"If that's all we need, Dick, how would this one over here do for our purposes?" and, speaking in this way, he directed the attention of his chum to a tree not far away. It was an unusually big tree, and both of them could see, though a bit uncertainly, that it had some sort of cavity at its base. A hasty examination convinced them they had found just what they were looking for. "We can creep in through that hole easily enough," said Roger, "because it's big enough for a giant to pass through. I hope though, Dick, it doesn't turn out to be the den of any wild beast." "We can soon settle that!" declared Dick, as he took up a long stick, over which he had just tripped, and thrust it in through the opening. As no sound of surly remonstrance followed this action on his part, it became evident that the hollow tree was not occupied by any animal. "If it is a den there's nobody at home right now," announced Roger; "so we can crawl through the doorway and settle down." After his customary impetuous fashion he insisted on being the one to lead the way, and was quickly inside the hollow tree. "How do you find it?" asked Dick, thrusting his head through the opening. "There seems to be plenty of room for two in here," was the quick reply; "and, although I don't just fancy the odor, still I think we could do worse, especially if it comes on to rain hard." Upon hearing this Dick hastened to creep through the hole, carrying his gun with him of course. He had something on his mind, apparently, for hardly had he reached the side of the other boy than Dick thrust his gun into Roger's hands, remarking: "I noticed an old stump just outside there, and I'd better go and roll it up, so as to cover this opening, more or less." "Then you must be thinking that some animal may come in here, and you mean to block the passage so we will not be taken by surprise; is that it?" "Nothing less, Roger," Dick replied, as he started to crawl out again. "If I can help you, let me know," called out Roger. The stump did not prove to be very weighty, and Dick rolled it deftly so that it covered all but a small fraction of the opening. Then he crept inside, and the two of them had little trouble in closing most of the remainder of the aperture. "Well, to tell you the honest truth," admitted Roger, when this undertaking had been completed, though plenty of air could still find ingress, "I do feel a whole lot better, now that we've shut the door. It can't be very pleasant to lie down to sleep in a hollow tree that may be a panther's lair, and to wake up to find the savage beast coming in on you." Dick was as satisfied as his companion, even if less vociferous about it. "I guess that stump will make a good enough door," he went on to say, chuckling, "and if we wake up to hear some one knocking, we can ask who it is before we open up. Just as you say, it makes us feel more secure."