JACK PLAYS SCOUT
“What’s doing, Jack?” asked George, carefully, as soon as the whole six
of them were well away from the vicinity of the other camp, and where
they could safely converse, if only every one spoke in a whisper.
“We ought to talk things over a bit, and arrange what we want to do
about this matter,” Jack went on to say.
“But ain’t we goin’ to jump on that pair of scamps, and make ’em our
prisoners?” complained Buster; and to hear his ferocious way of talking
one might easily imagine that the fat boy was a fighter from the word
go, when as a rule Buster would walk a mile to escape a rumpus, for he
was by nature very peaceable.
“Wait and see what Jack’s got up his sleeve, you fire-eater!” remarked
Josh, scornfully.
“We know where they’ve gone and buried all the loot, anyhow,” remarked
George, as though that fact gave him particular satisfaction.
“And we c’n dig the same up at our convenience,” added Herb.
“That is, if they don’t change their minds before morning comes, and get
that box up again,” observed Jack, dryly.
At that there were several little grunts and exclamations, such as would
indicate that the others did not relish being tantalized in such a
fashion having the treasure-trove under their thumbs, only to see it
snatched away again.
“Say, we oughtn’t to let that chance slip us, Jack!” urged Josh.
“Them’s my sentiments, too!” echoed George.
“Count me in,” Herb remarked, quietly.
“Same here, arrah, by the token!” Andy ventured.
“There, Jack,” spoke up Buster, exultantly, “everybody is of the same
mind, that we just ought to do something or other right away, so’s to
get that stuff in our possession. It wouldn’t matter so much if the
thieves did get away, if only we could go sailing up to Lawrence, call
the broken-hearted directors of the looted bank together, and then say:
‘Here, gentlemen, are your lost securities. Rest in peace! E pluribus
unum!’ Now Jack, don’t say a word against it, but think up some way that
we can get hold of that box.”
“Oh! I’ve got all that figured out already, Buster,” remarked the other,
coolly.
“Then tell us who’s going to creep up and dig for that box while the two
robbers are sitting beside the fire, playing cards, because that’s what
they started to do when they went back.”
“And ‘Old Maid’ it was, as sure as you live,” remarked George, as if
astonished. “Did you ever hear of two ferocious pirates playing such a
harmless game as that before? I never did, for a fact, boys. They keep
me guessing right along. That boy looks too green to be the rascal they
say he is; but I guess he puts it all on to fool respectable folks. It
helps him in gaining their confidence.”
George could figure things out in fine style once he got going. The
others, however, were not in any mood just then to try and decide what
sort of a fellow that rather innocent young chap might turn out to be.
They were more deeply interested in finding out what could be done about
securing that hidden package in the box.
Already, no doubt, Buster, for instance, was seeing pictures of all
manner of treasure snugly reposing in the box; and he could also imagine
how his manly chest would swell with importance when, with his mates, of
course, he entered the stricken town of Lawrence, and astonished the
directors of the bank by returning their lost securities and money.
And the others were possibly in the same boat, for they had active
imaginations, one and all.
Jack had said the matter was already arranged in his mind; and if he
would only hurry up and take them into his confidence, they would feel
greatly obliged.
But then Jack did not mean to hold back just to aggravate his companions;
that would have been too small a thing for him to attempt. He had only
waited to hear what each one thought of the scheme, and then he went on
to say something.
“Now you can see for yourselves,” he began, “that it would be useless
trying to take the whole bunch over there, and scratch that box up. One
can do the business to a dot, and as I’m accustomed to scouting more
than any of the rest, I hope you won’t try to raise any objections if I
say I’ll do the job myself.”
He waited to hear what they thought before making the first move in the
direction of carrying his plan out. But then he might have known that
not one objection would be raised against his scheme, for they had the
fullest confidence in whatever he proposed at any and all times.
The silence that followed was doubtless intended for consent; but Jack
chose to consider it otherwise. He wanted an expression from each of his
chums.
“George, how about it?” he asked.
“Why, I haven’t the slightest objection,” replied that worthy, readily
enough.
“Josh, how about you?”
“Gosh! only too willing,” came the answer.
And Jack put it up to each of the others, until every one had signified
his readiness to accept the conditions.
“All right, then,” said Jack, “that settles it for me. And now, watch me
get busy, fellows.”
He once more started into the brush. All this conversation had been
carried on, of course, in undertones. From time to time they could hear
the voices of the other pair raised above the ordinary not far away; or
it might be a laugh came floating back to where the six boys crouched,
quivering in every nerve with intense excitement.
Why, Jack thought, even the laugh of Slim Jim, the cracksman, was very
deceptive, it sounded so boyish and natural; just as though he did not
have a care or a worry in all the world. He must be a pretty clever
young chap if he could pretend to be such an innocent, when really he
was such a desperate rascal--so that paper had stated.
Having quitted the company of his friends, Jack began to advance in the
direction of the other camp. He needed no better guide than the glow of
the fire they had burning over there on the shore; though very careful
as he crept through the bushes to take a little different track than
before, because he believed it would be apt to bring him closer to the
bush behind which that pretended “grave” that was in reality a cache for
stolen wealth, had been so roughly dug.
Once, as he raised himself to glance around, he found it possible to see
beyond the camp fire, to the edge of the river, something that none of
them had been able to do hitherto; and what should meet his eyes but a
very jaunty gasoline launch, of a type that indicated more or less
speed, since it was of narrow beam, and would doubtless have quite taken
the eye of George Rollins.
