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Twilight came, and they were still sleeping. Neitherhad stirred an inch from his place. The little animalsthat hopped about in the thickets believed them dead, they were so quiet, and came nearer. Night came on, thick and dark. An owl in a tree hooted mournfully, and an owl in another tree a half mile away hooted amournful answer. Phil and his comrade did not hear, because they still lay in their great sleep, and the doingsof the world, great or small, did not concern them.
Phil awoke first. It was then about midnight, and sodark in the alcove that he could not see. His eyes stillheavy with sleep and his senses confused, he sat up. Heshook his head once or twice, and recollection began tocome back. Surely the daylight had come when he wentto sleep! And where was Bill Breakstone? He heard aregular breathing, and, reaching out his hands, touchedthe figure of his comrade. Both had slept, and no harmhad come to them. That was evident because he alsotouched the rifle and pistol, and they would have beenthe first objects taken by a creeping enemy. But surelyit could not have been a dream about his going to sleep inthe daylight! He remembered very well that the sun wasrising and that there were golden beams on the bushes.Now it was so dark that he could see only a few faintstars in the sky, and the bashful rim of a moon. He satup and gave Bill Breakstone a vigorous shake.
"Bill," he said, "wake up! It's night, but whatnight I don't know!"
Bill Breakstone yawned tremendously, stretchedhimself as much as the narrow space would allow, and thenslowly and with dignity sat up. He, too, was somewhatconfused, but he pretended wisdom while he was tryingto collect his senses. The two could barely see eachother, and each felt rather than saw the wonder in theother's eyes.
"Well," said Bill Breakstone at last, "I'd have youto know, Sir Philip of the Dream and the Snore, thoughI can't prove that you've done either any more than I canprove that I haven't done both, that we're the genuineand true Babes in the Wood, only we've waked up. Herewe've been asleep, maybe a week, maybe a month, andthe pitying little birds have come and covered us up withleaves, and we've been warm and snug, and the wildanimals haven't eaten us up, and the bad men, that is tosay the Comanches, haven't found us. How do you feel,Phil?"
"Fine, never better
in my life."
"That describes me, also, with beautiful accuracy.We'll never know, maybe, how long we've slept, whetherone day, two days, or three days, but a good spirit hasbeen watching over us; of that I'm sure.
"It's all right for the time," said Phil, "but don't doit too often. But, Bill, I'd trade a whole slab of poetryfor an equal weight in beef or venison. I'm beginningto feel terribly hungry."
"I'd make the trade, too," said Bill Breakstone, "andthat's not holding poetry so cheap, either. It's pleasantfor the Babes in the Wood to wake up again, but there'sa disadvantage; you've got to eat, and to eat you've gotto find something that can be eaten. I'm like KingRichard, 'A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!' ButI wouldn't ride that horse; I'd eat him."
"What time o' night would you say it is, Bill?"
Bill Breakstone attentively studied the few stars to beseen in the extremely dusky heavens.
"I'd say it was somewhere between six o'clock in theevening and six o'clock in the morning, with theemphasis on the 'somewhere.' I wonder what's happenedaround in these woods since we went to sleep last week,Phil; but I suppose we'll never know."
Bill stood up, and with his fingers combed the leavesout of his hair.
"Phil," he said, "I'll tell you the story of my lifefor the last day or two. It doesn't make a longnarrative, but while it was happening it was tremendouslymoving to me. When I left you I skipped along throughthe edge of the woods and came to the plain. Then Isaw the Indian village and the Indian horses grazing onthe meadows. I looked them over pretty thoroughly, concluded I didn't like 'em, and started back to tell youabout 'em. I thought I was mighty smart, but I wasn'tsmart enough by half."
"What happened?"
"Just as I turned around to start upon my worthymission, three large, unclothed Comanches laid rudehands upon me. I didn't have much chance, one againstthree, and surprise on their side, too. They soon had meby the neck and heels, and carried me off to their village, where they gave me the welcome due to a distinguishedstranger. Black Panther was especially effusive. Hewanted to know all about me and my friends, if any, perchance, were near by. It was the same band that hadattacked our wagon train and that was beaten off. Theirscouts had warned them that we were on the other sideof the big forest, but they were afraid to attack again.I gathered from what Black Panther said-he understandsEnglish, and I understand some Comanche-that theybelieved me to be lost, strayed, or stolen-that is, I hadwandered away in some manner, or had been left behind.The chief tried to get all sorts of information out of me, but I didn't have any to tell. Finding that I was borndumb, he began to talk about punishments."