ERASTUS, THE HOUSEBURNER.
"Hold on, George," said Jack, as he saw the impetuous one start toward
the big tree that had such a profusion of low branches that it was hard
to see distinctly under its canopy. "Go slow now. A bear may turn out
to be a dangerous article if you only wound him."
"But we ought to get him!" declared the other, handling his repeating
rifle eagerly.
"That's right," cried Nick, from the rear, where he had picked up a
billet of wood and was making several vigorous passes through the air,
as if getting his muscles in trim for the combat. "It would be a shame
to lose the opportunity for unlimited bear steaks. I've always wanted
to taste one; and you know we may not get another such chance. Why, he
just wants to get in our frying pan; that's why he's come so close to
our fire, fellows."
"Keep still," ordered Jack; and when he spoke in that way Nick knew
better than to disobey.
The fact of the matter was, Jack had a strong suspicion that while the
fat boy may have seen _something_ at the time he did, it could hardly
have been a bear. He did not believe such a wary animal would have
remained so long close to where a bunch of noisy boys had camped. And
if he had been sleeping in the hollow of that big live oak he must have
been scared away long since.
"Jimmie, throw a lot of fine stuff on the fire," said Jack. "We want
more light here. That's the ticket," as the flames shot up, and the
whole vicinity was illuminated. "Now, George, you keep close to me,
and we'll advance until we can see if there's anything doing."
Jimmie snatched up a burning brand from the fire, and waving this above
his head, he kept behind the two who had guns.
"That's a clever stunt, Jimmie," remarked Jack; and the others noticed
that his voice did not seem to tremble a single bit, so well did he
have his nerves under control right then.
"Guess it's all a fizzle," grunted George presently. "I can see behind
the tree, and there's no bear there. Buster, you're a fraud."
"No, no, I'm dead sure I saw something that looked like a bear's head,"
said the other, vehemently. "Perhaps he's hiding inside the tree,
fellows?"
At that George laughed harshly. He was still trembling from excitement.
"Well," he observed, "there's is a hollow in the tree all right; but
the opening ain't over a foot across; and it would have to be a mighty
thin bear that could push in or out of that."
"Wait," said Jack, quietly. "There may be a way to prove whether
Buster has been fooled, or if he did see something."
He took the torch from Jimmie, and immediately pushed right on under
the drooping limbs of the wide spreading oak.
"Oh! he's going to look for the tracks!" cried Nick, still hugging the
neighborhood of the fire. "That's a bright idea, Jack. You're the
swift thing, all right. But take care he don't jump out on you. I
thought I saw something move right then. And if we don't get them bear
steaks I'm going to be mighty sorry, that's what."
Jack paid no attention to what the other said. Already he was stooping
down, and examining the earth, as he held the blazing torch close.
"Any bear sign?" asked George, who stood guard over him, rifle in hand,
and dividing his attention between what Jack was doing and the
surrounding gloomy woods.
"Not a bit," came back the ready answer; "and as I've seen the tracks
of a bear more than once I think I'd know such a thing."
"Told you so," declared George, in a disgusted voice. "Another one of
Buster's false alarms. That's the way he's been doing all along;
seeing snags ahead when there wasn't one, and making me check up in a
hurry, and that was hard on my engine."
"Go slow," observed the boy who was on his knees. "I said there wasn't
any bear tracks, didn't I? But that doesn't mean Buster didn't see
something."
"Goodness gracious! it wasn't a panther, was it?" gasped George.
"Oh! no, only a man," replied the other. "Look here, and you'll see
the plain print of his foot and toes in the dirt; and an unusually big
foot, too."
"Barefooted!" exclaimed George, bending eagerly over.
"That's so; but haven't we seen scores of negroes barefooted all
along?" Jack said, positively.
"Then it was a coon. Say, why did he run away, then? Jack, you
remember all they told us above about the troubles down here in the
region around Coahoma county? Don't you believe that this fellow may
have been a desperate negro, hunted by the Regulators, who want to
string him up?"
Jack pretended to laugh, though George detected a vein of uneasiness in
his comrade's manner.