Of course Jack chuckled a little when he saw the very significant fact
that the boat was painted snow white, and had a nice red line along the
gunwale that gave the craft a rather distinguished look.
Again into his mind came the description which he had read out aloud
from the fragment of paper, concerning the boat in which it was positive
the robbers of the Lawrence bank had fled down the river. A white
launch, nobby in appearance, and decorated with a red line. Why, what
could be plainer than that? White launches were not so very common on
that part of the Mississippi; and Jack could not remember ever having
set eyes on one before that was marked with red as this one appeared to
be.
He kept creeping along, making no more noise than an Indian warrior
might; or perhaps one might say, a snake that can glide swiftly, yet
with hardly the faintest rustle of the dead leaves.
If he did make an occasional little slip, they were not on the alert, as
red braves might have been. Doubtless they had not the remotest
suspicion that such a thing as peril threatened, or that an enemy was
within miles of the island retreat to which they had come to hide, and
make preparations for deceiving the posse of the sheriff, should they
chance to meet later on the river.
No doubt the other five boys had climbed trees or done something else
so that they would be in a position to see him when he reached that
particular bush, back of which the hole had been dug. They would not be
human if they were going to allow this chance to witness the unearthing
of the treasure pass without an effort to become spectators.
Jack found that the two beside the fire were making merry. He eyed them
closely, and then shook his head, thinking that perhaps they might
appear like desperate rogues to an expert sheriff, accustomed to dealing
with rascals of every kind; but for his part he rather thought the boy
was a spoiled son of a rich man, and Jenks some humble mechanic out
cruising with the other. But of course, not being well posted in
criminal matters, how could he, a mere tyro, be expected to be able to
judge what people were, just because they laughed in such a care-free
way. Slim Jim they said feared nothing on earth; slender and young as he
was, he had laughed more than one sheriff to scorn; and snapped his
fingers when traps were sprung only to find that he was missing.
Now Jack was drawing closer and closer to that bush. He had marked it
well on the previous occasion, so that there could be no such thing as
mistaking it. Yes, he recognized every twig almost, so closely had he
made a mental photograph of the bush when the two were planting their
“swag” back of it, and talking about making it appear as though it were
a grave.
If they just kept up that riotous game of “Old Maid” for ten minutes
longer, Jack felt positive that he could have accomplished his errand,
and left the mound nicely smoothed over as he found it.
Jack guessed that they would hardly feel so merry when they discovered
that the treasure-trove had been opened, while they were not thirty feet
away, and the box containing the stolen securities and the bank bills
carried off; or if they did laugh it would be on the “other side of
their mouths,” as Buster might have expressed it in his humorous way.
Now he was doing even better, for he had to pass a little patch where
the cover was rather slim and in order to successfully negotiate it he
was compelled to flatten himself very much on the order of a flapjack or
a pancake.
But then, they seemed to have no eyes for anything except the cards
they were handling. Two more unsuspicious rascals it would be indeed
difficult to find; at least that was Jack’s idea.
There was a piece of great good luck, for his hand had actually fallen
upon the identical stick with the sharp point which Jenks had used so
successfully when he was digging the hole in which to bury the treasure
box.
Of course Jack picked this up, for he believed he could make good use of
it in his line of business just about that time.
And now he had gained the bush, so that his hand actually rested on the
little mound of fresh earth. It gave Jack something of thrill to realize
that he was so very close to all that amount of loot which these two
scamps had taken from the poor depositors of the Lawrence bank; for if
the institution failed the loss would fall partly on poor people.
But he lost no time in getting to work with that odd spade, fashioned
from a stick. When he found that he had loosened the top earth, he
started to dragging it away with his hands, boy fashion; using the palms
as scoops.
So he quickly got down to where he could touch the flat top of the
little box; and then burrowing alongside, he managed presently to
unheave the same, dragging it out of the cavity.
Then Jack set to work to place several stones that he had noted close
by, in place of the box, so that the mound would still be as high as
ever and look as it though it still contained the chest.
Once in every little while as he did this work, Jack would glance
through the lower part of the bush in order to make sure that the two
card players were still as much interested in their innocent game of
“Old Maid” as before. But really he had little need to do this, because
their loud laughter told the fact as plainly as anything.
Then followed the most difficult task of creeping back over the route he
had taken to reach the place. It had been hard enough when he could
watch those whom he looked on as enemies; but as now he had to go
backwards part of the time, so as to know when to stop moving, and lie
still, when he thought one of them glanced that way, it became doubly
difficult.
But Jack had not been making an idle boast when he claimed to be a much
better scout than any one of his five companions. Circumstances had
allowed him in the past to have a certain amount of experience in this
line, such as none of his boatmates could claim; and that was how Jack
made such a success of his venture.
Now he had passed the crisis in his retreat and was able to move along
faster, even getting to his feet, and in a couching attitude leaving
the hostile camp behind.
When he reached the spot where the dull-colored khaki tent stood under
the tree he found his five chums awaiting him; and every one of them was
bubbling over with both a desire to squeeze Jack’s hand, while telling
him in whispers what he thought of such clever work and at the same time
filled with a burning curiosity to know if the securities and the stolen
money could all be in that humble little box.