ke to make a pet
dog on; but I've heerd them lots of times in Canady heigh-ho where they
chase the buffalo."

"Ah, to be sure. You have been in the regiment longer than I have.
Well, these brutes are going it! Why, Maine, we ought to have brought
our guns and had some shooting."

"Too dark to see them."

"Why, what a noise! And they have been going on like this all the time
you have been on duty?"

"Yes, sir; it's been precious cheerful."

"But what have you done?"

"Oh, just kep' on the move, sir, so as to baffle them a bit when they
seemed disposed to come ashore and join one."

"But surely you haven't seen any of them come ashore?"

"Well, sir, to be downright honest, it's been too dark to see 'em; but
I've seemed to feel one of 'em crawling ashore now and then; and then I
always went right to the end of the beat, so as to get as far off as I
could."

"I say, Down, this is horrible!" said Archie.

"Thank you, sir," said the man. "It ain't been nice."

"Nice--no!" said the Captain. "It seems like planting a sentry to act
as a bait to draw the brutes ashore."

"I don't think, however, that they would attack a man who was on the
alert," said Archie.

"I shouldn't like to risk it," said the Captain, "however much I were on
the alert."

"But the Doctor says from long experience he never knew them attack any
one moving about. Of course he says he wouldn't answer for the life of
a man who was lying asleep close to the river's edge, and we know that
they will pull in a woman bathing, or who has waded in to draw water."

"Yes," said the Captain, "I can answer for that. Why, they will seize
an ox that has walked in to drink. But this is not right. The Major
would be angry if he knew of a single sentry being stationed so close to
the water as this on a dark night.--Look here, Smithers; move in yonder
a bit--up to that hut we just passed. You can well command the
landing-place from there, I think?"

"Yes, sir; thank you, sir. No boat could land there without my hearing
and seeing it."

"Well, then, move up there; and when Sergeant Ripsy comes to relieve
guard, tell him I changed your position, and that a sentry must not be
posted here again on a dark night."

"Thank you, sir," said the private. "It has been awful, sir."

"Awful--yes, my lad. Well, we are three of us now, but I don't feel at
all eager to stay. However, you will be quite safe there--eh, Maine?"

"Oh yes. The heavy, lumberi