"Oh! well," he went on, "I hardly think it's quite as bad as that,
George. But still, he certainly did run away when he found he had been
seen; and that looks bad."
"But what d'ye think brought him here in the first place?" George
pursued.
"Huh!" grunted Nick, breathing in, "that ought to be easy to guess.
Picture yourself hungry as all get-out, and wandering through these
woods, when you suddenly get a sniff of the most delicious odors in the
wide world. Wouldn't you make a bee line for that grub factory, and
see if you couldn't sneak a share off? Huh! some people don't ever
seem to understand the common failing of human nature."
"Is that it, Jack?" asked George.
"I think Buster hit the nail on the head that time," returned the
other. "This man must have been drawn by the smell of our cooking.
He's been watching us from behind this tree. Then when he saw that he
had been discovered he got cold feet, and vamoosed."
"Then we'd better keep watch and watch tonight," said George.
"I meant to suggest that idea anyway," Jack answered.
"Gee! I feel sorry for that poor wretch!" Nick remarked. "Just think
of having a chance to smell all the nice odors and get nothing. It's a
shame, that's what!"
George laughed derisively.
"Listen to him, would you?" he cried. "He's so fond of stuffing
himself, that he feels for a poor skunk that didn't know enough to keep
out of trouble."
"Shame on you, George," Jack burst out with. "I think it does Buster
credit. And I'm going to tie that half loaf of bread to the tree here,
so if our timid black friend comes back, he can get something to keep
him from starving."
"Better go slow," remarked George. "You may get in a peck of trouble
that way, if this fellow happens to be that Erastus we heard about, who
burned the house up in Tunica county here, and is being hunted far and
near. Dangerous business, Jack."
"We don't know anything about it, only that there may be a poor chap
nearly starved nearby. What do you say, Jimmie? I'd like to feel that
I have backing enough," and Jack turned toward the Irish lad.
"Pshaw! no use asking _him_," snorted George. "Jimmie would give away
the coat on his back, or his last copper. Make it unanimous, then, if
you want, Jack," for already the impetuous skipper of the _Wireless_
was growing sorry because of his stand.
And so Jack did fasten the partly eaten loaf of bread to the tree in
such a fashion that it could readily be seen should a hungry man come
prowling around again during the night.
Then they went to the boats and sought rest, Jack dividing the night
into two hour watches, during which one of the boys would be on guard.
But nothing came to pass that was out of the way during the period
lasting up to the arrival of dawn. It did not even rain, for the
clouds passed off, and the sun rose as if in for a good day.
Jack upon arising walked to the tree.
"Looks like it's gone!" called out Nick, who was poking his head out
from the curtains of the boat tent. "Hope some wildcat didn't hook it,
though."
"No fear of that," laughed Jack, "for bobcats don't leave a polite note
of thanks behind when they steal a supper. Look here what I found,
stuck to the bark of the tree with a splinter of wood."
He had a very much soiled scrap of paper, upon which someone had
scrawled a few crooked lines. With considerable patience Jack finally
read these words:
"Neber burnd no hows. My cozin Peck he doned it suah. But dey hangs a
culld mans fust down disaways an den tries him fo de crim. Is
innersent, I swars hit. I gotter de bred. I et it, case I mity ni
starve. But I's innersent. Rastus."
"Well, what d'ye think of that?" shouted George, who had also appeared,
fully dressed by now. "Better keep that letter of thanks, Jack. We'll
have it framed, and hung in our clubhouse some day."
The others soon appeared, and preparations went on for breakfast, the
fire being revived for the occasion.
Nick kept his eyes on the alert during the entire progress of the meal.
Perhaps he was thinking of the poor, wretched fellow who was being
hunted like a wild animal, and who knew not where his next meal might
come from.
They had just about finished, with considerable to spare in the frying
pan, when Jack held up his hand suddenly, exclaiming:
"Listen, fellows!"
But the sound was so close by that every one of them had heard it as
distinctly as Jack himself; for the baying of a pack of hounds had been
carried on the wings of the early morning wind from a point just to the
north.