THE MAKER OF FIRES.
"How about that, Jim; must we turn around, and go back, just because
this feller that thinks he owns the whole north of Maine, says so?"
asked Giraffe; who was really a fearless sort of lad, and could not bear
to be ordered around by a bully.
Jim was looking a little "peaked," nor could Thad blame him, after
hearing what a terror this Caleb Martin had been in the community for
years; and how even the officers of the law had never as yet dared
arrest him, even though there were rewards out for each one of the three
men.
"Naw, we don't turn back, if I knows it," said Jim, doggedly.
"Bully for you, Jim!" exclaimed Step Hen, eagerly. "There's eight of us,
all told, in the party, and I think for my part that it's a pretty
howd'yedo now if we can't stand up for our rights against just three
cowards. I call them that because all bullies are, when you come right
down to it. My father says so; and I've seen it among the boys in
school."
"Yes, Jim," remarked Bumpus, with a grand air, though he immediately
made a grimace, as a quick movement gave his sore shoulder a wrench;
"we're going to stand by you, through thick and thin, ain't we,
fellers?"
"Eight guns in the crowd!" remarked Davy Jones with an air of
confidence. "Sure we ought to hold the fort, and then some, if deadly
weapons count for anything up here, and I'm told they do. P'raps,
instead of pinning your ears to a tree, Jim, this same Mister Cale'll
consent to walk back with us, and give himself up to a game warden of
the great and glorious State of Maine. We mustn't forget that we're all
sworn-in officers of the said State, and bound to assist any game warden
who is trying to do his duty, and earn his salary."
Presently the other guide said good-bye, and turning his canoe
down-stream, shot away with the current; while the scouts headed up
further toward the wilderness that lay around the country of the Eagle
chain of lakes, close to the northern border of the State.
They landed presently to have a bite at noon. Thad took advantage of the
opportunity to look at Bumpus' shoulder. As he anticipated, he found
that there was quite an ugly black-and-blue bruise there, which would
cause the boy considerable pain for several days; though he declared
that nothing was going to keep him from practicing with his new gun,
which seemed like a toy in the hands of a child.
"I'm sure you could not have held the butt close against your shoulder
when you fired," Thad ventured, as his opinion.
"That's just what," admitted the other, with a sigh. "Know better next
time, though, Thad; and thank you for making it feel easier. But I wish
I'd got that bear. How fine it would be to eat steak from a big bear I'd
killed with the first shot from my new gun."
"Make that plural, Bumpus, for you fired _both_ barrels, remember,"
laughed Thad.
They were soon on the move again, and pushing steadily up against the
current of the Little Machias. An hour or two passed. The air was not
nipping cold at this time of the day; but as the season was now
considerably advanced they expected to meet with considerable frost, and
even some ice, before coming back once more to the home town.
Lest the reader who has not made the acquaintance of the Boy Scouts in
the previous volume, should think it strange that these six lads were
able to be away from their school duties for such a length of time at
this season of the year, it may be best to enter a little explanation
right here.
An unfortunate epidemic of contagious sickness had broken out in
Cranford, and as a number of the scholars of the school were affected,
the trustees had reluctantly decided that the session between early Fall
and New Years must be abandoned. If all were well at the later date,
after the usual holidays, school would be resumed. But the health of the
community demanded that the boys and girls be separated for the time
being.
Just then Thad's guardian, a genial old man who was known far and wide
as "Daddy," Brewster, found that he had urgent need of communicating
with a gentleman by the name of Carson, who had recently gone up into
Maine on his annual moose hunt in the big game country. As he might not
come out before January, and the necessity of giving him certain
documents was great, Thad had been asked to make the trip.
They had long been counting on a chance to visit the home country of
their Maine fellow scout, Allan Hollister; and most of the scouts
eagerly seized on this opportunity to carry out the project, though two
of the patrol were unable to be along.
