, not even the prospects of a good
dinner."

"Well, as we are all so tired we shall probably sleep till evening."

In a few minutes all were asleep. Once or twice in the course of the day
they woke up and took a drink from the bucket and then fell off again. At
sunset all sat up quite refreshed.

"I begin to feel that I have an appetite," Will said; "now I think, for
to-night, we will content ourselves with going into one of the fields and
plucking a lot of the ears of maize. Messages may have been sent out all
over the country, and the people may be watchful. It will be wise to avoid
all risk of discovery. We can gather a few sticks and make a fire in there
to roast the maize; there are sand-hills all round, so what little flame
we make would not be noticed."

"But how about a light?" Dimchurch asked.

"I picked up a piece of flint as we came along this morning," Will said,
"and by means of one of these chisels we ought to be able to strike a
light; a few dead leaves, finely crumbled up, should do instead