CHAPTER XIII
AN EXHIBITION OF SHEER PLUCK
"No, we will not break camp until nine o'clock," said the Professorwhen, on the following morning, Ned proposed that they get under wayimmediately after breakfast. "We promised our friend that we shouldbe here until that hour, you know."
"Then I think I will scout around to see if anything is doing,"suggested Tad, who immediately hurried from camp. He returned halfan hour later with the information that there wasn't a human beingwithin a mile of them so far as he had been able to learn. It thenlacked an hour of nine, so the boys passed the time with packing,joking and talking. They were not greatly troubled, nor would theyhave been had they known what was before them that day.
Professor Zepplin, too, was filled with the spirit of the occasion.The old soldier never shrank when it came to a battle, thoughnaturally he felt the responsibility of having four boys to lookafter, even though those boys were pretty well able to take care ofthemselves, as they had demonstrated on numerous occasions.
An inventory of the supplies showed that everything was accountedfor. This, Stacy declared, was because he had frightened thethree-legged rat away from camp. He said he had a worse fright instore for it if it showed itself around that outfit again. Chopslooked very solemn at this. The fright the guide had had served tochasten and subdue him. This was not lost on the Pony Rider Boys,nor was the significance of it, either.
"Nine o'clock. Time to move," announced the Professor finally,closing his watch with a snap. "We will start now. Are you ready,boys?"
"All ready," answered the lads in chorus.
"All ready to start--something!" added Chunky.
"No, we will not start anything, my boy," rebuked the Professor.
"Stacy is quite given to slang of late," laughed Tad.
"I have observed as much," answered the Professor dryly. "I trustyou will cut out slang, young man." The Professor eyed the fat boysternly.
"I trust you will, too, Professor," retorted Stacy.
"I--I use slang?" demanded the Professor indignantly.
"Yes. You said I must 'cut out' slang. If that isn't slang, mydictionary is ahead of the times," returned Stacy triumphantly.
"He has you there, Professor," chuckled Tad.
"He surely has," agreed the other boys smiling broadly.
"Young men, I admit it. I am properly rebuked, and I assure you theoffense will not be repeated. I promise to refrain from anything ofthe sort in the future, and I shall expect you to do the same."
"Well, I won't promise, but I'll try," drawled Stacy. "If I promised,honest Injun, I'd have to keep my promise. You know I don't like tobe roped with a promise. It's like being tied to a tree. A fellowcan't let himself out when he wants to."
"You'll have plenty of opportunity to let yourself out, I am thinking.Something do--" began Tad.
"Ah--ah!" warned Chunky.
"I guess I nearly forgot myself, didn't I?" grinned Butler.
"Yes, you'll have to cut it--"
"Whoa, Chunky!" shouted Ned. "There you go again."
"Hopeless! Hopeless!" groaned Professor Zepplin. "But that's right.Correct one another and you will soon overcome the habit. We areforced to live a semi-barbarous life, but that is no reason why weshould forget either our manners or our English."
"We shouldn't were it not for Stacy Brown," declared Rector.
"That's right. Lay everything to me. I'm tough. I can stand it.But I'm the prophet of this outfit; I'm a necessary encumbrance."
"Mount!" commanded Tad. "Billy, did you bring that bundle of drysticks for kindling the fire?"
"Nassir, yassir."
"Then, forward march!"
"Giddap, you old bundle of bones," jeered Chunky, giving his pony asmart unexpected slap.
The pony kicked and squealed, giving Stacy a lively tussle for a fewmoments.
"Why do you stir him up so?" rebuked Tad. "That isn't horsemanship.You act like a beginner."
"He always is that way in the morning. It's his way of showing hispleasure at having me on his back. Whoa, there, you cayuse!" shoutedthe fat boy.
Stacy lost part of his pack, necessitating a halt while he got downto repack and take a fresh hitch. Finally having arranged it to hissatisfaction the fat boy mounted. His companions had waited withlong-suffering patience, and there were sighs of relief when Stacywas once more ready. The party moved off at a leisurely walk, forthe ground was rough and the trail not easy to follow.
A close watch was kept ahead as far as they could see, and on allsides as well. But nothing of a disturbing nature occurred untilnear noon, when Stacy, having ridden off to one side, scared a doe,which fled through the brush making a great crashing, nearlyfrightening the fat boy out of his wits.
Tad and the Professor rushed to Stacy's assistance. Their disgustwas great when they discovered the cause of the uproar. It was thendecided that Chunky must keep close to the party and try to behavehimself.
