active 1909-1917 Herbert Carter

“ Of course they knew that, just as one of them, Giraffe, had said before, it was about as satisfactory as searching for a needle in a haystack. But it was the best they could do. And boys as a rule, are very prone to put considerable confidence in what they call “luck.”
After the violent storm there was one good result, at least; the air was as sweet and pure and invigorating as any of them could wish. Indeed, Thad, as he glanced around and above him, when they stopped once that morning to rest, thought he had never seen a lovelier picture. ”

“ We belong to an organization that stands for peace every time, and no scout can be permitted to do any violence, unless it is to actually save his own life, or that of a chum.”
“Oh! I understand all that, Thad; make your mind easy,” declared Step Hen, jauntily. “What I’d like to do in case those curs have kicked and pounded poor old Bumpus, would be to just give ’em each forty whacks on the bare back with that bull whip we use on Mike and Molly, our pack mules, when they get too stubborn for anything.” ”

“ He had of course done as Allan suggested, and to his surprise discovered two glow worms, or fire flies, or something similar, only they did not seem to come and go, but just burned steadily.
“What are they?” asked Giraffe, excitedly.
“Eyes,” replied Allan.
“A wolf?” whispered Step Hen, apprehensively.
“More likely a panther,” Thad answered back.
They were all half crouching there, with nervous hands clutching their guns.
“That’s what it is,” said Allan, with decision in his voice and manner. “A wolf would be too much of a coward to stay so long. And listen closely, boys.” ”

“ The old thief was astealin’ honey from the tree we cut down, when Giraffe, he just plunked him. Why, my dandy gun would have knocked that bear over at such close range, the easiest ever.”
“I guess it would, Bumpus,” said Thad, consolingly, “and sometime, perhaps you’ll have your chance. We all hope you will, anyhow.”
“I’m going to see to it that I do,” grumbled the fat scout; and from his manner one would be apt to think that really life was becoming very tame, and hardly worth having, unless he might find his one great wish gratified. ”

“ While the two men lay there at their ease, never dreaming that the fat scout would have the nerve to do anything but whimper, and shiver at the sound of their harsh orders, Bumpus, laying out this wonderfully clever little surprise, had amused himself by working the mechanism of their guns, and extracting the last cartridge. And it was the heavy rumble of Hank’s deep bass voice that had helped operations along, by deadening the “click” of the cautiously moved mechanical devises belonging to the repeating rifles. ”

“ Step Hen broke out with.
“Luck nothing,” flashed back Giraffe, refusing to be cheated out of any of his honors. “It’s the reward of patient, plodding work, and using eyes and brain right along. Now, if I’d been satisfied to limp along, looking up at the sky, and all around, but never once on the ground, like some people I know do, d’ye suppose I’d ever run across this trail? Not much. Give Old Eagle Eye his due, Step Hen.”
“Yes, he deserves it,” said Thad, “because this is a most important find. It places us on top once more.”
“Because now we’ve got something to work on,” added Allan. ”

“ Giraffe answered. “It beats all what you fellers can get out of this thing. Why, that alone is about as interesting a fact as anybody could think up.”
“Then Bumpus had, say twelve hours the start?” suggested Step Hen.
“Right here, yes,” replied Allan. “But you must remember that he was meaning to settle down for the night about this time. And when he went on this morning, perhaps they’d be only a couple of hours behind.”
“Whew! things seem to be getting mighty interesting,” remarked Giraffe.
“I should say they were,” Step Hen asserted.
“Don’t I wish Davy and Smithy and Bob White were here.” ”

“ He would never again hear the crash of thunder, and see the vivid flash of lightning without remembering what Thad had said.
And every boy should do the same; for what does a wetting amount to, beside the peril of sudden death? Every day during the summer there can be found brief accounts of men or boys killed by lightning, because they took refuge under a tree, when a storm interrupted their work in the harvest field. ”

“ Something flashed from one tree to another, and vanished amidst the dense growth of leaves. As this tree was close to others, the chances were that the animal would have little difficulty in eluding them.
“Wow! a big wildcat!” exclaimed Step Hen, in great excitement.
“Tell me, did you see his left hind leg drag just a little, when he landed on that limb?” asked Giraffe, eagerly.
“Oh! you aimed to take him on the left hind leg, did you?” jeered Step Hen, advancing a pace in the hope of discovering the beast crouching above, and offering a fair target. ”

