THE ALARM.
Davy's words created no end of excitement in the camp of the Boy Scouts.
Every fellow jumped to his feet, and several immediately stepped out so
that they could get a better view of the dark lake. The stars shone
brightly, and gleamed on the tiny wavelets that purled along toward the
beach close by.
Knowing just where the distant island lay, they could manage to locate
it by the inky blur that seemed to settle upon the water at this one
particular spot. But if any one expected to see lanterns moving to and
fro like animated fireflies, they made a sad mistake. It remained as
dark as the inside of a pocket over there.
"Oh! come, what sort of talk were you giving us, Davy?" remarked
Step-hen, in disgust. "I was mighty comfortable lying on my blanket, and
you just thought you'd see how you could stir us up with some fake
news."
"I tell you I _did_ see it!" affirmed Davy, stoutly.
"Say, I know what he glimpsed," remarked Bumpus.
"What was it, then?" asked Step-hen.
"That star hanging low over yonder," the fat boy went on, eagerly; "if a
feller saw it all of a sudden, he might think it moved. And it does look
like a lantern, now, it sure does."
"Think everybody is a booby like,--well, some people, do you, Bumpus?"
demanded Davy, indignantly. "What I saw waved back and forward, just
like I might do, if I wanted to make a signal to somebody over here on
the mainland. Thad, you believe me, don't you?"
Before the scout leader could answer, another took up the argument.
"Boys," said Smithy, "what Davy Jones says is perfectly correct, because
I myself saw some sort of moving light. I just happened to turn my head,
for perhaps Davy said something right then, and it was out there over
the dark water."
"There, what d'ye think of that, Smarty?" demanded Davy, turning on
Step-hen and Bumpus, who were on the same side for once, and about the
only time the others could remember:
"It goes," said Thad, positively. "What Davy told us has now been proven
by a second reliable witness. Then there must have been some sort of
light moving over there on the island. If a light, then a human being,
either boy or man. And that makes me all the more anxious to look that
same island over again. I didn't get to cover all the ground when we
were there last."
"But there wasn't any cabin or hut there?" Bob White declared.
"I don't believe there could be one, and none of us sight it. Still,
it's a rocky island, you remember, and there might be some sort of cave
on it, good enough to be used to keep a man from the rain, or housing
goods, if need be."
"Whew! listen to Thad, would you?" said Step-hen, drawing a big breath,
which betrayed his state of mind, and the excitement that was beginning
to make his pulses thrill. "Whatever do you suppose these unknown men
can be doing around here?"
"You remember what I said before about this country having been stocked
with game, and this lake with thousands of young bass years back?" Thad
continued. "It is possible that some of the late gamekeepers have a neat
little plan to make a pile of money out of their knowledge. And as the
law would punish them if they were caught, perhaps they're hiding while
we're in camp so close by."
"That sounds good enough for me," remarked Giraffe, taking advantage of
Thad's attention being diverted to softly toss another pine knot upon
the fire.
"Perhaps it's worse than that," Step-hen remarked, in a half-awed voice.
"I've been reading a lot lately about some convicts that broke out of a
penitentiary up in the next county. Mebbe now some of 'em have located
here, and are living off the game they snare in the woods, or the fish
they hook."
"That might be, of course, though I doubt it," Thad went on to remark.
"In the first place, if they were convicts they would be wearing heavy
brogans, such as are always used in prisons. One of these men had on a
neat pair of pointed shoes, for I saw the marks clearly. The other's
shoes were pieced. I pointed that out to Bob White, didn't I, Bob?"
"It is just like you say, suh," replied the other, readily; "and you
showed me how I could tell that shoe again any time, and under any
conditions; foh it had a home-made patch on the sole, running crisscross
from side to side," and he made the figure with his finger in the earth
beside him.
Davy Jones had left the fire again, to go back to the lake shore, and so
did not happen to hear this explanation. He seemed to be hoping another
glimpse of the moving lantern would be granted to him. There was
something so weird and fascinating about the mystery that Davy wished it
to keep up.
"How about our moving the camp over on the island to-morrow; have you
changed your mind about that, Mr. Scout-Master?" asked Allan.
"Yes, I was just hanging in the balance, when this new thing happened,
and settled it for me," replied Thad.
"Then we don't go?" asked Step-hen, guessing the way things were moving
from the expression he saw on the other's face.
