w, and had been joking Frank over several weird pictures the
photographer of the expedition had lately developed.

"Everything O. K.," replied the voyageur, as though satisfied with his
labor. "No danger we lose same this night, zat is sure. Still, Francois,
me, and ze ozzer guide we expect to sleep wiz ze one eye open."

"If you should happen to see some stranger meddling with our boats,
Francois--what would you do?" asked Frank.

The voyageur shrugged his broad shoulders in a very Frenchy fashion as
he replied.

"I sall call out and ask ze same what he do, sare; and if so be he try
to run away, pouf; I ze gun will fire, taking aim to vound ze rascal in
ze leg, and not kill."

"Sounds rather war-like, don't it, Ned?" remarked Jack.

"Well, you must remember that this is a wild country up here," the
leader of the expedition went on to say, soberly; "and that men are
accustomed to looking on all others as enemies until they prove to be
friends. A man who would sneak up and hover over our boats, on being
addressed, if he were honest would throw up his hand at once and come
into camp. Only a sneak thief would try and cut for it. And from my way
of looking at it Francois would be justified in giving him a bullet in
the leg, or a charge of Number Sevens in the last place he could see as
the man galloped away."

As several of the scouts were yawning at a prodigious rate it was now
concluded that the time had come to crawl under their blankets and get
some sleep. This going to bed was never a very long-drawn-out operation
with the scouts when in the open. Each boy would remove his shoes, after
taking off his leggings, then follow with his outer garments, and after
that just snuggle down under his warm covering, and forgetting all his
troubles until the summons came that breakfast was almost ready.

On this especial occasion they vanished inside the tents, leaving the
guides at the fire smoking their last pipe of tobacco, which both of
them had to indulge in before they could think of sleeping.

After that none of the boys knew a single thing until they were rudely
awakened by hearing some one call out roughly.

Immediately afterwards there came a peremptory hail, and then a loud
report that must have come from a gun.

Of course there was a hustle in both tents, and it was astonishing how
quickly each scout managed to get some of his clothes on. A
professional fireman could hardly have shown more expedition about
d