He nudged Willy in the side.

"Willy--Willy, wake up; there's some one moving around outdoors."

"Umm-mm," groaned Willy, turning over and settling himself for another
nap.

The sound of a chicken chirping out in fright reached Frank's ear.

"Wake up, Willy!" he called, pinching him hard. "There's some one at
the hen-house."

Willy was awake in a second. The boys consulted as to what should be
done. Willy was sceptical. He thought Frank had been dreaming, or that
it was only Uncle Balla, or "some one" moving about the yard. But a
second cackle of warning reached them, and in a minute both boys were
out of bed pulling on their clothes with trembling impatience.

"Let's go and wake Uncle Balla," proposed Willy, getting himself all
tangled in the legs of his trousers.

"No; I'll tell you what, let's catch him ourselves," suggested Frank.

"All right," assented Willy. "We'll catch him and lock him up; suppose
he's got a pistol? your gun maybe won't go off; it doesn't always
burst the cap."

"Well, your old musket is loaded, and you can hold him, while I snap
the cap at him, and get it ready."

"All right--I can't find my jacket--I'll hold him."

"Where in the world is my hat?" whispered Frank. "Never mind, it must
be in the house. Let's go out the back way. We can get out without his
hearing us."

"What shall we do with the dogs? Let's shut them up."

"No, let's take 'em with us. We can keep them quiet and hold 'em in,
and they can track him if he gets away."

"All right;" and the boys slowly opened the door, and crept stealthily
out, Frank clutching his double-barrelled gun, and Willy hugging a
heavy musket which he had found and claimed as one of the prizes of
war. It was almost pitch-dark.

They decided that one should take one side of the hen-house, and one
the other side (in such a way that if they had to shoot, they would
almost certainly shoot one another!) but before they had separated
both dogs jerked loose from their hands and dashed away in the
darkness, barking furiously.

"There he goes round the garden," shouted Willy, as the sound of
footsteps like those of a man running with all his might came from the
direction which the dogs had taken.

"Come on," and both started; but, after taking a few steps, they
stopped to listen so that they might trace the fugitive.

A faint noise behind them arrested their attention, and Frank tiptoed
back toward the hen-house. It was too dark to see much, bu