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

by Herbert Carter

  CHAPTER XVIII.

  WHEN EVEN A COMPASS FAILED THEM.

  "What would you do, Bumpus," said Step Hen, after a while, "if youcouldn't find a creek to wade in, with the fire all around you?"

  "Well, d'ye know, I was just athinkin' about that same thing," repliedthe fat scout, who had thrown a blanket around him, and not bothereddressing; and as he sat there on a log he looked somewhat like a lazyIndian.

  "I hope you came to some conclusion," observed Giraffe; "because, if wehappen to run across a conflagration to-morrow, when we're out hunting,it'll be some comfort to me to know, when I'm spinning along, thatyou're snug and safe behind, and not being devoured by the flames."

  "Well, the only thing I could think of," Bumpus went on, soberly;"seeing that a feller can't sprout wings right away when he needs thesame; nor hatch up an aeroplane to carry him out of the danger zone--theonly thing for me to do would be to hunt around for a woodchuck's hole,and push in, feet first."

  There was a laugh at that remark, which seemed to surprise Bumpus, forhe looked with elevated eyebrows at each of the others in turn.

  "You seem to think I'm joking," he remarked, as if offended by thelevity.

  "Well," continued Giraffe, "in the first place you'd possibly find aheap of trouble discovering a woodchuck's hole in these Maine woods,especially when you were in a big hurry; and then again, fancy the kindof woodchuck that had a hole of a size to accommodate _you_, BumpusHawtree!"

  The fat boy sighed.

  "That's what I get all along the line," he declared. "There ain't noplace in all this world for a feller that's nearly as round as he istall. I tell you I'm goin' to find _some_ way of getting rid of allthis superabundance of flesh, if I have to walk it off by takingtremendous tramps. Some people tell me it c'n be done by going hungry aweek or two at a time; but what's the use of living if you can't eat,that's what? So I'm in a peck of trouble. Won't somebody tell me what todo?"

  Of course, with such an open invitation, they hastened to accomodatehim; and if poor Bumpus tried even a part of the numerous joking plansoffered for his consideration, he would soon have no need for eitherfood or energy, since they would, as he declared, be "putting his woodenovercoat on him."

  Finally, however, the boys began to slip back once more into the tents,all but Giraffe, who was to finish the night with Jim; although therewas hardly another hour now before daylight.

  "Just suits me, boys!" declared the tall scout, as he prepared to sitout his turn as sentry; "you see, I can be thinking over that knottyproblem I've just _got_ to figure out before we leave this part ofthe country. And I've an idea that I'm getting mighty warm on thatproposition now. Would sure had it dead to rights, only for clumsyBumpus tumbling over me."

  But no one paid much attention to what Giraffe was saying; they had bynow grown so accustomed to hearing him always promising great things by"to-morrow" that it "went in one ear, and came out of the other," DavyJones said.

  When the morning came, the camp became a scene of activity. While someof the party were busily engaged cooking a good breakfast--and it neededa lot to satisfy the healthy appetites of six growing boys, not tomention two husky guides,--others were examining the tracks that hadbeen found after the fire.

  And it was the universal opinion that two prowlers had indeed startedthe fire with the idea that the inmates of the camp, rushing out tofight its spread, might get so far away that it would leave the way openfor the thieves to make a sweep of any valuables left unguarded in thatexciting hour.

  Bumpus and Giraffe were making all their preparations looking to their"sallying forth," as the latter termed it, "like Don Quixote and SanchoPanza of old, determined to do wonderful things." Thad saw that theyfelt as if they knew it all; and he realized that in such a case advicewas not desired, so he said nothing about what they ought to take. Ifthey forgot anything, they must do without, and next time think again.

  Presently the two waved their hands merrily to their chums, and startedforth. Bumpus looked like a well-laden, led animal as he trotted alongat the heels of the tall scout, who was to do the piloting of theexpedition.

  "Don't keep supper for us if we're late," airily called back Bumpus. "Wemay get further away than we can manage in one day, and have to campalone, like Thad and Step Hen did. And if some of them old wolves pay usa visit, they'll wish they hadn't. Giraffe is toting his old heavyweight rifle; and here I am with my new double-barreled gun, and fiftyshells. Ketch me gettin' caught like Step Hen did, with a few chargesfor my trusty weapon. Good-bye, fellers! See you later!"

  "Good-bye, and good luck!" called out Davy Jones, waving his cap threetimes to represent his idea as to the right kind of a send-off.

  The hunters got along very well for several miles, though Giraffe wasforever forging protests from Bumpus.

  "What d'ye take me for, Giraffe?" he would exclaim, as he caught up withthe waiting leader, and wiped the perspiration from his brow, despitethe fact that the day was pretty cold. "You know I ain't built on thesame lines as you; and in a case of this kind, the one that c'n gofaster just has to accommodate himself to the pace of the slow one.You're the hare, and I'm like the poor old tortoise; but please rememberthat the turtle came in winner after all in the race. Not always to theswift, you know, does the race go. I may beat you out in the long run,with the endurance test. If I've got anything at all, it's grit."