"It would hardly pay us," answered Thad. "In the first place we're
nicely fixed where we are. Then again, if that island should be a
harboring place for hoboes or some other rough men, we'd soon get into
trouble with them. I don't think many of us would enjoy sound sleep if
we camped over there. It would mean sentry duty every night, just like
we were soldiers."
The boys had voted in one way to go over, and no one would have liked to
show the white feather. But this decision on the part of their
scout-master let them "down easy," as Step-hen afterwards confessed. And
they all seemed to look pleased over the decision, even Davy, who came
in just in time to hear the last words Thad spoke, having seen no
further sign of a lantern.
But perhaps there was one who remained silent, and looked glum when it
was thus decided to remain in the old camp. Giraffe dropped his head, so
that his comrades might not see how disappointed he felt over the change
of plans. For he had hoped that the bear would be set at liberty when
the last scout took passage for the new island camp; and that the beast
would start off hunting food in the woods after the fashion of bears in
general.
Now they faced a panic in the food department, Giraffe feared; for he
seemed to be certain that some night that beast would break loose from
his chain, and devour everything they had in the line of provisions.
"Who goes over with you to-morrow, Thad?" asked Davy, hoping that he
might be the favored one; for Davy loved adventure, and could never get
too much of the same, he believed.
"Well, I hope he don't choose you, for one, Davy," said Step-hen,
jealously.
"Why not?" demanded Davy, showing resentment at once.
"Because you might have one of your fits in the boat, and upset the
whole outfit," Step-hen went on, with a grin; "you know, when we wanted
you to help clean up around the camp yesterday, you said you were afraid
of exerting yourself too much, because you felt the signs that always
came along before you got one of them terrible cramps."
Davy looked a little confused. Deep down in his own heart he knew that
he had been playing a little game of "shirk" about that time, and taking
what was a mean advantage of the good nature of his fellow scouts. And
now it was coming back to make him pay the penalty. So he said not
another word.
"I haven't decided yet who I want to take," remarked Thad, looking
around at the circle of eager faces upon which the light of the glowing
camp-fire shone; "and perhaps the fairest way will be to draw lots, then
the lucky one will not be of my picking; and there can be no bad
feeling."
Bumpus had been sitting there for some time now, taking things easy. He
certainly enjoyed remaining quiet as well as any one in the patrol,
which, considering his weight, was not to be wondered at.
Some thought must have struck him just about that time, for he was
observed to struggle to his knees with many a grunt, and then gaining
his feet vanish within the nearest tent.
Nobody was paying any particular attention to the fat youth, however,
unless it might have been Step-hen, who turned his head to see what was
going on; and even he joined in the laugh when Davy Jones performed one
of his comical antics, jumping up, and hanging from the lower limb of a
tree by his toes, so that he swung to and fro like a big pendulum.
"Better be careful, suh, how you play that trick, if ever you go down
with me into the Blue Ridge country," laughed Bob White.
"Why, would they arrest me for cruelty to animals?" demanded Davy, as he
made a flying leap, turned completely over in the air, and landed ever
so lightly on his feet, as neatly as a circus gymnast might have done.
"No, but if some of the darkies were passing through the woods, suh, and
saw you hanging like that, they'd positively think it was the biggest
'possum that ever was grown in North Car'lina. And you'd hear an ax at
the butt of that tree in a jiffy, believe me."
Just then Bumpus came staggering out of the tent, having tripped as
usual on a guy rope in his hurry. He scrambled to his feet, and although
nearly out of breath, managed to grasp:
"Well, there's thieves broke loose in this same camp, fellows, or else
the place is just bewitched, that's what!"
"You'll have to explain what you mean, Bumpus?" declared Thad; while
Step-hen half started from his seat on a blanket, his face becoming
scarlet as if he expected that every eye would immediately be turned in
his direction.
"I tell you I hung it right on the pole in the middle of the tent, and
now it's clean gone. Yes, I even hunted around on the ground, and
everywhere, but nary a sign did I see. Things have come to a pretty
pass, I think, when a fellow just ain't allowed to leave his haversack
around without somebody running off with the same. Like to know what the
rules'd say to that sort of thing. Thad, is this going to keep up right
along? It's downright robbery, that's my opinion; and I don't care who
knows it. Oh! my goodness gracious! there they come now, walkin' right
in on us!"
From the way Bumpus spoke, one would think he meant the thieves were
descending on the camp to complete its looting; and as the boys
scrambled to their feet, no wonder they were thrilled to see two shadowy
figures of men advancing from the direction of the dense forest!