THE "PAINTER"
A few days later the promised trip up Porcupine Hill was taken. An early
start was made, the forty-four boys of the school, clad in semi-warlike
uniforms, looking like a company of young soldiers as they marched over
the hills to the south and west toward the mountains on the right of
Mummy Cañon.
Meanwhile Hal, by his frank and straightforward manner, established
himself in the confidence of Miles so well as to remove all doubt as to
his innocence regarding the disappearance of the nuggets. The mystery
remained still unsolved, but it seemed certain that any suspicion
directed toward Hal was entirely unjust.
Porcupine Hill was four miles from Lakefarm. The easiest ascent was on
the southern side, but to reach this it would be necessary to travel an
additional two miles around the base. On that side it was more than two
miles to the peak, and this was the course generally used by those
dwelling on the peak and the side of the mountain. On the opposite side
the ascent was shorter and much steeper, and this was the route taken by
the boys whenever they went up to see Aunt Sarah Jane.
Mr. and Mrs. Turman were real uncle and aunt of two of the boys of the
school, Byron and Frank Bowler. The aged couple were always glad to
receive their two nephews and their friends, and took pains to make them
feel welcome. Fifteen years before, while prospecting, they had
discovered a vein of gold near the peak and had staked out claims. But
finding gold on a mountain peak and mining it profitably are two
different propositions, and they found it necessary to do some sharp
engineering of various sorts.
A company was formed and incorporation papers taken out. Then followed
negotiations with various moneyed interests and an entanglement that
tied matters up. Since then nothing of importance had been done.
When he found that he was not going to make his fortune in the mine,
"Uncle Sam," as Mr. Turman was familiarly known for miles around,
desired to move to Jimtown or some other settlement in the valley; but
Aunt Sarah Jane had been cured of rheumatism in this high and dry
altitude, and she was afraid it would come back if they moved below. So
they continued to live on the mountain peak in their cabin of slabs and
rude timbers made warmer in winter with banks of sod and straw heaped
close and high around the foundation.
It was a picturesque place, with everything crude but neat, clean, and
comfortable. The boys always enjoyed going up there. The view was wide
and magnificent. Several towns were visible, nestled here and there in
the valleys or on the hillsides. At night their lights shone prettily in
the deep-down distance. On one occasion while some of the boys were on
the peak, they witnessed a storm several hundred feet below them and
marveled at the novelty of looking down upon banks of clouds with
lightning flashing among them.
So the Boy Scouts had much of interest before them when one fine morning
early in September they set out in a body to climb Porcupine Hill. The
ascent began over a slowly rising ridge of ground that ran along the
base of the mountain, then led directly up the steep incline for some
distance, and finally lost itself in a winding trail that curved among
and about rocks and bushes and projecting cliffs. The climb, because of
its winding nature, was much longer than a straight course would have
been, so that nearly two hours were spent between the base and peak.
The boys were equipped with luncheons, water canteens, hike-sticks, a
few cameras and field-glasses. For climbing footgear, they wore heavy
Swiss hob-nailed shoes and gaiters. Their clothes were of strong, coarse
material that would stand much wear and resist the tearing pulls of
shrubbery and briars.
Aunt Sarah Jane was delighted to see them. It was the first time all the
Scouts of the school had been up there together. At noon she brought out
some tablecloths and spread them on the grass and invited the boys to
prepare their dinner picnic style. Hal and Byron took the burro
belonging to Mr. and Mrs. Turman and rode halfway down the southern side
to a neighbor's well and filled two large canvas bottles with water.
These they hung over the burro's shoulders by a strap connecting them
and then began their journey back up to the peak.
The mountain was thickly wooded on this side, but the surface was rough,
and the trail consequently very winding. Only one of the boys rode at a
time on the return trip; when one became tired, the one on the burro
dismounted and permitted the other to ride.
In this manner they had gone half of the return distance, when suddenly
something happened that added a new sensation to their mountain
experiences. Just as they were rounding a bluff in a sparsely wooded
spot, a dark object darted across their path, causing the burro to give
a jump so sudden as to throw Byron from its back.
Like an arrow from a bow, the slow and sleepy beast shot up the side of
the mountain, leaving the boys to the tender mercies of the cause of its
fright. At first the two Scouts were only astonished, for they could not
imagine any more dangerous animal in that locality than a wildcat. There
were said to be a few of these in the mountains, but they were shy and
fled at the sight of man.
This beast, however, was larger than a wildcat and did not seem to be
disposed to run at the sight of the boys. It was a slender long-limbed,
cat-like animal, with reddish-gray fur. After springing across the path,
the beast turned and seemed to hesitate, as if not knowing whether to
pursue the burro or to direct its attention toward the boys.
"What is it?" Byron asked as he clung tremblingly to his companion. He
had been severely shaken by his fall, but not seriously injured.
"It's a mountain lion," replied Hal with all the steadiness of voice he
could command. Being older and larger than Byron, he felt that the
responsibility of the situation rested on him.
"Let's run," proposed the smaller boy, tugging at Hal's sleeve.
"No, we mustn't do that," replied the latter. "If we stand still and
don't seem to be afraid, he may go away and leave us alone."
Hal now had good reason to congratulate himself on his industry during
his three years at Lakefarm. He had found much of interest in the
doctor's library, reading everything that appealed to his taste. Among
the books that he most enjoyed were illustrated natural histories, and
it is little wonder that he recognized now the kind of beast before him,
although he had never before seen one. He remembered also that these
books had informed him that mountain lions are not so fierce as commonly
thought, that they usually hunt at night and are cowardly and little to
be feared unless cornered.
The puma was only a few rods away from Hal and Byron, who stood close to
the bluff that formed a turning point in the path. For more than a
minute boys and beast stood facing each other, neither moving. Byron
wished to run and continued to pull at his companion's coat-sleeve, but
Hal, relying on his book information, stood firm. Presently the beast
backed away.
"See? What did I tell you?" exclaimed the older boy gleefully. But his
exultation was somewhat hysterical, indicating the strain he had
undergone.
The puma backed slowly at first, but presently his retreat became more
rapid. Then suddenly he turned and, with a few bounds, disappeared among
the pine trees.
Hal was now willing to run, and both boys started out at their best pace
up the trail. The ascent was not very steep here, so they ran some
distance before they were too tired to go farther. Then they stopped and
looked back, and, seeing no sign of the lion, they rested a while.
Then they took things a little easier, but they went faster than they
would have under ordinary circumstances. A short distance from the top
of the mountain, they were met by all the other boys, Dr. Byrd, Mr.
Frankland, Mr. Porter, and Mr. and Mrs. Turman, who were much excited.
The burro had returned alone and with more speed than it had ever been
known to make before. Naturally this caused alarm, and a general rush
was made to investigate.
Hal and Byron excitedly explained what had happened. Then followed a
rapid succession of questions and answers until all the details of the
adventure were told. Finally Aunt Sarah Jane added a new element of
interest by saying:
"Maybe it was the painter I saw over on Flathead one day. It was early
in the morning and I saw some kind of animal moving about over there.
But it was so far away I couldn't make out what it was. I thought at
first it was a man."