Jack and Frank regarded each other with distaste and even horror in
their eyes.
"Has to be done, though," said Jack, as if in answer to a remark of
Frank's.
Frank nodded.
"I know."
"What are you two chumps talking about?" asked Bob.
"Those four men we shot down, you know," Frank explained.
"Think you--"
Bob's question went uncompleted.
"I don't know," Frank replied. "We shot straight. It was your life and
ours against theirs."
"Well, come on. I know how you feel, but I expect that's the first thing
to be attended to. If any of them is no more than wounded, it will be up
to us to do what we can for him."
"Right, Bob," said Jack.
"Come on," Frank said shortly, starting down the hillside, in the
direction of their successful, though impromptu, ambuscade.
"Go easy," warned Bob. "If they're able to shoot, they'll take a crack
at us."
Bob's advice was followed, and the trio approached the spot warily. But
precaution was needless, or, while still some distance away, they could
see the four bodies outstretched motionless where they had fallen.
Frank's face went white, and he shuddered. Jack was pale. Big Bob,
although he had had no hand in the affray, had to take a grip on
himself, in order to force his laggard steps to continue. Though many
were the affairs of danger in which they had been, the boys had never
before shot to kill nor had death been brought so close to them.
Frank stopped. He was trembling violently.
"I--I can't look at them," he gasped.
Bob threw an arm over his shoulders.
"You and Jack stay here," he ordered, gruffly. "I had no hand in this.
I'm the fellow to attend to it. Wait for me."
At that Frank protested, and started to proceed. But Bob shoved him
back, kindly but firmly.
"The pair of you have been through enough," he said. "Do as I say. Wait
here."
And with quick, firm step, keeping himself to the task, he plunged on
through the trees. For a moment or two both Frank and Jack watched him
fascinatedly, then Frank sank down to a sitting position, elbows propped
on his knees, his face in his hands. Jack faced about, and stared
unseeing through the trees.
Presently, Bob's solid, crunching footsteps could be heard approaching,
and they looked up. His face was grave, but unflinching.
"Look here, fellows," he said, firmly, "may as well face the facts. All
four were killed instantly. Drilled through the---- But why discuss it?
The fact is, they're dead. They were rascals of the first water, and, as
you say, it was their lives or ours. Self-preservation is the first law
of Nature. Now, what are we going to do about it? We haven't any tools
to dig with."
Frank shook himself into alertness.
"Let's get the axes--our outfit has some--and cut off some spruce boughs
and cover them over. Then we can roll some stones on top."
As quickly as possible, without speaking during the task, and working
feverishly, the three carried out Frank's idea. Then, back at camp, they
sat down and brewed a pot of coffee. The hot, scalding liquid steadied
their shaken nerves.
"Guess we better try to get in touch with your father, Jack," suggested
Bob, at length.
"How long have they been gone?"
Bob looked at his watch.
"Three hours. Seems like a lifetime."
"Things have certainly happened fast," said Frank. "Thank goodness, that
party missed our radio. If they had destroyed it, we would have been out
of luck."
"More luck than I deserve," said Bob, savagely. "Think of going to sleep
on the job. If I had been awake, they never would have been able to
land."
"Forget it, Bob. You certainly have nothing to reproach yourself with."
"Oh, that's nonsense," said the big fellow. "I'm always getting you into
trouble."
Frank smiled.
"Yes, and then getting us out again," he said.
"Well, let's try the radio, anyway," suggested Jack. "They've been gone
three hours. With the best of luck they can't have made more than eight
or ten miles, considering the detour they planned to take, and
everything."
"Couldn't have gotten that far away in a straight line," said Frank.
"No, I guess not. But what if they aren't prepared for a call from us?"
"Oh, with that improved ring set of yours, your father will be
proceeding fully equipped to hear from you," said Frank. "He need only
wear the headphone, and I seem to remember he said on leaving that he
would keep it on most of the time."
Jack nodded. The improvement in the ring set, spoken of by Frank, had
done away with the necessity for the umbrella aerial.
