Boy Scouts in the Maine Woods; Or, The New Test for the Silver Fox Patrol

by Herbert Carter

  CHAPTER VII.

  THE LONG-DRAWN HOWL OF A CANADA WOLF.

  "All ready!" sang out Thad.

  Some of them were already settled in the canoes; but Giraffe stillremained, kneeling on the shore.

  "Come, we've waited long enough for you, old Slow-poke!" called outBumpus, who was the partner of the tall scout in the canoe paddled byEli.

  Very slowly did Giraffe approach, his eyes turned beseechingly on Thad.

  "Say, that's the way it always goes," he declared. "I was just gettingon to it the best ever, and if I only had half an hour more, I'd made myfire as sure as I'm Conrad Stedman. I've got her all figgered out; andby noon I'll be twisted in my mind again, and the whole combinationlost."

  But Thad only shook his head.

  "Couldn't think of it, Number Six," he declared. "It was one part of theagreement made with you that on no occasion were you to delay thebalance of the party. All ready; Bumpus, give the signal."

  Bumpus was a natural musician. He could play "any old instrument," andextract very good music from banjo, guitar, violin, or even anaccordion; he also had a fine voice that often aroused the enthusiasticacclaim of his comrades while sitting around the fire of evenings.

  Of course, then, he had been made the bugler of the troop as soon as theorganization was commenced. It had not been deemed just the right thingfor him to fetch his musical instrument along while the Silver FoxPatrol chanced to be in the Maine woods on a hunt; but then that was nobar to Bumpus, who could put his hands to his mouth, and give a splendidimitation of the reveille, assembly, taps, or any other military call.

  So Giraffe had to climb into Eli's canoe, looking very much discouraged.Really, it did seem as though an evil spirit took especial delight inbaffling him, just when he seemed in a fair way to reach the goal of hispresent ambition. As he had once before complained, he had even had histinder soaked by a sudden shower, and just at the critical moment whenhe felt sure it was about to burst into a successful blaze.

  But one thing was sure, these successive defeats only served to make himshut his teeth harder together, and resolve that nothing would everprevent him from getting that fire, if it took him a year. He might bebeaten once, twice, or fifty times; but there would come a day to thepatient plodder when the door of opportunity would open for him. Andsurely success would stand for a great deal more if he had to work likethis for it, than if easily attained.

  Before noon came they had arrived at the place where the stream ran intothe Lower Lake of the Eagle Chain; and when they stopped for lunch, itwas upon the shore of this beautiful sheet of water.

  Thad had been secretly keeping an eye on Jim. He knew that the guidemust feel more or less anxiety, despite his brave outward showing. Andwhen Jim thought no one was observing he would look out of the tail ofhis eye at every clump of bushes that seemed any way suspicious, as longas they were upon the river.

  And hence, it was doubtless a positive relief when they started out onthe broader water of the lake; for after that he would only have towatch one shore.

  About one o'clock they again started. The air continued cold, butbracing, and this made paddling a pleasure, up to a certain point.

  All of the scouts took a hand at it, even Bumpus, and received more orless valuable instruction from the two guides, as to how the paddleshould be worked in order to have as little "lost motion" as possible;and at the same time secure the greatest amount of benefit. But whenafter half an hour of labor, they found their muscles beginning to tirefrom the unaccustomed motion, the boys considered themselves lucky to beable to turn the paddles over once more to the canoe men, who were usedto the job, and could keep it up steadily all day, if need be.

  When they drew near the outlet where the waters of the Lower Lake flowedinto Lake Winthrop, Thad, happening to look back, managed to discover acanoe skirting the shore some miles distant. From the actions of thosein it, they seemed desirous of remaining unnoticed; for they tookadvantage of every headland that jutted out; and when they had to makeacross the open, it was done with all possible speed.

  Thad did not need to be told who was in that craft. And glancing towardJim, he understood that the Maine guide had doubtless been aware of thepursuing canoe for some time; because he nodded at the scoutmaster whenhe caught his eye.

