THE TIMBER-CRUISER.
Neither of the boys whom Owen addressed showed any particular signs of
alarm at his rather startling words, though Cuthbert quietly reached out
and drew his faithful ally, the little Marlin repeater, somewhat closer,
as though he felt safer thus; and Eli looked up to where the shotgun,
which was his especial charge, leaned against an adjacent tree, within
easy reach.
Both of them had been around considerable, and could not be considered
green in the ways of the woods; and it is habit as well as disposition
that makes men cool in the face of peril.
Plainly now the footfalls could be heard, for evidently the party
approaching did not want to arouse suspicion on the part of the campers,
and be met by a hostile shot.
His figure loomed up presently in the semi-gloom beyond the range of the
firelight, and Cuthbert, when he first saw the tall, bulky form of the
pilgrim, was of the opinion that no word could do the newcomer better
justice than just the expression "loomed," for he was pretty much of a
giant.
He was roughly dressed for the work of the woods, and carried a rifle
of necessity, for a man would be several sorts of a fool who wandered
about these wild parts without that mainstay to back him up, and lacking
which he must of necessity starve in the midst of plenty.
Cuthbert looked keenly at the fellow's face, being, as has been said
before, something of a reader of character.
He instantly decided that he did not fancy the man--not that he was on
the surface other than a rough woods rover, with a laugh like the roar
of a bull alligator, and a heartiness that seemed genuine enough; but
something about his eyes caused the explorer to believe him
double-faced.
Eli could not see deep enough for that, and was ready to take the fellow
for just what he appeared, a big, rough-and-ready woodsman, full of
coarse jokes, perhaps, but honest withal, a diamond that had never been
chipped.
"Wall, bless my soul if it ain't three boys in camp here! Who'd a
suspected sich a thing, away up in this kentry, too. Lots o' pluck to
come so fur, fellers; how's the huntin' now, and I hopes as how ye ain't
settin' up in business as rivals ter me, ha! ha! In course I seen yer
blaze jest a ways back, an' thinks I, what's the use in bunkin' alone
ternight, Stackpole, yer old timber-cruiser, when thar's companionable
chaps near by who won't object p'raps ter sharin' ther fire with ye? So
I tolddled along a little further, an' here I be. Jest say as I'm
welcome, an' let me enjoy the hospertality o' the occasion. Thunder! but
the blaze is mighty fine tonight, fellers. Guess it won't be far from
frost by mornin' the way it is now. Hello! that you, Owen--well, who'd a
thought I'd run acrost ye here; ain't set eyes on ye this long spell."
Owen made no reply, but there was a little curl to his upper lip that
Cuthbert noticed, and he knew that the young Canadian held no very good
opinion of the giant timber-cruiser.
The name Stackpole was not entirely unknown to Cuthbert, since it had
been mentioned by several people when speaking of the Far Northwest and
those who were to be met with there--and if his recollections were
correct he was of the impression that the same Stackpole had been held
up as an example of a somewhat lawless character, who made a pretense of
cruising about looking for valuable timber in places where the
lumbermen, soon to come, could float the logs down a river to a market;
but who was suspected of other practices of a less honest character.
At any rate Cuthbert scented trouble of some sort, and was greatly
disgusted in that the other had discovered their camp, as he had
declared, by accident, for as yet there was no reason to suspect he had
any design in joining them.
He hardly knew what to do in the matter, for it would seem to be the
height of foolishness to warn Stackpole off, and refuse him the little
favor he asked, of spending the night by their fire, to enjoy their
company--people who roam the woods have peculiar ideas of hospitality,
and it is a serious infraction of the unwritten rules to deny a wanderer
the privilege of the camp for a night.
Surely they could stand his unwelcome presence for that short time; and
if they maintained their usual custom of standing watch-and-watch alike,
there would seem to be little chance of his doing them an evil turn.
Accordingly Cuthbert allowed his face to appear pleasant, as though he
might even be delighted to have this wandering timber spy with them for
a space, to enliven things a bit.
"Sit down and make yourself quite at home. You're right, it is getting
sharp and I wouldn't be at all surprised to see signs of frost, the
first of the season, in the morning. We're up here knocking about a
little, partly to hunt, but mostly because I've a penchant, that is, a
weakness for exploring out-of-the-way places. Stackpole, did you say
your name was?--well, mine's Cuthbert Reynolds, this is my friend, Eli
Perkins, and, you seem to know Owen, so I won't try to introduce him.
Have you had supper--if not there's something in the pot that wouldn't
taste bad if warmed up a bit?"
That was the way Cuthbert spoke, for he was naturally genial and
generous, ready to divide anything he had with one in distress; only in
this case he felt that it was along the line of casting pearls before
swine, for that ugly little gleam in the corner of Stackpole's shifty
eye warned him against trusting the fellow too far.
