The boys fared a great deal better than they expected. The supper was abundant and well cooked, but the dishes on which it was served up might have been a little cleaner. The squatter was very sociable in his way, and after entertaining the young travellers with many stories of exciting and amusing adventure drawn from his own experience, he asked them where they came from and where they were going. “I don’t know where I am going,” answered Gus, ignoring the first part of the question, and speaking entirely for himself. “I am looking for a chance to go into business of some kind, and if I could get stock enough to begin on I might be tempted to try cattle-raising on the squatter plan.” This was enough to set their host to going again, and during the rest of the evening he kept the boys interested. He told of his own trials and failures, and gave Gus some advice which might have been valuable to him had he thought seriously of going into the business of cattle-raising. The squatter talked almost incessantly until ten o’clock, and then seeing that Gus began to yawn he stopped abruptly and led the boys into an adjoining room. “I brung your saddles an’ things in yere,” said he. “You can spread your blankets on the floor an’ sleep as comfor’ble as you please. Mebbe the roof’ll leak a little if it rains, an’ if it does, you can come in an’ lay down in front of the fire. All night to you!” So saying the squatter left the room, and the boys began groping about in the dark in search of their saddles, to which their blankets and ponchos were fastened. They found them at last, and after making their beds they lay down on them without bidding each other good-night, and prepared to go to sleep. It was very probable that the room would leak a little in case of a sudden shower, Gus thought, as he looked up at the roof. There were several holes in it, and some of them were so large that he could have crept through them. He lay there for a long time looking up at the stars, thinking of his home, and telling himself how foolish he was to run away from it just in time to miss that excursion to the trout streams of the Adirondacks, and when his eye-lids were beginning to grow heavy and the holes in the roof to assume fantastic shapes, Ned suddenly started up and laid a hand on his shoulder. “What’s that?” said he, in a low whisper. “Don’t you hear something?” Gus was wide awake in an instant. He held his breath and listened for a moment, and then sank back in his blanket again. “I don’t see any sense in frightening a fellow half to death for nothing!” said he. “Let me alone, now. I want to go to sleep!” “But I hear horses,” whispered Ned. “They’re coming fast, too.” “So do I hear them; but what of it?” replied Gus.