A SCOUT SHOULD ALWAYS BE ON THE ALERT.
When the young scoutmaster chose to, he could put a world of meaning in
his voice. And those two timber cruisers, upon seeing both guns covering
them so steadily, doubtless realized that firearms are no respecter of
persons; since a weapon fired by a lad is just as sure to make good, if
held correctly, as though a mature man looked along the barrel.
And so they complied with the order, although grumblingly, and evidently
loth to admit that a couple of boys had gotten the better of them.
"This hyars a nice how-d'ye-do, treatin' yer guide like he was pizen
mean. What d'ye mean by it, younker?" growled the man who had claimed to
be Toby Smathers, the forest ranger.
"Oh! it only means that we've guessed who you are," remarked Thad,
calmly. "We were warned down at the post to look out for a couple of
unscrupulous timber cruisers by the name of Hank Dodge and Pierre
Laporte. And we don't want to have anything to do with you, that's all."
"Take keer, young feller, who yer insultin'," growled Hank, ominously.
"Oh!" said Giraffe, airily, who made sure to have his own gun ready in
his hands at the time he spoke in such boasting tones, "we don't scare so
easy, Mister Hank Dodge, if that's your name. Fact is, the boys of the
Silver Fox Patrol have helped gather in a few men even more dangerous
than you and your pal ever dared to be."
"Be still, Giraffe," ordered Thad, who knew it was unwise to add to the
anger of the ruffians. "Now, we don't mean to bother you at all, Hank
Dodge. Our business up here has nothing to do with timber cruisers; and
we're not hired by the Government to watch for any steels of lumber, or
land frauds. We came here to camp out, and to hunt. And just now we're
busy looking up the comrade who has lost himself in these big woods. Do
you understand what I say?"
"Reckon as how ye put it plain enuff, younker," replied the other,
wondering if Thad noticed that he was gradually lowering his arms; but
the very next words uttered by the boy told him this.
"Hold 'em up high again, Hank! I don't want to have to shoot you through
the shoulder or the legs, but I will, if you try to grab up that rifle."
With a string of hard words the man elevated his hands once more; but if
black looks could kill, Thad must have expired on the spot.
"Step Hen," said the patrol leader.
"Yes, what is it, Thad?"
"Go forward, and recover your gun," the other went on, severely. "I'm
surprised at you letting it get out of your hands at all. A wide-awake
scout should be smarter than that. And Step Hen!"
"Yes."
"Be sure you don't for even a second get between the muzzle of my gun and
our friend Hank, there; because I'm going to shoot the very second he
makes the first move looking to grabbing either you, or the gun. Hear
that, Step Hen?"
"Sure I do, Thad, and I'll be careful, just as you say," came the reply.
The boy crept up on one side, and lying down flat on his chest, reached
out an arm, thus starting to draw his own highly-prized little repeater
toward him.
Hank could see it going, and ground his teeth in helpless rage, for he
could also watch the determined gleam in those convincing eyes of Thad
Brewster, and only too well did he know what sort of hard luck would be
apt to overtake him, if he but allowed himself to be tempted too far.
When Step Hen gripped his little gun once more, he made haste to draw
back the hammer. And thus a fourth weapon was brought to bear upon the
persons of the two notorious timber thieves.
Hank Dodge laughed.
It was not a mirthful sound at all, but rather caused a shiver to pass
through the forms of those who heard it.
"We throws up ther sponge, me an' Pierre, don't we, ole hoss?" said Hank.
"Four against two--zat ees too mooch odds. We cave; we gif in; we cry
out, enough!" exclaimed the ferret-eyed French Canadian _voyageur_, who,
they said, had once been the factor at a Hudson Bay Fur Company's post
until he betrayed his trust, and fled to the States with a bunch of money
belonging to his employers.
"Well, we want to say good-night then, to both of you," said Thad.
"We ain't agoin' ter forget this, let me tell yer," replied Hank.
"I don't see why there need be any hard feelings between us," Thad went
on. "It's only tit for tat. You held us up first, and now we've returned
the favor. And we haven't taken anything from you, Hank Dodge."
"But--held up by a pack o' kids; we'll never be able ter look each other
in the face agin till it's wiped out, sum way," the man went on to say,
angrily.
Thad knew that further argument would be useless. There was only one
thing men of their calibre could appreciate, and that was force.
