THE NEWS THAT GEORGE BROUGHT.
ELMER laughed.
"Listen," he said, "and you'll hear some more of the same kind."
Hardly had he ceased speaking than there was another loud "chug" heard.
"My, he jumped into the water that time, sure, if it _was_ a frog!" said
Landy.
Then came a strange rattling sound, as of half a dozen "plunks" all
mixed up.
"He threw a handful then for a change, and good measure," remarked
Elmer, dryly.
"A handful of what?" echoed Ty.
"Stones!" replied the patrol leader.
The others stared at each other.
"Is _that_ what it is, then?" asked Landy, heaving a distinct sigh of
relief. "Why, of course, we all ought to have got on to it before now.
Stones always make that kind of plunk when they drop into the water from
above. But, Elmer, whoever d'ye think it can be; and what's he trying to
do--scare us?"
"Oh, that remains to be seen. Suppose you fellows go on getting supper
ready, while I slip out quietly and investigate," Elmer proposed.
"Don't take too many chances, remember, Elmer," cautioned Ty, as he
turned again to his frying pan, filled with fish.
"Yeth, go thlow, Elmer," said Ted, shaking his head. "You know there'th
a bad lot of fellowth over in Fairfield, alwayth ready to play trickth
on travelerth. It may be they only want to coax one of our crowd out,
and then carry him off. Take a club along with you, Elmer."
"Yes, do," Landy added, thrusting a stout stick into the hand of the
patrol leader. "And use it if you have to. Remember, one call of the
wolf will bring us along in a rush, Elmer. And I'm going to have some
other nice clubs handy, in a minute or two."
"Don't go to any trouble, because you may be disappointed," chuckled
Elmer, as he pushed back into the shadows, so that he could enter the
tent.
Having done this, two minutes later he was crawling out from under the
canvas at the back of the tent, having unfastened the same by uprooting
the peg at that particular spot.
Of course it was easy enough for Elmer to creep away undetected by
anyone who might be in a position to watch the camp. His experience on
the plains of the new country up beyond the Saskatchewan River in
Canada, where his father had been in charge of a relative's ranch and
farm, was of considerable benefit to him now.
Once free from the light of the fire, Elmer stopped to listen and made
up his mind concerning certain things. Then he again pushed forward.
He was now making something in the shape of a half circuit. If he kept
on long enough he would presently bring up on the river bank below the
camp; and this was in reality his destination; for he believed that the
unknown party who was tossing those stones out into the river, with the
intention of mystifying them, must be stationed somewhere there.
In fact, Elmer had remembered that just here the shore made a sort of
little beach, which they could have used nicely as a landing place, had
they possessed a boat. And he had also noted the fact that there was a
great abundance of round stones there, very tempting to the average boy,
who loves to hurl such things into the water, just to see them splash.
He was drawing near this particular spot now, and in order to avoid
being seen, as his figure would be outlined against the sky, he dropped
down on his hands and knees, crawling forward the last ten feet after
this Indian fashion.
The darkness was not intense, and Elmer had a pair of unusually keen
eyes. Hence, as he stopped there just above the little beach, he was
able to make out a figure that seemed to be bent over as if searching
for something.
"He's hunting another relay of stones," thought Elmer, wondering who the
party could be.
There was a slight possibility that it might turn out to be some
wandering hobo, who thought he might cause the boys to temporarily
abandon that fine supper, which he could snatch up and make away with.
Then, again, there was a chance of this fellow being only one of a
number of the Fairfield roughs, who, having discovered their camp, were
bound to do all they could to make trouble.
But Elmer did not take much stock in either of these theories. He was
inclined to look upon the unknown as a friend, one of the fellows from
Hickory Ridge, who had come out to join them for the last day of their
stay on the Sweetwater.
That was why he listened so keenly, for he hoped to catch some familiar
sound calculated to tell the identity of the dusky figure below.
The drone of voices from around the fire came to his ears, telling that
his four chums had taken his advice, and were acting as though they had
no particular interest in those queer noises.
Now the figure below seemed to straighten up, and Elmer knew he meant to
throw another stone, perhaps a second volley that would rattle like shot
as they came down on the surface of the running water.
And as he heaved them forth, the party below gave vent to a peculiar
little grunt or wheeze that was very familiar to the ears of Elmer
Chenowith.
"Hello, there, George! Having a great time, I see, amusing yourself!" he
said, in a low, but plainly heard tone.
There was a moment of silence, as though the unknown was somewhat taken
aback by the fact of his having been caught so neatly, even in the act.
"That you, Elmer?" he asked, with a short laugh.
"That's who it is, George," the other replied. "Suppose you come up out
of that, now, and surrender. There's a penalty attached to this thing of
trying to scare us. Do you know what you've got to do now to make good?"
"No, what's that, Elmer?" asked the boy, who was climbing up the bank by
now, and who happened to be a cousin to Landy Smith, known among his
mates as "Doubting George," simply because he could not help appearing
skeptical about nearly everything that came along.
"Why," observed Elmer, very seriously, "you've just got to unfasten your
belt, sit down alongside us, and do your level best to get away with a
share of the fine fish supper the boys have ready."
"Oh, ginger! Count me in on that, won't you?" laughed the other, as he
accepted the extended hand of the patrol leader, and was assisted up the
bank. "It's a long walk up here, and you see, since you fellows hiked
it, I just didn't dare use my wheel. And I tell you I'm hungry enough to
eat anything halfway decent."
