break out upon the still evening air.

"Ho, lads! Tone down your mirth a bit!" cried the officer of the day to
one of these groups, in the camp before Fort Spinder.

"Aye! aye, Sir!" was the response, and for a moment silence fell upon
the circle.

"Say, boys," at last exclaimed one of the company, "let's get out of
this and go for a lark. I have a capital idea in my head."

"Ho, ho!" cried Brownie Highjinks; "Twadeils really has an idea in his
head! I'll warrant it's a lively one. Out with it! I'm for any fun
that's not against general orders."

"Well then, lads, come close together and listen."

Twadeils was one of two brothers who had got their somewhat peculiar
name from their daring and mischievous spirit which kept them and most
people around them in a whirl of excitement and adventure. Their chums
nicknamed them the "Twa deils," and the two words at length became one,
and the lads were called Twadeils Senior and Twadeils Junior. But among
their fellows they were simply known as "Twadeils" and "Junior."

The Brownies grouped themselves around Twadeils, heard his plan, and
with little question gave hearty assent. An hour and place of meeting
were fixed; and after discussing details of the proposed lark in
whispers as they bent over the camp fire, the merry plotters retired to
their tents.

In due time they were up and assembled at the rendezvous. The group that
now started out upon their secret adventure was made up of Brownies from
all arms of the service. The navy was represented by Brownies Barck,
Ferrie, Wetman and Obersee; the cavalry by Brownies Gear, Saddler,
Martingale, Hosson, Howrode and Barnit; the infantry by Halfrick,
Highjinks, Esslade and the two Twadeils. A merry crowd they were and as
bold as merry. The story of their night adventure we are now about to
tell.

They silently stole from camp; passed the sentries without much trouble,
and reached the bank of the lake close by the point where the Brownie
picket line touched the water. They were in a shallow depression formed
in earlier time by an overflow of the lake. The water rose almost at
this point to the surface of the shore, and only a narrow ridge of sand
hindered it from flowing down the dry channel over which, indeed, it
often ran during freshets.

Twadeils set Obersee and his sailor companions to form a raft. They were
handy at such work, and soon had a number of beams lashed together into
a rude raft that was secure enough, at