A HERD OF DEER.
Such a cheering arose as might have been heard far off in the forest.
The praises and congratulations of his companions brought a ruddy flush
to Hamp's cheeks.
"It wasn't anything to do," he protested, modestly. "When the creature
bounced in, I just up and fired. Jerry gets the most credit."
"No, I don't, either," declared Jerry. "My rifleball took him in the
shoulder, and your charges of buckshot went through the head. You saved
our lives, Hamp, for the brute was crazy with pain, and would have torn
us to pieces."
"That's so," assented Brick. "I thought it was all up with us when Hamp
fired. Well, we're rid of a mighty ugly enemy. You fellows may be glad
you weren't in my shoes when the beast had me penned up in the crevice
back of the storehouse."
When the excitement of their recent adventures had passed off, the boys
discovered that they were very sleepy. The night was well advanced, so
they turned in without delay, permitting the lantern to burn dimly. They
were not inclined to lie down in darkness with the dead catamount.
Morning seemed to come quickly. The boys were astir early, and had
breakfast over by eight o'clock. Then they crept out to the mouth of the
tunnel, and were disappointed to find that the weather was unfavorable
for departure. A fine rain was falling from a sodden, gray sky, and the
air was quite warm and moist.
"It feels as though a change was coming," said Jerry. "I believe it will
clear off by evening and get cold. Then a crust will form on the snow
over night, and we can start early to-morrow morning."
"I hate to spend another day in this cooped-up place," replied Brick,
mournfully.
"It can't be helped," declared Hamp. "We don't want to travel in the
rain. Keep your spirits up, old fellow. The time won't seem long."
"You're right it won't," assented Jerry. "We've got a lot to do. First
of all, the catamount must be taken away from the cabin and skinned.
Then we ought to make a search back in the woods for those men. I'm
worried about them."
The others shared Jerry's anxiety, but it was agreed to postpone the
expedition until afternoon.
The boys went back to the cabin, and tied a rope about the catamount's
neck. After a great deal of trouble, they succeeded in dragging the body
to the mouth of the tunnel.
Then they set to work with sharp knives and removed the skin in good
condition. The carcass was hauled out on the ice, where it would
ultimately be devoured by wolves.
After a cold dinner, the boys donned snowshoes and oilskin coats and
sallied forth again. They traveled down the lake as far as the point
where they had seen the men make a crossing. Then they entered the
forest, and tramped backward and forward for several hours.
But not a trace could be found of the two prospectors, Raikes and Bogle,
or their camp. The boys searched long and carefully, and varied their
shouts by firing guns at frequent intervals. No reply came back. The
stillness of death reigned in the forest.
"It's no use," declared Jerry. "We may as well give up and return. I
don't suppose the men had more than a campfire, and the traces of that
are buried under the snow."
"But what became of them?" asked Hamp.
"I don't know," replied Jerry. "I'm sure they're not dead, anyhow."
"I'll bet they packed up and left for a safer neighborhood as soon as
they knew the storm was coming," said Brick. "They didn't leave since,
for we would see their tracks on the snow."
"That's about it," assented Jerry. "No doubt they struck back toward the
mountains. They didn't worry about us, for Raikes knew how snugly we
were fixed."
This solution to the mystery was accepted, and the boys returned to
their camp.
On the way back Jerry shot a brace of spruce partridges, and these made
a savory supper, varied with two fresh pickerel which Hamp snared
through a hole in the ice.
A blazing fire was made at the mouth of the tunnel, and here the meal
was cooked and eaten.
Jerry's prediction as to the weather had come true. No rain was
falling, and the air was much crisper and colder. By nine o'clock the
stars were shining from a steel-blue sky.
The boys went to bed early, so as to be fresh for the morrow's journey.
They rose at daybreak, hurried down a cold breakfast, and packed the
sleds. This was a task that required some skill, for the ordinary
luggage was augmented by the catamount's skin and the antlers of the
buck.
Then, with feelings of mingled regret and pleasure, the boys looked
their last on the snug little cabin where they had witnessed such
stirring scenes, and crawled through the tortuous passages of the
tunnel, dragging the sleds behind them. They strapped on their
snowshoes, and started directly across the lake.
The walking was mostly over smooth ice, though here and there was a
formidable snowdrift piled up by an eddying wind.
The distant line of forest gradually became more distinct, and an hour
before noon the young travelers reached the eastern shore of Moosehead
Lake. They were not more than two miles from the upper end, and after a
brief consultation, they decided to push straight on for Chesumcook
Lake, which was about twenty miles away.
"You will like the neighborhood," Jerry assured Brick. "Game is plenty,
and there are lots of good camping-places. Chesumcook is an awful long
lake, only it's narrow. The Penobscot River flows out of it."
Brick was willing to do anything that his companions proposed, so they
plunged into the fragrant spruce woods, and pushed rapidly over the
crusted snow.
At the end of two or three miles a range of pretty steep hills were
encountered, and after dragging the sleds over one of the ridges, the
boys were badly winded. They trudged on at a slower rate of speed,
making wide detours to reach a gap whenever such a plan was feasible.
About midafternoon they found themselves traversing a narrow and
heavily-timbered valley. Through the center brawled a noisy torrent that
was too swift to freeze. On either side rose steep, pine-clad hills.
"There ought to be some small game hereabouts," said Jerry. "It's soon
time to look up a camping-place for the night, and I'm hungry for a
supper of fresh meat."
"So am I," muttered Brick. "I hate the smell of salt pork and bacon."
The boys pushed warily ahead through the dense bushes, looking to right
and left. They kept their weapons ready for instant use.
Hamp was several yards in advance. Suddenly he stopped, and held up a
warning hand. His face was ablaze with excitement as he turned to his
companions.
"Look there!" he gasped. "How's that for luck? Don't make a sound."
The boys crept excitedly forward, and looked through the bushes which
Hamp was holding apart with one hand. Then their eyes opened wide, and
they shook with feverish ardor.
Over the top of the scrub, and less than sixty yards distant, rose the
branching antlers of a huge buck. Close by was a second buck, and the
reddish-gray flanks of several other deer were visible. As they moved
about on the snow, the rasping crunch of their hoofs could be plainly
heard.
"What a glorious sight," whispered Hamp. "It's a whole herd of deer, as
sure as anything. They're not looking this way, but it's funny they
haven't scented us. The wind is from the west, and blows straight down
the ravine."
"Let me try a shot at that big fellow?" pleaded Brick, in a tremulous
voice.
"Not for the world," whispered Jerry. "The range is too long, and we
can't crawl any closer without being discovered. There must be a salt
lick down there, and the deer are feeding. I've got a great scheme,
fellows, and if we work it properly, we're sure to make a big haul of
venison. You two go back a short distance, and climb the hill on the
left, without making a bit of noise. Follow the ridge for more than a
quarter of a mile, and then climb down to the valley again. I'll take
Brick's watch, and wait right here with the sleds. I'll give you
thirty-five minutes, and when time is up, I'll try to get a shot at one
of the deer. The minute I fire, the whole herd will dash down the
valley, and if you fellows are well posted on opposite sides, you ought
to get one a piece without any trouble."
The boys heard the plan with enthusiasm, and at once prepared to start.
Brick took out his watch, and gave it to Jerry.
"What gun do you want?" asked Hamp.
"I'll keep the shotgun," replied Jerry. "You fellows had better take
both along. You understand the plan, do you? Well, don't make any
mistake, and avoid noise. Keep up the center of the valley for a hundred
feet before you start to climb the hill. Go ahead now. I'm beginning to
count time."