f fear, he jumped back.

CHAPTER XII

A FALSE FRIEND

"What is it? What's the matter?" cried Tom springing from his cot and
hastening to the side of his chum in the tent. "What has happened,
Ned?"

"I don't know, but Jacinto is yelling something about vampires!"

"Vampires?"

"Yes. Big bats. And he's warning us to be careful. I stuck my head
out just now and I felt that same sort of shadow I felt this evening
when we were down near the river."

"Nonsense!"

"I tell you I did!"

At that instant Tom flashed a pocket electric lamp he had taken from
beneath his pillow and in the gleam of it he and Ned saw fluttering
about the tent some dark, shadow-like form, at the sight of which Tom's
chum cried:

"There it is! That's the shadow! Look out!" and he held up his hands
instinctively to shield his face.

"Shadow!" yelled Tom, unconsciously adding to the din that seemed to
pervade every part of the camp. "That isn't a shadow. It's substance.
It's a monster bat, and here goes for a strike at it!"

He caught up his camera tripod which was near his cot, and made a swing
with it at the creature that had flown into the tent through an opening
it had made for itself.

"Look out!" yelled Ned. "If it's a vampire it'll----"

"It won't do anything to me!" shouted Tom, as he struck the creature,
knocking it into the corner of the tent with a thud that told it must
be completely stunned, if not killed. "But what's it all about,
anyhow?" Tom asked. "What's the row?"

From without the tent came the Indian cries of:

"Oshtoo! Oshtoo!"

Mingled with them were calls of Jacinto, partly in Spanish, partly in
the Indian tongue and partly in English.

"It is a raid by vampire bats!" was all Tom and Ned could distinguish.
"We shall have to light fires to keep them away, if we can succeed.
Every one grab up a club and strike hard!"

"Come on!" cried Tom, getting on some clothes by the light of his
gleaming electric light which he had set on his cot.

"You're not going out there, are you?" asked Ned.

"I certainly am! If there's a fight I want to be in it, bats or
anything else. Here, you have a light like mine. Flash it on, and
hang it somewhere on yourself. Then get a club and come on. The
lights will blind the bats, and we can see to hit 'em!"

Tom's plan seemed to be a good one. His lamp and Ned's had small hooks
on them, so they could be carried in the upper coat pocket, showing a
gleam of li