And so they were now in a condition to thoroughly enjoy the outing,
since Thad had carried out his mission, and given the papers into the
keeping of Mr. Carson; receiving a message in return which he had wired
to the old gentleman when in touch with a telegraph station.
Thad himself had believed that there was not the slightest cloud along
the horizon; and now that this Cale Martin business had cropped up, he
began to realize that after all it might not be such clear sailing as
they had figured on.
Still, Thad was not the one to borrow trouble, though ready to grapple
with it in any shape or manner, once it found them out.
They camped early on that night, because all of them were a little
tired; and the location on the shore looked especially fine.
"Hey, look at what Giraffe's going to do!" exclaimed Bumpus, after they
had carried part of their things ashore, and were busily engaged in
putting up the two big tents supplied by Jim Hasty from his camp stores,
such as all Maine guides delight to possess.
"Why, ain't it a part of my business to start the fire every time?"
demanded the party in question, who was on his knees; "didn't Thad
promise me that job if I'd keep on being careful about startin' fires
every-which-way? I ain't had a blessed match on my person since I gave
that promise, have I, Thad? And what's wrong about my getting the blaze
in my own way, tell me that, Bumpus?"
"But we want supper, and we don't mean to sit around here an hour or
two, just watchin' you tinker with that silly old bow and stick,
twirling away like you had to saw through to China. How about that,
Thad?" and Bumpus turned appealingly toward the patrol leader, well
knowing that whatever he said would go.
"Bumpus is right, Giraffe," the other said, kindly but firmly. "You're
welcome to spend all the time you want with that contraption, after
you've started our cooking fire; but it wouldn't be fair to hold up the
whole bunch just to please yourself. Your own good sense tells you that,
Giraffe."
Giraffe, of course, had to appear to be convinced.
"Just when I had a new scheme in my head, too, that I just know would
have made the fire come," he grumbled, as he hung the little bow on a
twig of a tree near by, and produced flint and steel, and a little bag
in which he kept tinder, in the shape of tiny shavings which he was
always preparing at odd moments; "and before I get another chance to try
it, I'll have forgotten the combination, sure. But that's always the way
it goes; though don't you dare think Bumpus Hawtree, that I'm going to
give up so easy. I'll fight it out this way if it takes all winter."
Being an adept with the flint and steel, Giraffe quickly had his fire
started.
"And that's the way it'll be after I've just got that one little snag
passed," he took occasion to remark, for the benefit of the fat scout,
who was hovering near by. "Everything's easy as tumbling off a log, once
you know how. P'raps you remember what a time you had learnin' to ride a
bike; and yet now you can cut around corners, and even stand on the
saddle while she's going. Well, you wait and see my smoke."
"Huh! that's all I ever will see, I'm afraid," chuckled Bumpus.
But presently Giraffe managed to drift into a more amiable humor. That
was when the coffee pot was bubbling on the fire, sending out its cheery
aroma; and the last of the eggs they had managed to buy from a potato
grower on the bank of the Aroostook were sizzling in the two large
frying-pans.
Most boys possess hearty appetites, and Giraffe was no exception to the
rule. Indeed, like most lean fellows, he had an enormous stowage
capacity somewhere about him, and could dispose of more food on occasion
than any two of his mates. Bumpus always declared he had hollow legs,
and used them for receptacles, when other places were filled to
overflowing. But not one of the scouts could remember the time when
Giraffe complained of having eaten too much. Like the crowded street
car, there was always room for more.
"Wish we'd struck this section of country an hour or two before dark,"
Bumpus ventured to remark, complacently, as he sat there with his fat
legs doubled under him, tailor-fashion and munching at the crackers and
cheese he had made a sandwich out of.
"For why?" asked Giraffe, looking up.
"Oh! a feller might have just taken a little turn around here, and
knocked over a deer, or something of the sort," Bumpus replied, with the
utmost assurance in the world; just as though such a thing were of
common occurrence in his life. "Looks right gamey around here; how's
that, Thad?"
