“And phat will Oi be doing?” asked Gerald, who could not resist his fun-making instincts.

“You can hide down by the shore and watch the river.”

“We ought to have some kind of a signal if we hear them coming,” suggested Pepper.

“Like Paul Revere, ‘one if by land, and two if by sea,’” quoted Rand.  “If you hear them coming down the road, Pepper, you can give the whip-poor-will call, and Gerald, if he hears anything, can give the owl call.”

“Owl right,” responded Gerald, as they each went to their appointed stations.

The night was warm and pleasant.  No sound, except the soft lapping of the waves on the shore, the chirp of a cricket or the occasional croak of a tree frog, disturbed the quiet of the night.  As the time wore on, without any disturbance, the watches began to doze until Gerald was suddenly roused with a start by a splash in the water and saw a boat gliding silently toward the landing.

“Faith, it looks as if there might be some fun after all,” whispered Gerald to himself, softly hooting a couple of times and concealing himself behind an upturned boat.

“What was that?” asked one of the rowers at the sound of Gerald’s call.

“Aw, it’s nothing but an owl,” replied the other.  “Whatcher ’fraid of?”

The boat was now at the landing, and the taller of the two stepping out fastened the boat and went toward the house, calling upon his companion to follow.

“There will be some fun here in the morning,” chuckied the foremost, whom Gerald now recognized as Monkey Rae.

“Sure there ain’t anybody ’round?” asked the other, hesitating.

“Of course there ain’t,” responded Monkey confidently.  “Aw, come on!  What yer ’fraid of?  Nobody knows anything about it but you and I, and we ain’t a-shoutin’ it.”

“I thought I heard a noise,” demurred the other.

“Oh, bother!” returned Monkey impatiently.  “You’re always hearing something.”

“How are we going to get in?”

“Don’t worry about that,” answered Monkey, “I fixed the window all right to-day.”

While talking Monkey had opened the window and started to crawl into the house.  “If you’re afraid to come in,” he said scornfully to the other, “stay outside and keep watch.  It won’t take me more than a minute to crack this shell.”

At this instant Rand, with a shrill, clear whistle, sprang out from his hiding place and in a moment all was confusion.

“Shure, the fat’s in the fire now,” chuckled Gerald to himself.

As the whistle sounded Monkey sprang back through the window, landing in a heap almost at Rand’s feet, but was up and off before Rand could get a hold on him, and sped after his companion, who had started off at the first alarm, in a race down the landing to their boat.

“Hi! stop them, Gerald!” shouted Rand, dashing after them.

Donald, at the alarm, rushed toward the window, and, tripping over a coil of rope, stumbled against a stack of oars, sending them down with a crash that could be heard a mile.  Picking himself up, he ran after Rand down the landing.