e trying to effect an
entrance into the hut.

"What can that be?" he asked himself as he sat up in his hammock, and
strained both eyes and ears to discover something in the surrounding
gloom.

The suspicious sound continued, and Donalblane was just about to waken
Mr. Paterson, whose hammock swung on the other side of the hut, when
the door gave way, and two men rushed in with manifest evil intent.
Had Donalblane not been awake at the moment, the villains might have
had easy work; but he was not only awake, but alert, and with a
quickness which did great credit to his wits he took instant action.
Springing from his hammock, he shouted--

"Mr. Paterson, wake up! there's danger!" and hurled himself at the
foremost man, grasping him about the knees. Down went the scoundrel on
his face, and the other was so close behind that he tripped and fell
also, the two getting tangled up together and giving vent to fearful
words, while Donalblane, somewhat bruised from the encounter, crawled
away, and darted to the side of Mr. Paterson, who was now fully awake.

They had nothing in their hands wherewith to defend themselves, and the
would-be assassins were no doubt well armed; but neither of them had
any thought of flight. Not so with the intruders. Realising that
their foul plot had failed of its purpose, thanks to Donalblane's
vigilance, their one idea was to get away, and the fellow that entered
last did succeed in regaining his feet and rushing out into the
darkness; but the other had been half stunned by his head coming into
contact with a heavy chest, and ere he could escape Mr. Paterson had
thrown himself upon him and pinned him to the ground.

"A light, Donald--quick, a light!" he called, as he put his whole
weight on the struggling form.

Donalblane hastened to obey, and the lighting up of the hut revealed
the fact that Mr. Paterson's prisoner was one of the very men
Donalblane had overheard conspiring against him. When they had bound
the wretch securely, Donalblane could not resist saying, in a tone of
exultation--

"Noo, sir, didn't I tell ye? and yet ye wadna listen to me. He's ane
o' them, and I can point ye out the other one any day."

Mr. Paterson, who had already recovered his composure as completely as
if nothing had happened, took both the boy's hands in his own, and
shook them warmly as he replied, with a look full of gratitude and
love--

"You were right, Donald, and it was wrong to make light of yo