OUT WITH GUN AND CAMERA
or
The Boy Hunters in the Mountains
By Captain Ralph Bonehill
CONTENTS
CHAPTERS
I. Friends and Enemies
II. Another Outing Proposed
III. A Lesson in Photography
IV. What Happened at the Circus
V. Something About a Lion
VI. Something About a Chimpanzee
VII. Up the River
VIII. The First Night Out
IX. Into the Rapids
X. The Cabin in the Woods
XI. A Strange Meeting
XII. The Circus Boy's Story
XIII. Some Fine Fishing
XIV. After Deer with Gun and Camera
XV. In the Mountains at Last
XVI. A Visit from the Enemy
XVII. What Happened Under the Cliff
XVIII. A Fight with Two Wildcats
XIX. Some Unlooked-For Game
XX. On the Mountain Side
XXI. Adrift in the Woods
XXII. The Spink Crowd Again
XXIII. A Bear and a Lion
XXIV. A Notable Capture
XXV. The Two Foxes
XXVI. More of a Mystery
XXVII. An Old Friend Appears
XVIII. After a Black Bear
XXIX. The Bottom of a Mystery
XXX. Good-By to the Boy Hunters
PREFACE
My Dear Lads:
This story is complete in itself, but forms volume four in a line
known by the general title of "Boy Hunters Series," taking in
adventures with rod, rifle, shotgun and camera, in the field,
the forest, and on river and lake, both in winter and summer.
My main object in writing this series of books is to acquaint
lads with life in the open air, and cause them to become interested
in nature. In the first volume, called "Four Boy Hunters," I
told how the youths organized their little club and went forth
for a summer vacation; in the second book, "Guns and Snowshoes,"
I gave the particulars of a midwinter outing, with its heavy falls
of snow, its blizzard, and its most remarkable Christmas in the
wilds.
With the coming of another summer the boys determined to go forth
once more, and what they did then has been told in the third book,
entitled "Young Hunters of the Lake." They had a glorious time,
in spite of some enemies who tried to do them harm, and they settled
the matter of certain "ghost" to their entire satisfaction.
The settling of the ghost question took them home before the summer
vacation was half over, and then the boys began to wonder what
they had best do next. But that question was soon answered by
an announcement made by the father of one of the lads; and once
again they went forth, this time, however, to the distant mountains.
Here they hunted and fished to their hearts' content, and likewise
took a large number of photographs, some of the pictures causing
them a good deal of trouble and peril to obtain.
Trusting that all boys who love to hunt and to fish and to take
pictures with a camera will find this volume to their liking,
I remain, Your sincere friend, Captain Ralph Bonehill.
CHAPTER I
FRIENDS AND ENEMIES
"Come on, Shep."
"Where are you going, Whopper?"
"For a row on the river. I've been aching for a row for about a year."
"That suits me," answered Sheppard Reed, as he hopped down from the
fence upon which he had been sitting. "What about the others?"
"Snap said he would meet me at the dock," continued Frank Dawson,
otherwise known as Whopper. "I don't know where Giant is."
"I saw him about an hour ago. He was on an errand for his mother---said
he was going to Perry's store."
"Then we can look in Perry's. If he isn't there I'll run over to his
house for him. It's a grand day for a row."
"Yes, we must get him if we can," went on Sheppard Reed thoughtfully.
"I've got something to tell the crowd."
"To tell the crowd?" repeated Frank Dawson curiously. "What?"
"I'll tell you when we are all together, Whopper."
"Something about Ham Spink? I met him last night and we almost had
a fight. Oh, that dude makes me sick!"
"No, this isn't about Ham, or any of that crowd. It concerns-----
But I'll tell you later," and Sheppard Reed put on an air of great
secrecy.
"All right. If you don't want to tell I suppose I'll have to wait,"
said Whopper disappointedly. "But you might tell me what's on your
mind."
"I want to tell the whole crowd at once," answered his chum. "Then
nobody can say somebody else was told first."
"I see. Well, you go down to the dock and meet Snap, and I'll hustle
around and stir up Giant," went on Frank Dawson.
"I was going to have you all over to my house to-night, to tell you,"
explained Sheppard. "But I might as well speak of it when we are
together on the river."
"Say, you must have something wonderful on your mind!" cried Whopper.