"All right," he said. "I'll call Dad on 200 meters. If he gets the
message we ought to hear from him shortly, for he'll at once unlimber
the field transmitting set and call us back."
While Jack sent out a terse description of the fight and its outcome,
Frank and Bob decided to steady their nerves by fishing and went down to
the lakeside. They had reasonable success and had pulled out a number of
fish when Jack joined them.
"Send out your message, Jack?" Frank inquired.
"Yes, and heard from Father in reply, too."
"What? Why, great guns, how long have we been here? Surely, you can't
have had time to hear from your father?"
"But, I have," affirmed Jack. "You've been here more than an hour."
Bob and Frank looked at each other. In all that time, neither had spoken
a word. They had just dozed over their lines, pulling in an occasional
fish. Frank laughed.
"I guess we went to sleep with our eyes open," he confessed. "Well, what
did your father say?"
"They made a long trek up the lake before crossing over, and are not
very far away--somewhere up in that direction--on the other shore, there,"
said Jack, pointing. "Dad was worried as the deuce at my story, and
they're coming back."
"Coming back? Why? It's all over now."
"That's what I told him, Frank. But he's coming back, anyway. They're
going to get back to the lake, and come straight down to the island.
Ought to be here in a couple of hours or less."
"May as well wait dinner for them, in that case," observed Bob. "Or what
meal is it? Breakfast, lunch, or dinner? I'm sure I don't know. This
perpetual sunshine has me all turned around. I don't know whether it's
day or night."
"Same here," confessed Frank. "I do know, though, that I'm beginning to
get up an appetite." Then a thought, a thought which his somnolent
daydreaming over the fishing lines had driven away for the time, crossed
his mind, and he paled. "I don't know though"--catching his
breath--"whether I'll ever want to eat again."
Jack looked at him sharply. So did Bob. The big fellows noted with
apprehension the twisted, stricken look on their slighter chum's face,
and the haunted appearance of his eyes. To Bob's keen eyes, moreover,
two hectic spots glowing brightly in the dark tan of Frank's cheeks were
apparent.
"Look here, old man," said Bob, anxiously, "you want to quit thinking
about that or you'll be sick."
"Sick?" Frank tried to force a laugh. "I'm the healthiest invalid ever
you saw."
"No, Frank, I mean it. Put that thought out of your mind, or you will be
sick. Why--"laying a hand on his brow--"you've got a fever right now."
Jack was worried, too.
"Great guns, Frank, you must take Bob's advice. What if you came down
sick? We'd be in a pretty fix."
"Oh, you fellows make me tired," said Frank, irritatedly. "I'm all
right."
But Bob's worry was not routed. He took his chum by an arm and started
marching him toward camp.
"I'm going to give you a dose of calomel and make you lie down," he
said. "Come on."
"Calomel? Have a heart."
"Yes, calomel," said Bob, firmly. "That's what you need, that and a
nap."
Picking up the fish, Jack followed. And at the camp, despite Frank's
vehement protests, he was made to swallow a liberal dose of calomel, and
then to lie down on a couch of spruce boughs, over him the little tent
belonging to Mr. Hampton to provide shade from the northern sun. Jack
and Bob sat down, some distance away, and started cleaning the fish.
They talked together in low tones. Presently, after several glances
toward the motionless figure, Bob arose and tiptoed close to it. On his
return, he nodded, smiling slightly, at Jack.
"Asleep," he said. "Didn't want to do it, but overworked Nature was too
much for him. I'm a little bit worried. His nerves got a severe shock.
But I guess he'll be all right when he wakes up."
Then he glanced more keenly at Jack.
"Look here, you've been through the same experience. I had a nap. Now
you're going to take one. Sleep will be good medicine for you, too. We
don't want two sick ones on our hands."
Jack didn't protest, but also turned in beside Frank, and in a few
minutes was sound asleep. As Bob had said, overworked Nature claimed her
dues.