"Oh! well," he said, as if carelessly, "you can do just as you please
about it. But I want to tell you this plainly, right on the start. We're
all armed, and can shoot as well as the next one. We're no tenderfeet,
like our chum who is lost. And if in spite of this plain warning you
choose to molest us, look out you don't get something you won't like.
That's all I'm going to say; but you can put it in your pipe and smoke
it. Back off, fellows, but keep 'em both covered, and shoot if they try
to grab up a gun!"
So the four scouts backed out of the hostile camp, the air of which did
not seem to agree with them. Those avaricious eyes belonging to Hank
Dodge did not create a favorable impression on any of the young campers.
"I sure believe he meant to keep my dandy little gun," Step Hen was
muttering, as, having passed out of sight of the two timber cruisers, the
scouts walked along in couples, on the alert for any signs of further
trouble.
"Just what he expected to do," replied Thad. "And another time we happen
on any unknown men in this part of the country, see to it that you keep
your gun in your own possession, Step Hen."
"I sure will," replied the other, humbly enough; "I had my lesson, all
right."
"What if they're coming after us?" suggested Giraffe; and the very
possibility of such a thing caused Step Hen to utter a little cry of
alarm, and turn in several directions, as though expecting to discover
crouching foes, or see the flash that would accompany the discharge of a
hostile gun.
But nothing happened; and presently Allan, who had been looking back over
his shoulder many times, announced that there was no danger.
"They haven't left the camp up to now," he said, positively. "I can see
their figures moving in front of the fire. It's all right, boys. We can
go, and settle down after a little for the night."
Presently Thad called a halt.
"Here, we can make a stop," he announced. "There's a little swale at the
base of this rocky hill. If we wanted we could make a small fire, and
finish our supper. I don't think they'd see it; and besides, Allan and
myself will stand guard up on the ridge here."
This plan was carried out, since they had not wholly satisfied their
appetites at the time Allan discovered the camp-fire which they supposed
had been kindled by the lost tenderfoot, Bumpus.
Afterwards Thad and Allan came in, the fire having been extinguished, and
ate a little. Then they talked in low tones.
"It makes me feel uneasy," remarked Giraffe, "to think of that poor
innocent thing of a Bumpus, who wouldn't lift a finger to hurt even a
fly, wanderin' around all alone in these big woods."
"Yes," added Step Hen, seriously enough, "and with a couple of hard cases
like that Hank Dodge and Pierre Laporte around. What if he was unlucky
enough to run across 'em? wouldn't they just take revenge on our poor fat
chum. I hope that don't happen."
Thad was not saying anything, but it struck him that the fellow who could
show enough ingenuity to get himself out of a quicksand, or a muck bed,
the way Bumpus had done, might be far from the ignoramus some of his
comrades still chose to believe him.
"I'm getting sleepy, and I move we turn in," suggested Giraffe after more
time had elapsed.
"Well, hold on then, because we've got to make a move out of this basin,"
said the shrewd patrol leader.
"Seems a good enough place to bunk in," grumbled the sleepy Giraffe.
"But dangerous at that," Thad remarked. "Those men may have glimpsed our
fire, and give us a call. We'll not be at home to them. I've been told
that a hunted man never sleeps where he eats. Come along; it won't be
far, I promise you."
After a short walk, Thad announced that in his opinion, as well as that
of Allan, it was now safe for them to lie down, and get what sleep they
could.
"I hope Bumpus is as well off, and got plenty to eat still," were the
last words Giraffe spoke; "I remember the time we got twisted in our
bearings up in Maine, and nary a match between us, with a cold night at
hand. But I got fire all right with my little apparatus. Besides, there
was two of us, and it don't seem near so lonely when you've got company
along, even if it is only a tenderfoot scout."
Soon all of them had made themselves as comfortable as possible. The
absence of blankets was going to be severely felt. Without a camp-fire to
cheer them, Thad feared they would be shivering before morning, even if
it was the good old summer time. The atmosphere close to the foothills of
the great Rockies is quite rarefied, and the nights are apt to seem even
cold.
The four scouts were pretty tired, and they not only went to sleep
quickly, but they slumbered heavily--it might have been hours for all any
one of them could say, when they were suddenly awakened by a series of
heavy crashes and detonations that sounded very much as though an
earthquake had shaken the Rockies to their foundation.