where in the course of the night, do we?"

"No, of course not. I see," said Wilton. "I give in."

"The man who takes the morning watch will have breakfast ready before
daybreak, and then there will be nothing to do but load up the mules and
start off the moment it is light enough."

There were no dissenters from the leader's practical proposals, and he
elected to take the first half of the night's watch himself, Griggs to
take the second, and soon afterwards the animals were hobbled and left
to graze, one of the barn-like buildings was chosen for resting-place,
and those who were free from duty lay down to sleep. The two boys
naturally enough made up their bed of dry sage-brush on the decaying
floor of the building, and then, in response to the doctor's orders to
get off to sleep at once so as to be well rested and fresh for the next
day's work, they lay wide awake, talking in whispers.

To do them justice, this was no fault of theirs. They were tired
enough, but their eyelids felt as if they were furnished with springs
which held them wide open, to stare through the open side of the barn at
the glittering stars, while their ears were all on the strain to listen
to the different sounds that came from all around.

At first there was the cropping of the horses and mules, as they feasted
on the fresh shoots of the abundant growth, owing to the moisture
beneath the little dry river-bed having kept the coarse grasses pretty
succulent. There was the hum of mosquitoes and the boom of big beetles,
and every now and then the cry and answering cry of some animal unknown
from out in the sage-brush. But for a time the lads lay silent, till a
peculiar mournful shout, as it seemed to be, came from the direction of
the lagoon, sounding so mournful and human that it was too much for Ned,
who whispered--

"Awake, Chris?"

"Of course. Who's to go to sleep with millions of things getting up
your legs and arms and down your neck? I wish I'd taken off my clothes.
Isn't it hot!"

"Yes, yes; but did you hear that?"

"Yes."

"What was it?"

"Owl," said Chris shortly.

"I know it was a howl," said Ned, "but it was more like a shout or
hail."

"Owl, owl, hunting about over the brush for young hares or rats and
mice."

"Oh, of course. I never thought of that," said Ned, and he settled down
quietly for a few minutes, before saying in a whisper: "I say, isn't it
queer that one seems to hear hundreds of things now that o