LIL ARTHA SAVES THE DAY
"THAT'S too bad, Lil Artha," said Elmer, "but no matter, I'm sure you
did the best you could."
That was just like Elmer. Plenty of fellows, in the first flush of keen
disappointment, would have allowed themselves to speak more or less
bitterly, and complain that it must have been rank carelessness that
would account for such bad results. But Elmer saw that the tall scout
was already suffering keenly; and his first thought was to console him.
At the same time he was looking about, and while the chagrined hunter
began to aimlessly open his gun so as to thrust new shells into the
barrels, Elmer went on to say:
"Point out to me just where the deer was when you fired, Lil Artha."
"Oh! now even you suspect that I just imagined I saw one, Elmer," sighed
the other scout, "but d'ye notice that log lying across the other,
something like a letter X? Well, he jumped clean over that when I gave
him the second shot. Oh! he was as big as a barn to me, I tell you, and
how I could ever miss him with the barrel that had the buckshot shell in
it beats my time. I ought never to go out in the forest alone; I'm a
fine duck of a hunter, ain't I? If it depended on Lil Artha to keep the
camp in game we'd all turn into living skeletons, like the one in the
sideshow of the circus last summer. Oh, rats--but not muskrats--I'm
feeling pretty sick."
Elmer had not waited to listen to all this lament on the part of the
disappointed marksman. Pushing forward he was now at the crossed logs.
Immediately he called out in a loud voice that seemed to have an air of
excitement about it:
"Hi! there, Lil Artha, come here, and hurry, too!"
Upon that the tall scout jammed the breech of his gun shut, having
succeeded in reloading the same, and he lost no time in hastening to
join his chum.
"W-what is it, Elmer?" he asked, breathlessly.
The other pointed to his feet.
"What do you call that, and that, and that?" he asked, impressively.
Lil Artha stared, and over his thin face there crept a look, almost of
rapture, as he ejaculated:
"Blood spots on the snow, as sure as anything, Elmer! Oh! then I must
have hit that deer after all! I'm glad, and then again I'm sorry. If he
had to get away from us, I'd much rather not a single piece of lead had
found him. Now he'll only suffer, and it'll do us no good at all."
"Hold on, don't be too sure about that," remarked Elmer, as he started
to step across the logs, and follow the plainly marked red trail over
the otherwise spotless field of pure snow; "that chap has been struck
hard, and I don't believe he can go very far before he drops!"
At hearing this Lil Artha became greatly excited.
"Then let's chase after him right away!" he exclaimed. "Goodness knows
we need fresh meat about as much as anybody could, because we're almost
half starved, and haven't a ghost of a show at anything else. And if the
poor thing does drop think how mean it'd be to have the foxes and other
varmints gnaw at _our_ deer all night long, while we sucked our thumbs
in camp, and went hungry."
All this while Elmer was following the trail. It was an easy task, and
even the tenderfoot scout of the troop might have accomplished such a
proposition without being coached.
"Don't you see that it seems to be getting stronger all the while," he
explained to Lil Artha, who was close at his heels, holding his breath
with eagerness as he tried to look ahead so as to glimpse the welcome
sight of the deer fallen at last through sheer exhaustion, "and take my
word for it, we're pretty sure to get your game before we go back to
camp."
"Well, that would tickle me more'n I could tell you, Elmer," the other
assured him, with visions of glorious feasts rising up before his mind.
"And there he is!" added the other, quickly, "just at the foot of that
fir tree!"
They made a spurt, and were soon bending over the deer, which they found
quite dead, though life had evidently just departed. Lil Artha could
hardly contain himself. He insisted on shaking hands several times with
Elmer, and then did the same thing with himself, bubbling over with
delight.
"Oh! tell me I'm not dreaming, Elmer, and that I have really and truly
shot a fine deer, just when we needed it the worst kind?"
"There's no mistake about it, old fellow, because here's your deer as
plain as anything," Elmer assured him, not a little pleased himself at
the great success that had accompanied their hunt.
"Think how the other fellows will yell when they see it!" Lil Artha
continued, "and Toby needn't be afraid he's going to starve yet a while,
need he?"
