116 Pertinacious Rats. [CHAP. VII. 
as he could find, and spread it on the stones, he lay down 
in a reclining position. In this position he soon fell fast 
asleep. 
How long he had slept he did not know, but he was 
awakened by a quivering sort of motion about his head. 
He at first thought it was caused by the sinking of the 
stones, and that his head was going down with them. He 
sat bolt-upright, clutched his gun and wallet to save them, 
and felt the stones with his hands to ascertain whether they 
had sunk or not. They were quite undisturbed. He again 
lay down, thinking that he had only been dreaming. But 
before he could fall asleep, the movement under his head 
again commenced. Thinking it might be a weasel, and not 
wishing for his company, he moved to one side, adjusted 
his bedding, moved the grass, and prepared to lie down 
again. ; 
His sleep this time was of very short duration, for the 
tug-tugging again commenced. He now raised his hand, at 
the same time that he opened his eyes, and seized hold, not 
of a weasel; but of a rat. He threw him away, thinking 
that that would be enough. Being assured that there were 
no weasels there—for rats and weasels never associate—he 
now thought he should be able to get a little sleep. He had 
no idea that the rat would return. 
But in this he was disappointed. He was just beginning 
to sleep, when he heard the rat again. He looked up, and 
found that two rats were approaching him. So long as 
there were only two, he knew he could manage them. He 
allowed them to climb up the stones and smell all about 
him. One of them mounted his face and sat upon it. 
They next proceeded to his wallet, and endeavored to pull 
it from under his head. They had almost succeeded in do- 
ing so, when he laid hold of his wallet and drove them off. 
Being now in a sort of fossilized state, from wet and 
cold, Edward did not attempt to sleep again, but rose up 
from his bed of stones, secured all his things, and march- 
