They sat back to back, and thus, in the form of a tripod, began to snooze.

Joe's and Henri's seasoned frames would have remained stiff as posts till morning; but Dick's body was young and pliant, so he hadn't been asleep a few seconds when he fell forward into the mud and effectually awakened the others.

Joe gave a grunt, and Henri exclaimed, "Hah!" but Dick was too sleepy and miserable to say anything.

Crusoe, however, rose up to show his sympathy, and laid his wet head on his master's knee as he resumed his place.

This catastrophe happened three times in the space of an hour, and by the third time they were all awakened up so thoroughly that they gave up the attempt to sleep, and amused each other by recounting their hunting experiences and telling stories.