  "Yes, you will," sneered Giraffe; but after the third stop he didmoderate his speed considerably; perhaps he was beginning to get alittle tired himself, and did not feel unwilling to draw in a peg ortwo.

  At noon they ate a cold lunch, for they had come upon certain tracksthat told Giraffe there had been an animal of some kind there--he wishedhe knew how to tell what species it belonged to, and just how long agothe tracks had been made.

  "And mark me, Bumpus," he said impressively, "I'm going to learn allthose kind of things right away, as soon as I can take my mind off thispesky fire puzzle. I c'n see how handy it is to be able to read signswhen you're off huntin'. Why, when we start to follerin' these heretracks, after we've eaten our grub, how on earth do we know whether theywere made a week ago; or if some cow broke loose from a backwoods homeup here, and wandered this way. A nice pair of chumps we'd be, wouldn'twe, if we went and shot up a pet cow, and had to pay damages? I reckonthe boys'd never got over the joke."

  "That's just what I was thinking myself, Giraffe," agreed the other, ashe sat down beside the tall scout on a fallen tree, and took out thelunch from his haversack, for he had carried it all morning, and Giraffehad let him, too; "if we're going in for this scouting business, weought to swallow the whole business. Now, as for learning thingsconnected with the woods, where could you find any fellers betterqualified to put us straight than we've got in Thad and Allan? What onedon't know, the other sure does. I'm bound to learn the game. Owningthis dandy gun has given me a new idea. I used to say 'oh! what's theuse of bothering, when you've got somebody else to do your thinking foryou?' But now I begin to see that you can't always depend on others.Right here is a case in point."

  As their minds ran about in the same channel the two boys managed to getalong splendidly. Their little differences of the past were, for thetime being at least, quite forgotten; and they seemed drawn toward eachother as two comrades should be.

  But both began to complain because thus far neither of them had hadoccasion to make use of their gun. If this was a game country, why wasit two such industrious hunters did not get a crack at something,whether a deer, a moose, or even a fox--anything would have been welcomeas a change from the monotony.

  Perhaps Giraffe would have been surprised if told that he and thepuffing Bumpus made quite too much noise to prevent any wary and timiddeer from staying within a quarter of a mile of them. And also thatoften they were doing their hunting "down the wind," so that their scentat such times was carried to the nostrils of the suspicious game longbefore the hunters came in sight.

  Finally they came across some partridges, and Bumpus mana
ged to bag acouple with two shots from his new gun. He was greatly elated by thesuccess attending his efforts, even though Giraffe did mention somethingabout the birds insisting on remaining on the branch of that tree solong that they must either have been frozen there, or else wanted tocommit suicide.

  "Well, they came to the right place, then," said Bumpus, sturdily, as hecrammed new shells in his gun; "I'm the feller to help every partridgeand deer pass over the divide, that feels like going. Bring on yourgame; now we're going some!"

  But as the afternoon began to wane they had a shot at nothing else,though once Giraffe became excited, and declared he had caught a glimpseof a deer making off in the distance.

  "Now, ain't it a shame," he went on to say, "how that deer just knew wewere coming? Seems like somebody went ahead with a trumpet, andannounced that two hunters were on the trail. After that they all hikeout. But seems to me it's getting some cold right now, Bumpus. Myfingers begin to tingle."

  "Told you to wear the old mitts Step Hen offered you, but you sneered atthe idea. I'm feeling pretty cold myself, considerin' that I'm on themove all the time. Say, where are we anyhow, and how far from the camp?"

  Giraffe looked blankly at Bumpus.

  "Here's the compass, and we c'n see which way is north, all right. Theneast is off that way on the right, south around yonder, and west here.But where in the dickens is that camp, south, north or east? Honest,Bumpus, I don't know!"

  "No more do I, Giraffe," replied the other. "And d'ye know, this makesme think of that Injun that got lost, and was found, half starved, bysome white men; but he was too proud to admit his little shortcoming; sowhen they asked him if he hadn't kinder managed to get twisted in hisbearings, he slaps his breast with his hand, take a pose like this, andsays he: 'Injun not lost; wigwam lost; Injun _here_!' And we'relike that Injun, Giraffe; oh! no, we're not lost one little bit, becausewe know we're here. But I just can't amble on any longer. Suppose westop and camp. These partridges will taste prime. Yum! yum, can't get at'em too soon to please me. Get busy, and light a fire, Giraffe; that'syour part of the contract always."

  "I sure will, if you give me a few matches, Bumpus," replied the other,wearily dropping his heavy rifle, that began to feel like a ton of lead.

  "Matches! Why, you're the fire-maker; and I thought you'd take care ofthat part of the business!" exclaimed Bumpus, looking a little alarmed.

  "Why, what a silly you can be, Bumpus; don't you know I promised Thadnever to carry a single match around with me? And now, look what a fixwe're in, lost in the Maine woods, with night coming on, and gettin'colder every minute; and not a single match to start a fire with. I seeour finish all right. When they find us some days from now, we'll bejust frozen stiff, that's what!"

  The two tenderfeet looked at each other, but there was no smile oneither face now; for affairs had assumed too serious a phase to admit ofmerriment.