haps the unfortunate one that had been wounded by Jimmy on
the preceding day when Frank knocked over the fine animal from which
their late supper had come. Ned listened to the chorus, and allowed his
thoughts to roam to other and more distant scenes, where he had had
exciting experiences with the hungry animals himself, calculated to
cause a shudder just to remember.

The time passed slowly. Several louder bursts of wolfish tongues told
when the hunting pack chanced to draw nearer the camp, but only to grow
fainter again in the distance, as the chase led the animals over barrens
where the caribou herd fed, and across wild cranberry bogs, such as the
boys could remember seeing up in Northern New York State when camping in
the Adirondacks.

When Ned reckoned that his time was up he woke Jimmy, who had long ago
gone to sleep as sweetly as you please, with his head leaning against
the butt of a tree. Ned told him he might just as well crawl under the
tent and get the benefit of a warm blanket; and after giving that advice
called Frank and Jack out.

Teddy never so much as moved when Jimmy crept in to warm up under his
woolen cover, for Teddy was a very good sleeper on any and all
occasions, it seemed. Since there was no especial need of more sentries
than the two, with the Indian and Francois to back them, Ned did not
have the heart to arouse Teddy, even though he knew very well the other
would reproach him for neglecting to do so.

There was no further alarm on that night, for which doubtless all of the
boys were thankful, though Jimmy later on loudly bewailed the fact that
he had been given no chance to make use of his faithful gun. Jimmy was
not at all bloodthirsty, though any one hearing him talk, and not
knowing his humorous nature, might be inclined to think so. But after a
most venomous harangue he would very likely wink his eye drolly at the
fellow scout he was addressing, and softly remark:

"But it isn't in my heart, and you know that!"

Jack declared that once during his watch he fancied he caught some sound
out on the bosom of the dark river that might have been a big fish
leaping, but which he was inclined to believe was made by a carelessly
used paddle.

Of course there was no way of verifying this suspicion, because water
unfortunately leaves no trail. Frank advanced the idea that it might
have been the same spy who had been prowling around their camp.

"Suppose he had a canoe handy," he went on to s