or
else his "bally bow," as Bumpus liked to call it, would break, as it had
a faculty for doing when the cord became weakened from constant
friction.

Bumpus only wished that time would hurry along, for he wanted Giraffe to
forget about his fad, and turn his attention to a more sensible way of
getting fire. Now, there must be a way of snapping an emptied shell into
a little pile of tinder, and catching the spark in some manner.

He tried to figure out how it could be done; but Bumpus never was very
bright with regard to details, for they confused him; so that he was
soon floundering about like a fish out of water; or a boy who did not
know how to swim, when he gets beyond his depth.

Why, it was real dark, and he could just barely make out the crouching
figure of Giraffe; but that everlasting humming sound still kept up,
until Bumpus thought it would set him crazy.

Now Bumpus started on a new tack. He tried to imagine the delight of his
companion if only he could suddenly remember having thrust a little box
of safety matches into his haversack before starting out; but he knew it
was useless to look, for he had certainly done nothing of the sort.

Then, all of a sudden, Bumpus was given an electric shock, when Giraffe
let out a shrill whoop; for with his mind so filled by visions of armies
of wildcats all ready to pounce upon them by and by, Bumpus was in a
condition to be startled.

He scrambled to his knees, and half raised his gun to his shoulder,
under the full belief that the crisis so long dreaded was at last upon
them, and they would have to fight desperately for their very lives.

CHAPTER XXI.

THE LITTLE FIRE BOW DOES ITS WORK AT LAST.

"Oh! what is it, Giraffe?" exclaimed Bumpus, in a quavering voice.

"I _told_ you I c'd do it! On'y gimme time, and I'll figger the old
thing out, I said; _and I have_!" cried the exultant Giraffe.

"Why, it's burnin'!" gasped the other, staring at the tiny flame that
was playing hide-and-seek in the midst of the dry tinder that had so
long awaited its coming.

"Sure it is; anybody with one eye could see that!" Giraffe sent back,
about as happy a fellow as the sun ever shone on, because his long
endurance test had in the end met with such grand success. "Hey! what's
the matter, Bumpus? Get a move on, and collect some stuff to add to
this, before the thing goes out on me. Lively, boy, lively with you,
while I shield it with my hands!"

He hugged the little