hours each. I should say that three men in a watch, stationed at fifty
yards from the camp upon different sides, would suffice.'

There was a general assent to the proposal.

'To save trouble,' Mr. Hardy went on, 'I suggest that we keep watch in
the alphabetical order of our names. Twelve of us will be on to-night,
and the next twelve to-morrow night.'

The proposal was at once agreed to; and the three who were first on duty
at once rose, and, taking their rifles, went off in various directions,
first agreeing that one of them should give a single whistle as a signal
that the watch was up, and that two whistles close together would be a
warning to retreat at once towards the centre.

The watch also ascertained which were the next three men to be roused,
and these and the succeeding watches agreed to lie next to each other,
in order that they might be roused without awakening their companions.

In a few minutes there was a general unrolling of ponchos, and soon
afterwards only sleeping figures could be seen by the dim light of the
smouldering fire. Mr. Hardy, indeed, was the only one of the party who
did not fall to sleep. Thoughts of the events of the last twenty-four
hours, of the best course to be adopted, and of the heavy responsibility
upon himself as leader of this perilous expedition, prevented him from
sleeping. He heard the watch return, rouse the relief, and lay down in
their places. In another half hour he himself rose, and walked out
towards the sentry.

It was a young man named Cook, one of the new settlers to the east of
Mount Pleasant. 'Is that you, Mr. Hardy?' he asked, as he approached. 'I
was just coming in to wake you.'

'What is it, Mr. Cook?'

'It strikes me, sir, that there is a strange light away to the
south-west. I have only noticed it the last few minutes, and thought it
was fancy, but it gets more distinct every minute.'

Mr. Hardy looked out anxiously into the gloom, and quickly perceived the
appearance that his friend alluded to.

For a minute or two he did not speak, and then, as the light evidently
increased, he said almost with a groan, 'It is what I feared they would
do: they have set the prairie on fire. You need not keep watch any
longer. We are as much separated from the Indians as if the ocean
divided us.'

Cook gave the two short whistles agreed upon to recall the other men on
guard, and then returned with Mr. Hardy to the rest of the party. Then
Mr. Hardy roused all hi