Steve was trembling all over with excitement. A thing like this was apt
to stir him up tremendously.

"Why don't some of you lend a hand here?" he kept calling out. "Plague
take that clumsy old bar, won't it ever take hold? Get my gun for me,
can't you, Bandy-legs? Listen to the varmints a-tryin' to break in, would
you. Wow! Ain't they mad I fooled them, though? Say, I wonder now if
they'd think to get on the roof and come down the chimbly. Hand me my
gun, Bandy-legs! Get a move on you!"

By this time Jim was doubled up with laughter.

"Hold on you cannon-ball express boy," he remarked, as he stepped over
and began to take away the bar which Steve had managed to get in place
with so much trouble; "I guess we'll have to let these critters come in.
They look on Uncle Jim's cabin as their home."

"What, wolves!" gasped Steve.

"Well, hardly, but my two dogs, Ajax and Don," replied the trapper. "You
see, I didn't want them along when I borrowed that buckboard and team to
fetch you all here. So I left 'em with a neighbor three miles off, and
told him to set 'em loose to-night. So you thought they were wolves, did
you, Steve? Well, I guess they look somethin' that way, and the moonlight
was a little deceivin', too."

With that he threw open the door.

Immediately a couple of shaggy dogs bounded in and began barking
furiously as they jumped up at their master, showing all the symptoms of