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THE R AT 



home, and I got there quite safely, as he had no 

 dog with him. But I heard him say, ' All right, 

 my beauty ; see how you look to-morrow.' Visions 

 of dogs and sticks and a broken back flashed across 

 my mind, and 1 made sure that he was going to 

 move the stack on the following day, so I deter- 

 mined to lie down and get a good sleep, and to 

 leave the stack early in the morning before opera- 

 tions commenced. That sleep was my salvation, 

 I believe. I told the others — those of them, at 

 any rate, who were awake — what I had heard, and 

 that 1 supposed that we should have to clear out 

 early next day, and they agreed with me that it 

 would be wise to do so. One of them made the 

 very unfortunate remark, ' What a nuisance ! I 

 wish I could stay here always.' Poor fellow ! he 

 was one of those who stayed. 



I enjoyed a most refreshing sleep while the 

 tragedy was being enacted. There was never a 

 squeak to arouse me from my slumbers. Softly as 

 the lights at evening they went out at a puff of 

 the breath of man. When I awoke in the early 

 morning, behold, we were all dead men ! — at least, 

 I thought so at first when I stepped lightly out of 

 my door into the fresh air of a fine November 

 morning, for the first sight that met my eyes was 



