THE CAMP ON THE LAKE SHORE
"Why, it's only a big owl!" shouted Giraffe.
"Hey, Davy, shake hands with your yellow-eyed panther!" roared Step Hen.
Bumpus snatched up his bugle, for he held that office in the Cranford
Troop, and let out a piercing series of blasts that would have
undoubtedly frightened any wild animal, had there been such within a
mile of the camp on the lake shore.
It was a large owl that Thad grasped in such fashion that the bird could
not reach him with its curved beak, though it made several vicious
lunges, as though anxious to fight the whole patrol at once.
He had kept it hidden under his coat when descending the tree, and now
gripped it firmly by its two splendidly colored wings.
"Well, it did have yellow eyes, all right," complained the dejected
Davy; "and as it stuck there in that black hole, how was I to know it
was only a harmless old owl, a hooter at that?"
"If you think he's harmless just try and lay a finger on him," said
Thad. "Why, he'd snap you like lightning; once let that beak strike, and
you'd lose a piece of skin as big as a half dollar. He's a savage bird,
let me warn you."
"Oh! say, can't we, keep him for a pet?" ejaculated Bumpus, who could
hardly take his eyes off the bird, for its plumage was certainly
beautiful, being a combination of creamy yellows and nut browns, while
two bunches stuck up like horns from the region of his ears.
"I've got a nice little chain we might put around one of his legs, and
what fun we'd have with the thing while we were afloat on the raging
lake," Step Hen went on to say.
"Allan, get on that thick pair of gloves we brought, and see if you
could fasten the chain to his leg. It would be worth while to have some
sort of pet along with us; because Bumpus has kicked over the traces
long ago, and won't let us make a baby out of him any more," Thad went
on to remark.
When he had protected his hands in this way, Allan had little difficulty
in adjusting the slender but strong steel chain which Step Hen had
brought with him, intending to use in case he managed to capture a
raccoon, or some other small beast, for he was especially found of pets.
When they had fastened the other end of the chain to something, the owl
sat on the limb of a tree, and gazed at them with blinking eyes. There
was still enough of daylight, with all that glow in the western heavens
to interfere with his sight more or less, and he simply ruffled up his
feathers in high dudgeon, and kept trying to pick at the chain that held
his leg.
"Now, that's what I call a pretty good start," argued Step Hen, as he
stood in front of the chained owl, and admired his plumage; "perhaps
later on I might happen to land a 'coon or a mink, who knows. I've
always believed that I'd like to have a pet mink, though somebody told
me they couldn't be tamed."
"Yes," went on Giraffe scornfully, "if you had your way the whole boat'd
be a floating menagerie, you've got such a liking for pets. The mink
would soon be joined by a 'possum; then would come a pair of muskrats;
after which we'd expect to find a fox under our feet every time we
stepped; a wolverine growling like fun at us when we made the least
move; a squirrel climbing all over us; a heron perched on the garboard
streak, whatever that might be; and mebbe a baby bear rolling on the
deck. All them things are possible, once Step Hen gets started on his
collecting stunt."
"Well, forget it now, won't you, Giraffe, because there goes Bumpus
putting supper on the fire; and unless you look sharp he'll just cut
down your ration till you'll only get as much as any two of us," advised
Step Hen.
In spite of all these little encounters of wit, and the sharp things
that were sometimes said, boy fashion, these six churns were as fond of
each other as any lads could possibly be. There was hardly anything
they would not have done for one another, given the opportunity; and
this had been proved many times in the past.
While they were fond of joking the tall scout on his appetite, truth to
tell every one of the others could display a pretty good stowage
capacity when it came to disposing of the meals. And so they were all
anxious to help Bumpus when he started getting the camp supper ready.
Besides these six lads there were of course two others who went to, make
up the full complement; of the Silver Fox Patrol; and who have figured
in previous stories of this series.
These boys were named Robert Quail White, who was Southern born, and
went by the name of "Bob White," among his friends; and Edmund Maurice
Travers Smith, conveniently shortened to plain "Smithy."
These two had taken a different route to the lake, and expected to meet
their six churns at a given rendezvous. They were intending also to
make use of another boat, since the one engaged for the party would only
accommodate seven at a pinch, and counting the scout-master they would
have numbered nine individuals in all.
The other two had found that they wanted to see the wonderful Soo Canal,
and the rapids that the St. Mary river boasts at that point, where the
pent-up waters of Superior rush through the St. Mary's river to help
swell the other Great Lakes, and eventually pass through the St.
Lawrence river to the sea.
It is no joke cooking for half a dozen hungry scouts, and the one whose
duty compelled him to be the chef for a day had to count on filling the
capacity of coffee-pot and frying-pans, of which latter there were two.
Evening had settled down upon them by the time they were ready to enjoy
the supper of Boston baked beans, fried onions with the steak that had
been procured at the last town they had passed through; crackers, some
bread that one of them toasted to a beautiful brown color alongside the
fire, and almost scorched his face in the bargain; and the whole flanked
by the coffee which was "like ambrosia," their absent chum Smithy would
have said, until they dashed some of the contents of the evaporated
cream into each tin cup, along with lumps of sugar.
"This is what I call living," sighed Giraffe, as he craned his neck
visibly in the endeavor to see, whether there was a third "helping" left
in the pan for "manners," which was another name for Conrad Stedman.
"Hadn't we better save this piece of steak for Tim?" suggested Step Hen,
wickedly, for that was the name he had given to the captive owl.
"No, you don't," objected Giraffe, vociferously, just as the other had
known he would do; "that's the very last beef steak we're apt to see for
half a moon; and I say it would be a shame to waste it on a heathen
bird. Besides, you couldn't coax Jim to take a bite till he's nearly
starved; ain't that so, Thad?"
