Was safety, and in a
crashing stampede they rushed out into the timber. Till long after
midnight they were at it, and as Brown and I were convinced that every
mob was coming straight over our net, we spent an uneasy night. To make
matters worse, just as the camp was settling down to a deep sleep after
the cattle had finally subsided, Dan's camp reveille rang out.
It was barely three o'clock, and the Fizzer raised an indignant protest
of: "Moonrise, you bally ass."
"Not it," Dan persisted, unfortunately bent on argument; "not at this
quarter of the moon, and besides it was moonlight all evening," and, that
being a strong peg to hang his argument on, investigating heads appeared
from various nets. "Seem to think I don't know dawn when I see it," Dan
added, full of scorn for the camp's want of observation; but before we
had time to wither before his scorn, Jack turned the tables for us with
his usual quiet finality. "That's the west you're looking at," he said.
"The moon's just set"; and the curtain of Dan's net dropped instantly.
"Told you he was a bally ass," the Fizzer shouted in his delight, and
promising Dan something later on, he lay down to rest.
