leep. And I know a fellow who thought
he was in the heart of Africa watching the savage beasts come down to a
waterhole to drink, and then getting up in the morning to discover the
whole shooting-match had taken up quarters in his back yard. You never
know what's going to happen."

"That's right, you don't," added Bandy-legs, and shaking his forefinger
at Toby dramatically he continued: "Now see here, Toby, just you quit
dreaming about lions and elephants and rhinoceroses and such things.
Dreams come true sometimes. Think we want to wake up in the mornin' to
find a lion sitting on that stump over there; a striped jungle tiger
perched in this tree waiting for his breakfast; and an old rogue
elephant spoutin' water from our creek all over the camp? Just start
thinking of apple pies, custards and that sort of thing, and sleep
sound."

Toby only grinned back at him, and made no reply.

"How about keeping watch to-night?" remarked Steve, some time later.

"Oh! I don't believe that's absolutely necessary," Max informed him.

"Some of us are light sleepers anyway," suggested Bandy-legs.

"That's me, as a rule!" Steve instantly declared; "and a cat couldn't
walk across the floor of my room without me waking up and asking who was
there. Then again it seems as if when I hit the hay I never know a thing
till daylight comes. They may tell me we had a heavy storm in the middle
of the night, but it didn't faze me one little bit. I don't know why
that should be, unless it depends on what I've been eating for supper."

"Well," Max told him, "let's hope then that this is going to be one of
the nights when you're on guard, and that if anything tried to carry
Toby off you'll hear him let out a yell."

"And then, Steve, remember we've got some prime provisions with us, that
might tempt a hungry 'coon or a fox. If so be you hear stealthy
footfalls like padded feet, get your gun ready to shoot."

"I will, Bandy-legs, never you fear," Steve informed him. "Something
tells me this is going to be one of my wakeful nights; so the rest of
you can sleep right along as comfy as bugs in a rug. I'll do the
watching for the crowd."

Max made no further comment, but had Steve noticed the raising of his
eyebrows, and the smile that flitted across his face, he might have
suspected that the other entertained serious doubts concerning the
wisdom of depending wholly on his continuing to be on the alert during
that coming period when the rest of th