"That sounds good, and I'm goin' ter take ye up on the proposition,
young feller. I ain't had ary bite since noon, an' then 'twas a snack
only. Coffee--why, I've plumb forgot how she tastes, fact, it's been so
long since I had a cup. An' stew, my, that smells prime. Say, it was a
mighty lucky streak that made me come along the river here, headin' fur
the post. Thought I'd keep right along till I got thar, but 'twas tryin'
business, an' I'd jest determined ter bunk down till mornin' when I
ketched a glimpse o' this yer fire. Guess my old luck ain't petered out
yit."
He was evidently something of a talker, and liked to hear the sound of
his own voice; but Cuthbert was of the opinion that the presence of Owen
had rather upset the big chap, and that some of this patter was intended
to hide his confusion, and allow him to figure out his standing there.
The mystery surrounding Owen seemed to be growing deeper all the while,
and the more these peculiar things came about the greater the desire on
Cuthbert's part to help the Canadian lad by all means in his power.
He awaited his chance to see the other alone, so that he might ask a few
pertinent questions concerning Stackpole.
This came in a little while, when, the coffee and stew having been
warmed, the giant timber-cruiser was busily employed in disposing of the
same.
Owen was down by the river's edge, apparently looking after the two
boats, so they would be safe for the night--he never missed an
opportunity to handle the wonderful cedar canoe, running his hands over
its smooth sides, and admiring its beautiful lines, so that this was not
a peculiar occupation for him.
Nevertheless, Cuthbert was rather inclined to believe that Owen wanted
him to saunter over that way, in order that he might say something he
could not well communicate in the presence of the unwelcome guest.
So he got up, busied himself with a few things for a minute or two, and
then walked in the direction of the boats, conscious at the same time
that Stackpole had his shrewd eyes fastened upon him; and he could
imagine the sneer upon the boarded face of the woodsman, betraying how
readily he saw through the little game.
"I imagine you know what sort of fellow he is, Owen. Now, I don't just
fancy his looks, and even if you weren't here to tell me about him I'd
keep an eye on Mr. Stackpole during his stay in camp," was what Cuthbert
said in a low tone, as he sat down on the upturned cedar boat alongside
his friend.
"Well, that's the whole thing in a nutshell--it's a wise thing to keep
watch of that man when he's near anything valuable, for he's got a
reputation for being light-fingered, and I know he's been accused of
lots of mean things up in this country. Most men are afraid of him, for
he can be an ugly customer in a scrap, and under that jolly laugh he has
the temper of a devil. And to tell you the truth, he doesn't like me
worth a cent. There's a story connected with it which I'll be glad to
tell you at the first chance, that is if you care to hear anything
concerning my wretched and unhappy past. I think we'd better act as if
we didn't suspect anything, only let him see we are here. Perhaps he'll
go away in the morning, but I don't believe that he's heading for the
post, because there's been bad blood between him and the old factor for
a long while; and I guess Mr. Gregory is the only man in all these parts
Stackpole really has respect for."
All of this Owen muttered into the ear of his comrade, meanwhile keeping
his eyes fastened upon the burly figure squatted in the camp beside the
genial fire, and noting how often Stackpole's glance wandered
suspiciously toward them, as if the fellow wondered what he, Owen, might
be telling the young fellow, whom he had already decided, if he did not
know it before, to be the ruling spirit of the expedition, and who
evidently held the purse, a very important consideration in the mind of
a man like the said Stackpole.
"Yes, when you get good and ready to tell me I'd consider it a privilege
to know something more of your life here, old chap; and if anything I
can do will be of benefit, you understand that you're as welcome to it
as the sunlight after a week of rain," pursued Cuthbert; at which the
other, overcome with emotion (for he had led a lonely life and never
knew what it was to have the counsel of a genuine friend) and unable to
express his feelings in words, simply allowed his hand to creep along
the keel of the cedar canoe until it met that of the generous-hearted
Cuthbert, when his fingers were intertwined with those of his new chum;
nor were these latter loth to meet him half-way.
There was a whole world of words in that eloquent handgrip, for soul
spoke to soul; and the communion of interests that had been slowly
drawing them together ever since their strange meeting was cemented then
and there.
They busied themselves around the boats for a short time, more to make
it appear that they had really sought the spot with the intention of
fixing things cozily for the night than because there was need of their
labor; and during the minutes that elapsed Cuthbert managed to ask
numerous questions about Stackpole, for when he learned from Owen that
in times past this fellow and the halfbreed Dubois, from whom he had
secured the unreliable chart, had been boon companions, a disturbing
thought was born in his mind that possibly there might have been more of
design than accident in the coming of the timber-cruiser on this night.
The peace and charm that had up to this period marked the stay of
himself and honest Eli in the wilderness seemed in a fair way to be
dissipated; and who could say what sort of storm and stress lay before
them--for one thing, he was glad that Owen had crossed his path, nor did
he mean that the other should ever go out of his life again--come what
would, he was bound to look forward to a future shared in common by
both, whether in American wilds or some far-distant country where
wonderful things were awaiting discovery.