"Why, I just saved our bacon; or to be plainer, our venison," laughed
the other.

"Oh! was something running away with it, then?" demanded Larry,
beginning to get upon his knees as the first step toward rising.

"Something was making way with it, which is about the same thing,"
replied Phil.

"W-was it a bobcat?" continued Larry.

"Listen!"

As Phil said this one word they could hear a fierce growling,
accompanied by a strange scurrying sound. It came from the shore close
to the boat.

"Will it come in here after us, Phil?" asked the more timid member of
the firm, as he tried to find the hatchet which he remembered seeing
somewhere close by at the time he lay down on his cot.

"How about that, Tony; do you think there's any danger of such a thing
happening?" queried Phil, turning to the swamp boy.

"Getting weaker all the time," came the ready reply. "I think yuh give
him all in the gun. Kick the bucket purty soon now."

Tony thrust the curtains more fully aside. Then he crept out and
reached the shore; nor was Phil far behind him. The latter, however,
not being quite so confident as Tony, insisted on carrying his Marlin
repeater along. If the dying cat gave evidence of a desire to attack
them, he wanted to be in shape to finish matters on the spot.

There was really no need. Even as he arrived on the scene the stricken
animal gave one last convulsive shudder, and stiffened out.

"Good shot that!" remarked Tony, admiringly, as he bent over to see
where Phil had struck the midnight marauder.

"Wow! what a savage looking pussy!" exclaimed Larry, joining the
others. "I'd everlastingly hate to run up against such a customer in
the pine woods. Say, if a fellow like that pounced down on my back
some time, what ought I to do?"

"Lie down, and roll," laughed Phil; who knew that down here in this
warm country, where food is plenty, no wildcat would be bold enough to
openly attack a human being without provocation.

Tony immediately started to shin up the tree, desirous of ascertaining
the extent of damage done. When he came down he announced that the
beast had just succeeded in tearing a way in to the venison; but had
eaten very little of it, thanks to Phil chancing to awaken when he did.

So, as the night air felt rather chilly, they soon bundled back into
the boat again, and sought to secure more sleep.

There was no further alarm that night, and Larry was glad when his chum
aroused him by saying