son. Where had I got to?"

"You were fast asleep again," said Dallas.

"So it was, my son; and then something woke me, and what do you think it
was?"

"You heard the firing?"

"Nay; I must have yawned or sneezed, for I'd dropped my pipe; and I
s'pose I'd slept longer that time, and it must have been out, for I
couldn't see a spark in the dark, and although I went down on my hands
and knees, and crawled in all directions with my nose close to the
ground, I couldn't smell it."

"What did you do then?" said Abel.

"Swore, my son, till I was ashamed of myself, and very thankful I was
that you gents couldn't hear me. `They'd drop your acquaintance, my
son,' I said to myself, `if they heard you.' Then I got up again, and
was feeling for the trace, to start off again, thinking a deal of my
poor old pipe, when `Hullo!' I says to myself, `firing!' There it was,
plain enough, two shots together, and after a bit two more.

"That was enough for me, so I slips my rifle out from where it was tied
on to the sledge. Next minute, as two more shots were fired, I came,
leaving the sledge to take care of itself--coming on as fast as I could,
feeling sure that the enemy was at you chaps, but wondering why the
firing should be so one-sided. Couldn't make it out a bit."

"But it went on, and I was wide awake enough now, and hadn't come much
farther when I was brought up short by the clicking of guns being
cocked, and some one says in a low voice, `Stand,' he says, `or we'll
blow you out of your skin.' `Two can play at that,' I says: `who are
you?' `Norton, and six more,' says the voice; `who are you?' `Bob
Tregelly o' Trevallack, Cornwall, mates,' I says. `Good man and true,'
says another voice. `Look here, mate, there's firing going on up at
your place; we've heard it ever so long, and couldn't quite make out
where it was, but it's there for certain.' `Yes,' I says, `come on; but
let's spread out and take or make an end of those who are firing.'"

"Hah!" ejaculated Abel. "Go on."

"They did just as I told 'em, and spread out, while I crept nigher and
nigher, reglarly puzzled, for the firing had stopped. Last of all I saw
that chap's face as he lit up a whole box of matches. That was enough
for me. I knew him again."

"Was it Redbeard?" said Dallas excitedly.

"No, my son; I'm sorry to say it wasn't the moose with the finest pair
of horns; but I had to take what I could get, and I fired. But I've
left the sle