  "It's him, is it, Jim?" called out Thad; for the canoes were some thirtyfeet apart at the time.

  "Yep," came the answer, accompanied by an affirmative nod of Jim's head.

  "You know him, even at that distance, then?" continued the patrolleader.

  "He's workin' the paddle right now," replied the other. "Yuh cain'tmistake his way o' swingin' ther spruce blade. Ole Cale hain't gut hisekal at thet in all the State o' Maine."

  It was plain to be seen, then, that the giant poacher was on the trailof his detested son-in-law, possibly bent on carrying out his terriblethreat; though Thad hoped such might not prove to be the case.

  He knew that often these rough men of the woods could appreciate truebravery; and that there _might_ be a chance, however slight, thatOld Cale was lost in admiration for the recklessnes that could induceJim to brave his wrath. What if he had been consumed by a sudden deepcuriosity to know what really caused the other to take the risk and comeup here? Could he suspect that Little Lina had sent a message to him?

  All these things gave Thad occasion for considerable thinking. At thesame time he did not mean to lose sight of the main reason for theirhaving come so far from their homes, in order to get some hunting, andcamping experience, that would prove valuable to his fellow scouts,anxious to learn all that they could at first hands, of wood-craft.

  "I'm glad we were as particular as we were about putting out the verylast spark of fire this morning," Thad remarked, as the canoes movedalong close to one another.

  "Why?" demanded Giraffe, a little suspiciously; for every time thatmagical word was used he chose to think all eyes must be turned in hisdirection; just as though he should be placed in the same class withfire.

  "Oh! because the wind came up like great guns shortly after we leftcamp," Thad went on, always ready to point a lesson to those under him;"and from the river, too. Now, if we'd left any fire there, the chancesare it would have been picked up, and thrown into the woods. As therewas a lot of dry stuff around, you can see how easy a fire starts uphere. And when it once gets going, I reckon it can burn some, eh,Allan?"

  "If you ever have the good or bad luck to run across a forest afire,while we're up in this section, you'll see a sight that none of you'llsoon forget," and he had to cast a meaning glance as he spoke in thedirection of the fire worshipper.

  But Giraffe only smiled in a satisfied way.

  "Talk all you want," he remarked; "but I think I've got that businessdown fine, now; and to-night, _to-night_ I'm just bound to prove toBumpus here that the cream is on him. I knew I'd get it sometime."

  "Well, don't crow till you're out of the woods," remarked Bumpus, fromthe bow end of the canoe. "I'm willing to be convinced; and it'll beworth all it costs me just to see you work that puzzle out."

  "But you just know I c'n do it, don't you?" persisted Giraffe.

  "Won't say," answered the fat boy, obstinately.

  "Well, you might as well be counting up your spare cash, because I'mbound to show you at the first chance. It just _can't_ slip awayfrom me much longer; and I reckon I've got it clinched this time," andafter that Giraffe would not talk, but seemed to be muttering to himselffrom time to time, as though he might be repeating a certain formulathat he believed to be the winning combination.

  They were not trying to make fast time now, because there was really nonecessity for doing so. Having arrived on the chain of lakes that, withthe St. Johns river, almost makes a great island of the northern portionof Maine, they were bent on enjoying themselves. That meant going intocamp at some point where the guides were agreed they might have the besthunting; and from that time on taking toll of the woods' folks as theirlarder required, wasting nothing, and refraining
from hunting when foodwas not needed.

  They were true scouts, and believed in following the upliftingprinciples that govern the actions of the better class of sportsmen. AsStep Hen so often declared, they did not want to be called "game hogs,"a term often used to describe the man who flings his catch of bass ortrout up on the shore to die, no matter if he is taking ten times whathe can use; or who shoots his deer in or out of season, and allows it tolie there, wasted, on the ground, food for the foxes or wolves.

  "This country seems to be rather sparsely settled up here?" remarkedThad, after they had been moving along the shore of Lake Winthrop forsome time, looking up a desirable camp site.

