THAD GOES AFTER THE YELLOW EYES
"He says a panther is up there!" echoed Giraffe, stretching that long
neck of his at a fearful rate, in the endeavor to locate the animal in
question.
All of them became immediately intensely interested in the further
doings of Davy Jones. The boy chanced to be in a position where he
could not apparently pass down the trunk of the tree, for fear lest he
come in contact with the sharp claws of the dreaded beast which he
claimed was hiding up there somewhere; but then that was a small matter
to one so active as the Jones boy.
He immediately started to fearlessly slide down the outside of the tree,
making use of the branches as he came along, to stay his program when it
threatened to become too rapid.
The sight of Davy spinning down from that height with such perfect
abandon, was one none of those fellows would ever forget.
When he finally landed on the ground they gathered around him with some
misgivings, for Davy was addicted to practical jokes, and some of his
chums suspected that even now he was, as Step Hen suggested, "putting up
a job on his unsuspecting comrades."
One look at his really white face told them that at least Davy's fright
had been genuine. He may not have seen a truly savage panther up there
in the tree, but he firmly believed he did.
"Where was it, Davy?" demanded Giraffe, who had hastened to snatch up
the camp hatchet in lieu of any better weapon with which to defend
himself.
"Did it try to grab you?" asked Bumpus, with a tremor in his voice that
he tried in vain to conceal by a great show of assumed bluster.
"And was there only one up there?" queried Step Hen, anxiously,
fingering the double-barreled Marlin shotgun, which was the only firearm
they had with them, as this expedition had not been organized with any
idea of hunting; and the season for game was not on as yet, either, even
in this northern country; though Giraffe, who owned the gun, had fetched
it in the hope that they might be forgiven if they knocked over a few
wild ducks, should their rations run low.
"I didn't wait to ask," stammered Davy, "fact is, boys, I didn't really
see the terrible beast at all, only his big yellow eyes!"
"Oh! is that so, Davy?" exclaimed Thad, turning to give Allan a wink, as
much as to let him understand that the truth would soon be coming now.
"But see here," Step Hen wanted to know; "however was you agoin' to see
his eyes and not glimpse the panther himself; that's a thing you've got
to explain, Davy Jones."
The other bent a look of commiseration on the speaker.
"What's the answer to that?" he went on to say, recovering his voice
more and more with each passing second, now that his personal safety
seemed assured; "I'll tell you, Step Hen. You see, there's a big
yawning gap in the tree up there, as black inside as your hat after
night. And when I just happened to look that way what did I see but a
pair of round yellow eyes astaring straight at me! Guess I've seen a
panther, and I ought to know how his eyes look in the dark--just like
you've seen the old cat alooking at you to home, when you went into a
dark room. Wow! say, did you notice me acoming down that tree outside
like greased lightning? I own up I expected I'd be pounced on any
second, and that made me in something like a hurry, fellows!"
One or two of the scouts snickered at this. The sound appeared to annoy
Davy, who was plainly very much in earnest.
"Huh! easy to laugh, you fellows," he remark, with deep satire in his
voice. "Mebbe, now, you, don't believe what I'm telling you! Mebbe one
of you'd like to just climb up there, and see for yourself what it is?
I dare you, Bumpus!"
"You'll have to excuse me, Davy; it's too big a job for a boy built like
me, you understand, though sure I'd like to accommodate first rate,"
replied the scout with the red hair and mild blue eyes, shrinking back,
and shrugging his shoulders.
"Then how about you, Step Hen," pursued Davy, determined to put it to
each of the scoffers in turn until he had shown them up in good style;
"I notice that you're looking like you didn't reckon there couldn't
abeen such a thing as a genuine panther around this region in the last
twenty years and more. Suppose you tumble up there, and take a look-in!"
But the party indicated smiled sweetly, and laid his hand on the region
of his stomach, as he went on to say:
"Why, really and truly, Davy, I think I'm going to have one of those
nasty cramps just like you used to have so often. There's agripe coming
on right now, and you see how unpleasant it would be to find myself
doubled-up while I was thirty feet from the ground. I'm afraid I'll
have to pass this time."
"Then, there's Giraffe who'll he sure to volunteer," continued the
other, bound to take all the scoffers in by turns. "He's of an
investigating turn of mind, and if he wants to, I reckon he might take
that gun along, so he could have some show, if the thing jumped right
out in his face!"
"Well, now," the long-legged scout answered, with a whimsical grin, "I'd
like to accommodate you the worst kind, Davy, but you know how it is
with me. I ain't worth a cooky before I've had my feed. Feel sorter
weak about the knees, to tell you the honest truth; and I never was as
keen about climbing to the top of tall trees as you were, Davy. Count
me out, please, that's a good fellow."
At that Davy laughed outright.
"I see you've got cold feet in the bargain, Giraffe," he asserted.
"Well, then, if anybody's going to climb up there and poke that ugly old
beast out of his den it'll have to be either our scout-master, or Allen;
for I tell you right now you don't catch me monkeying with a buzz-saw
after I've had my fingers zipped."
"I'll go," said Thad, quietly.
"Here, take this, Thad," urged Step Hen, trying to force the shotgun
into the hands of the other, as he stepped toward the base of the big
tree.
Thad and Allan again exchanged looks.
"Don't think I'll need it, do you, Allan?" the former asked.
"Hardly," came the reply; "and even if you did carry it up, the chances
are you couldn't find a way to hold on, and shoot at the same time.
Here, let me take that thing, Step Hen; you're that nervous. If
anything did happen to fluster you, I honestly believe you'd up and bang
away, and perhaps fill our chum with bird-shot in the bargain."