"I should think not," the scout master admitted; "when there's all this
fresh venison to be cooked. The country is saved, Lil Artha, and you're
the lucky one to be our George Washington. The boys will be wanting to
kneel down and kiss the back of your hand."
"If they try any of that softy business they'll take a back seat in a
hurry, let me tell you," was what the matter-of-fact scout remarked.
"But, Elmer, ain't it queer that somehow the snow woods don't look quite
so dreary to me now? Fact is, I kind of think this is as pretty a sight
as I've seen for a long time."
Elmer laughed at hearing that.
"They always say circumstances alter cases, Lil Artha, and when I hear
you talking that way I know it's true. When a man's as hungry as he can
be and yet live, the world looks different to him from what it does an
hour later after some kind friend has filled him up. This deer gives you
the magic spectacles through which you view things in an altogether
different light."
"I guess you're right, Elmer," admitted the other; "I was feeling blue,
and so I looked at everything through blue glasses. Now I'm seeing rosy.
But say, however will we manage?"
"You mean about getting the game back to camp, I reckon, Lil Artha?"
"That's what I'm striking at, Elmer. We must be some distance off, and I
should think the deer would weigh between a hundred-and-fifty and two
hundred pounds; a pretty hefty load for two boys, with all this snow
around. And yet to have to stop so as to cut the deer up would delay us
like fun."
"Wait, and let's look around for a strong pole," suggested Elmer, who
had seen heavier game than this carried for miles by two husky cow
punchers or hunters. "I have some good stout cord along, which we'll use
to tie his forelegs together, and then the hind ones ditto. The pole
will pass through, and is carried on a shoulder of each. That's the way
hunters always get their shoot to camp, if there are a pair of them."
The necessary pole was soon discovered, and they managed by means of
jumping on the same to reduce it to the required length. Then the scout
master made good use of his cord in order to secure the legs of the
deer in such a way as to afford a hold when the pole was shoved through.
Nothing now remained but to lift the game, and start over the back
trail.
As long as the light held they would find no difficulty whatever in
keeping on the track; and should twilight rapidly change into darkness
Elmer had his bearings so that he could lead aright.
Lil Artha had considered that he was "dog-tired" up to the time he
started that deer from where it had been lying in some brush; but this
was forgotten in the excitement of the hour. When glorious success
rewards the efforts of the hunter he seems to have been granted a new
lease of life; and weariness is forgotten.
All the same the load was no light one, and the going very bad. Many
times they staggered, and once both of them fell down. But the snow
prevented any injury, and they were in too satisfied a frame of mind to
complain.
"We'll have our revenge all right later on, Lil Artha!" the scout master
told his comrade as they got up and dug the snow out of their ears, as
well as shook another accumulation free from their collars.
"That's right, we will," assented the other, "and for every tumble like
that I promise myself an additional chunk of deer meat for supper.
Another thing, Elmer, we ought to remember; the heavier the game the
more grub we'll have."
"You know how to see the bright side of things, Lil Artha," Elmer told
him.
"Oh! anybody can when success comes along. It takes fellows like you to
keep smiling when things are going wrong all around. But I've learned a
lesson, Elmer, and after this I won't despair, no matter how dark the
clouds look."
"If one deer can reform a scout, what would big game like an elephant
do?" asked Elmer, "but then again I'm a little sorry too, Lil Artha."
"What for?" demanded the panting hunter who held up the other end of the
pole that bent under the weight of the suspended game.
"We won't have that chance to settle whether the Indians knew a good
thing when they said musquash was better than 'coon or 'possum, or even
rabbit stew!"
"Gosh! don't waste a tear over that, Elmer. Besides, while we're up here
with Uncle Caleb, like as not we'll have plenty of chances to give that
dish a try. But honest to goodness, it doesn't seem to strike me just as
much as it did before I cracked over this bully young buck for you said
it was a fairly young one, and ought to eat tender enough."
"I guess that's only natural," the scout master told him. "While we were
facing starvation, why stewed musquash sounded right good to us; but
with a whole carcass of venison on our hands it's plain muskrat again;
and there you are, Lil Artha."
"How d'ye think we're getting along by now?" asked the tall scout with a
little vein of entreaty in his voice.
