"Roll out, then, for it is time for you to go on watch. But be careful
when you come out, or you'll be shot."

"Shot!" exclaimed Frank. "Who'll shoot me? Are there any rebels around
here?"

"Yes, plenty of them. There are some out on the bank now. I was walking
with Woods, when I happened to look up, and saw two men, with their
muskets pointed straight at us; but we got out ofthe way before they had
time to shoot. Hurry up, now, but don't expose yourself," and the corporal
hurried aft, hiding his lantern under his coat of the went.

What Frank's feelings were, we will not attempt to say. He was not a
coward, for we once saw him alone in the forest, standing face to face
with a wounded wild-cat, with no weapon in his hands but an ax; but
fighting a wild-cat and a rebel sharp-shooter were two widely different
things. He had never heard the whistle of a hostile bullet, nor had he
ever seen a rebel; and it is not to be wondered at, if his feelings were
not of the most enviable nature. But he was not one to shrink from his
duty because it was dangerous; and he drew on his clothes as quickly as
possible, and seizing a musket and cartridge-box that stood in a rack
close by the cabin door, he hurried aft, where he found Woods concealed
behind the port wheel-house, and the corporal behind a chicken-coop. They
both held their guns in readiness, and were peering into the woods, as if
trying to pierce the thick darkness that enshrouded them. The Illinois was
tied up close to the bank, which, as the water in the river was low, was
about thirty feet in hight; and as the moon was shining very brightly, a
person hidden in the bushes could distinctly see every thing on deck.

"Keep close there," said Woods, as Frank came up. "The corporal says he