"Two yellow eyes, and say, weren't they just awful, though? But seemslike the varmint has side-stepped, and vamoosed. Just my luck, hang it! Iwanted you to look at 'em the worst kind, Paul."

"A pair of shining eyes, eh? When you moved, did you hear anything,Bobolink?"

"Sure I did. It growled just like our dog does at home, when he's got abone, and anybody gets too near him," the sentry hastened to explain.

"Made you think of a hound, did it, and not a feline?" asked Paul, quickly.

"Why, yes, I reckon it did," said in reply Bobolink; "leastways, that's whatcame into my mind. But then a huge feline, a regular bobcat, I take it, couldgrowl that way, if it felt a notion to."

"You came straight in to wake me up, of course?" continued Paul,wishing to figure on the time that might have elapsed since Bobolinkleft his post.

"Crawled right in, and we got back here in a jiffy; but you look at it was nouse when that jinx is on my trail, meanin' to loco everything I do. Now,I reckon if it'd been any other feller in the bunch, the critter'd juststood its ground, and I'd be vindicated. But me--I'm hoodooed of late,and can't do a skinnyg straight."

"Listen!" exclaimed Paul, a little sharply, as though he had no sympathy withsuch talk.