All we want to do now is to get away from here; for, no matter how your captain may treat us, Dr Hellyer would serve us out worse if he caught us again! Do help us, Jorrocks, like a good fellow! Stow us away in the hold, or somewhere, until we are out of port." Our united entreaties at last prevailed, Jorrocks consenting finally to conceal us on board the brig, although not until after much persuasion.
"Mind, though, you ain't going to split on who helped yer ?" he provisoed.
"No, Jorrocks, we pledge our words to that," Tom and I chorused.
"Then, come along o' me," the good-natured salt said, and lifting the scuttle communicating with the hold forwards, he told us to get down into the forepeak, showing us how to swing by our hands from the coaming round the hole in the deck, as there was no ladder-way.
"There, you stow yourselves well forrud," he enjoined, as soon as we had descended, chucking down a spare tarpaulin and some pieces of canvas after us to make ourselves comfortable with.

"Lie quiet, mind," he added as a parting injunction, "the rest of the hands and the skipper will be soon aboard, and it'll be all up if they finds you out afore we start." "All right, we'll be as still as if we're dead," I said.
"Then, belay there," replied Jorrocks, shouting out kindly, as he replaced the hatch cover, which stopped up the entrance to our hiding place so effectually that the interior became as dark as Erebus.

"Good, night, lads, and good fortune! I'll try and smuggle you down some breakfast in the mornin'." "Thank you; good night!" we shouted in return, although we doubted whether he could hear us now the scuttle was on.
Thus left to ourselves, we scraped together, by feeling, as we could not see, the materials Jorrocks had supplied us with for a bed, on which we flung ourselves with much satisfaction, thoroughly tired out on account of the Doctor's having kept us standing up all day, in addition to the exertions we had since made in making our escape from school.
The novelty of our new situation, combined with its strange surroundings, kept us awake for a little time, but we were too much fatigued both in body and mind for our eyelids to remain long open; and soon, in spite of our daring escapade and the fact that the unknown future was a world of mystery before us, we were as snugly asleep as if in our beds in the dormitory at Dr Hellyer's--albeit we were down in the hold of a dirty coal brig, with our lullaby sung by the incoming tide, which was by this time nearly on the turn, washing and splashing by the bows of the vessel lying alongside the projecting jetty, in its way up the estuary of the river that composed the little harbour.
How long we had been in the land of dreams, and whether it was morning, mid-day, or night, we knew not, for a thick impenetrable darkness still filled the forehold where we were stowed; but, Tom and myself awoke to the joyful certainty that we were at sea, or must be so--not only from the motion of the brig, as she plunged up and down, with an occasional heavy roll to port or starboard; but from the noise, also, that the waves made, banging against her bow timbers, as if trying to beat them in, and the trampling of the crew above on the deck over our heads.
We listened to these sounds for hours, unable to see anything and having nought else to distract our attention, until Tom, becoming somewhat affected by the smell of the bilge water in the hold as well as by the unaccustomed rocking movement of the brig, began to feel sea-sick and fretful.
"I declare this is worse than the Doctor's," he complained.
"We'll soon be let out," I said, "and then you'll feel better." But, the friendly Jorrocks did not appear; and, at length, wearied out at last by our vain watching, we both sank off to sleep again on our uneasy couch.
After a time we woke up again.

There was a noise as if the hatchway was being raised, and then the welcome gleam of a lantern appeared above the orifice.
It was Jorrocks come to relieve us, we thought; and so we both started up instantly.
The hour for our deliverance had not yet arrived, however.
"Steady!" cried our friend.

"We're just off Beachy Head, and you must lie where you are till mornin'; but, as you must be famished by now, I've brought you a bit of grub to keep your pecker up.