"Oh! Jim Hasty told us that much!" declared Step Hen, before the
scoutmaster could find a chance to say anything. "Didn't you hear him
tell how every season there's been a moose or two killed within ten
miles of where we've got our camp right now. But we can't hold up yet to
do any hunting; so you'll just have to put a crimp in that sporting
spirit you've developed so suddenly, Bumpus."
"Listen to him talk, would you?" exclaimed Giraffe; "and only a little
while back you couldn't get Bumpus to even touch a gun. Say, you're a
marvel, all right, Bumpus. They'll have you set up as the eighth wonder
of the world soon, ahead of the telephone, wireless, moving pictures,
and even the talking machine. Edison and all the rest of those old
wizards had better take a back seat when you come around."
Joking and chatting, they made the time pass very happily. If Jim Hasty
were in reality much concerned over the prospect of his meeting with the
ugly poacher who had a bone to pick with him, he at least did not show
it outwardly any longer. But then Jim was a man of few words as a rule;
and it was hardly to be expected that so hardy a fellow would tremble,
just at the mention of a name.
There was room for them all under the shelter of the tents, though as a
rule, so long as the weather kept on being fairly pleasant, the two
hardy guides declared that they much preferred to wrap up in their
blankets and sleep under the stars. Such men become used to what would
seem hardships to the city bred person, and in truth think very little
of enduring them. And it was by no means cold enough as yet, to drive
them into taking shelter under the canvas.
Giraffe had been working away at his fire-making business pretty much
all of the evening, and Bumpus had watched him for a while; but growing
tired of seeing the other sawing away as if for dear life, he had
finally laughed, and turned away.
If Giraffe came near making things "go" that evening, at least once more
the glory of a full success slipped away from his eager hands,
outstretched to clutch it; for when it came time for them to "shut up
shop," as Thad said, and crawl into the two tents, he had not brought
about his expected blaze, though his face looked more determined than
ever.
Bumpus, Giraffe and Allan occupied one tent; while the other three
scouts were assigned to the second. The guides promised to share their
shelter only in case of a storm, or very severe weather.
The fire was allowed to die down. If any strong wind came up in the
night it would be the duty of the guides to see that burning brands were
not carried into the adjacent woods, to set fire to the brown pine
needles that covered the ground; and were so full of resinous matter
that once ignited they would send a wall of flame down the wind that
would do incalculable damage.
Soon quiet rested over the camp. The frosty night breeze sighed among
the branches overhead; the owl hooted to its mate deep in the wood; and
the hour of midnight, when Thad peeped forth, (and which he knew to have
arrived from the position of certain stars overhead), saw the last of
the fire vanishing in dead embers.
Thad sought the warmth of his blanket again in a hurry, for the air was
now nipping cold, especially after the snug nest had been temporarily
abandoned. And he must have gone right to sleep, for he did not seem to
remember anything after again creeping under the double folds of the
warm woolen covering.
Now, when one sleeps like most boys do, soundly, it is impossible to
figure how time passes when awakened in a hurry. So that Thad could not
tell what the hour might be when he found himself starting up hurriedly,
under the conviction that strange as it might seem at that season of the
year, and with the air frosty, there was a storm bearing down upon them,
for he thought it was thunder he heard.
Then came a tremendous crash, and the tent swayed, but did not fall;
though from the wild shouts that arose close at hand the young patrol
leader reckoned the same good fortune could not have befallen the other
shelter, because he could plainly catch the howls of Step Hen, Bumpus
and Giraffe.
Quick as thought Thad whirled over to the exit, and crawled out. And
what his eyes beheld was enough to startle anybody, let alone a boy. If
a genuine cyclone had not struck the camp on the Little Machias, then
something almost as bad must have dropped down upon them, Thad thought,
as he stared, hardly able to believe his eyes, or understand what it all
meant.