then, and that will give each of
us some sleep."

This was agreed upon, and they tossed up to see who should go on guard
first. It fell to Darry's lot, and Joe, hardly able to keep his eyes
open, quickly retired, without undressing.

Darry's vigil was certainly a lonely one, doubly so because it was new
to him. As he tramped slowly around the cabin, he could not help but
contrast this situation with the one he was used to at home.

"I don't know as I'd like to be a night policeman or a night-watchman,"
he reasoned. "They must be awfully tiresome jobs. And the city isn't
near as lonely as this, either, even in the middle of the night." He
drew a long breath and looked at his watch. "Gracious, only
three-quarters of an hour gone, and I've got an hour and a quarter still
to serve! How awfully slow it is! If Leeson----What's that?"

He broke off short and came to a halt, with his rifle in his hands and
his gaze fixed on some brushwood a hundred feet to the rear of the
stable. He had seen some dark object moving, but whether it was man or
beast he could not tell.

"It was something, I'm sure of that," he told himself, after the object
had disappeared from view. "If it was a man he must have been crawling
on hands and knees."

He wondered if he had better awaken Joe, but hesitated, knowing how
sleepy his cousin was. Perhaps the object would go away--if it was a
wild beast.

Keeping his eyes on the spot, Darry waited what seemed to him a long
time, but which was really but a few minutes. Then slowly the bushes
parted and the object came forth, with eyes that gleamed fitfully even
in that darkness.

"A mountain wolf!" muttered the boy. "Well, I'm glad it isn't one of
those desperadoes."

Taking up a stone he hurled it at the wolf, at the same time shouting to
the beast to go away. At once the wolf turned tail and disappeared
whence it had come.

"Did you call?" came sleepily from Joe.

"There's a wolf in the bushes back of the cabin," returned Darry.

"Does he want to attack you?"

"I don't know. I just threw a stone at him, and he's slunk out of
sight."

By this time Joe was also outside, and the two cousins waited for the
reappearance of the wolf.

But the animal was cowardly, and did not show himself again, and
presently Joe returned to bed. The remainder of the night passed without
anything unusual happening.

CHAPTER IX.

ARRIVAL AT THE FORT.

The morning found the two boys still alone. T