THE CAMP UNDER THE HEMLOCKS.
Young Owen Dugdale's heart thrilled within him.
In all his life he could not exactly remember a single time when he had
been thus warmly welcomed to any camp. Why, it was almost worth shooting
the rapids and meeting with disaster to hear such words, and feel that
every one was meant.
Who were these lads, and why were they here in this faraway land?
His astonished eyes fell upon the craft that had evidently carried them
up the river from some hamlet, scores, perhaps hundreds, of miles away.
Such a dandy canoe Owen Dugdale had never dreamed existed in the whole
wide world, for it was of varnished cedar, and with its nickeled
trimmings, glistened there under the hemlocks in the flash of the
lightning, and the glow of the protected campfire.
He seemed to feel somehow that this apparent calamity upon the river had
been the "open sesame" for him to enter upon a new and perhaps
delightful experience; rather a rough introduction perhaps, but then he
knew only such in the range of his past.
And the delicious odor of that supper was enough to arouse the dormant
appetite of one who had foresworn all cookery, one of these modern
cranks determined to exist upon nuts and fruit, which our young friend
of the bullboat certainly was not.
Both lads bustled about trying to make him comfortable near the cheery
blaze, and then filling a pannikin with the canoeist's stew of corn
beef, succotash and left-over potatoes, they invited him to set-to, nor
wait for them a second.
Owen could not have restrained himself, once his nostrils became
saturated with those delicious odors, and he started to eat like a
starving chap; as indeed, he came very near being, seeing that he had
not partaken of a mouthful of food for almost twenty-four hours, and
then but scantily.
Then came a cup of such coffee as he had never before tasted, with
condensed milk to mellow the same, and close at his hand was placed a
package of crackers into which he was expected to dip as the humor
seized him.
Boys never like to talk while hungry, and no matter how strong the
curiosity on both sides might be, nothing was said beyond the usual
courtesies necessary in passing things, until one and all declared
themselves satisfied.
But, although their tongues were silent during this half-hour, their
eyes did double duty, and Owen found a thousand things at which to
wonder.
The canoe had been enough to excite his curiosity, but everything he saw
about the camp was in keeping with such luxury.
The dun-colored tent was a beauty, and doubtless positively waterproof,
for the rain that had been beating down ever since they commenced eating
had found no inlet; and the fly over the fire sufficed to keep it from
being extinguished.
He saw several warbags of the same kind of canvas, evidently used for
the storage of clothes and provisions; and in addition there were a
couple of guns, rubber ponchos, gray blankets that peeped out of two
expensive sleeping bags, and a couple of black japanned boxes the
contents of which he could not picture, unless they might be something
in the way of surveyors' instruments; for Owen had once seen a party of
these gentry running a line through the forest, and hence his vague
application now.
These things had been taken in with a few glances around; but the two
boys themselves occupied most of his attention, and he found himself
trying to study out what they were--the taller one he understood
immediately must be in command, for his whole appearance indicated it,
while the shorter chap was of the calibre not unlike himself, bronzed
from a life in the open, and with a cheery manner that drew the waif
toward him from the start.
Both were dressed for business, with no unnecessary frills; and it was
evident that if the leader of the mysterious expedition was possessed of
unlimited means he also had enough common sense to deny himself luxuries
when upon such a long cruise.
When every one declared that not another bite could be taken, Eli pulled
out a pipe, being evidently addicted to smoking, and his comrade,
finding that the newcomer had dried out pretty thoroughly, hunted up a
spare jacket from one of the bags, which he insisted upon Owen donning,
since the storm, now a thing of the past, had been followed by a cool
wave that made the fire doubly pleasant.
"Now," said the tall lad, with one of his winning smiles, that drew Owen
to him so wonderfully, "let's exchange confidences a bit, just as far as
you care to go and no further. First of all my name is Cuthbert
Reynolds, and I'm from across the border, a Yankee to the backbone; and
this is Eli Perkins, also an American boy, a native of the lumber
regions of Michigan, and with his fortunes bound up in mine."
"And I'm Owen Dugdale," said the other, knowing the pause was intended
for him to break in with the mention of his name; "a native Canuck, and
at home in this timber region--my parents were of Scotch descent I
believe. And the first thing I want to say is that I'm mighty glad to be
here with you just now. I was just about as hungry as a bear, and only
for you I don't see what I could have done, after that ducking, for my
matches must have been wet, and I would have gone to sleep hungry and
cold."
The tall lad hastened to interrupt him, evidently not fancying being
thanked for doing what was apparently the greatest pleasure in the world
to him.
"Hold on, please; we understand all that. You're a thousand times
welcome, and I tell you right now nothing could have happened to please
me better than meeting up with you. You can bet there's something
besides chance in it. Now, naturally you're wondering what in the
dickens two fellows of our stripe are doing wandering about up here in
the Far Northwest like a couple of nomads.
