THE LONG-DRAWN HOWL OF A CANADA WOLF.
"All ready!" sang out Thad.
Some of them were already settled in the canoes; but Giraffe still
remained, kneeling on the shore.
"Come, we've waited long enough for you, old Slow-poke!" called out
Bumpus, who was the partner of the tall scout in the canoe paddled by
Eli.
Very slowly did Giraffe approach, his eyes turned beseechingly on Thad.
"Say, that's the way it always goes," he declared. "I was just getting
on to it the best ever, and if I only had half an hour more, I'd made my
fire as sure as I'm Conrad Stedman. I've got her all figgered out; and
by noon I'll be twisted in my mind again, and the whole combination
lost."
But Thad only shook his head.
"Couldn't think of it, Number Six," he declared. "It was one part of the
agreement made with you that on no occasion were you to delay the
balance of the party. All ready; Bumpus, give the signal."
Bumpus was a natural musician. He could play "any old instrument," and
extract very good music from banjo, guitar, violin, or even an
accordion; he also had a fine voice that often aroused the enthusiastic
acclaim of his comrades while sitting around the fire of evenings.
Of course, then, he had been made the bugler of the troop as soon as the
organization was commenced. It had not been deemed just the right thing
for him to fetch his musical instrument along while the Silver Fox
Patrol chanced to be in the Maine woods on a hunt; but then that was no
bar to Bumpus, who could put his hands to his mouth, and give a splendid
imitation of the reveille, assembly, taps, or any other military call.
So Giraffe had to climb into Eli's canoe, looking very much discouraged.
Really, it did seem as though an evil spirit took especial delight in
baffling him, just when he seemed in a fair way to reach the goal of his
present ambition. As he had once before complained, he had even had his
tinder soaked by a sudden shower, and just at the critical moment when
he felt sure it was about to burst into a successful blaze.
But one thing was sure, these successive defeats only served to make him
shut his teeth harder together, and resolve that nothing would ever
prevent him from getting that fire, if it took him a year. He might be
beaten once, twice, or fifty times; but there would come a day to the
patient plodder when the door of opportunity would open for him. And
surely success would stand for a great deal more if he had to work like
this for it, than if easily attained.
Before noon came they had arrived at the place where the stream ran into
the Lower Lake of the Eagle Chain; and when they stopped for lunch, it
was upon the shore of this beautiful sheet of water.
Thad had been secretly keeping an eye on Jim. He knew that the guide
must feel more or less anxiety, despite his brave outward showing. And
when Jim thought no one was observing he would look out of the tail of
his eye at every clump of bushes that seemed any way suspicious, as long
as they were upon the river.
And hence, it was doubtless a positive relief when they started out on
the broader water of the lake; for after that he would only have to
watch one shore.
About one o'clock they again started. The air continued cold, but
bracing, and this made paddling a pleasure, up to a certain point.
All of the scouts took a hand at it, even Bumpus, and received more or
less valuable instruction from the two guides, as to how the paddle
should be worked in order to have as little "lost motion" as possible;
and at the same time secure the greatest amount of benefit. But when
after half an hour of labor, they found their muscles beginning to tire
from the unaccustomed motion, the boys considered themselves lucky to be
able to turn the paddles over once more to the canoe men, who were used
to the job, and could keep it up steadily all day, if need be.
When they drew near the outlet where the waters of the Lower Lake flowed
into Lake Winthrop, Thad, happening to look back, managed to discover a
canoe skirting the shore some miles distant. From the actions of those
in it, they seemed desirous of remaining unnoticed; for they took
advantage of every headland that jutted out; and when they had to make
across the open, it was done with all possible speed.
Thad did not need to be told who was in that craft. And glancing toward
Jim, he understood that the Maine guide had doubtless been aware of the
pursuing canoe for some time; because he nodded at the scoutmaster when
he caught his eye.
"It's him, is it, Jim?" called out Thad; for the canoes were some thirty
feet apart at the time.
