Hank Hazletine.

"Maybe he has lost his way in the canyon," suggested Fred, giving
expression to a fancy which was not serious.

"You mean that he has forgotten where the stairs lead up to the top?"

"I guess that's what I mean, though I never thought of it before. If
that is the fact, he may have to pick his way for two or three hundred
miles to the mouth of the canyon and then walk back to us."

"That will delay his arrival."

"Yes. He can hardly be expected before morning."

"Let me see," said Jack, becoming more serious; "Hank warned us that no
matter where we went into camp, we must keep one person on duty as
sentinel."

"Suppose we are separated, and there is only one of us in camp?"

"Then, I presume, he must sit up and watch over himself. But what's the
use of one of us keeping guard here?"

"Why not?"

"We are in this cavern-like arrangement, where no one can come upon us
from the rear, while the fire will ward off danger from the front."

"Suppose that danger comes in the form of an Indian; what would he care
for half a dozen fires?"

"But there are no unfriendly Indians in these parts."

"You are thinking of Motoza. We have agreed that he is friendly, but
sometimes I suspect we are making a mistake about him."

The boys would have been glad to convince themselves that it was safe to
dispense with guard duty, for a night of undisturbed rest was
exceedingly tempting, but no one who starts out with the set purpose of
deceiving himself can do so. The result of it all was that the two
decided that they must stand guard between them until the sun rose.

On such occasions the sentinel whose turn comes first has the preferable
task, since every one will admit that it is easier to keep awake before
midnight than afterward. The division was made more equitable by
arranging that Jack Dudley should serve until two o'clock, and Fred
Greenwood for the remainder of the morning. Before the hour of ten the
younger lay down on the flinty floor, with his heavy blanket gathered
around him, and sank into slumber. They had matched pennies for the
first turn, else the elder would not have claimed it.

Jack found his duty similar in many respects to that of his first night
on the prairie, but the surroundings and circumstances were in wide
contrast. In the former instance they had the companionship of the
cowman and veteran hunter, while now they could not know whether he was
within a half-dozen miles of them. Jac