JACK AND HIS MATES IN CAMP
It was rather late in the afternoon, some days later, when a light
covered wagon drawn by a stout though rather lazy horse, could have been
seen moving along the valley road among the famous Pontico Hills. Three
boys dressed for rough service in the woods sat upon the seat, with Jack
doing the driving just then, though both Toby and Steve had taken turns
at this work during the long day they had been on the road.
They were many miles away from Chester now, and pretty close to the end
of the journey, as Jack informed them.
"We'll strike the old logging road just above here, you see," he
explained, "and by following it a mile or so we are due to come on the
place where I've been told we'll find a dandy camp-site, with running
water near by."
"Lucky for us you managed to get hold of that old map, and copy it, I
tell you, Jack," ventured Steve. "This is certainly a pretty wild
country up here, and with mighty few settlers around. I doubt if you
could run across a single farm in four square miles of territory."
"It's really worse than that, Steve," admitted the other. "I think you'd
have to go three or four miles in any direction before you struck a
living soul; and then the chances are it'd only be some wandering
timber-cruiser, taking a look at the fine lumber prospects, with a hazy
idea that he might be able to strike a bargain with the party who owns
all this land up here."
"If they at one time started in to cut this timber," said Toby, glancing
around at the myriad of lofty trees that stretched their tops toward the
sky, "they didn't get very far before being called off, did they, Jack?"
"I believe the land fell into other hands, and the new owner had no
desire to clean it of the timber. So operations stopped. But many an
envious eye has been turned in the direction of the Pontico Hills of
recent years. They say it carries the finest batch of uncleared land
left in the county, if not the whole State."
"How about that grown-up road ahead of us, Jack," called out Toby, who
had very keen eyesight; "do you reckon now that might be the logging
trail we're looking for?"
"Just what it is, my friend," chuckled Jack; and upon reaching the spot
he forced the horse to make a turn to the right, though the animal
seemed a bit loath to obey the pull at the lines, apparently
anticipating harder work ahead.
They found it no easy task to push along the road over which the logging
teams had once made their way, so overgrown with vines and small
saplings had it become. Steadily they advanced, all of them eagerly
observing the many interesting things that caught their attention.
"There's something moving back of that hanging vine, fellows," suddenly
whispered Toby, hoarsely; "and I can't tell whether it's a man or a
sheep!"
"Why, it's a doe and a spotted fawn, as sure as you live!" ejaculated
Steve just then, as two objects flashed off with graceful bounds that
carried them lightly over fallen trees and all other obstacles. "First
time I ever saw wild deer in their native haunts. We've got a gun along,
but of course nobody'd think of shooting deer out of season; and the law
especially protects those with young."
"We've fetched that gun with us only as a sort of protection," said
Jack, positively. "None of us would dream of hunting in July. Fact is, I
didn't mean to carry it at all, but the lady suggested that it might be
just as well, since you never can tell what might happen."
Toby and Steve exchanged quick and suggestive glances at hearing Jack
say this. Somehow it struck them as meaning there might be a trace of
danger in the secret mission which Jack had undertaken for their
mysterious benefactress. And doubtless from time to time they would have
further reasons for believing that there was something deeper in their
errand than merely taking photographs of the wild country for the
edification of the lady, who, for all they knew, might be the owner of
these miles and miles of wooded land.
"The sun is getting pretty low down in the western sky, fellows,"
observed Toby, after a while.
"And I should say we'd come all of a mile since leaving that valley
road," Steve added.
"I'm expecting to strike the place any old time now," Jack went on to
tell them in a soothing tone. "Here and there you can see where trees
have been cut, though they grow so dense around here the slashes hardly
show. Keep a bright lookout for the bunch of oaks that makes a triangle,
because that's where we pull up and make our camp."
Two minutes afterwards and Toby gave an exultant cry.
"I see them, Jack, sure I do, and I tell you they're beauties in the
bargain. A better landmark it'd be hard to find. Well, for one I'm right
glad our journey is done."
"Tell that to Moses the nag, here," laughed Jack, "because he'd be
mighty happy to know his work is through for a long spell. We've fetched
plenty of oats along, and mean to rope him out days, so he can eat his
fill of grass. Yes, that answers the description given on my map, and
we've finally arrived.
"Yes, and if you listen," went on Steve, eagerly, "you can hear a soft
musical sound like water gurgling over a mossy bed. That must be the
little stream you told us was close by, and which would supply all our
wants. Why, I'm as thirsty as a fish out of water right now, boys; me
for a drink!"