“ Immediately Bumpus called out:
“What’s that lumbering along over yonder, Thad? Looks to me like an old, cinnamon-colored cow.”
Thad took one look.
[25]
“You’re away off there, Bumpus,” he remarked, in a thrilling tone; “because those two wise mules knew what was coming. That is anything but a cow or even a bull. It’s a bear!”
“A bear!” almost shrieked Bumpus, making a dive for the nearest tent, in which lay his nice ten-bore Marlin, loaded with buckshot shells.
“Yes,” Thad went on, “and a great big grizzly bear at that. Let’s hope he’ll give us the go-by, and walk on about his own business!” ”

“ But they failed to do so.
“Make up your minds he’s got clean off before now,” said Allan. “The way one of those big cats can spring from tree to tree is fierce. But we haven’t the time just now to be looking for cats. I don’t believe we’ve lost any, do you, Thad?”
[113]
“But that old rascal seemed to be hanging on a limb just about over where our tenderfoot pard must have passed by,” ventured Giraffe, a new fear arising in his breast.
“Oh! my, I hope now he wasn’t there when Bumpus came along,” remarked Step Hen, as if comprehending the thought that had taken form in the mind of his comrade. ”

“ His appetite becomes enormous; but the food supply in the shape of information really has no limit, you understand.”
“I’m going in for it with all my heart and soul, Thad,” asserted Giraffe, more seriously than the patrol leader had known him to be for a long time.
“Me too,” echoed Step Hen. “It’s a good thing to know how to save a feller’s life if he gets near drowned, cuts his foot with an axe, gets shot by accident, or else has the hard luck to run up against a mean rattler.” ”

“ We’ve got cripples enough.”
“I guess this ends the run of hard luck,” declared the Maine boy, still keeping up his movements, although perhaps unconsciously favoring the injured leg, as any one is apt to do under similar conditions.
“Why d’ye say that?” asked Giraffe.
“Oh! you know they always say accidents come in threes,” Allan replied, cheerfully. “The women folks in our house used always to believe that, anyhow; and this makes three of us hobbling around. If we were at home now, perhaps we’d be wanting to use crutches; but up here in the woods we just grin and bear it like true scouts.” ”

“ Of course Thad and Allan made up their minds that they must, between them, stand guard until morning came.
They dared not take any chances when dealing with such desperate men as were the two trapped timber cruisers. And when they saw that a vidette, armed with a ready gun, was to keep the fire going all the while, as well as watch them, doubtless the men decided not to try and escape, but take things as easy as possible. ”

“ Around lay the mysterious big timber, and somewhere in the unknown depths of this wide stretch of woods bordering the Rocky Mountain foothills their comrade was camping in solitude, doubtless a prey to lively fears. ”

“ And now here’s Allan’s footprint—do you see anything about that you’d be likely to recognize if you ran across it again?”
“Sure we do,” burst out Giraffe. “The shoe is square at the toes, broader than any other. Besides that, Allan walks with his feet nearly straight, and most people turn them out some; all but those that toe-in.”
[109]
“Well, you see, now, that each one of us has an individual mark,” continued the patrol leader, wishing to impress the lesson on the others.
“Yes, that’s all right, Thad; but how would a tenderfoot like Bumpus know all about these things?” persisted Giraffe. ”

“ Step Hen was muttering, as, having passed out of sight of the two timber cruisers, the scouts walked along in couples, on the alert for any signs of further trouble.
“Just what he expected to do,” replied Thad. “And another time we happen on any unknown men in this part of the country, see to it that you keep your gun in your own possession, Step Hen.” ”

“ This he applied to the red mark, examining the same closely.
“I can see two sets of little punctures, one above and one below,” he announced presently.
“That’s them!” exclaimed Step Hen. “Oh! he jumped right at me, and bit me, all right! I was that scared I could hardly move. I hate snakes, you know, the worst kind. Thad, tell me, did anybody ever get bit by a rattler, and live? My goodness! will you have to cut my leg off, to save me? Oh! I think I’d rather die right now, than have to hop around on one leg all my life. Do something for me, Thad; what are you grinning at, Giraffe? ”

“ How about it, Allan?”
“I guess you’re right, Thad,” chuckled the Maine boy. “All the cat tribe seem to be dreadfully afraid of fire. Yes, that would sure fetch him.”
Neither Giraffe nor Step Hen gave utterance to a single word, one way or the other. They were, as the former would have expressed it, “just tickled to death” by this bright suggestion on the part of the scout leader. And doubtless neither scout ever would believe, deep down in his admiring heart, that Thad simply “chanced” to have the explosive cartridge in his possession. ”