antern belong?" asked a voice.

"Any old place. Leave it here."

"Let's take it along to find the path with."

"Yes, and have Crowley or Murdock see it and get on to the whole thing!
I guess not! Blow it out and leave it by the boat-house."

Then came darkness again and the sound of feet drawing near Roy's place
of concealment. On they came, trooping up the path, laughing and talking
softly. Roy crawled gingerly back into the bushes. The first of the
crowd passed within arm's reach, or so it sounded. Then came others,
stumbling and muttering. Presently,

"Is that you, Jim!" asked one of the passers.

"That's me," answered a clear voice.

"Coming up to the room for that medicine?"

"What medicine?"

"For your cold."

"Say, you want to get to sleep, my boy. I haven't got any cold."

"You said you had, you idiot! It doesn't sound so now, though."

"I said I had a cold? When did I say so?" demanded Jim.

"Why, in the boat, coming back. I said--"

Then they passed out of hearing and Roy smiled all to himself there in
the darkness. Finally the last of the footfalls ceased sounding on the
path and Roy stretched his cramped limbs and eased his position. It
wouldn't do to return to the landing yet, though; he must allow them at
least an hour to get to bed and asleep. To be sure, the dormitories were
not, he believed, in view of the landing, but it wouldn't do to take
chances. So he made himself as comfortable as he could and waited. He
was shivering now and his teeth chattered every time he opened his mouth
to yawn. He wondered what time it might be; perhaps one o'clock, perhaps
four. At any rate, he must wait an hour longer and he mustn't go to
sleep while he waited.

That was the hardest part of it, to keep awake. It seemed to him that he
had never been sleepier in his life. The minutes passed while he strove
to keep his eyes open. Time and again he caught himself drowsing and
threw off the temptation just in time. But the minutes went by, as they
must even when a chap is sitting in a thicket in a suit of damp clothes,
and minutes make hours. After a while he assured himself that the hour
had passed, yet resolutely held his place for a while longer to be on
the safe side. Finally, shivering and cramped, he crawled out and picked
his way back to the landing. If only he had matches! he thought
ruefully. And the next moment his bare foot trod on something and
stooping he picked up what he wanted! It felt like a