  "In the summer you kin see a tent now an' then, it bein' sum party aswants ter enjy the fishin', which is prime," Eli replied; "but theyain't many folks as keer 'bout stickin' out ther winters hyar. Ye'lladmit they must be sum cold, this far up, nigh the Canady border."

  "But there must be plenty of game hereabouts, I should guess," Thad wenton. "Because, in the first place it has a gamey look to me; and thenagain, you wouldn't have agreed to come along with Jim here, unlessyou'd heard good accounts of the region around the Eagle Lakes."

  "Jest what I has, though I hain't never be'n all over 'em myself,"returned Eli. "But Jim hyar, he was bawn an' fetched up in this kentry;so what he doan't know 'baout hit hain't wuth knowin', I guess, sir."

  It was about the middle of the afternoon that Jim declared they hadreached the point where their tents should be pitched. Thad noticed thatthe guide made not the least attempt at trying to hide the camp; indeed,the tents could surely be seen in any direction out on the lake.

  This gave him to understand that Jim was not "taking water;" he had comehere to this danger ground with the main idea of meeting his iratefather-in-law face to face, be the consequences what they might, becausehis wife had begged him to; and there was as yet no sign of Jim turningout to be what Giraffe called a "quitter."

  Everybody soon found plenty to do. The rest had enough pity for Giraffenot to enter any complaint because he seemed to shirk his share of theordinary labor attending the starting of the camp. They knew he had hishands full in solving what promised to be one of the greatest puzzles hehad ever tackled.

  And so he was allowed to go off himself, and work his little sawmonotonously right along. Now it was the cord that failed to hold; againsomething else went back on poor Giraffe. But he kept patiently at it,grimly determined; and even the most interested of the lot, Bumpus, withwhom the fire builder had laid his little wager, could not but feel atouch of admiration and sympathy when he saw how the tall scout kept athis task as the afternoon slipped away.

  When supper was announced Giraffe came in smiling.

  "Got it?" demanded Bumpus, eagerly.

  "Well, just as good as done," was the cautious reply. "I've mastered aheap of little irritating troubles; and just now the coast seems to beclear. Next time, now, and you'll see something doing."

  "One more ribber to cross!" cooed Step Hen. "It's always 'next time,'with Giraffe, you notice, fellows."

  But Giraffe was either too tired to argue, or else so confident of aspeedy success that he felt he could afford to bide his time. Revengewould be very sweet, after all the chaff the fellows had poured upon hishead. He would wait.

  The supper tasted unusually fine that night, they all declared. Severalof the scouts assisted in its preparation, wishing to show the guidesjust what knowledge of camp cookery they had picked up in their numerousoutings. Even Bumpus superintended the heating of the "canoeist'sdelight," which turned out to be a hodge-podge, consisting of someleft-over corned beef taken from a tin, some corn, and beans withseveral cold potatoes sliced in the same. And the hungry boys declaredthe only fault they could find with it was that it disappeared too soon.

  But they had an abundance for all hands, even Giraffe admitting that hewas satisfied when the meal was over. Then came the several delightfulhours of lying around, as close to the cheery blaze as they dared, andhaving a "good old fashioned powwow," as Step Hen called it.

  Jim was quiet; but then he had never been a noisy fellow; and knowingwhat was on his mind right then, Thad felt that he had plenty of excusefor deep thought.

  During a lull in the conversation later on, Bumpus sat upright, andexclaimed:

  "There, did any of you hear it again; sure as you live it was the samelong-drawn howl we caught on our other trip up the Penobscot region; andSebattis, as well as all the rest, told us it was a wolf come downacross the border from Canada. How about it Eli; was that one just thengiving tongue?"

  The old guide had not moved an inch; indeed, he seemed to be very littleconcerned over the strange sound; but he nodded his shaggy head, andmade reply:

  "Yep, thet war a Canady wolf all right; an' as they hunt in packs tharmust be more on 'em raound these diggin's I spect."