Herbert looked fixedly at the narrator for a moment, then solemnly
reached out his hand to Sam, for him to shake over the last astounding
statement, which was altogether too much for him to credit.

Sam Harper grasped the hand and wabbled it once or twice, but said:

"It's as true as gospel, Herbert; I don't know anything about it myself,
but when Nick Ribsam tells you anything for truth, you can make up your
mind it is the truth and nothing else."

The friends lay for a long time by the camp fire, talking over the
events of the day, while Nick Ribsam gave them many wonderful facts
concerning the various wild animals found in different parts of the
world. The lad read everything he could obtain relating to natural
history, and his strong memory retained nearly all the facts.

But, as the night wore on, all three began to feel drowsy, and they made
ready to sleep.

The arrangements for doing this were not so perfect as they could wish.
Not one of them had anything like a blanket, and, though it was the time
of the balmy Indian summer, the nights were quite cold.

There was an abundance of wood around them, and they gathered all they
could possibly need. Then they heaped up a big lot of leaves and lay
down as close to each other as possible.

This was the best that could be done; but it gave a great advantage to
the one who lay in the middle, as the warmth of the others kept him