"Well, Ty's chief cook and bottle-washer to-night; and you know enough
about him to understand what that means. Ty's long suit is his cooking.
He's just the boss at that, every day," and Elmer purposely elevated his
voice as he said this, so that those by the fire, now awaiting them,
could overhear what he said.
"Hey! what's all that you're saying; and who're you talking to, Elmer?"
demanded the party in question.
Landy gave a shout.
"By the great horn spoon, if it ain't my cousin George!" he exclaimed.
"Ten to one he doubted whether we had really come up here at all--that
he didn't believe he could ever find us--that he expected to frighten
the whole bunch out of their seven senses by that silly trick; and even
now he isn't sure whether he sees us or is dreaming he does. In fact,
George can find a loophole to doubt anything."
"All right, say what you want," replied the newcomer, sturdily. "I admit
that I was born with an unfortunate disposition to question everything.
Mother says I must be a great lawyer some day. But there are some things
that are so plain even Doubting George can't miss hitting 'em. That
smell, now, is sure the finest thing that ever came down the pike; and,
anyhow, I don't doubt but that you fellows are going to ask me to share
in the grub with you. How's that, Cousin Philander?"
"Oh, you're welcome to it," replied Ty, in place of Landy. "Plenty for
all; and we owe this treat to the patience of Ted and Adam here. Later
on you must get our new scout to tell you how he goes in after his
fish, clothes and all. It's a real funny stunt, George."
"Yeth," put in Ted. "And mind you, he pullth in other fellowth with him.
Be thure to have him tell you that part, my thon. It'th worth hearing,
George."
Of course, around the fire, as they discussed the qualities of the fish,
the story was told. Everyone seemed to have a share in the telling, so
that George got it from several sources.
"And pretty soon," declared Landy, "I'm going to use a black pocket in
the woods close by as my dark room, so I can develop that roll of films.
You see, I'm just wild to learn whether I really did push that trigger
on the camera, and shoot it off, just as those two fellows were tumbling
into the water. If I got that, it'll pay me for the whole job of hiking
away up here and losing more'n a pound in weight."
"Wish you luck, then, Philander," said George, who usually made a
mouthful of his cousin's name.
Some people said George was really envious of Landy's possessing such an
uncommon name; others believed that he was proud of being connected with
a family that could sport such a classical "cognomen," as he often
termed it.
"When did you leave good old Hickory Ridge?" asked Ty; for, like most
boys, no sooner was Ty away from home than everything about the place
assumed an almost sacred aspect, and he could never even mention its
name without an affectionate prefix of some sort.
"I reckon I've been three hours on the way," was George's reply.
"Three hours to get up here! Say, you didn't walk like that in the big
hike, when you covered the name of Robbins with imperishable glory,"
Landy declared.
"Shucks, and me the lowest score in the whole bunch!" sneered George.
"But I guess I lost the way, and covered a lot more territory than I
ought to have done."
"Yes," said Landy, "I know what was the matter. You just made up your
mind every signpost lied, and when it said go east, you tried the other
road. That's what you get for doubting everything. It brings heaps of
trouble, and if you're wise you'll shunt that on to the side track in a
hurry."
"Oh, shucks! Attend to your own mutton, Landy," said George; but his
face had reddened at the accusation of his cousin, and none of the
others doubted but that Landy's random shot had hit pretty close to the
truth.
"Anything new around Hickory Ridge since we left there?" asked Elmer.
"Why, yes, there is, fellows," replied George, brightening up, as though
he had just thought of something.
"Then tell us what it is. Has Hiram Juggles got a new shingle on his
barn; or did the Mosely twins get mixed up again, so that nobody knows
which is Jim and which Jack?" asked Ty.
"Oh, it's something more serious than that, let me tell you," George
went on, with a vein of mystery in his voice that instantly aroused the
curiosity of Landy.
"Then why don't you tell us what it is, George, you old ice wagon!" he
exclaimed. "Somebody give him a push, please, and get him to roll his
hoop."
"They tried to wreck the midnight express--guess you fellows started off
too early in the mornin' to hear about it," George said.
"We never heard a word, so hurry up and tell us, George," said Elmer.
"Yes, whatever in the wide world would they want to wreck that train
for? Was it some crazy man; or do they think it could have been an
attempt to rob the express safe?" demanded Ty, anxiously; for he had an
uncle who held the throttle of the engine pulling that particular train,
and was therefore deeply interested.
"Nobody's dead sure what they wanted to do," George went on, "but the
messenger admits that he was carrying a bigger amount of money than
usual. Perhaps the hoboes got wind of it, and thought they might have a
chance to capture the stuff. They didn't have nerve enough to hold the
train up in western fashion, so they tried the coward play."
"I notice that you say hoboes did it, as if nobody doubted that part of
the affair," Elmer remarked, significantly.
"They were seen by a track walker, and had quite a fight with him,"
George continued. "The poor chap is in the hospital now, though he's
going to pull through. He managed to crawl to a station and give the
alarm, so no damage was done. And now they're hunting high and low for
two hoboes, one short with red hair, and t'other a long-legged fellow
who limps when he walks, like he'd once had his leg hurt. They are
called Shorty and Lanky Jim!"
It was Adam who set up a shout that caused the others to stare at him.
"Hey, what's this mean?" demanded Ty. "He looks like he knew something
about the two rascals you were telling us about, George. Elmer, you take
him in hand, won't you, and see what he's got on his mind. And make him
tell it in plain United States. We left our Dutch dictionaries at home
this trip, you see."