At the end of an hour, both boys were fast asleep. The watchman, after smoking his pipe, got up, and paced up and down the wharf drowsily. He did not happen to observe the young sleepers. If he had done so, he would undoubtedly have shaken them roughly, and ordered them off. It was rather fortunate that neither Ben nor his companion were in the habit of snoring, as this would at once have betrayed their presence, even to the negligent watchman. After a while the watchman bethought himself again of his pipe, and, filling the bowl with tobacco, lighted it. Then, with the most culpable carelessness, he half reclined on one of the bales and "took comfort." Not having prepared himself for the vigils of the night by repose during the day, he began to feel uncommonly drowsy. The whiffs came less and less frequently, until at last the pipe fell from his lips, and he fell back fast asleep. The burning contents of the pipe fell on the bale, and gradually worked their way down into the interior. Here the mischief soon spread. What followed may easily be imagined. Ben was aroused from his sleep by a confused outcry. He rubbed his eyes to see what was the matter. There was something stifling and suffocating in the atmosphere, which caused him to choke as he breathed. As he became more awake, he realized that the cotton-bales, among which he had taken refuge, were on fire. He became alarmed, and shook Jerry energetically. "What's up?" said Jerry, drowsily. "I aint done nothin'. You can't take me up." "Jerry, wake up; the bales are on fire," said Ben. "I thought 'twas a copp," said Jerry, rousing, and at a glance understanding the position of affairs. "Let's get out of this." That was not quite so easy. There was fire on all sides, and they must rush through it at some risk. However, it was every moment getting worse, and there was no chance for delay. "Foller me," said Jerry, and he dashed through, closely pursued by Ben. By this time quite a crowd of men and boys had gathered around the burning bales. When the two boys rushed out, there was a general exclamation of surprise. Then one burly man caught Jerry by the arm, and said, "Here's the young villain that set the bales on fire." "Let me alone, will you?" said Jerry. "Yer grandmother set it on fire, more likely." No sooner was Jerry seized, than another man caught hold of Ben, and forcibly detained him. "I've got the other," he said. "Now, you young rascal, tell me how you did it," said the first. "Was you smokin'?" "No, I wasn't," said Jerry, shortly. "I was sleepin' along of this other boy." "What made you come here to sleep?" "'Cause we hadn't no other bed." "Are you sure you wasn't smoking?" "Look here," said Jerry, contemptuously, "you must think I'm a fool, to go and set my own bed on fire." "That's true," said a bystander. "It wouldn't be very likely." "Who did it, then?" asked the stout man, suspiciously. "It's the watchman. I seed him smokin' when I turned in."