At last all seemed to fade, as it were, into a dreamless sleep.
"It was like this here," Ike told me afterwards.

"I lay down and made myself comfortable, and then after smoking a pipe I went off asleep.
When I woke up I heerd you two a chiveying about and shouting, but it was too soon to move, so I went asleep again.
"Then I woke up and looked about for you, and shouted for you to come down and have something to eat, and bring up the horse again, for I thought by that time he'd have had a good rest.
"I shouted again, but I couldn't make you hear, so I went up higher and hollered once more, and then Juno came trotting up to me and looked up in my face.
"I asked her where you two was, but she didn't say anything of course, so I began to grow rough, and I said you might find your way back, my lads; and I went down to the public, ordered some tea and some briled ham; see to my horse having another feed and some water, and then, as you hadn't come down, I had my tea all alone in a huff.
"Then I finished, and you hadn't come, so I says, `Well, that's their fault, and they may go without.' But all the same I says to myself, `Well, poor chaps, they don't often get a run in the country!' and that made me a bit soft like, and I pulled a half-quartern loaf in two and put all the briled ham that was left in the middle, and tied it up in a clean hankychy for you to eat going home.
"Then I pays for the eating and the horse, harnessed him up, after a good rub down his legs, and whistled to Juno, who was keeping very close to me, and we went up the hill to the sand-pit again.
"I shouted and hollered again, and then, as it was got to be quite time we started, I grew waxy, and pulls out my knife and cuts a good ash stick out of the hedge for Master Shock, for I put it down to him for having led you off.
"Still you didn't come, and though I looked all about there was nothing fresh as I could see, only sand everywhere; and at last I says to myself, `I sha'n't wait with that load to get out of the pit here,' and so I started.
"Nice tug the hoss had, but she brought it well out on to the hard road, and there I rested just a quarter of an hour, giving a holler now and then.
"`I'm off!' I says at last, `and they may foller.

Come on, Juno,' I says; but the dog wasn't there.
"That made me more waxy, and I shouted and whistled, and she come from out of the sand-pit and kept looking back, as if she wanted to know why you two didn't come.

She follered the cart, though, right enough; and feeling precious put out, I went on slowly down the hill; stopped in the village ten minutes, and then, knowing you could find out that I'd gone on, I set to for my long job, and trudged on by the hoss.
"It was a long job, hour after hour, for I couldn't hurry--that little looking load was too heavy for that.

And so I went on, and eight o'clock come, and nine, and ten, and you didn't overtake me, and then it got to be twelve o'clock; and at last, reg'lar fagged out, me and hoss, we got to the yard just as it was striking four, and getting to be day.
"I put the hoss up, and saw Juno go into her kennel, but I was too tired to chain her, and I lay down in the loft on some hay and went off to sleep.
"I didn't seem to have been asleep above ten minutes, but it was eight o'clock when Old Brownsmith's brother stirs me up with his foot, and I sat up and stared at him.
"`Where's young Grant and the boy ?' he says.
"`What! ain't they come ?' I says, and I told him.
"`And you've left the dog behind too,' he says, quite waxy with me.
"`No,' I says; `she come home along o' me and went into her kennel.' "`She's not there now,' he says.
"`Then,' says I, `she's gone back to meet 'em.' "`Then there's something wrong,' he says sharply; `and look here, Ike, if you've let that boy come to harm I'll never forgive you.' "`Why, I'd sooner come to harm myself,' I says.