"Bob, my boy, we'll camp here."
It was a fearful spot. Dark, dismal, and not a square foot of dry
ground.
"Here, Jack?"
"Ay, here."
"But it's--it's all wet. Excuse me, my dear comrade, I've not yet
acquired the habit of sleeping in water."
"No more have I, Bob; we shall sleep on a fallen tree, my boy. Did you
never hear of men sleeping in a swamp on the top of a log? It's often
done, I assure you, and I mean to do it to-night. See, here is a good
large one, three feet broad by twenty feet long, with lots of stumps of
broken branches to keep us from rolling off. Come, let's begin."
We immediately began to make our arrangements for the night. With the
aid of our clasp-knives we cut a quantity of leafy branches, and spread
them on the trunk of a huge prostrated tree, the half of which was sunk
in the swamp, but the other half was sufficiently elevated to raise us
well out of the water. The bed was more comfortable than one would
suppose; and, being very tired, we lay down on it as soon as it was
made, and tried to sleep: having nothing to eat, we thought it well to
endeavour to obtain all the refreshment we could out of sleep.