ect from every side, without picking up
much additional information worth while, the boys began to feel sleepy
again. So Elmer told them off in watches, two scouts being assigned to
duty at a time. Landy was left out, because he was the odd fellow, and
perhaps for other obvious reasons.

He pretended to be quite indignant over the slight, and vowed that he
would certainly sit up through one of the watches with the pair whose
turn it happened to be. But none of them took his threats seriously,
because they knew full well when Landy Smith once got asleep it
required something like a young earthquake to arouse him. Elmer hardly
anticipated another visit from the mysterious unknown that night. He
fancied the fellow must have imagined Lil Artha really shot point-blank
at him, and that it was only his good luck which enabled him to escape
disaster.

Being too good a scout to take unnecessary chances, and not wishing to
lose the main part of such supplies as they had fetched along for
several days' use, the patrol leader took all due precautions.

The fire was kept up the balance of the night in the bargain, for they
felt as though the illumination helped to guard them. Complete
darkness might have tempted a raiding thief to try again, while he
would be afraid to attempt such a risky move while the flames crackled
and lighted up the immediate surroundings.

After all, nothing happened to disturb them. The sentries stuck
diligently to their duties, and changed at the time appointed. This
had been laid out by Elmer, as the sky had cleared and the stars could
be plainly seen in places. He figured time from the position of
certain bright planets, and their setting would mean the different
changes in guard mount. Scouts who have been in camp have learned
these methods of telling time by the use of the heavenly watch, and few
of them after once mastering the interesting method find a need for
Ingersols.

When daylight sifted in through the treetops overhead, the boys gave
signs of arousing. Landy, of course, was the last to awaken, and he
professed to be quite heart-broken because no one had called him in
time to help stand out that watch. The gleam of humor in his eyes,
however, told Elmer that the fat boy was not quite so much disappointed
as he made out to be. In fact, the patrol leader was beginning to fear
that Landy had latterly shown signs of developing a new trait in his
composition, and started to play th