be a risky thing to do, I'm
thinking."

"Any idea what sort of a thing that animal in the tree was?" asked
Steve, as he cast an uneasy look aloft, doubtless wondering whether the
fierce beast held a grudge against him for having caused it to
relinquish its dinner; so that after that he would be a marked boy.

"I couldn't say," Max replied, slowly. "I only had a glimpse of
something moving up there, and then it was gone. The moon happened to be
behind a cloud at the time, and that helped to fool me. All I can say is
that it was a big animal, and not a 'coon or 'possum."

"Whew! some people keep on saying they never did get that tiger back
after the storm set the animals free from the cages," Steve said,
uneasily.

"Hello! there, what's all this row about?" Bandy-legs called out just
then, for the returning pair had drawn near the khaki colored tent,
where they discovered their chums standing with guns in their hands, and
blankets swathed around their lightly clad figures, looking for all the
world like a couple of mummies, or as Max afterwards told them, like
Mexican peons with their ponchos.

"Yes, that's what we want to k-k-know!" added Toby.

"Oh! Steve here got thirsty while he was sleeping, and stepped out to go
to the spring for a drink," Max informed them. "I happened to see him,
and took a notion I'd follow and see that he didn't come to any harm.
Then some animal up in a tree, thinking Steve was going to get after
him, threw this down to him, and let out a screech that beat anything
I've heard this long while."

"Why, that's a half a ham!" ejaculated the astonished Bandy-legs.

"_Our_ h-h-ham, in the b-b-bargain!" shrilled Toby.

"Just what it is," Max continued; "you see, the rascal had actually
stolen it, and was making off when he saw Steve below, and got angry. It
came mighty near hitting our chum on the head, which would have floored
him good and hard. So he was lucky to escape as he did."

"And we're lucky to get our ham back!" Bandy-legs argued, as though
after all that were the main point--which from a boy's standpoint it
certainly was.

Meanwhile Steve had dodged under the canvas, and presently reappeared,
also swathed in his blanket. He was still too much excited to think of
sleeping, and consequently meant to stand it out with the rest. Perhaps
curiosity had also something to do with the matter, for he would wish to
know what Bandy-legs and Toby thought about the species of animal that