. Good gracious! but
you scared me. I thought you were shot."

"_I'm_ not, but I fear some one else is," replied Ned as he hastily
struck a match and applied it to the wick of the lantern.

That instant Clay hurried out of the tent, and the three boys advanced
timidly to the fireplace. The supposed robber had ceased his outcry, and
was propped in an upright position against a heap of stones. Ned turned
the lantern on his face and staggered back with a cry of amazement.

"_Why, it's Nugget!_" he exclaimed. "What under the sun does this mean?"

It was indeed Nugget, and he looked the very picture of fright as he
rolled his eyes wildly from one to the other of his friends. It was
several seconds before he could speak.

"Where am I?" he gasped. "Who put me out here in the rain? I thought I
heard a gun go off."

He was evidently not injured--the position of the gun proved that--and
the boys began to appreciate the ludicrous side of the situation.

"You've been walking in your sleep," exclaimed Ned, as a sudden light
broke on his mind. "I'll bet a dollar that's just it. Did you ever do
such a thing before, Nugget?"

Nugget hesitated and passed his hand over his forehead.

"Yes," he said reflectively; "I used to walk in my sleep sometimes, but
that was long ago. I thought the habit was broken."

"Don't you remember anything about this affair?" resumed Ned. "You must
have taken Randy's gun and left the tent without waking us."

"Yes; I have a sort of recollection of it," answered Nugget sheepishly.
"I guess I must have been dreaming. I thought I was in Central Park at
home, and the animals broke out of the menagerie. I had a gun in my
hand, and when a big lion ran after me I ran away. Then I fell over a
bench and the gun went off--and--and I don't think I remember any more.
It was an awful dream. I thought the lion would eat me up."

This story was more than the boys could stand. They laughed so long and
heartily that Nugget recovered from his scare and got angry instead.

"You fellows would laugh the other way if that gun had been pointed
toward the tent when it went off," he said sullenly; "and besides there
is no fun in having such a dream."

"Nugget is right," exclaimed Ned. "The affair is too serious for
ridicule. It's almost a miracle he was not shot. And by the way, Randy,
I've told you often not to keep that gun loaded. Think what might have
happened to-night in consequence of your folly."

Randy looked