going to mean bankruptcy for my folks, that's all."

"About me, now," added Toby Jucklin, briskly, "I'm hoping to g-g-get a
b-b-bully g-g-good sleep tonight; unless Max fixes it so we have to
t-t-take t-t-turns standing sentry duty."

Steve looked disgusted.

"Oh! rats! I didn't mean anything like that, and you both know it," he
told the two grinning chums. "What I was referring to was on the point
of duty. We've agreed to stand back of our new friend, Obed, and see to
it that he isn't robbed of the proceeds of his industry by unscrupulous
scoundrels; and we've got to make good!"

"Hear! hear!" ejaculated Toby, pretending to clap his hands in applause.

"Steve, you're exhausting all the big words in the dictionary, with your
high-flown language," warned Bandy-legs in mock severity. "But I get
your meaning, all the same, and I also agree with your noble sentiments.
Sure we're expecting to stand up for Obed and his pets; and we're
likewise intending to make it hot for any old terrapin who comes
creeping around here with the idea of making way with the wearers of
that expensive fur. How about it, Max?"

"That's a settled thing," readily replied the one appealed to, and whose
opinion, it was plain to be seen, would swing things one way or another,
since the other fellows were in the habit of looking up to Max as their
leader. "We can fix it up in regular orthodox style, each fellow having
two hours on duty, and the rest of the night for sleep. Does that strike
you as about right?"

"Well," remarked Steve, proudly, "it won't be the first occasion when
this bunch has had to stand guard, not by a long sight. I can look back
and see many a night when we had to keep an anchor to windward, or else
lose something we prized a heap. Ever since we dug up all those mussels
in the Big Sunflower, and found dandy pearls inside some of them, it
seems to me we've had occasion from time to time to be envied by other
people, and had to keep watch so we wouldn't be robbed. Oh! standing
sentry is an old trick with us!"

"For my p-p-part," remarked Toby, yawning as he spoke, "I'd much rather
think up some g-g-good s-s-scheme that would ease the s-s-strain, and
allow us to s-s-sleep through the entire night."

"Please explain what you mean by saying that, Toby," demanded Steve;
"you do get off the most mysterious communications sometimes, and muddle
us all up."

"But there isn't anything q-q-queer about this, Steve," protested Toby.