GIANT AND THE MASKALONGE
The wind was making such a noise that little more could be said,
and as the tornado increased all of the boys threw themselves
on the ground, between a number of low bushes close to the lake
shore. The rain was coming down in veritable sheets and the water
was running into the lake in hundreds of rivulets.
"There goes something!" screamed Giant, as he caught sight of
an object whirling over their heads. "Looked like a sail."
"It was the boat canvas," answered Whopper. "Maybe the boat will
go next. Say, I'd just as lief be at home in my own little bed,
eh?"
"Don't mention it," replied Giant, with a sigh.
For fully an hour the wind tore around them in a manner that alarmed
the young hunters in the extreme. They could do nothing to save
either themselves or their stores, and wondered what the morning
would bring forth. More than one imagined that that was the last
of the outing and they would have to return home.
But by daybreak the storm let up and the wind gradually died down
to nothing but a gentle breeze. At eight o'clock the sun broke
from under the scattering clouds and then all heaved a long sigh
of relief.
"I never want to put in such a night again," said Shep. "I was
afraid every minute was going to be my last."
"This storm undoubtedly did a great deal of damage," said Snap.
"I shouldn't wonder if---oh, look at the top of yonder tree.
What is that?"
"It's the patch of canvas we had over the stores!" cried Giant.
"The wind took it to the top of the tree. Somebody will have
a climb to get it again!"
"I'll go after it later on," said Snap. "The first thing to do
is to build a big fire and get dry, otherwise we'll all catch
our deaths of cold."
It was no easy matter to find wood dry enough to burn, but once a
blaze was started they found branches enough to pile on. They shed
the majority of their garments, and soon the warmth dried each piece,
much to their satisfaction and comfort.
Whopper had not been idle, and he soon had a pot of hot coffee, to
which they added some condensed milk and water-soaked sugar. They
also got some fish from the lake, and the entire morning was devoted
to "drying out" and getting a substantial meal.
"One comfort," remarked Shep, "we'll not want for firewood while
we are here."
"I shouldn't be surprised if we can pick up quite some dead birds and
small animals," said Snap. "You generally can after such a storm
as this."
After a good meal they felt somewhat better and took a survey of the
situation. Then they brought out their stores and set them to dry on
some stones in front of the camp-fire. A few articles had been
rendered valueless and these they threw away. Late in the afternoon
Shep and Giant went fishing, while Snap and Whopper walked for a
short distance into the woods.
"We can't go very far," said Snap. "It is too wet in the shade."
"I see one bird already," said his companion, and picked up a fine
woodpecker. A thrush and two other birds they could not place
followed, and then they ran across a fallen tree under which lay
two squirrels.
"This is hunting of a new kind," said Whopper. "Poor chaps!"
he went on, looking at the squirrels. "I suppose that storm ripped
your home completely to pieces!"
"Wait! I see a good shot!" cried Snap, a few minutes later, and
raising his gun took careful aim. The report of the fowling-piece
was followed by a wild fluttering and then two partridges dropped
down, each seriously wounded. The boys dashed forward, caught
the game and quickly put them out of their misery.
"There, we have done enough for to-day," said Snap, but Whopper
blazed away, nevertheless, and brought down a rabbit that chanced to
be limping across a clearing, having had a paw broken by the storm.
With their game in their bags, the boys started back for the lake
front. They were almost to the camping spot when a wild cry of
alarm rent the air.
"Help!" came in Giant's voice.
"Let go! Let go!" came from Shep, an instant later.
"I can't! I can't!" answered the smallest of the young hunters.
"Something is wrong!" cried Snap, and dashed for the shore, followed
by his companion. When they came to the clearing they found Shep
standing up in the rowboat, gesticulating wildly. Giant was in
the water and moving at a fairly rapid pace toward the centre
of Firefly Lake!
"What does this mean?" questioned Snap.
"He got some kind of a bite and the fish hauled him overboard,"
answered Shep.
"Why don't you let the fish go?" screamed Whopper.
"I---I can't," gasped Giant. "The line is twisted around my wrist!"
"Row for him, Shep!" called Snap.
He had scarcely spoken when the fish took another tack, dragging poor
Giant toward the shore, some distance above the camp. Snap and
Whopper hurried in the direction, and as the little youth managed to
get a footing near the beach they ran in up to their ankles and
dragged him to safety. Then all three began to haul in on the
fishing line.
"I see what it is!" cried Snap. "A maskalonge---and a whopper,
too!"
Snap was right, and it was no mean task to bring the fish to the
shore, and even then it flopped around in a manner that scared
them a little. The maskalonge was dark gray in color with small
black spots, and measured all of four feet and a half from head
to tail.
"My, but he is a whopper!" cried Shep, as he ran the boat ashore
and surveyed the haul. "No wonder he yanked Giant overboard."
"Giant, you can be proud of such a haul," said Snap. "I guess
he's the king-pin of all the pike in this lake."
"Well, I am proud," answered Giant, with a grin. "Just the same,
I don't relish being pulled overboard for any fish in the lake.
He must weigh something, eh?"
"Fifteen to twenty pounds, I guess," said Snap. "It's too bad we
haven't a scales along."
"Weigh him in his own scales," said Whopper, by way of some fun.
"I wish I could send this fish home to my mother," said the small
youth. "Wouldn't it make her eyes stick out, though!"
"It certainly would, and some other folks would wonder, too,"
answered Shep. "But I don't see how you can do it."
Besides the maskalonge, the boys had caught several pike of fair
size, so they were assured of enough to eat for several days.
"The best thing we can do to-morrow is to find a suitable camping
spot and build a shelter," said Snap. "We don't want to be caught
out in the open again."
The canvas at the tree-top was secured, and that night they slept
between some bushes with this over them to keep off the night
air. Each of the young hunters took his turn at watching, but
nothing came to disturb them, although Whopper declared that he
heard several foxes not far off.
"I thought they were going to pay us a visit, but when they were
about two hundred feet away they took a turn and that was the last
I heard of them."
On the following morning the young hunters were in the act of
embarking in their rowboat, for a tour around the shore of Firefly
Lake, when Shep pointed out a small canoe coming swiftly toward
them. In the craft sat a man of middle age, with thick hair and
a heavy beard.
"Who can it be?" questioned Whopper.
"Perhaps it is one of the Felps crowd---to warn us away," spoke up
Giant. "If it is, I'm rather for giving him a piece of our mind."
"It is Jed Sanborn!" cried Shep. "He must be out to do a little
hunting or fishing on his own account."
Jed Sanborn was a character well known to the people of the district
surrounding the lakes. He was a hunter and trapper and had been all
his life. He was a bachelor, with no known relatives, and lived in
a little cabin on the mountainside, two miles from Lake Cameron.
The boys had met him a number of times and knew him to be a good shot
and a good-humored individual.
"Hullo, Jed, where are you bound?" sang out Snap, as the hunter
drew closer in his canoe.
"Thought I'd find you up here, boys," was the answer. "Have a
good time last night?"
"No; we had a beastly time," answered Shep.
"Rained hard, didn't it? Where are you bound now?"
"We were going to look around the lake, that's all. We want to
find a good camping-out spot."
"Folks down at Fairview said you were going to Lake Cameron."
"So we were, but Mr. Andrew Felps came along and drove us away."
"And after we had built a cabin, too," put in Giant.
"Huh! that's just like him," responded Jed Sanborn, as he bumped
alongside of the rowboat with his canoe "He told me I couldn't hunt
or fish around that lake either."