Step Hen disavowed any such weakness, but nevertheless he was apparently
glad to hand over the weapon; because he realized that Allan knew much
better how to use firearms than he did, and if there was any occasion
for shooting, the responsibility would be off his shoulders; for Step
Hen never liked to find himself placed where he was in the limelight and
had to make good, or be disgraced.
Thad did not appear to be at all worried, as he took a last good look
aloft, as though wishing to assure himself that there was no panther in
sight among the thick branches above, before he trusted himself up
there.
His good common sense told him that the chances were as ten to one that
Davy had not seen what he claimed at all; but his fears had worked
overtime, and simply magnified some trifling thing.
Of course had Thad really believed there was any chance of meeting such
a savage beast as a panther he would never have ventured w make that
climb; or if he did he must have surely taken the gun along with him.
The others gathered around near the foot of the tree, and tried to
follow the daring climber with their eyes, meanwhile exchanging more or
less humorous remarks in connection with his mission.
All of them, saving possibly Allan, seemed to be a little nervous
concerning the outcome; because Davy kept on asserting his positive
belief that it was a real true panther that lay in the aperture above,
and not a make-believe.
"I only hope Thad can dodge right smart if the old thing does come
whooping out at him!" was the way Davy put it; at which the eyes of
Bumpus grew rounder and rounder, and he began to quietly edge away from
under the tree, an inch at a time; for he hoped none of his chums would
notice his timidity, because Bumpus was proud of having done certain
things in the line of bagging big game, on the occasion of their trip to
the Far West.
"There," remarked Step Hen, "he's getting up pretty far now, and I
reckon must be close by the place where you saw your old panther, Davy."
"Yes," added Giraffe, "and you notice that Thad's marking time, so to
speak, for he's hanging out there, and trying to see what's above him."
"A scout should always use a certain amount of caution," interposed
Allan; "there are times when a fellow might take chances, if it's a case
of necessity, and quick action is necessary in order to save life; but
right now Thad's only carrying out the rule he's always laid down for
the rest of us.
"Be prepared, you know, is the slogan of every scout, and that's what
he's doing. He wants to be sure of his ground before he jumps."
"Hub!" grunted Davy, "if I'd stopped to count ten before I slid down, I
wonder now what would have happened to me. Some fellers act from
impulse every time, and you can't change the spots of the leopard, they
say. What's dyed in the wool can't be washed out, as took as Bumpus here
with his carroty hair."
"You leave my hair alone, Davy Jones, and pay attention to your own
business," complained the stout scout, aggressively. "You just know
you're a going to get it when Thad makes his report, and you're trying
to draw attention somewhere else. Make me think of what I read about
the pearl divers when they see an old hungry man-eating shark waiting
above 'em; they stir up the sand with the sharp-pointed stick they
carry; and when the water gets foggy they swim away without the fish
being able to see 'em. And you're atrying right now to befog the real
case, which is, did you really see anything, or get scared at your own
shadow."
"Hear! Hear!" crowed Giraffe, who always liked to see Bumpus aroused,
and when this occurred he often made out to back him up with approval,
just as some boys would sick one dog on another, or tempt rival roosters
to come to a "scrap."
"You fellow's let up, and watch what Thad's agoin' to do," Step Hen
advised them at that juncture; and so for the time being Davy and Bumpus
forgot their complaint and riveted their eyes on the boy who was up in
the tree.
"I can't hardly see him any more, the branches are so thick," complained
Bumpus ducking his head this way and that.
"That's because he's gone on again," argued Giraffe; "seems like he
didn't find any signs of a real panther when he took that survey."
"Hold your horses!" was all Davy allowed himself to say, though no doubt
he himself had commenced to have serious doubts by now.
Half a minute later and there broke out a series of strange sounds from
up above their heads.
"Listen to that, now, would you?" cried Davy, bristling with importance
again. "Don't that sound like Thad might a hit up against something
big? Hear him talking, will you? Didn't you catch what he said right
then--no, you don't grab me, you rascal; I'm afraid I'll have to knock
you on the head yet! Say, don't that sound like Thad had found my
panther, and was keeping him off with that club he took up with him.
Oh! what's that?"
Something came crashing down as Davy uttered this last exclamation. The
boys were horrified at, first, because they imagined it might bit Thad
and the panther, that, meeting in midair, had lost their grip, and were
falling to the ground, fully forty feet below.
"Why, it's only his club," cried Giraffe, quickly.
"Then he must have let it get knocked out of his hand!" ejaculated
Bumpus. "Oh! poor Thad. He'll be in a bad fix without a single thing to
fight that animal with!"
"That's where you're mistaken, because I can see him now, and he's
acoming down the tree right smart!" Step Hen announced; which
intelligence allowed Bumpus to breathe freely again, for his face was
getting fiery red with the suspense that had gripped him.
"That's so!" echoed Giraffe, "and I'm looking to see if there's any
signs of a big cat trailing after him, but so far nothing ain't come in
sight."
The five scouts on the ground hastened to close in around the foot of
the big tree, so as to welcome their patrol leader when he dropped from
the lower limb.
"Seems to me Thad acts kind of clumsy, for him," announced Step Hen;
"now, if it'd been Bumpus here I could understand it, because, well I
won't say what I was agoing to, because it might make hard feelings
between us; and with all his shortcomings Bumpus is a good sort of a
chap."
"Huh! dassent, that's what!" grunted the party indicated, making a
threatening gesture in the direction of his fellow-scout.
The arrival of the scout-master caused them to forget all other things.
Thad, as soon as he found his feet fixed on solid ground once more,
strode straight up until he faced Davy Jones, and suddenly called out:
"There's your panther, Davy!"
There was a craning of necks, a gasping of breaths, and then a series of
yells broke forth that made the nearby woods fairly ring with the
echoes.