Bunny Brown did not sleep well that night.  Perhaps he had eaten too many marshmallow candies.  At any rate, he awoke soon after he went to bed.  He was wishing he had a drink of water, and he was thinking whether he would best get up for it himself, or awaken his father, when the little fellow heard a noise outside the tent.  It was a noise as if someone were walking around.  At first Bunny thought it was Splash, but, looking over in the corner of the sleeping-tent, Bunny saw his dog there.  Splash, too, had heard the noise, for he was getting up and growling deep in his throat.

Then, all at once, came a loud bang, as if someone had knocked down five or six tin pans.

CHAPTER XVIII

SPLASH ACTS QUEERLY

“Daddy!  Daddy!” cried Bunny Brown.  “Daddy, did you hear that?”

“I couldn’t very well help hearing it,” said Mr. Brown sitting up on his cot, which was next to Bunny’s.  “Who’s out there?” Mr. Brown cried, and with a jump he reached the flaps of the tent, which he opened, so he could look out.

Splash, who had jumped out, barking, when the noise sounded, rushed out of the tent.  The tins had stopped rattling, and it was very quiet outside, except for the noise Splash made.

“What is it?” called Mrs. Brown, from her side of the tent.

“I don’t know,” answered her husband.  “Someone—­or some animal—­seems to be making a noise.  Maybe it is someone after more of your pies, Mother.”

“We’ll take a look,” said Uncle Tad.  He got out of his bed, and went to stand beside Daddy Brown at the opening of the tent.

“Can you see anything?” Mrs. Brown asked.  Bunny could hear his sister whispering.  Sue also, had been awakened, and wanted to know what had caused the noise in the night.

“No, I can’t see anything,” said Mr. Brown.  “Splash is coming back, so I guess it wasn’t anything.”

He and Uncle Tad could see the children’s dog walking back to his bed in the tent.  Splash slept on a piece of old carpet.  The dog was wagging his tail.

“What is it Splash?  Did you see any tramps?” asked Mr. Brown.

Splash did not answer, of course, but he wagged his tail as he always did when he was with his friends.

“I guess it couldn’t have been anything,” Mr. Brown went on.  “Maybe a squirrel or chipmunk was looking for some crumbs in the dining-tent, and knocked down the pans.  I’ll just take a look out there to make sure.”

Mr. Brown and Uncle Tad went outside the tent.  Splash did not go with them.  He seemed to think everything was all right.

“Did you find him, Daddy?” asked Bunny, when his father came back.

“No, son.  I don’t believe there was anyone.  I saw where the pans had been knocked down, but that was all.”

Bunny was given the drink of water he wanted and soon was asleep.  The others, too, became quiet and slept.  But in the morning Mrs. Brown, in getting breakfast, found that a piece of bacon and some eggs had been taken from the ice box.