"I'm dying by inches to know what it is. I'll find Giant somehow,
and have him at the dock inside of a quarter of an hour sure." And
away he ran on his errand, while the youth who had the important
announcement to make turned in the direction of the water-front.
To those who have read the former volumes in this "_Boy Hunters
Series_" the lads who have been speaking will need no further
introduction. For the benefit of others let me state that Sheppard
Reed was the son of a doctor who had a large practice in and around
the town of Fairview. Shep, as he was usually called, was a bright
and manly youth, and one who loved life out of doors.
Frank Dawson was a lad who had moved to the town some years before,
and by his winning manner had made himself many friends. The boy
had a habit of exaggerating when telling anything, and this had
earned for him the nickname of Whopper---even though Frank never
told anything in the shape of a deliberate falsehood. As some
of his friends said, "you could tell Frank's whoppers a mile off,"
which was a pretty stiff "whopper" in itself.
These two boys had two close chums, Charley Dodge, usually called
Snap---why nobody could tell---and Will Caslette, known as Giant,
because of his small stature. Charley, or Snap, as I shall call him,
was the son of one of the richest men of the district, his father
owning a part interest in a sawmill and a large summer hotel,
besides many acres of valuable forest and farm lands. Giant was
the son of a widow who had once been poor but was now in
comfortable circumstances. Though small for his age, the lad was
as manly as any of his chums, and they thought the world of the
little fellow.
The town of Fairview was a small but prosperous community, located
on the Rocky River, ten miles above a sheet of water known as Lake
Cameron. The place boasted of a score of stores, several churches,
a volunteer fire department, and a railroad station---the latter
a spot of considerable activity during the summer months.
All of the boys loved to camp out, and about a year before this tale
opens had organized an outing or gun club, as related in detail in
the volume called "_Four Boy Hunters_." They journeyed to the shores
of Lake Cameron and then to another body of water called Firefly Lake,
and had plenty of fun and not a few adventures. During their outing
they had considerable trouble with a dudish sport---from town named
Hamilton Spink, and his cronies, and were in great peril from a
disastrous forest fire.
When school opened the young hunters returned to their studies, but
with the approach of the winter holidays their thoughts turned again
to the woods and water, and once more they sallied forth, as related
in full in "_Guns and Snowshoes_." They found game in plenty, and
also ran the perils of a great blizzard, and got lost in the snow.
"Shall we go out again?" was the question asked when the next summer
vacation was at hand, and all answered in the affirmative. This time,
as related in the volume called "_Young Hunters of the Lake_," they
ventured considerably farther from home---to the shore of a lake
said to be visited by a much-dreaded ghost. There they again went
hunting and fishing to their hearts' content, and once more had
trouble with Ham Spink and his cronies. They saw the "ghost," and
were at first badly scared, but in the end solved the awful mystery
by proving that the "ghost" was nothing but a man---a relative of
Giant, who had lost his mind and disappeared some time before. The
man was restored to reason, and through his testimony Giant's mother
obtained some money which had been tied up in the courts.
The finding of the man had brought the boy hunters back to Fairview
before their summer vacation was half finished. What to do next was
the question.
"We ought to go somewhere---staying at home is dead slow," was the
way one of the lads expressed himself; but for a week or more nothing
was done.
Whistling gaily to himself, Shep Reed hurried down to the lake front.
As he came out on one of the docks he caught sight of Snap, surrounded
by half a dozen other lads, all carrying various bundles, and all
equipped with guns and fishing-rods.
"Ham Spink and his cronies," murmured the doctor's son to himself.
"Wonder where they are bound?"
"Oh, we are going to have the outing of our lives this trip," Ham
Spink was declaring in his usual lordly fashion. "It's going to be
the finest outing ever started from this town."
"Where are you going?" asked Snap curiously.
"Do you suppose we are going to tell you?" demanded another boy, a
lad named Carl Dudder. "Not much! We don't want you to come sneaking
after us, to shoot the game that we stir up."
"We never sneaked after you," cried Snap rather indignantly. "And we
have always been able to stir up our own game."
"Bah! I know better."
"Of course they have taken our game---more than once," came from Ham
Spink. "And if they don't shoot our game they scare it off, so that
we don't have a chance to bring it down."