"Oh! perhaps half-way there, more or less," came the reply.
"Whew! think we can make the riffle with this mountain of a deer,
Elmer?"
"Seems to weigh about three hundred now, don't it? That's because we're
getting more tired all the time. But since we've started it would be a
shame to stop. And think of the joy we'll be bringing Toby, and poor
hungry George."
"That does seem to help out some," admitted Lil Artha, taking occasion
to change his end of the pole from the right shoulder to the left.
"Keep in step with me as much as you can," advised the leader; "that
does more than you'd think to make the going easier. It's a point
everybody learns who has to carry heavy burdens this way. Coolies over
in China know it. Horses running together pull easier if they happen to
go in step. You've watched a pair trying to start, with a stalled
wagonload of freight. When first one bucks hard, and then the other,
there's nothing doing; but once get them to combine, and away she goes
on the jump."
There was little that escaped the observation of Elmer Chenowith; and he
never failed to try and impart some of the information he picked up to
those of his chums who did not happen to be so keen-eyed.
"It's getting dark; and I can hardly see our old tracks now!" announced
the tall scout, presently.
"Well, we're near enough to camp to have them hear us if we chose to
give out a yell," he was told, reassuringly, "but for my part I think
we'd better keep right along as we have been doing, and surprise the
boys."
"Oh! I thought I glimpsed a star through the trees ahead just then,
Elmer, but that couldn't be so."
"It's the fire, and I've seen it several times, but didn't want to say
anything until you had a chance to make the discovery for yourself!"
Elmer declared.
"Bully for that!" exclaimed Lil Artha, "and now we've just got to buckle
down to our load, for I'd be ashamed to have to call for help when we're
on the home stretch."
He watched for that welcome glow all the while, and whenever it came it
seemed to give Lil Artha renewed strength. In this manner, then, did
they finally approach the camp under the pine tree. Presently they could
see the moving figures of their comrades, and then Elmer announced:
"They must be getting a little worried about us, because there's Toby
standing up and looking this way as hard as he can. I think you'd better
give a whoop, so as to let them know we're coming."
That was just like Elmer; he wanted Lil Artha to have the first say,
because the honors should be fitted to his brow. And when the lucky
hunter did give a shout no doubt there was enough of joy in it to tell
those in camp their comrades were not returning quite empty handed.
When they saw what the two Nimrods were carrying slung on that bending
pole that rested on their sore shoulders Toby and George gave a series
of shouts themselves:
"Lo! the conquering hero comes; get the laurel wreath ready," cried the
dancing Toby, and then adding: "A deer! Tell me about that, would you?
Oh! what great luck. Who shot it? Elmer, was it you? What, Lil Artha got
his buck after all, did he? Well, well, well, if that doesn't beat
anything I've heard this long while. And won't we have the grandest
feast to-night ever heard of? Oh! say, I'm just trembling all over, I'm
so crazy with joy, and p'raps weak, too, because I haven't had enough to
eat. Lil Artha, shake hands with me, won't you; and later on you've got
to tell us just however you managed to knock such noble game over."
Meanwhile George, who had not said a single word, went over to where the
tired hunters had dropped their burden. He was seen to bend down and
feel of the animal, first about its antlered head, and then even down
its hind quarters to its pretty little hoofs. After that he turned to
Lil Artha, and said in a relieved tone:
"Why, it is a deer, sure enough! I was beginning to think hunger had
made us see things that didn't have any foundation. But after I've
proved my sight by my sense of feeling I can believe it. And you shot
him, did you, Lil Artha? Well, I want to congratulate you, old fellow."
It was just like Lil Artha, bubbling over with mischief, and feeling
ever so happy because good fortune had come his way, to look meaningly
at George, poke him suggestively in the ribs as he had done once before,
and with a wink say:
"That's all right, George, and I'm sure I thank you; but between us
don't you think after all you're the one to be congratulated? Consider
what you've p'raps escaped by my lucky shot. But it's all right, George,
and no reason for you to lie awake nights after this, worrying. You can
keep on getting fatter and fatter, now, because the danger is past," and
then he watched Elmer getting ready to exercise his skill in cutting up
the deer, so they could have a supply of meat for supper.