A DOUBLE-ACTION JOKE.
"JUMP, Adam!" called Elmer.
The German had waited as long as he dared, and as if the voice of the
patrol leader gave him the sign, he suddenly made a backward spring,
turned a somersault in the air, just as he had done from the springboard
when swimming, and landed squarely on his feet.
Crash!
That was the bull striking head-on against the fence. And it was
fortunate for the other boys, as well as Adam, perhaps, that the owner
of the bull had made that fence additionally strong. Had it given way
before the onslaught of the animal the chances were Elmer and his mates
would have had to do some lively running to get clear.
But the fence held, though it wabbled suspiciously, and Elmer felt sure
that a few more such blows must have demolished the barrier completely.
"Don't you wish you could, old fellow?" taunted Landy, after he had made
sure of the fact that the animal was going to be held back.
The bull looked through the fence, snorted, pawed the earth, and let out
an angry bellow. Then he walked disdainfully away, as though satisfied
with the victory he had gained, that one fragment of the torn red
sweater still floating from his horn, just for all the world, as Ty
remarked, "like a flag at half mast."
"Come, let's hike back to camp, boys," remarked Elmer, moving off, "and
finish getting our breakfast ready. By the time Ty manages to come along
we'll be fixed for business."
"Oh, I'll show up in decent shape, all right," remarked the other. "This
time I'll take no rash chances in crossing fields. Around the fence is
good enough for me, I guess."
He was as prompt as his word, and came along with his pail of fresh milk
just as Elmer was beating the tattoo on the frying pan that summoned the
party to breakfast.
"What did they say up at the farmer's, Ty!" asked Landy.
"Not guilty," replied the other, who was cramming his mouth with a
portion of the flapjacks Elmer had made, and which were really fine.
"Now, what's the use of giving us puzzles to solve!" complained the fat
boy, as he speared his second helping from the tin platter, and
proceeded to deluge the same with some maple syrup that had been brought
along in a bottle. "Not guilty of what, say!"
"That ain't their bull, you see," remarked Ty.
"And tho they declined to buy you a new thweater, ith that it, Ty?"
asked Ted, a little maliciously.
"Oh, rats!" cried the other; "you know right well I'm not built that
way, Ted Burgoyne. Never once thought of trying to make anybody pay for
my foolishness in trying to cut across a field that had a bull in it. I
only mentioned the fact because, you see, I had to explain what happened
to their tin bucket, when I was paying for it. But after all they
wouldn't accept the money--said it was only an old pail after all, and
the farmer he told me I ought to be glad it was the bull, and not me,
that kicked the bucket."
"Bully for the farmer!" said Landy, or at least that was what the others
took it for granted he meant, since his mouth was so full of flapjack
that he could hardly do more than mutter.
After breakfast was over they started to carry out the various duties or
pleasures which each fellow had in view. One wanted to take a few
pictures, and, of course, this was Landy, though his mates solemnly
warned him to be careful what vines he touched while in the woods.
Another declared he felt like trying to tempt some of the finny denizens
of the river from their beds on this bright morning. This was Adam, and
he had brought along a lot of new tackle, as well as a fine jointed rod,
to prove that he was as good a fisherman as he was a water dog.
Elmer chose to potter around the camp. There were always plenty of
things that could be done to improve conditions and add to the general
comfort of those who occupied the tent and cooked at the fireplace made
of stones. And having the true sportsman spirit in his composition, he
was never more happy than when arranging these many little details
connected with the camp.
He improved the fireplace so that the coffee pot would not tilt and
threaten to upset from the three metal crossbars that formed a gridiron;
he dug the drain at the back of the tent a little deeper, so that in
case of a sudden heavy downpour the surplus water would be carried off
and not inundate the tent, and, finally, he finished the rude but
effective table on which they could place their food at meal times, and
even had a couple of short sections of log rolled up so as to take the
place of seats when they dined.
Ty, after the breakfast things had been washed up and put away, wandered
off somewhere. And Ted was supposed to be fishing farther down the
stream, he, too, having expressed a wish for a real fish dinner that
night, if so be the bass in the Sweetwater were in a "taking" humor.
Several times when Elmer stood up to rest the muscles of his back, and
consider what he would do next, he happened to cast a curious look up to
where Adam had taken his position on the bank of the river.
Apparently the fish did not respond to the urgent invitations of the
German boy as well as he had expected, or else Adam's education with
regard to the ways the American black bass has to be attracted to the
bait had been neglected.
For some time he was industriously seen threshing the water as though
issuing a call to all the fish in the river to come and have a bite with
him. Of course that was just the opposite of what he should have done;
for bass are shy and have to be tempted in quietness.
Elmer chuckled to himself when first he noticed what the new scout was
doing.
"Looks like Adam is densely ignorant along our ways of fishing," he
thought. "Wonder now what kind of fish he's ever caught that style on
the other side of the ocean. Perhaps he never wet a line before in all
his life. I noticed that he watched Ted closely, and imitated him
exactly in setting up his line, even to the float Ted always persists in
using."
