His various exclamations of delight must have early convinced both Adrian and Donald that the fat boy had made numerous satisfactory discoveries. And later on, when that supper was cooked, and they sat around in easy attitudes, consuming the same, they voted that the women of the Red Spar camp were all “trumps” of the first water; because they knew what hungry boys liked most. “Had we better keep any sort of watch tonight?” asked Billie, yawning, a couple of hours after they had finished eating; the interval that had elapsed having been occupied with much talk along various interesting lines, during which Billie managed as usual to soak up a great deal of information. “Well, of course the horses are about as good as a sentry,” admitted Donald, who had trained his pony, Wireless, to snort, and wake him up in case enemies came prowling around; “but all the same we’d better sleep with one eye open. It’s a mighty poor policy to wait till the horse is stolen before you lock the stable door, so my dad always says. And there might be some rustler in this section like, well, Billie’s good friend, Tod, you know; who just couldn’t keep from grabbing our mounts, no matter how hard he tried.” “Yes,” added Adrian, as though to put a clincher in the assertion made by his chum, “and it’d be no joke for us to be left on foot away off here, hundreds of miles from home. We’ll keep our arms handy, and if any sneak gives us a call, why we can make him sorry he found us at home, that’s what.” “Hark! listen to Wireless right now, would you?” exclaimed Donald, in a low, tense voice, as he half arose to his feet, quivering with sudden excitement. Billie was the only one to snatch up a gun, which he happened to have alongside at that particular moment. “Look there, will you?” called out Donald; “see him scuttle off into the darkness, of the shadows? An Injun as sure as you live. Oh! if only I had my gun in my hands. Give him a shot, Billie, why don’t you?” But Billie, although he half raised his Marlin rifle, failed to shoot. Possibly the thought of hurting a human being did not appeal to him in the same sense as it did these boys of the plains. Then again, perhaps the haste with which the shadowy figure of the dusky warrior scuttled out of sight rather disconcerted the fat boy. At any rate, Billie only stood there with his gun half raised; and the next thing he knew there was nothing but the moonlight and the shadows before him. CHAPTER IV. THE STRANGE SHOT. “Oh! he’s gone!” exclaimed Billie. “Of course he is!” echoed Donald, in disgust; “say, how long did you expect a slick Injun to stay around, waiting for you to make up your mind to shoot?” “But good gracious, Donald, what should I fire away at him for? He hadn’t done a single thing but creep up here to see who was making all this blaze and smoke. That’s a mighty little thing to try to kill anybody for. Why, I’d like as not be just as curious myself.” Donald snorted as he turned to Adrian.