One by one the campers rolled up in their blankets and went to sleep.  Janus held his position in front of the “Shelter” throughout the night, but nothing occurred to disturb the camp until nearly three o’clock in the morning.  Then two quick shots, fired seemingly right over their heads, brought the Meadow-Brook Girls out of their sound sleep, uttering little exclamations of alarm.  Harriet sprang out through the open door without an instant’s hesitation.

“Where is he?  What did you shoot at?” she questioned apprehensively, fixing searching eyes upon the guide.

Miss Elting repeated the questions a few seconds later, she having joined Harriet.

The guide stood with revolver still pointed toward the tote-trail, ready to shoot at the slightest movement.  In the faint light the two women could see a shadowy something that appeared to be standing beside the trail.

“There!  See him?  I swum, I don’t understand it,” muttered the guide.  “I fired in the air to scare him.”

“Where is it?  What do you mean?” questioned the guardian.

“Him!  I looked and he wasn’t there, then I looked again and there he stood, right where you see him now.  Then I shot into the air twice.”

Harriet Burrell burst into a merry shout.  She laughed and laughed until her companions, taking fresh courage, ran out, demanding to know what was so funny.  Tommy declared that she would give almost anything to be able to laugh that way at that particular moment.  Neither did Miss Elting understand the meaning of this sudden merriment, but she knew that Harriet had discovered something.

Janus regarded the girl frowningly, all the time keeping one eye on the faintly outlined figure out by the tote-trail.

“Laugh, consarn it!” Mr. Grubb growled, beginning to feel that, in some way, he had made a shining mark of himself, rather than appearing in the role of a hero who had valiantly defended his party of young women.

“What is it, dear?” asked the guardian.

“Don’t you know what that is?” queried Harriet.

“No.  It looks to me like a man leaning against something,” answered Miss Elting.

“Yes, yes,” interposed the guide.  “When I first shot at it it was standing straight up, then it tilted over against the rocks, and there it is.  You get back.  I’ll go over.  If he shoots, you won’t be in any danger.”

“Oh, nonsense!” exploded Harriet.  “Put your pistol down.  Don’t you dare to point it toward me.  I’ll lay your intruder.”

The girl ran forward, unheeding the warning cries of her companions.  She ran straight to the object that, in the uncertain light, so closely resembled a human figure.  The girls were begging Harriet to come back.  Instead she boldly grasped the object with both hands, and threw it across the trail.  A chorus of “Ohs!” greeted this performance.  Janus lowered his weapon, his under jaw dropped.  He followed Miss Elting, while the girls followed them both at a safe distance, Tommy and Margery ready to take flight at the slightest indication of danger.