mbered hearing ere he went to sleep was that
concert from the neighboring swamp. The alligator bull had started in
to bellow again, as though pleading with some rival to come around and
try conclusions; and the sound was very strange, surrounded as they
were by such a wilderness.

Accustomed as he was to a delightful hair mattress, of course Phil
would have found it rather hard to have only a doubled blanket between
the boards and himself, as Tony was doing; while he and Larry enjoyed
the benefit of the cushions with which the side seats of the launch
were furnished; and which, being covered with panasote, were supposed
to act as life preservers should they be cast into the water. But Tony
never minded it in the least. He assured them he had many times slept
comfortably, perched on the limb of a tree.

Still, Phil was a light sleeper. While his chum might never awaken
once during a night, Phil generally turned over every hour or so. And
he had fallen into the habit, so general among old campers, of raising
his head and taking an observation at such times.

Finding all well, he would lie back again, and fall into a new sleep.

He remembered doing this at least twice on this night in question.
Each time it seemed to him that all was well. He could hear the
various noises coming out of the swamp, and forming such a weird
chorus; but they signified nothing in the way of peril. And by degrees
Phil was growing accustomed to listening to the strange conglomeration.

A third time he awoke, and it struck him instantly that on this
occasion he had not come out of his sleep wholly of his own accord.
Something seemed to be pulling at him--it would stop for a few seconds
only to go on again, and Phil noted that this tugging was wholly
confined to the shoulder of his coat, which he had not discarded when
he lay down, as the night air was cool.

At first a thrill passed through him. Possibly he remembered that bull
'gator with the hoarse bellow; or bethought him of certain yellow
moccasin snakes Larry had noticed in the water of the stream, coming
from the swamp, no doubt.

Then something touched his face, tapping him gently. Instinctively he
put up his hand, and immediately felt fingers. Why, it must be Tony!
Had the other thrown his arm up while sleeping, and in this way managed
to arouse him; or was his action intentional?

Phil was just trying to decide which it could be, when a sound came to
his ear that caused