It was not thought worth while to stand guard, for the ponies had been trained so as to give warning if anything out of the common came about. Both Adrian and Donald were light sleepers, and should the horses commence to snort, or strike the ground
with their hoofs, the sound was sure to awaken one or both lads.
Each of them had a heavy double blanket along, which would feel very comfortable during these chilly nights. Wrapped up in this, Billie found it easy to shut off all sounds, and could be asleep in about three minutes, because he never worried over anything, leaving all this to his chums.
But then neither of the others was very long in getting to sleep on this night. Possibly Adrian lay there for a little while, puzzling his brain over the singular news he had received from those three cow-punchers, with reference to the remarkable change that had come to pass in the domestic relations of Uncle Fred; but in good time he too yielded to the demands of Nature, and slept peacefully.
It must have been some hours later when Donald lifted his head to listen. Then he gave Adrian a little punch, as he whispered:
“Wake up, Ad; something doing, I reckon, because our horses are acting queer and uneasy out here.”
Instantly the other sat up, throwing back his blanket, while his hand, perhaps unconsciously, reached out for the faithful rifle that had lain close beside him as he slept.
“Hear ’em?” inquired Donald, presently.
“I should say, yes,” came the reply; “and just as you say, Donald, it must mean danger of some kind.
The moon’s behind the clouds, and p’raps we’re going to have some sort of a storm after all, because that sounds like thunder I hear.”