crib to-night."

"Not likely. Too much darkness and rain. Hurry, Sergeant, I can hear
already the rush of the rain in the forest."

They ran across the field, burst open the door of the crib, leaped in
and banged the door shut again, just as the van of the rain beat upon it
with an angry rush.

Save for a crack or two they had no light, but they stood upon a dry
floor covered deep with corn shucks, and heard the rain sweep and roar
upon the roof. On one side was a heap of husked corn which they quickly
piled against the door in order to hold it before the assaults of the
wind, and then they sought warm places among the shucks.

It was a small crib, and the rain drove in at the cracks, but it
furnished abundant shelter for its two new guests. Dick had never been
in a finer hotel. He lay warm and dry in a great heap of shucks, and
heard the wind and rain beat vainly upon walls and roof and the thunder
rumble as it moved off toward the east. He felt to the full the power of
contrast.

"Fine in here, isn't it, Sergeant?" he said.

"Fine as silk," replied the sergeant from his own heap of shucks. "We
played in big luck to find this place, 'cause I think it's going to rain
hard all night."

"Let it. It can't get me. Sergeant, I've always known that corn is our
chief staple, but I never knew before that the shucks, which so neatly
enclose the grains and cob, were such articles of luxury. I'm lying upon
the most magnificent bed in the United States, and it's composed wholly
of shucks."

"It's no finer than mine, Mr. Mason."

"That's so. Yours is just like mine, and, of course, it's an exception.
Now, I wish to say, Sergeant, the rain upon the roof is so soothing that
I'm likely to go to sleep before I know it."

"Go ahead, Mr. Mason, and it's more'n likely I'll follow. All trails
will be destroyed by the storm and nobody will think of looking here for
us to-night."

Both soon slept soundly, and all through the night the rain beat upon
the roof.

CHAPTER VI. A BOLD ATTACK

Dick was the first to awake. The sergeant had not slept the night before
at all, and, despite his enormous endurance, he was overpowered. Having
fallen once into slumber he remained there long.

It was not yet morning and the rain was yet falling steadily. Its sweep
upon the roof was still so pleasant and soothing that Dick resolved to
go to sleep again, after he had looked about a little. He had grown used
to dusk and he could see