u're going to hear something drop."

"I know what I'm meaning to do," said Steve, firmly; "and that's to keep
my gun handy, so if we get waked up by a lot of screeching, like the
world was coming to an end, I'll be ready to crawl out and wind up the
career of the escaped menagerie beast, whatever it turns out to be."

"D-d-don't you be too q-q-quick on the trigger, Steve," pleaded Toby.
"G-g-give us all a chance first to see what it's l-l-like. Mebbe we
might want to keep it alive."

"What for?" demanded Steve, aggressively.

"A p-p-pet," replied Toby; "lots of p-p-people have pets, and think what
it'd mean to me if I g-g-got a h-h-hyena in a c-c-cage."

"Yes, to be sure," scoffed the unconvinced Steve, "and also think what
it would mean to all the neighbors too. According to my mind the only
good hyena is a dead hyena. And if so be you ketch that sort in your
bully trap I'm meaning to knock spots out of the same with a charge of
buckshot. That goes, too, Toby, remember!"

CHAPTER XI

TOO TRICKY FOR TOBY

Later on Toby busied himself baiting his trap. Bandy-legs was invited to
assist in the operation, but he declined. Perhaps he partly suspected
the other had some sinister motive back of his invitation, and that when
he least expected it that trailing loop would get twisted around one of
his ankles, and his next step might precipitate an upheaval. Of course
Toby could always declare that it must have been an accident; but his
curiosity would have been satisfied at any rate. And Bandy-legs was
firmly opposed to allowing himself to be experimented on. He had heard
his father speak so many times of the horror of vivisection that somehow
Bandy-legs seemed to have imbibed the idea that all experiments must be
unpleasant.

At least it had not rained any at the time the boys sought their
blankets; and some of the more sanguine began to hope it would prove to
be a false alarm after all.

They had fixed things as well as they could, looking to a bad turn in
the weather. If it did come they would have a sort of rustic shelter
under which they could manage to keep their fire going, and in that way
get some warmth in the tent.

"Come along in, Toby, and quit your fussing out there!" Steve called, as
he settled himself under his warm blanket, having chosen a position
where he could duck out easily in case there came an alarm in the night.

"P'raps Toby's meaning to try his trap himself before he lays down,"
su