"Yep," came the answer, accompanied by an affirmative nod of Jim's head.
"You know him, even at that distance, then?" continued the patrol
leader.
"He's workin' the paddle right now," replied the other. "Yuh cain't
mistake his way o' swingin' ther spruce blade. Ole Cale hain't gut his
ekal at thet in all the State o' Maine."
It was plain to be seen, then, that the giant poacher was on the trail
of his detested son-in-law, possibly bent on carrying out his terrible
threat; though Thad hoped such might not prove to be the case.
He knew that often these rough men of the woods could appreciate true
bravery; and that there _might_ be a chance, however slight, that
Old Cale was lost in admiration for the recklessnes that could induce
Jim to brave his wrath. What if he had been consumed by a sudden deep
curiosity to know what really caused the other to take the risk and come
up here? Could he suspect that Little Lina had sent a message to him?
All these things gave Thad occasion for considerable thinking. At the
same time he did not mean to lose sight of the main reason for their
having come so far from their homes, in order to get some hunting, and
camping experience, that would prove valuable to his fellow scouts,
anxious to learn all that they could at first hands, of wood-craft.
"I'm glad we were as particular as we were about putting out the very
last spark of fire this morning," Thad remarked, as the canoes moved
along close to one another.
"Why?" demanded Giraffe, a little suspiciously; for every time that
magical word was used he chose to think all eyes must be turned in his
direction; just as though he should be placed in the same class with
fire.
"Oh! because the wind came up like great guns shortly after we left
camp," Thad went on, always ready to point a lesson to those under him;
"and from the river, too. Now, if we'd left any fire there, the chances
are it would have been picked up, and thrown into the woods. As there
was a lot of dry stuff around, you can see how easy a fire starts up
here. And when it once gets going, I reckon it can burn some, eh,
Allan?"
"If you ever have the good or bad luck to run across a forest afire,
while we're up in this section, you'll see a sight that none of you'll
soon forget," and he had to cast a meaning glance as he spoke in the
direction of the fire worshipper.
But Giraffe only smiled in a satisfied way.
"Talk all you want," he remarked; "but I think I've got that business
down fine, now; and to-night, _to-night_ I'm just bound to prove to
Bumpus here that the cream is on him. I knew I'd get it sometime."
"Well, don't crow till you're out of the woods," remarked Bumpus, from
the bow end of the canoe. "I'm willing to be convinced; and it'll be
worth all it costs me just to see you work that puzzle out."
"But you just know I c'n do it, don't you?" persisted Giraffe.
"Won't say," answered the fat boy, obstinately.
"Well, you might as well be counting up your spare cash, because I'm
bound to show you at the first chance. It just _can't_ slip away
from me much longer; and I reckon I've got it clinched this time," and
after that Giraffe would not talk, but seemed to be muttering to himself
from time to time, as though he might be repeating a certain formula
that he believed to be the winning combination.
They were not trying to make fast time now, because there was really no
necessity for doing so. Having arrived on the chain of lakes that, with
the St. Johns river, almost makes a great island of the northern portion
of Maine, they were bent on enjoying themselves. That meant going into
camp at some point where the guides were agreed they might have the best
hunting; and from that time on taking toll of the woods' folks as their
larder required, wasting nothing, and refraining from hunting when food
was not needed.
They were true scouts, and believed in following the uplifting
principles that govern the actions of the better class of sportsmen. As
Step Hen so often declared, they did not want to be called "game hogs,"
a term often used to describe the man who flings his catch of bass or
trout up on the shore to die, no matter if he is taking ten times what
he can use; or who shoots his deer in or out of season, and allows it to
lie there, wasted, on the ground, food for the foxes or wolves.
"This country seems to be rather sparsely settled up here?" remarked
Thad, after they had been moving along the shore of Lake Winthrop for
some time, looking up a desirable camp site.
