ving taken his bundle from the side of the wheel where it hung, he
first made his dinner of the provender he had brought with him, and
then, laying his head on the bundle, was soon in a sound sleep, from
which he was awakened by hearing voices on the other side of the hedge.
He turned round, and perceived two men on the side of the road, close to
his knife-grinder's wheel. They were in their shirts and trousers only
and sitting down on the turf.

"It would be a very good plan," observed one of them; "we should then
travel without suspicion."

"Yes; if we could get off with it without being discovered. Where can
the owner of it be."

"Well, I dare say he is away upon some business or another, and has left
the wheel here till he comes back. Now, suppose we were to take it--how
should we manage?"

"Why, we cannot go along this road with it. We must get over the gates
and hedges till we get across the country into another road; and then by
travelling all night, we might be quite clear."

"Yes, and then we should do well; for even if our description as
deserters was sent out from Portsmouth, we should be considered as
travelling tinkers and there would be no suspicion."

"Well, I'm ready for it. If we can only get it off the road, and
conceal it till night, we may then easily manage it. But first let's
see if the fellow it belongs to may not be somewhere about here."

As the man said this, he rose up and turned his face towards the hedge,
and our hero immediately perceived that it was his old acquaintance,
Furness, the schoolmaster and marine. What to do he hardly knew. At
last he perceived Furness advancing towards the gate of the field, which
was close to where he was lying, and, as escape was impossible, our hero
covered his face with his arms, and pretended to be fast asleep. He
soon heard a "Hush!" given, as a signal to the other man, and, after a
while, footsteps close to him. Joey pretended to snore loudly, and a
whispering then took place. At last he heard Furness say--

"Do you watch by him while I wheel away the grindstone."

"But if he wakes, what shall I do?"

"Brain him with that big stone. If he does not wake up when I am past
the second field, follow me."

That our hero had no inclination to wake after this notice may be easily
imagined; he heard the gate opened, and the wheel trundled away, much to
his delight, as Furness was the party who had it in charge; and Joey
continued to snore