"Well, perhaps when you learn the actual truth you'll wonder harder than
ever how it is one of us has escaped landing in a lunatic asylum up to
this time; but as some of my friends say to me, youthful enthusiasm is
responsible for many queer things, and so long as my wonderful ambition
is to copy after Stanley in the line of exploring, why, they don't
worry.
"They say I have more money than I know what to do with, anyway, and if
it must be blown in somehow, why, this is a harmless way of doing it,
dangerous only to myself, and any other foolish chap whom I may
influence to accompany me on my mad expeditions," and as he spoke he
glanced affectionately in the direction of the homely, freckled but
good-humored Eli, who returned the look with a grin and an emphatic nod
of approval.
"Now, you see, Eli has been with the lumbermen all his life, and is as
hardy as they make them. What he doesn't know about the woods isn't
worth telling; and so we make a pretty good team, for I've picked up a
little knowledge about camp life during my canoeing days in the East,
and manage to fill in the gaps in Eli's education, along the line of
woodcraft.
"I might as well make a full confession in the start, for you're bound
to get on to my weakness if we see much of each other, and I hope we
will. Ever, since I was knee-high to a grasshopper I've been inoculated
with the exploring bee, read everything ever printed in that line, and
pictured myself doing wonderful stunts like Livingstone and Stanley."
It was only to be expected then that when I was left my own master at
the death of my father, I would pursue my hobby to the limit; and I
rather guess I have been on the jump for two years. Haven't made myself
famous yet, and a little of my enthusiasm in that line has dribbled
away; but I'm just as determined to work in the field of research as
ever; only age is beginning to tone down my earlier wild notions, and
after this last and crowning folly I think I shall hitch up with some
veteran who knows it all, and be content to work up from the ranks.
"I started out on this expedition with great notions of making such a
trip as no man had ever before attempted, passing up a branch of the
Saskatchewan, making a portage with the assistance of the Crees or
Chippewas to some convenient branch of the Athabasca River, and voyage
on to the lake of that name by fall, winter there perhaps at the Hudson
Bay Post, and in the spring by means of the chain of lakes and rivers
that I understand connect the Athabasca Lake with Hudson Bay, arrive at
that vast sheet of water in time to be picked up by some whaler and
carried home a winner.
"Makes you smile, I guess--well, it strikes me as funny, now that I've
been navigating this country for several months, and only gotten this
far; but when I laid out the trip it was a serious business for me, and
I couldn't see anything but success ahead of me. I've had my fun, and
I'm ready to call the game off. This is a man's work, I understand now,
and I'm out of the exploring business for the time, only now that we're
up so far Eli and myself want to see all we can of the country; and Eli
has some notions in the line of discovering rich copper ledges that he
means to work while wandering about this unknown land, eh, old man?"
In this boyish, familiar manner did he address his comrade, and Eli as
usual laughed good-naturedly and nodded his head--evidently he had a
fund of humor in his make-up that could not be disturbed by any amount
of "joshing."
Cuthbert halted in his explanations; he did not hint at such a thing,
but evidently it was up to Owen to tell something at least in connection
with his presence in the neighborhood, and how he came to be rushing
down the dangerous rapids at the time the storm broke, when it would
appear the part of wisdom for one who knew the peril involved as well as
he did, to land and portage around the troubled water.
The lad acted a little as though confused, not knowing just how much he
should tell in connection with himself; but taking a brace he finally
spoke up--Eli was adding some wood to the fire from a stock they had
laid in dry when the storm was seen approaching, while Cuthbert busied
himself in making his seat more comfortable, though in reality it was
done in order not to appear to be noticing the coloring-up of the guest,
about whom he seemed to realize that there was a bit of a mystery.
"I told you my name was Owen Dugdale, and that I had always lived up in
this country. Well, that is hardly so, for when I was a little chap I
remember being in Montreal with my parents for a spell; but they came
back here and I've never gone out of the woods since.
"My mother taught me all I know, for she was a lady, and had been
educated in a convent school in that city. My father was used to the
life of the woods, and I learned everything connected with that from
him. I lost my mother two years ago, and my father later. That's about
all there is in connection with me. I--I had some trouble up the river
at the post, and was making my way down with the intention of leaving
this country forever when this accident happened. I'm glad it did
happen, because it's thrown me in with two such good fellows. You'll be
surprised when I tell you that I've never had a boy friend in all my
life; and--well, it's mighty fine to be sitting here and talking with
you both. I wish I could do something to return the favor, that's what."
"You can--stay with us a while, and let us have some of the benefit of
your knowledge of the country. We'd like nothing better; and if you have
no other place to go, why make a third member of the crowd. You have a
boat, and as for grub and such, why, we're loaded down with it. Don't
decide just now, but think it over and tell us in the morning. We won't
take no for an answer, remember."
Owen turned his head away as if to look at something he fancied moved
along the edge of the camp; but it was to conceal the tears that came
unbidden into his eyes--the genuine warmth of this invitation stirred
his heart, and as some resolution sprang into life he gripped his hands
and set his teeth hard.