"What you say, Ham Spink, is absolutely untrue, and you know it," put
in Shep, brushing through the crowd. "We have never in our lives
touched any game that was coming to you or your crowd. We-----"
"Say, do you want to fight?" cried Ham Spink, working himself up into
a quick passion; and he doubled up his fists as he spoke.
"No; but I can defend myself," answered the doctor's son just as
quickly. "I am not afraid of you."
"And we are not afraid of ghosts, either," was Snap's sarcastic
comment.
These last words made Ham Spink and one or two of his cronies furious.
They had been up to the distant lake where the "ghost" had held
forth, and had been so badly frightened that they had come home,
"on the run," as Whopper expressed it now that the matter had been
fully explained, Ham and his followers felt decidedly sheepish over
it consequently, to mention the affair was as bad as to wave a red
rag in front of a bull.
"You shut up about ghosts!" cried Ham, shaking his fist in Snap's
face.
"Say, Ham, let us give 'em a dressing down before we leave," whispered
Carl Dudder. He looked around the dock. "Nobody here but ourselves."
"That's the talk," put in another of the Spink crowd. "They deserve
it for trying to crow over us."
Shep and Snap heard the talk and looked at each other. They endeavored
to back away in the direction of the street, but before they could
accomplish this the entire Spink crowd threw down their guns, rods
and bundles and advanced upon them.
"Keep back!" cried the doctor's son.
"If you hit us you'll take the consequences!" added Snap.
An instant later Ham Spink and his cohorts closed in. Snap and Shep
were caught, front and back, and several blows were quickly exchanged.
It was an uneven contest, and the doctor's son and his chum might
have fared badly had not a sudden cry rang out:
"Look at that, Giant! They are trying to maul Snap and Shep!" The
cry came from Whopper.
"Let up there!" added Will Caslette. And then, as small as he was,
he ran out on the dock and toward the center of the melee. Frank
came with him, and each caught one of the Spink faction by the arm
and swung him backward.
"Good! Here are the others!" panted Shep. "Give it to 'em, fellows;
they started it!"
The arrival of the pair somewhat disconcerted the Spink crowd, and
they stopped fighting. They were still six to four, but to handle
four was only half as easy as to handle two. The others looked
inquiringly at their leader.
"Give it to 'em!" muttered Ham; but even as he spoke he edged to the
upper end of the dock, past Giant and Whopper.
"Give it to 'em yourself," murmured a follower who had received a
blow in the eye. "I guess I won't fight any more to-day."
As quickly as it could be done, Whopper and Giant ranged alongside
of Snap and the doctor's son. They gazed defiantly at the crowd that
confronted them. For a brief spell there was an ominous silence.
"Say, did we come here to fight or to start on our outing?" asked
a lad of the Spink crowd. He was tall and thin, and evidently very
nervous. He was a newcomer in the town and knew but little about
the quarrels of bygone days.
"Don't waste time here," added another youth. "We can finish with
them when we come back."
"You are afraid, now that we are four to six," said Snap. "You
were willing enough to pitch into Shep and me when we were alone."
"Oh, give us a rest!" growled Ham Spink, not knowing what else to
say. He caught up the things he had been carrying. "Come on,
fellows," he added, and almost ran from the dock.
With great rapidity, for they were afraid Snap and his chums would
charge upon them, the others of the Spink coterie took up their guns,
rods and bundles and followed their leader.
"Let us go after 'em!" cried Whopper. "We can knock them into the
middle of next Christmas, and I know it!"
"That's the talk!" cried the plucky Giant. "Let's go and make
mincemeat of 'em!" And he started to follow those who had retreated.
"No use, boys!" called out Snap. "Come back."
"Why not?" demanded Whopper.
"They are going aboard the _Mary Raymond_. Ham said so. There she
is now, with a lot of other passengers. See, they are heading for
that dock already."
"Where are they going, anyway?" asked Giant as he halted.
"I know," whispered Whopper. "Just heard about it. They are going
to camp out behind Lake Narsac, in the Windy Mountains."
"The Windy Mountains?" ejaculated the doctor's son in evident
astonishment. "Did you say the Windy Mountains, Whopper?"
"I did. Why, what's the matter, Shep?"
"Well, if that don't beat the Dutch!" And then Shep shook his head
in a manner that indicated something did not suit him at all.