tasting the joys of outdoor life.
Everything was delightful around them. The air was fine, the sky filled
with stars, plenty of good food near at hand, and the first night on the
road yet to be endured.

Wait until the rain came down in buckets, drenching them to the skin;
see what sort of enthusiasm would show up when perhaps their supply of
food gave out, and they were hard put to get enough to appease their
savage appetites; given a week away from the loved ones at home, and how
many of these bold spirits would still be able to declare with all their
hearts that the life in the open was the real thing?

"Of course we put a guard out to-night, Paul?" asked Jack, as he crept
close up to where his chum sat on a blanket, watching the fun going on
around the fire.

"That is a sure thing. We must never forget that, while a peace
organization, we wear uniforms, and are acting under military rules.
Besides, perhaps it wouldn't be just right for me to say this to the
rest, but I can whisper it to you, Jack--somehow I seem to have a dim
suspicion that we may entertain visitors before morning."

Jack started and looked at his chum anxiously.

"Now you sure can't think any of those circus canvasmen would take the
trouble to follow us?" he muttered, shaking his head in bewilderment;
"because they know mighty well we haven't got a thing they'd want,
outside of our grub. Oh! that makes me think of something. I begin to
smell a rat now, Paul. You mean Ted and his crowd."

Paul nodded in response, and smiled mysteriously.

"Any reason for thinking that?" Jack went on, "or are you just saying it
on general principles, like?"

"I'll tell you," replied Paul, readily enough; "but please say nothing
to the boys. It may be I'm too suspicious, you see, and I wouldn't like
to be called a false alarm. But just think how particular that bunch was
to stay back until we had left town. They claimed they weren't ready;
but I chance to know that was all a fake."

"You mean so they might follow, and give us all the trouble they could?"
asked Jack, indignantly.

"Just so," Paul went on, in a low voice. "Another thing; they expected
to make use of their wheels in coming up here. Ted laughed at the idea
of having a tent. True woodsmen, he claimed, never had any need of such
a thing, being able to make a good shelter that would shed rain out of
leaves and branches."

"But they said they didn't expect to leave until afternoon. That would
g