“I know that,” interrupted Dick; “but I don’t want to stay here in the dark. I would much rather go on, tired as I am.”
“All right,” replied Bob, who thought so much of Dick that he was willing to do anything that would add to his comfort. “Grab hold of my coat-tail, and I will lead you out of this, if I can. Keep your arm before your face, so the bushes will not hit you when they fly back.”
“He’d make a good one to spend a night in the mountains, where grizzlies and panthers are plenty, wouldn’t he?” added Bob to himself. “If he is startled by the hoot of an owl, how would he act while listening to such a serenade as a pack of gray wolves could give him?”
Bob was hungry and tired, too, and would have preferred a cold bite and a sound sleep under the lee of some friendly log to a fatiguing tramp through the woods that were almost pitch dark; but still, he did not complain.
Using the butt of his fishing-rod as a cane, he felt his way through the darkness, and presently, to his great surprise, as well as delight, he found himself on solid ground, and saw the stars looking down at him through an opening in the trees.
“I declare, Dick, we have stumbled upon the road at last,” he said; and in order to make sure of it, he bent down and passed his hand over the ground. “It is the road,” he repeated, “for I can feel the ruts made by the wheels. Now, let’s hurry on, and we will soon find out how far we are from Mr. Stebbins’ barn. I don’t suppose the old fellow will like it—”
“We don’t care whether he likes it or not,” broke in Dick, who was so weary that he could hardly drag one foot after the other. “We’ll sleep there, all the same, and if we leave in the morning before he comes out, he will never know that we have been near his old barn.”
Fortunately, the sheltering roof of which they were now in search was not far away.
About half a mile further on, they came to the sheep pasture, and, when they had crossed it, they found themselves standing in front of Mr. Stebbins’ barn, which was no whit darker or gloomier than the dwelling-house that was but a short distance away.
It was evident that the owner of the premises had gone to bed, and, as they knew better than to arouse him in order to obtain permission to sleep on the hay, they opened the door and entered without ceremony; but they could not close the door behind them, for the only fastening that had been provided for it was a wooden pin, which fitted into an auger hole on the outside of the casing.