The rest of the week passed away without incident, the boys enjoying it keenly. Now that there was no eternal watch to be kept they felt a lifting of a weight and from that time on they were able to give their whole attention to their sports and instruction. The two leaders taught them many useful things about camp life, especially in the matter of conscientious neatness, and by this time every boy could swim more or less efficiently. At night the campfire talks were enjoyed and long, health-giving sleeps rounded off their activities.
More than once the boys spoke of their enjoyment of the mountain chase game, so much so that Ted spoke to Buck about it.
“What do you think of starting a game of Nicky Night after supper?”
“Fine! I haven’t played it in years! Let’s do it.”
Few of the boys had ever played Nicky Night, a game that was going out of date when Ted and Buck were smaller. To the eager listening group Ted explained it.
“Just as in the mountain chase, you go out in groups of two,” he told them. “Only, in this game there is no use of lanterns. In groups of twos we’ll follow you. Now, here is the idea: the fellows who go out first split up in twos and drift off up the mountains, and when they have found what they think is good ground for hiding, they start yelling as loud as possible, “Nicky Night!” “Nicky Night!” Those in the camp immediately set out after them and as the pursuing squad gets nearer the “Nicky Night” yellers sink their voices, disguise them in every way, and try to throw them off the track. The two who are after the “Nicky Nights” must touch them before they are prisoners, even if you have to climb a tree or hang over a cliff to do it! The Nicky Nights will stay out until the pursuers have to give up, and then they come in. If more Nicky Nights get in than are captured, they win the game. You can run away or climb trees or do anything you want to, but the skill in the game is to throw the others off of the track by the use of a disguised voice.”
The boys were keen to try the new game and the sides were made up as at the time of the mountain chase game. Now that Plum had left the camp there was one short, and to make things even one boy volunteered to remain in camp and take care of the fires. It had been agreed that Ted’s group would take to the mountains this time, and they soon left the camp in a group, to split up and spread out as they progressed.
Fifteen minutes after they had left the camp the first blood-stirring cry floated down from the mountains. “Nicky Night!” came in a disguised voice, and “Nicky Night!” was repeated by another voice at some distance from it.
Buck’s squad took the field at once, and he went off with Drummer in the direction of one of the voices. The other groups started off on the trails of other Nicky Nights. As Buck and Drummer progressed up the side of the mountains they heard the voice before them, high-pitched and weird.
“That sounds like Ted,” decided Buck, as they made their way forward. “We’ll run him down, in spite of his disguised voice. Good thing there is a generous slice of moon tonight, or we’d have a tough time finding our way.”