“I will,” I said to myself as I went away, said good-night to Hannibal, and hurried back to bed, but not till I had carefully fastened my window ajar, so that Pomp could not get it open in the morning. And there I was, too much excited by the ideas of the trip to get to sleep. For as I lay there I could picture the little river winding in and out among the great trees of the primeval forest, and see it here black as night flowing sluggishly beneath the drooping moss-hung trees, there dancing in the sunshine that rained down from above, and then on and on in amongst the mysterious shades where in all probability the foot of man had never trod.
“Oh,” I said to myself at last, as I lay listening to the monotonous piping insect hum, and the bellowings and croakings from the wood, “how hot it is! I do wish it was day.”
But it seemed that many hours must elapse before day could come, and in a curious dreamy way I was wandering on and on through the tangled wood close to the river-bank, when Pomp said in a whisper—
“Hi! Mass’ George, you go ’top seep all day?”
I started up to find that I had slept for hours, and light in the shape of the morning was at the window, in company with darkness in the form of Pomp’s black face.
Chapter Twenty Three.
I lost no time in dressing after opening my window wide, there being no fear now of Pomp getting at me to have his revenge while I was asleep for the tricks I had played upon him.
The boy thrust in his legs with an easy motion, as soon as the window was thrown open, raising himself and dropping gently into a sitting position to watch me wash and dress.