did have hold of my left ankle. And it was Steve and not the table leg
I'd been hangin' on to like grim death."

"I should say you had," muttered the one mentioned, who was now rubbing
his arm where Bandy-legs had pinched it, "and if you left a piece of
skin as big as a fifty-cent piece below my elbow, I'll be glad, believe
me. Bet you I'll be black and blue for a week of Sundays. You sure did
give me the worst scare I ever had, with that whoop right in my ear, and
then grabbin' me like a bear might."

"And l-l-listen to him, w-w-would you," remarked Toby, "he s-s-says he
was d-d-dreaming, fellers!"

"After this I vote that we tie Bandy-legs up, head and heels, with the
rope we brought along," ventured the aggrieved Steve, pulling up the
sleeve of his pajamas to see what the damage might really be. "If he's
going to dream about cats going mad, and bust our nice sleep all to
flinders in this way, why give him that small tent to himself. Blessed
if I want him for a tentmate again."

"But, Steve, I tell you it wasn't a dream after all; only I just
happened to get things mixed, you see. Somethin' did grab me by the leg,
and try to pull me out of the tent! If I'd been scared so I couldn't
kick and yell, why chances are you'd be short one camp-mate right now,
that's all."

"Shucks!" grumbled Steve, hard to convince, "talk is cheap; prove it,
Bandy-legs!"

"I will, then!"