ggested Bandy-legs, a little viciously; "he'll sure never be happy
till he knows whether it works or not. We'll take you down, Toby, if you
get hung up by the hind leg."

"H-h-hind leg!" retorted Toby indignantly, "what d-d-do you take me for,
anyhow? Mebbe you think I'm a c-c-cow or a j-j-jackass, but I ain't, all
the s-s-same; I leave it to others to p-p-play such g-g-games."

As he came in shortly afterward it was apparent that Bandy-legs had
counted without his host when he figured that Toby meant to test the
working of his trap at his own expense. Toby was too smart for that, it
seemed; and besides he doubtless had confidence in his arrangements.

"Here goes for a bully sleep," said Bandy-legs, as he coiled up under
his cover, with his knees close to his chin, a favorite attitude with
him; "and I hope nothing wakes me till morning."

"If you sleep as sound as you generally do," Max told him, "it would
take a hurricane to bother you. If one came whooping along, and carried
our tent up into the tree, the chances are you'd open one eye and want
to know who was making all that draught. You're a good sleeper,
Bandy-legs, and your mother knows it, too."

"I believe in doing everything well," replied the other, sturdily. "When
I eat I eat; and when the time comes to snooze take it from me I'm on
the sleeping job from the word go. That's all you'll hear from me
to-night, boys."

"Good!" said Steve, wickedly, "the rest of us can do a little thinking,
then. Let it go at that, Bandy-legs; no reply needed. I'm expecting to
go to sleep myself, for while I did say I meant to sit up and watch for
that ham thief, since Toby's been so smart as to set a trap, what's the
use?"

Presently all of them must have fallen asleep, to judge from the silence
that hovered over the interior of the khaki-colored tent.

Some time passed by.

Then several heads suddenly projected from under as many blankets.

"What was that?" Max asked.

"My t-t-trap s-s-sprung!" gasped Toby.

"But what ails the beast that he don't let out a few howls?" demanded
Steve, who was clawing desperately under his blanket, trying to find
where he had placed his handy gun at the time he lay down.

"That's the funny part of it," Max declared; "if you've got your gun by
now, Steve, let's crawl out and see what's doing."

The three of them hastened to do so, not knowing what they might see
once they reached the open. Bandy-legs had as yet not stirred, and it