Alex did go back to bed, but could not sleep. Presently the long-expected owl-call came from the north, and then Teddy rubbed his soft nose against the boy’s hand.
“What do you want, old man?” whispered Alex. “Does that hooting warn you of danger, too?”
The cub put his paws upon the edge of the bunk and tried to answer in bear talk that it did.
“All right,” Alex said, “I’ll just go out and see about it.”
When he reached the deck for the second time, Case stood at the gunwale listening. The call came again from the woods.
“Now you hear it, don’t you?” asked Alex, scornfully. “I reckon you fellows would sit around here and let those wops carry off the boat.”
“Well, haven’t they got to show up before we can do anything to them?” asked Case reproachfully. “I guess they have.”
“I’d like to know what they are doing,” Alex wondered, “and I just believe I could sneak out and learn something about it. It makes me nervous, waiting here for them to get in the first blow.”
“If I had a house and lot for every time you’ve been lost on our river trips,” Case grinned, “I’d own the biggest city in the world. You go back to bed, or I’ll get Clay out here to tie you up.”
Teddy now came sniffing where the two boys stood, and, lifting his paws to the gunwale, looked over in the forest.