A CAMP AND A PRISONER
Slowly the minutes went by. The wind continued to blow strongly and
the rain came down as hard as ever. All of the boys were capless,
and the cold chilled them to the very marrow of their bones.
"I'd give all I am worth to be in camp near a big fire," came from
Giant, presently.
"I can't sit up mu-much lon-longer," put in Whopper, weakly. "I am
like a---a lump of ice already!"
"I think we must be getting close to shore," said Snap, as bravely
as he could. "Keep up your courage."
He was at the end of the boat and allowed himself to slip down into
the lake.
"Hi! Come back!" called Shep, in fresh alarm.
"I am only going to see how deep it is," was the reply.
A few minutes later Snap announced that he could touch bottom.
All strained their eyes and thought they could see the shore
at a short distance.
Snap forced the craft in that direction and soon found himself
in water but three feet deep.
"We are all right now, boys!" he called out. "Come, let us pull
the boat in."
They did so, and soon the four young hunters were standing in the
sopping wet brushwood on the edge of the lake. They had no idea
where they had landed and only a dim notion regarding the location
of their camp.
"I think the best thing we can do," said Snap, "is to stay around
here somewhere and start a good big camp-fire. If we try to get
back to our camp we may get lost and also take our death of cold.
The quicker we start a fire the better it will be for us."
"All right, start a fire," said Whopper. "But it is going to be
no easy matter---with all the wood so wet."
"Look yonder, boys!" cried Giant. "Am I mistaken, or do I see
a light?"
"It certainly is a light," said Shep, looking in the direction
pointed out---a place quite a distance from the lake. "Maybe
some other campers are around."
"I hope so," said Snap. "Perhaps we can get something to eat."
All were hungry as well as cold, and the idea of a meal appealed
to them strongly. Snap led the way through the low brushwood in
the direction of the camp-fire, which was burning under a series of
overhanging rocks.
"Let me see what sort of a place it is first," warned Snap, as they
drew closer. "We don't want to run into any tramps or worse."
Nobody appeared to be around the camp-fire, which was burning
brightly in spite of the rain and wind. It was a well-sheltered
spot, and in the rocks was a hollowed-out place, against which
leaned some split logs, forming a rude shack.
Catching up a firebrand, Snap gazed into the shack. He gave a good
look and then came outside and held up his hand for silence.
"I've made a discovery," he whispered, excitedly.
"What?" asked the others.
"Do you remember that negro who stole Pop Lundy's watch?"
"Yes."
"Well, he is in there, fast asleep!"
"That rascal!" cried Shep. "Are you sure?"
"Look for yourselves."
They did so and saw that it was the same colored man beyond the
shadow of a doubt. He rested on a couch of pine boughs, flat on
his back and snoring lustily. He was evidently the only occupant
of the camp.
"Look there!" whispered Giant, pointing to a tin can that had
had some condensed milk in it. "That looks like our stuff!"
"Look at the clay pipe," put in Whopper. "Do you know what I
think?"
"He is the rascal who looted our camp?"
"Yes; and maybe he is the fellow who looted the Spink camp, too."
"Let us make him a prisoner!"
All were willing, and they looked around for a rope.
"Here is his horse-pistol," said Snap, picking it up. "I think
I'll keep it for the present."
A rope happened to be handy, and with great care they fastened one
end around the negro's right wrist. Then they brought that hand
over to the other and tied the two together. With another piece of
the, rope they tied one ankle fast to the other.
The job was just finished when the negro awoke in a lazy sort of way.
He stared stupidly at the young hunters and then his eyes opened
widely and he sat bolt upright.
"Wha-what's dis?" he stammered. "Whar did yo' cum from?"
"Stay where you are," ordered Snap, sternly, and flourished the
horse-pistol.
"Do-doan yo' shoot me!" cried the negro.
"Then stay right where you are. If you try to get up this pistol
may go off."
"Has yo' been a-follerin' me?"
"Never mind. We have found you and you are our prisoner," put
in Shep.
"Huh! Does yo' t'ink I'se afraid ob foah boys!"
"Well, do you want to be shot?" asked Snap, holding the pistol on a
level with the colored man's head.
"Stop!" screamed the rascal. "Don't do dat! It might go off!"
"Then you keep quiet."
"What have you done with Simon Lundy's gold watch?" asked Giant.
"Don't know nuffin' about any gold watch."
"Yes, you do. You took it---there is no use of your denying it,"
came from Shep.
"Is dat man around?" asked the colored rascal, suspiciously.
"Are you alone here?" asked Snap, ignoring the question.
"Suah I is. Say, boys, yo' let me go an' I'll make it all right
wid yo'," went on the evildoer, struck by a sudden idea.
"What is your name?" asked Whopper.
"Jeff Thompson."
"Where do you belong?"
"Over to Hamilton."
"What did you do with that gold watch?"
"I ain't said dat I had de watch."
"But we are positive you took it," said Snap "Come, tell us where
it is."
"I dun hocked it," was the low answer.
"Hocked it?" queried Giant.
"Yes, pawned it fo' six dollahs."
"Where?"
"At Levy's store in Williamsport."
"Where is the ticket?" asked Shep.
"Heah in my pocket. I'se a poah man, dat's wot I am," went on
Jeff Thompson. "I didn't hab no wuk an' I was des'prit. So I
tuk dat watch. I meant to git it back some day."
"No doubt," said Snap, sarcastically. "Give me the ticket," he
added, and stowed the pawnbroker's receipt carefully away in his
own clothes.
After that Jeff Thompson confessed that he had visited both the
camp of the young hunters and that of Ham Spink's crowd and taken
such things as struck his fancy. He was a shiftless mortal and
half intoxicated and did not care much what became of himself.
The boys were too cold and hungry to listen, just then, to his
story in detail, and threatening to shoot him if he dared to move,
they piled some more wood on the fire, rummaged around through
the stores Thompson had collected and prepared themselves a hot
and welcome meal. The negro watched them for awhile and then
turned over and pretended to go to sleep again.
"Maybe he is playing 'possum," whispered Shep.
"We'll keep our eyes on him," answered Snap. The boys were glad
enough to crouch close to the fire and get dry and warm. They
piled on as much wood as possible, and drank a large quantity
of hot coffee, to keep from taking cold. And thus the night wore
slowly away. Each got a few "cat naps," but that was all.
About three o'clock the storm went down and by sunrise the rain
and the wind were a thing of the past. The boys were around early,
and they gave Jeff Thompson such a breakfast as they thought he
needed. The negro begged for his liberty, and when he could not
get it began to grow abusive.
"Here, none of that!" said Snap, decidedly. "You keep quiet, or
I'll place a gag in your mouth."
"I ain't gwine ter let no foah boys do me up!" cried the negro.
"Let us gag him!" cried Whopper, and began to make a gag of a
tree root. But then Jeff Thompson cooled down and said no more.
The young hunters hardly knew what to do, and after a consultation
it was decided to look for their own rowboat and then take a message
to Ham Spink's crowd. The boat was easily located in the daylight,
and Whopper rowed across the lake and told his story to the rival
campers.
"Humph! that negro ought to be locked up!" said Ham Spink. "He took
the very best of our stores!"
"Well, you will have to help take him to town," said Whopper.
"We'll do that, too," was the answer.