Bandy-legs that the fear of the unknown beast returning to drag him away
was reduced to a minimum.

Steve immediately made a pounce for the fire. Max thought he meant to
knock it together, and perhaps induce it to flare up, so as to give them
more light; but it seemed that the other was only after a smoldering bit
of wood, which he swung around his head until it burst into a flame.

"Now, let it try and attack us, that's all!" cried Steve, as though
quite ready to use his novel weapon after the manner of a baseball club,
should a vicious bobcat emerge from the dark circle around them, and
attempt any "funny business," as Steve called it.

It was thoughtful Owen who stooped down, and threw a little inflammable
fuel on the remains of the camp fire, so that when it blazed up, which
immediately happened, there was no longer darkness near the spot, as
they could see far into the jungle that lay on the side away from the
water.

"Now, what happened?" asked Max, turning on Bandy-legs for an
explanation.

"Why, here's the way it was, fellers," replied that worthy, bent on
squaring himself with his chums; "I was dreamin' of bein' home, when the
old tomcat got a sudden notion that I'd been and stepped on his tail.
Gee; he turned on me like a flash, and grabbed me by the leg. Seemed
like he was changed into a big striped tiger, then and there, for he
started to drag me away, like he meant to eat me up. I got hold of the
leg of the table, and held on like all get-out. That's when I waked up,
and found that I was bein' yanked out of my blanket by some critter that