When he learned, as we have seen, whither Sam was leading his party,
and on what errand, he was really frightened, and Sam's sharp rebuke
made him still bitterer in his feelings toward his young commander. A
coward with a grudge which he is afraid to avenge openly, is a very
dangerous foe. He will do anything against his adversary which he
thinks he can do safely, by sneaking, and when Jake Elliott threw
himself down on his pile of moss he did not mean to go to sleep. He
meant to revenge himself on Sam before morning, and at the same time
to make it impossible for the expedition to go on. If he could force
Sam to return to Camp Jackson, he said to himself, he would humiliate
that young man beyond endurance, and at the same time get himself out
of the danger into which Sam was leading him. Everybody would laugh at
Sam, and call him a coward, and suspect him of failing in his
expedition purposely, all of which would please Jake Elliott mightily.

How to accomplish all this was a problem which Jake thought he had
solved by a sudden inspiration. He had formed his plan at the very
moment of receiving Sam's rebuke, and he waited now only for a chance
to execute it.

An hour passed; two hours, three. It was after midnight, and all the
boys were sleeping soundly. Jake arose noiselessly and crept to the
tree at whose roots Sam had laid his baggage. It was thirty feet or
more from any of the boys, and Jake was not afraid of waking them. He
fumbled about in Sam's baggage until he felt something hard and round
and cold. He drew out a little circular brass box about two and a half
inches in diameter, with a glass top to it. It was Sam's compass. He
tried hard to raise the glass in some way, but failed. Finally, with
much fear, lest he should awaken some of the boys, he struck the glass
with the end of his heavy Jack knife and broke it. This admitted his