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62 Perhaps the object would go away—if it was a wild beast.

Keeping his eyes on the spot, Darry waited what seemed to him a long time, but which was really but a few minutes. Then slowly the bushes parted and the object came forth, with eyes that gleamed fitfully even in that darkness.

"A mountain wolf!" muttered the boy. "Well, I'm glad it isn't one of those desperadoes."

Taking up a stone he hurled it at the wolf, at the same time shouting to the beast to go away. At once the wolf turned tail and disappeared whence it had come.

"Did you call?" came sleepily from Joe.

"There's a wolf in the bushes back of the cabin,"returned Darry.

"Does he want to attack you?"

"I don't know. I just threw a stone at him, and he's slunk out of sight."

By this time Joe was also outside, and the two cousins waited for the reappearance of the wolf. But the animal was cowardly, and did not show himself again, and presently Joe returned to bed. The remainder of the night passed without any thing unusual happening.