"In the summer you kin see a tent now an' then, it bein' sum party as
wants ter enjy the fishin', which is prime," Eli replied; "but they
ain't many folks as keer 'bout stickin' out ther winters hyar. Ye'll
admit they must be sum cold, this far up, nigh the Canady border."
"But there must be plenty of game hereabouts, I should guess," Thad went
on. "Because, in the first place it has a gamey look to me; and then
again, you wouldn't have agreed to come along with Jim here, unless
you'd heard good accounts of the region around the Eagle Lakes."
"Jest what I has, though I hain't never be'n all over 'em myself,"
returned Eli. "But Jim hyar, he was bawn an' fetched up in this kentry;
so what he doan't know 'baout hit hain't wuth knowin', I guess, sir."
It was about the middle of the afternoon that Jim declared they had
reached the point where their tents should be pitched. Thad noticed that
the guide made not the least attempt at trying to hide the camp; indeed,
the tents could surely be seen in any direction out on the lake.
This gave him to understand that Jim was not "taking water;" he had come
here to this danger ground with the main idea of meeting his irate
father-in-law face to face, be the consequences what they might, because
his wife had begged him to; and there was as yet no sign of Jim turning
out to be what Giraffe called a "quitter."
Everybody soon found plenty to do. The rest had enough pity for Giraffe
not to enter any complaint because he seemed to shirk his share of the
ordinary labor attending the starting of the camp. They knew he had his
hands full in solving what promised to be one of the greatest puzzles he
had ever tackled.
And so he was allowed to go off himself, and work his little saw
monotonously right along. Now it was the cord that failed to hold; again
something else went back on poor Giraffe. But he kept patiently at it,
grimly determined; and even the most interested of the lot, Bumpus, with
whom the fire builder had laid his little wager, could not but feel a
touch of admiration and sympathy when he saw how the tall scout kept at
his task as the afternoon slipped away.
When supper was announced Giraffe came in smiling.
"Got it?" demanded Bumpus, eagerly.
"Well, just as good as done," was the cautious reply. "I've mastered a
heap of little irritating troubles; and just now the coast seems to be
clear. Next time, now, and you'll see something doing."
"One more ribber to cross!" cooed Step Hen. "It's always 'next time,'
with Giraffe, you notice, fellows."
But Giraffe was either too tired to argue, or else so confident of a
speedy success that he felt he could afford to bide his time. Revenge
would be very sweet, after all the chaff the fellows had poured upon his
head. He would wait.
The supper tasted unusually fine that night, they all declared. Several
of the scouts assisted in its preparation, wishing to show the guides
just what knowledge of camp cookery they had picked up in their numerous
outings. Even Bumpus superintended the heating of the "canoeist's
delight," which turned out to be a hodge-podge, consisting of some
left-over corned beef taken from a tin, some corn, and beans with
several cold potatoes sliced in the same. And the hungry boys declared
the only fault they could find with it was that it disappeared too soon.
But they had an abundance for all hands, even Giraffe admitting that he
was satisfied when the meal was over. Then came the several delightful
hours of lying around, as close to the cheery blaze as they dared, and
having a "good old fashioned powwow," as Step Hen called it.
Jim was quiet; but then he had never been a noisy fellow; and knowing
what was on his mind right then, Thad felt that he had plenty of excuse
for deep thought.
During a lull in the conversation later on, Bumpus sat upright, and
exclaimed:
"There, did any of you hear it again; sure as you live it was the same
long-drawn howl we caught on our other trip up the Penobscot region; and
Sebattis, as well as all the rest, told us it was a wolf come down
across the border from Canada. How about it Eli; was that one just then
giving tongue?"
The old guide had not moved an inch; indeed, he seemed to be very little
concerned over the strange sound; but he nodded his shaggy head, and
made reply:
"Yep, thet war a Canady wolf all right; an' as they hunt in packs thar
must be more on 'em raound these diggin's I spect."