“I’ve been listening to the owls,” Clay said, “and I have concluded that they are fake owls. If you’ll listen, you will hear signals.”
The boys listened for a long time, and then above the rush of the river and the murmur of the leaves in the wind, came a long, low call which seemed to them to be a very bad imitation of owl talk.
[CHAPTER V—TEDDY GIVES AN EXHIBITION]
“There is one sure thing,” Clay said, as the boys listened, “and that is that we have got to watch the Rambler to-night. I propose that we take down the hammocks and go back to our bunks.”
“It’s a shame to sleep in that little cabin,” Alex protested, “when we’ve got the whole wide world to snore in. Suppose you boys remain here on shore, and let me stand guard on the boat.”
“That will be nice!” Jule laughed. “Alex always gets his soundest sleep when he’s on guard.”
“Don’t you worry about me,” Alex said, “I’ll keep awake, all right. Besides, I want to hear the owls talk.”
“I think we would better all go back to the Rambler,” Clay advised. “We can anchor her farther out in the stream, leave one on guard, and so pass a quiet night. It looks risky to leave the boat where she is.”
“Perhaps that’s what we ought to do,” Alex agreed, giving Jule a nudge in the ribs with his elbow. “Who’s going to stand watch?”
“I will,” Case offered. “I’ll sit up until daylight, and then you boys can get up and catch fish for breakfast.”