He was wide awake in an instant, and having quieted the animal by placing his hand on his neck, he looked all around to see what it was that had disturbed him.

He heard footsteps in the field on the opposite side of the road, and presently two figures appeared and clambered over the fence.

They crossed to the gate, which they opened and closed very carefully and went down the lane.
"Them's our fellers, Bose," whispered Dan, who was highly excited.
"They've got bags slung over their shoulders, an' they think they're goin' to play smash stealin' them birds of our'n; but me and you will see how many they'll get, won't we ?" As soon as Bob and Lester were out of hearing Dan arose, and holding the hound firmly by the neck with one hand he opened the gate with the other, and moved noiselessly down the lane toward the quarters.
His plan was to make sure that Bob and his friend had come there to force an entrance into the cabin in which the quails were confined, and if he found that that was their object, he would make a pretence of setting Bose upon them.

He did not intend to do so in reality, for he knew the dog too well.

The animal always did serious work when he began to use his teeth, and Dan didn't want either of the young thieves killed or maimed.