"How d'ye know there ain't somethin' ahiding in there?" demanded Bumpus.
At that the lengthy scout laughed scornfully. "Oh! that's the way the wind blows, does it? Well, you watch me eat your old wolf up. I'm hungry enough right now to eat anything, I reckon."
Few of them could remember when Giraffe was anything but starving, for he always had that appetite of his along, and working overtime.
He immediately crawled under the ledge, for the shelf of rock was not high enough to admit of his standing erect.
"Seems to be all right," admitted Bumpus.
"Of course it is, though I kind o' think a wolf, if he showed good taste, would let me alone, and wait for you, Bumpus," Giraffe called back.
They hastened to deposit their burdens under the shelving rock.
"Now, Thad, don't you think it'd be a good idea to have everybody hustle, and collect what fuel we could?" the fire-maker asked.
"As it's apt to rain any, time now," answered the scout-master, "and we'll be glad to have a fire all night, it seems as though we'd show our good sense by gathering wood while we have the chance."
"That's the ticket! You hear Thad speaking, fellows, so get busy."