The third time Elmer looked it was perhaps an hour after Adam had
started fishing, and he saw that a change had come over the manner of
the young Teuton. He was no longer casting out again and again with a
great splashing of the water. On the contrary, he sat astride the tree
trunk that jutted out some eight feet above the water. His line ran
downstream and the float could be seen bobbing in the midst of the
little bubbles that marked an eddy below.
Elmer watched him closely for five minutes, and not once in all that
time did he see the other move in the least.
"Well, I declare, I believe the fellow's gone to sleep!" he laughed. "I
reckon Adam isn't used to camping out, and on that account he's had poor
rest these two nights. And that hot sun is enough to make any fellow
feel drowsy, too. Whew, what if he nodded too hard and just dropped off
there! Perhaps I'd better go and wake him up. And while I'm about it I
can just give him a few pointers as to how he'll have at least a decent
chance to coax a few bass to his bait."
Filled with this feeling of comradery toward the new recruit, whom he
was fast learning to like because of his constant good-nature and really
witty remarks, Elmer started away from the camp.
It just chanced that instead of heading directly for Adam, he walked
first of all out to the river bank. Looking downstream he could just see
Ted busily engaged in landing a fish that seemed to be fighting hard,
and this told that the bass were "on the feed," if only one knew how to
attract them.
The idea of that sleepy Adam dozing there and letting the golden harvest
time slip by unheeded made Elmer laugh again. He even allowed himself to
imagine that it would just about pay Adam right if he crept up and gave
his line a sudden tug, to make him think he had a bite.
Just then something moving attracted his attention. It was directly
below the boy who sat astraddle of the projecting log, and a little
farther downstream.
Ty, why of course it was that party, though minus his distinguishing red
sweater, which was now, alas, no more. But what under the sun was he
doing there? As near as Elmer could see he appeared to be industriously
attaching some bulky object to the end of a line!
All at once what seemed to be the truth burst upon the patrol leader. Ty
had also noticed the sleeping Dutchman, and was bent upon having a
little joke at the expense of Adam. Yes, he had managed to draw the line
of the fisherman in, by the aid of a long stick that had a crotch at the
end, and was now fastening a bunch of hemlock browse, done up to
represent a big fish, to the end of the same.
When all was ready and the current pulled strongly at the bulky object,
possibly the additional strain might arouse Adam, who would immediately
think he had hooked a monster bass, and doubtless the ensuing excitement
would tickle the joker to the top of his bent.
And if Adam did not wake up himself, it would be easy for Ty to creep
under the projecting log until he could reach out and give the line a
jerk.
So Elmer concluded that he might as well wait and see the fun. Being a
boy himself, he liked anything that partook of clean sport, so long as
the joke did not border along the cruel or mean stage.
Now Ty had dropped his artificial fish back into the river. The swift
current that ran farther out did not seize upon it at once, for there
was an eddy and a rather deep pool at the spot Adam had selected for his
fishing. Consequently the pull upon the line did not seem to come up to
the expectations of the joker.
Ty crouched there waiting for results.
The minutes passed and all remained peaceful and serene. Adam seemed to
be enjoying a lovely sleep. His head was upon his chest and his whole
figure appeared to be in a relaxed state.
Twice did Ty rise up to stare at the boy who sat there straddling that
log, as though he wondered why Adam did not arouse to the occasion.
Plainly, the practical joker would have had his labor for his pains
unless something was done to start things moving.
The third time Ty seemed to come to this conclusion himself, for instead
of merely observing the sleeping fisherman he started to advance toward
him.
At this point the bank of the river was hollowed out somewhat. There was
just about enough footing below for an agile boy to clamber along and
keep from being precipitated into the water.
Elmer chuckled quietly.
"It's coming," he said to himself, as he prepared to see more or less
excitement around that region. "Looks like Adam might be due to a little
surprise party."
Ty had finally managed to crawl far enough along the narrow ledge. He
was apparently directly below the log that stuck out from the bank above
him. Elmer judged this by the way the other craned his neck in order to
look up.
"Now he's got his chance, if he can only reach that dangling line!" he
thought.
Apparently Ty realized the same thing, for he was seen to be extending
that same crotched stick that had before proven so useful.
In this fashion he speedily drew the line in toward him, gently, so as
not to arouse the fisherman before he was ready to give him a good hard
shock.
"Pull up the curtain, the stage is all ready!" Elmer said to himself, as
he kept close watch on the movements of the boy below.
He could see Ty taking a firm grip on the dangling line as though he
meant to have it no halfway affair.
"Now, go!" exclaimed the watcher.
Just as though Ty might have been waiting for some such order, he was
seen to suddenly tighten his hold, and then give a tremendous jerk, that
was surely calculated to make Adam believe the champion bass of the
Sweetwater had taken his bait and gorged it.
Then something happened, something that doubtless the practical joker
crouching below had not anticipated as a result of his prank.
Adam seemed to suddenly awaken. He was evidently greatly excited, and as
he made a wild clutch at the butt of his rod, which had been partly
jerked out of his grasp by the violence of that bite, he just naturally
lost his seat on the log.
Elmer saw him gracefully slide around the trunk of the fallen tree and
go down with arms and legs sprawled out like an immense frog. And,
strange to say, as he dropped his extended arms seemed to suddenly clasp
Ty in their embrace, for both of them went headlong into the river with
a tremendous splash!