With that he hurled himself over the side of the wagon and went on a run
in the direction of the soft sweet murmur which he had rightly guessed
could only proceed from running water.
When a little later Steve, his raging thirst satisfied, joined his chums
again, he found Toby unharnessing Moses, while Jack was investigating
the immediate vicinity with an eye to locating the camp-site.
The wearied horse was led to water and then staked out with the long and
stout rope fetched along for this especial purpose. They anticipated
having little trouble with Moses while in camp, since all the beast
would have to do lay in the way of feeding, and being led to water twice
a day.
Next the wagon was unloaded, and from the pile of stuff that soon
littered the ground, it was evident that the three lads had taken a fair
advantage of their expenses being guaranteed, for they certainly had not
stinted themselves along the "grub" line at least.
"We've just got to rush things, and do our talking afterwards,"
suggested Jack.
"That's right," agreed Toby, "because already the sun is setting, and
before long it'll be getting plumb dark. Luckily enough we thought to
fetch that lantern along with us, though, and a supply of oil in the
bargain."
"I wonder," said Jack, with an amused chuckle, "if there was a single
thing we did forget to pack in the wagon. Talk about going into the
woods light, when you've got a convenient wagon to carry things along,
you're apt to fetch three times as much as you really need."
"I'm one of those fellows who like comfort every time," admitted Steve;
"and I suppose I'm responsible for a heap of these things right now; but
never mind, Jack, some of them may yet come in handy; you never know."
They seemed to be fairly well versed in the art of raising a tent; at
least Jack knew how to go about it.
"Time presses too much to be overly particular how we get it up
tonight," he told the others when they suggested that it did not seem to
be quite as firmly staked as seemed proper. "Tomorrow we'll rectify all
errors. Now, if Toby will begin to get the bedding inside, and sort over
the cooking things, I'll make a fireplace. Steve, would you mind taking
the ax and cutting some wood?"
"Happy to do so," chirped the big fellow, who had always boasted of
being handy with an ax, as his muscular condition gave him an advantage
over both the others. "The only trouble is I'm as hungry as a wolf right
now, and so much extra exercise will make me wild for my supper."
The sound of the ax soon announced that Steve was doing his duty, and
that a supply of wood for the cooking fire was certain to be
forthcoming.
Meanwhile, Jack had started to build a fireplace with a number of stones
which lay conveniently near by. From the blackened state of some of
these the boy suspected they had served for just such a purpose on some
former occasion.
When he had fixed this to suit his ideas of the proper thing he had
arranged the stones so that one end of the fireplace was a little
broader than the other.
Across this space he now laid a metal framework that looked like a
grill, and which was two feet square. This was bound to prove a most
valuable camping asset, since coffee pot and frying pan could be placed
on it without much danger of those accidents that occur so often when
they are balanced upon the rough edges of the stones themselves.
All was now ready for the fire itself, which Jack quickly started. Toby
gave an exclamation of satisfaction the instant he saw the flames leap
up.
"Too bad we were in such a hurry," he went on to say, regretfully. "Some
sort of ceremony ought to attend the starting of the first fire in camp.
It's going to be our best friend you know, when even we get ravenously
hungry; and seems to me we might at least have joined hands, and danced
around the blaze while we crooned some sort of song dedicated to the god
of fire."
"None of those silly frills go in this camp, Toby, you want to know,"
said Steve, sternly, coming in just then with an armful of firewood.
"This is a business camp, and not a make-believe one. We're up here to
enjoy ourselves, and take pictures, but no barbaric rites can be
allowed. Leave all that for the savages of the South Sea Islands, or
those fire worshippers we read about. I love a fire as well as the next
fellow, but you don't catch me capering around a blaze, and singing to
it like a foolish goose."
Toby was too busily engaged then to attempt to argue the matter. He had
arranged most of the provisions so that a choice could be made, and now
he ran off a long string of edibles, most of which, however, would
require too much time in the cooking to be chosen.
As is usually the case under similar conditions, they finally decided to
cut off a couple of slices from the big ham, and with some of the
already boiled potatoes fried crisp and brown, make that the main dish
for their first supper.
Soon delicious odors began to arise and be wafted away on the evening
air. If any of those curious little woods rodents that might be peeping
from their covert at the invaders of their solitude had a nose capable
of appreciating such perfumes, they must have been greatly edified by
these queer goings-on.
But hungry boys have no thought save to satisfy their clamorous
appetites, and so little unnecessary talking was done up to the time
when the trio curled themselves up with their feet under them, tailor
fashion, and proceeded to clean off their heaping pie pans of the savory
mess that had been prepared.