After a brief rest following the noon meal they once more mountedtheir ponies and set out. They had been on their way less than anhour when, riding out into an open space, they halted rather suddenly.
As they entered the open space two horsemen rode in on the oppositeside. The men carried rifles across their saddles, and came directlytoward the Pony Rider Boys' outfit.
"There he is!" exclaimed Tad.
"Who--who--who?" demanded Stacy.
"The black cat," answered Rector under his breath.
Professor Zepplin recognized one of the men instantly. TheProfessor's lips closed firmly. One of the horsemen was the man whohad claimed to be an officer when visiting their camp and orderingthem to leave the Ridge.
"Well, I see you fellows are still here," he said mockingly as herode up to the outfit.
"Your eyes do not deceive you, sir," answered the Professor coldly.
"Where do you fellows reckon you are going?"
"In the first place, we are not fellows," resented Tad, his faceflushing. "In the second, we do not consider it any of your affairwhere we are going."
"The young gentleman is right," added the Professor. "You have noright to interfere with us. What do you want?"
"I want you to turn your nags about right smart and head in the otherdirection. This is a preserve, and--"
"I deny it!" snapped Professor Zepplin. "It is not a preserve andwhat is more I don't believe you are an officer. Will you standaside and permit us to go our way?"
"I will not."
"What do you propose to do?"
"I reckon I'll wait here till I see you headed t'other way."
"Then you will wait a long time," exclaimed Butler. "We are notgoing to turn about. We are going straight ahead, and we are goingto keep on going until we are ready to head the other way, and--"
"I reckon you won't do nothing of the sort." The mountaineer noddedto his companion, who started to ride around to one side of theoutfit.
Tad saw the purpose of the movement at once. They proposed to make aflanking movement where they would have more advantage so far asposition was concerned.
"If you please, stay where you are!" commanded Tad sharply.
"What--what! You reckon to give me orders?" demanded the manfuriously.
"I'm telling you two to stay where you are if you know what's goodfor you. We have had about enough of your nonsense. Professor, arewe going to stand for any more of this foolishness?" demanded Tadheatedly.
"No, not much, Tad. But be patient for a moment. I want to talkwith this man further. Do I still understand you to persist that weare on a government preserve?" he asked, turning to the mountaineer.
"I reckon I've told you that before and I'll tell it to you again."
"Say it as many times as you choose, sir, if it pleases you,"answered Professor Zepplin sarcastically. "We heard you the firsttime. It's getting to be an old story now."
"Well?"
"I deny that this is a preserve. I further state
that in my opinionyou are a scoundrel. If you are not you will resent the accusation,and I am ready to meet any such resentment," added the pluckyProfessor, permitting one hand to drop lightly to his pistol holster.
The movement was not lost on the mountaineer. Nor was the fellow tobe deterred from carrying out his purpose. He shifted his rifle intoa more convenient position.
"It's the black cat," muttered the fat boy. "And we'll all be lameducks in a minute."
"Keep steady, lads," warned the Professor in a low tone.
Tad nodded, taking in his fellows in the same nod as indicating thatthey were to take no action until ordered to do so.
"Professor, I'm going on," announced Butler. "We may stand here allday arguing at the present rate."
With that Tad clucked to his pony and started, picking his waythrough the growth in the open space.
"You stop where you are!" commanded the mountaineer.
"You stop me if you dare," retorted the Pony Rider Boy. "Come along,Professor."
Instead the Professor sat grimly in his saddle, eyeing themountaineer sternly. The latter half raised his rifle, bringing themuzzle to bear on the advancing Tad.
"Oh, fudge! Put that gun back in your boot!" scoffed Butler. "Youknow you don't dare to use it. You know very well that you would getthe worst of it if you dared to pull the trigger."
"Are you going back?" roared the mountaineer.
"No, I'm going forward," answered Tad, putting spur to his pony andstarting at a jog trot. He was headed directly towards themountaineer, and the latter's pony took a step aside in order toprevent a collision. The muzzle of the mountaineer's rifle almostgrazed Butler's sleeve as he trotted past the man who had threatenedto shoot him.
"Come on, fellows. Are you going to camp there in your saddles?"
For answer the Professor and the three lads started to follow theircompanion. It was at this juncture that the mountaineer's companiontook a hand in the affair and changed the situation instantly into amuch more serious one. Up to this time Tad's sheer grit had overcomethe desperate purpose of the alleged officer. The intervention ofthe other man had put a new complexion on the affair.
The Pony Rider Boys on the Blue Ridge; or, A Lucky Find in the Carolina Mountains Page 14