come there to
force an entrance into the cabin in which the quails were confined,
and if he found that that was their object, he would make a pretence
of setting Bose upon them. He did not intend to do so in reality, for
he knew the dog too well. The animal always did serious work when
he began to use his teeth, and Dan didn't want either of the young
thieves killed or maimed. He knew that if he could excite the hound
and induce him to give tongue, the rest of the pack would be on the
ground in two minutes' time; and as they were all young dogs (Carlo
was shut up in the barn every night to do guard duty there), they
would not be likely to take hold of the boys, if left to themselves.
They would not permit them to escape, either. They would surround
them and keep them there until morning, and that was what Dan wanted.
He could not afford to watch the cabin every night, and he thought it
would be a good plan to give Bob and his friend a lesson they would
not forget.

That the prowlers had come there to force an entrance into the cabin,
was quickly made plain to even Dan's dull comprehension. He saw them
try the door, and then go around to the other side of the building
and attempt to pry off the planks that covered the window. Dan heard
something crack as Bob laid out his strength on the lever he was
using, and believing that the thieves were on the point of
accomplishing their object, he uttered a loud whistle to let the rest
of the pack know that they were wanted, and shouted:

"Here they be! Take 'em, fellers! Take 'em down!"

Bose, who had been growing more and more impatient every moment, was
quite ready to obey. Uttering a loud yelp, which was almost
immediately answered by the rest of the pack, he raised himself upon
his hind legs, and struggled so furiously to escape that Dan was
obliged to drop his rifle and seize him with both hands. But when the
brute was thoroughly aroused, it was hard to restrain him. The thick,
loose skin on the back of his neck did not afford Dan a very good
hold, and almost before he knew it, Bose slipped from his grasp, and
bounded toward the cabin. At the same instant, a chorus of loud bays
sounding close at hand announced that the rest of the pack were
coming at the top of their speed. Bob and Lester had never before
been in so much danger as they were at that moment.

Dan, who began to fear that the plan he had adopted for protecting
the quails was about to result in a terrible tr