They always appealed to either the assistant scout-master or Allan,
whenever any question like this came up, connected with bird or animal
lore; and no matter how puzzling the matter might seem to the one who
asked, it was promptly answered in nearly every instance.
"Yes, he isn't likely to take hold for a day or two," replied Thad. "By
that time the old fellow will sort of get used to seeing us about; and
he won't refuse to eat when you put something out for him; only all of
you be careful that he doesn't prefer a piece out of your hand. Don't
trust him ever!"
"You can make up your mind I won't give him a chance to grab me,"
asserted Bumpus, never dreaming that by accident he would be the very
first to feel the force of that curved beak.
"Listen!" exclaimed Step Hen; "as sure as anything there's another!
Why, this must be what you might call Owl-land."
From far away in the timber came the plain sound of hooting. All of the
scouts knew what it was easily enough, though there had been a time when
they were real tenderfeet, and could hardly distinguish between the call
of an owl and the braying of a donkey; but camping-out experience had
done away with all such ignorance as that.
"There, don't that make you feel foolish, Step Hen?" demanded Bumpus.
"Me? Whatever put that silly notion into your head, Bumpus?"
"Why," the other went on to say reproachfully, "it was you that really
wanted to keep the poor old bird; and just listen to its mate mourning
for it, would you? I'd think you'd feel so sorry you'd want to unfasten
that chain right away, and give the owl its freedom."
"Not for Joseph, though I'll let you go and undo his chain if you feel
inclined that way," Step Hen observed, knowing full well that Bumpus did
not want to see the feathered captive set free quite that bad.
"Besides, how d'ye know that's a mate to my bird whooping it up back
there?"
"Well, if you want to find out, just you sleep with one eye open,"
Bumpus told him; "and take it from me you'll see that other owl come
winnowing around here, wanting to know why our new pet don't come when
she calls."
"Huh! mebbe I will,"' was all Step Hen would say about it; but evidently
the idea had appealed to him; and there was a chance that he would
indulge in very little rest that night, for trying to "keep one eye open
while he slept."
After supper was all over, and the boys lay around on their blankets,
they fell to talking of other days when they had been in company, and
met with a great many, surprising adventures.
Then Bumpus, who really had a very fine tenor voice, which he could
strain so as to sing soprano like a bird, was coaxed to favor them with
a number of selections, the others coming in heavy in each chorus.
Sometimes it was a popular ballad of the day that Bumpus gave them; but
more often a school chorus, or it might be some tender Scotch song like
"Comin' Through the Rye," "Annie Laurie," or "Twickenham Ferry;" for
boys can appreciate such sentiments more than most folks believe; and
especially when in an open air camp, with the breeze sighing through the
trees around them, or the waves murmuring as they wash the sandy shore
of a lake, and the moonlight throwing a magical spell upon all their
surroundings; for there is the seed of romance in the heart of nearly
every healthy lad.
So the evening wore on until some of them began to yawn frequently,
showing that they were ready to turn in. As one of them had said, this
might be the last time they would camp ashore during trip, because on
the morrow they anticipated, unless something unforeseen came up to
prevent it, going aboard their boat, and starting on the cruise upon the
big waters of Superior.
They had no tent on this occasion, but really that was not going to
prove any hardship to these bold lads, accustomed to spending many a
night in the woods, with only a blanket for a cover against the dew and
frost.
It was arranged to keep the fire going. This would serve in a double
capacity, for not only would they be kept warm through the cold part of
the night, but if there did happen to be any wild beasts around in that
section of the Lake Superior country, which both Allan and Thad rather
doubted, why, the glow of the blaze was apt to make them keep their
distance.
The last thing Giraffe remembered, as his heavy eyes persisted in
closing, was seeing Step Hen bob up his head to stare over toward the
low branch upon which the captive owl was fastened; as though he might
have arranged a program with himself and meant to do this thing at
stated intervals all through the night.
Giraffe chuckled at the idea of sacrificing good sleep in the interest
of knowledge; he was willing to simply ask some one who knew, and be
satisfied to accept their answer as conclusive.
An hour later and the camp seemed to be all quiet, for every one was
apparently sound asleep. Even Thad and Allan had known of no reason why
a watch should be maintained, for they felt sure there could hardly be a
human being within miles of the camp; and even if this were not so, the
chances were strongly in favor of its proving to be an honest farmer, or
some miner on his way to the workings further west.
The only sounds that could have been heard from time to time were an
occasional peevish fretful croak from the captive owl, as it continued
to peck savagely at the chain around its leg; or it might be a snore
from Bumpus, or some other fellow who had a fashion of lying squarely on
his back.
Perhaps pretty soon, when one of the scouts had been kept awake by this
noise until patience ceased to be a virtue, he would get quietly up, and
pour a tin-cup of lake water over the one who persisted in sleeping with
his mouth wide open; for that sort of radical remedy had proven
effective on other occasions, and brought relief.
It must have been almost midnight when a sudden change came about that
took even the seasoned campers by surprise, for they had not been
anticipating any such startling event.
The stillness was broken by a piercing scream that caused every head to
bob up, and the blankets to be hurriedly thrown aside.
"My owl's mate has come in on us, mebbe!" exclaimed Step Hen; for that
idea was so firmly lodged in his brain that it had to occur to him as
soon as he heard all that row.
But some of the others were wiser, for they knew that shout had surely
come from human lips.
Giraffe was the first to call out and draw their attention to certain
facts.
"Looky there at old Bumpus dancing a jig, will you! Whatever ails the
feller, d'ye think! Acts like he'd clean gone out of his head, and got
loony!" he cried, as with the other boys he came tumbling out from under
the rude shelter made of branches.