mitted the force of her argument. Supper finished,
they sat about the campfire, now a glowing bed of coals, which now and
then was fed and stirred into little ribbons of flame by adding bits of
dry twigs.

"I am going to sit up to-night, and watch the camp," announced Hippy
after the tents had been pitched and the girls, one by one, had begun to
do their hair for the night.

"Yes, it will be wise. When you get sleepy, call me and I will take the
watch for the rest of the night," directed Grace.

"I never sleep," remonstrated Hippy.

"He never sleeps," mimicked Emma in a deep voice from her tent, sending
her companions into a shout of laughter.

"Except when he is supposed to be awake," teased Anne.

Before turning in, Grace made a circuit of the camp and the bushes and
the trees surrounding it, halting where the ponies were tethered to see
that they were properly tied for the night. Soon after making camp she
had taken possession of Washington's harmonica, for it was all-important
that attention be not attracted to their camp that night.

Grace was certain that they had not yet heard the last of their mountain
enemies and that trouble might be looked for from that direction, hence
no precaution must be overlooked with regard to protecting themselves.

"Tom was right," murmured Grace, when, after giving Washington and Hippy
final directions, she had retired to her tent and lain down with rifle
and revolver within easy reach.

Lieutenant Wingate put out the fire and sat down to watch, rifle in
hand. Grace got up an hour later and, peering from her tent, saw Hippy
sitting with his back against a rock. At first she thought he was
asleep; then, when she saw him take off his hat and smooth back his
hair, she knew that she was mistaken.

It was long past midnight when Grace again roused herself and got up
with a feeling that all was not well. A quick survey of the camp from
her tent revealed nothing disturbing. Hippy was in the same position in
which she had seen him some hours before and not a sound was heard from
the ponies' direction.

Picking up her rifle, and strapping on her revolver, Grace stepped over
to Hippy and peered down into his face. He was sound asleep and snoring.

"It were a pity to wake him," she muttered, moving quietly away and
sitting down within a dozen feet of the sleeping man to guard the camp
for the rest of the night.

Grace suddenly tensed with every faculty on the alert. She thought