delighted that he could not sleep and hours passed
before he closed his eyes.

CHAPTER X.

A DISTURBANCE IN CAMP.

Jake Elliott got very little sleep that night. Indeed it was nearly
daylight when he fell asleep and it was one of Sam's marching rules to
march early. He waked the boys every morning as soon as it was
sufficiently light for them to begin preparing breakfast, and by
sunrise they were ready to begin their day's march.

This morning it was cloudy and there were symptoms of a coming storm.
Sam was up at the first breaking of day, and he hurriedly waked the
boys.

"Come, boys," he said, "we must hurry or we shall be too late to cross
a river that's ahead of us, before it begins to rise. Get breakfast
over as quickly as possible, for we mustn't fail to make seventeen
miles to-day, and if it rains heavily it'll be bad marching in this
swamp. There's higher ground ahead of us for to-morrow, but we mustn't
be caught in here by high water in the creeks."

The boys sprang up quickly and made all haste in the preparation of
breakfast. Jake Elliott was dull and moody. The fact is he was sleepy
and tired with the night's excitement, and in no very good condition
to march. He dragged with his share of the work, but breakfast was
soon over, and Sam was ready to start. Taking out his compass to get
his bearings right he opened it, and saw the ruin that had been
wrought.

He looked up in surprise and caught Jake Elliott's eye. In an instant
he guessed the truth.

"Lay down your bundles, boys," he said, "we cannot start just yet."

"Why not, Captain Sam?" asked two or three boys in a breath.

"Because Jake Elliott has broken our compass," replied Sam, looking
the offender fixedly in the eye.

"Shame on the wretched coward," exclaimed the boys. "Let's duck him in
the creek."

"I'm not a coward, and whoever says I broke the compass--"

"Silence!" cried Sam peremptorily. "Don't finish that sentence, Jake.
It isn't a wise thing to do. Besides there's no use putting it in that
way. 'Whoever says,' is a vague sort of phrase. You know very well who
said that you broke the compass. I said it; Sam Hardwicke said it, and
you do not dare to say that I lie. Don't try to say it by calling me
'whoever says.' That isn't my name."

Sam was as cool and quiet as possible. There was no sign of agitation
in his voice, and no anger in his tone. The boys, however, were
furious. They were in earnest in this expedition,