a leaf sailed past the tent, and he knew what tree it came from as
it touched the earth, and strained his ears the more, wondering what he
listened for, as he, and others of his kind, had done in the bush
before. It could be, he almost felt, nothing material, and yet, though
they did not move now, he knew the horses were also listening. That
had its meaning, for man cannot measure his keenest senses with those
of the beasts of the field. The little breeze awoke again, and shook
fantastic harmonies out of the shivering trees, and one horse stamped.
The other wheeled and snorted, and Alton sprang back into the tent, as
somewhere in the bushes there commenced a sound that suggested the
snarling of a great cat. It was possibly unfortunate he was not a
trifle less prompt, because otherwise he might have noticed something
slightly unusual in the sound.

As it was, however, he fell over Okanagan Tom, who being a very similar
man to him, and not as yet wholly awake, asked no questions but gripped
him silently, and proceeded to crush the breath out of him. Alton was
sinewy, but he was almost choking before he freed one hand, and drove
it into a tender portion of his assailant's frame. Then with a little
laugh Tom of Okanagan flung him across the tent.

"Great Columbus! It's good I found out in time," he said.

Alton was almost speechless still, and, while he gasped, the object he
had fallen on moved strenuously beneath him.

"You might get up," it said. "It's a somewhat unprotected place you're
sitting on."

"Confound you both," said Alton. "Hand me the rifle."

Seaforth afterwards remembered that he did not ask where the rifle was,
which would have been the question put by most men, and as he held it
out felt the stock touch Alton's hand. Then there was a little rattle,
and as Seaforth floundered to his feet a weird snarling cry broke out.
Alton was out of the tent in a moment, but Seaforth afterwards recalled
the fact that they were all moving when he heard the sound, and Tom of
Okanagan apparently groping for his axe and throwing things about. He
also decided that it might have been better if one had sat still and
listened, but it is not given to human beings to always do the most
appropriate thing.

Alton instinctively avoided the tent-line nearest the opening, which
was unfortunate, because the peg had drawn a trifle, and Seaforth had
moved it after his comrade had driven it. It therefore came about that