The best thing fer yez to do is to take an hour each on watch. Put the
youngest on first, and the older ones kin take from midnight. If
anything of special interest turns up, let me know. I'll sleep with
one ear open."

And thus the watch began. It was a novel experience for the scouts,
and all were anxious for their turn to arrive. Every time the door
opened and guard was relieved, all awoke, for they slept lightly, as
the floor was not as soft as their own beds at home.

Phil had taken from twelve to one, and he was followed by Rod. It was
a beautiful night, with the stars twinkling overhead. Not a ripple
disturbed the surface of the river. Frogs croaked in the distance, and
peculiar night sounds fell upon his ears. He sincerely hoped that
something would happen during his watch, and as he sat upon a log among
the bushes his eyes and ears were keenly alert.

Never before did an hour appear so tedious to Rod. When it seemed that
he had been there long enough he pulled out the watch the captain had
let the boys have for the night and, striking a match, saw that he had
been on guard only half an hour. At times a drowsy feeling came over
him, and he was forced to move about to keep from going to sleep at his
post. He wondered if the other scouts had felt the same way.

He had just seated himself after a short walk, when a sound out on the
river arrested his attention. At first he thought that he must be
mistaken. But, no, he was sure now that he could hear the noise of a
boat cutting through the water. This brought him to his feet, and he
strained his eyes in an effort to see what it could be. And as he
looked he beheld a dim object in the distance, which was growing more