34 STOEMY NIGHT. ch. ii. 



scarcely noticed at first the peculiar construction of the 

 roof. Eound three sides of the building there was a low 

 parapet wall, but none whatever towards the front, where 

 the flags sloped slightly outwards, and ended abruptly at 

 the edge of the outer wall of the building. The stars 

 shone brightly in the sky, and a pleasant breeze from the 

 east fanned our faces as we lay down to rest on the front 

 part of the roof, congratulating ourselves on the excellence 

 of our quarters, when compared to the misery we had 

 escaped below. Before long the breeze freshened, the 

 night grew cooler (55° Fahr.), and we were glad to lace 

 the oilcloth covers of our mattresses so as to keep out 

 the keen air. Before doing so. Hooker judiciously laid 

 an empty box on the windward side, and steadied it by 

 placing within it two or three bottles of wine, and a few 

 other luxuries for our consumption, his watch, and such 

 other miscellaneous articles as lay at hand. Snugly en- 

 sconced in our coverings, oblivion soon crept over us, and 

 we slept, it is hard to say how long. A horrid crash, and 

 the fall of a heavy body between the adjoining sleepers, 

 startled two of them into sudden consciousness. It was 

 something like what happens in the saloon of a steamer, 

 when a heavy sea strikes the ship, and, amidst a smash of 

 broken glass and crockery, one is suddenly roused from 

 one's sofa by the unexpected visit of one's neighbour's tra- 

 velling bag and hat-box. The cause of the phenomenon 

 was the same, though the position was very different. The 

 wind had risen to something more than half a gale, and 

 seemed much inclined to sweep clear away from the stone 

 roof everything that was not firmly fixed in its place. As 

 we lay tightly laced in our oilcloth covers, like the 

 chrysalis in its case, it cost some struggling and wriggling 

 to get ourselves free, and rush to the rescue of our pro- 

 perty, which was careering along the roof before each gust 

 of wind that struck the building. Several articles had 

 already been carried away over the edge ; but the moon, 

 shining brightly from amidst the light scudding clouds, 



