Motor Boat Boys Among the Florida Keys; Or, The Struggle for the Leadership
Page 12
CHAPTER XII.
AN INVASION OF THE CAMP.
"I heard it, too, Jack!" exclaimed George; but neither of the othersseemed to have noticed anything, though in the case of Josh, with hishead tied up, this was really not to be wondered at.
"What sort of a sound was it, boys?" demanded the tall one.
"I thought it was a shout of some kind; how about it, George?" Jackreplied.
"Same here. But then, perhaps it's only Herb and Nick skylarking. Oncein so often Nick gets a streak, and thinks he has to work off his highhumor. But see here, Jack, I hope you don't imagine some sort of troublehas dropped in on the two boys we left in camp less than an hour back?"
"Well, I don't know," Jack made answer, in a half-hesitating way. "Butsomehow it struck me that yell was more along the line of anger orfright than the result of high spirits or kidding."
"But Jack, we don't hear any more of the same sort?" Georgeremonstrated.
"How's that, then?" asked the other, as a plain whoop came faintly totheir ears.
"Say, that's Nick, all right," Josh declared, stoutly. "I could tell hisshout among a thousand. There never was one like it. I always said awild Injun from the Crow reservation couldn't begin to hold a candle toNick, when it came to letting out a whoop."
"But what would make him give tongue that way?" asked George, as hepushed on at the heels of the leader; for they were now following whatseemed to be a trail through the undergrowth, where the trees grewsparingly.
"Troth, and I hope now, nothing has happened to Herb," Jimmy remarked.
"Oh! let up guessing that way. Whatever could happen to either of them,tell me that?" George demanded. "We left the boys safe in camp; and theyeven said they believed they'd go aboard one of the boats, althoughmaking sure to keep the fire going, so we would see it, if we got mixedin our bearings, while skirting the short line. Maybe you'd expect analligator to crawl in from the swamp, and try to make a meal off ourchums?"
"Well, why not?" demanded Josh. "I reckon, now, they have just suchreptiles in this region, don't they, great big fellers, too, some callthem crocodiles, I'm told. But there, Nick tunes up again, like a goodfeller."
"There must be something wrong, or he wouldn't show so much excitement.Make all the hurry you can, boys. We're getting closer all the time;yes, and it seems to me I can almost make out what he's shouting."
"You're right, Jack, for I'd take my affidavy I heard him say just then:'Get out, you robber! skedaddle, now!'"
"That sounds like some one had found the camp, and was trying to stealour belongings!" George exclaimed.
"Well, I hope they lave the boats, that's all; for the walkin' do beharrd, I'm tould, between here and Meyers," Jimmy up and said, in hiswhimsical way.
"Good gracious! you don't think, now, that anybody would be so mean asto try and crib our bully boats?" gasped George; and no matter whatoceans of trouble his _Wireless_ may have given him in the past, all wasforgiven now, when danger lurked over the motor boat flotilla.
"Come along!" called Jack, over his shoulder; "the quickest way to findout what it all means, is to get there. Hit it up a little swifter, allof you! Put your best foot forward, and run!"
They accordingly did so. What mattered it if occasionally one of themdid happen to trip, and come down with a hard thump; it was only aquestion of a few seconds for the unlucky one to scramble to his feet,and a few bruises more or less surely did not count.
In this fashion, then, they covered the remainder of the ground that laybetween the camp and themselves.
Jack, being in the lead, was the first to glimpse what was going on.He held up a warning arm to head off the impetuous rush of his mates;and as they could plainly see his figure outlined against the brightbackground of the fire-lighted zone, George and Josh and Jimmy all drewup alongside the leader.
No one said anything. They were too busily engaged taking it all in, toexpress themselves in any way. And, indeed, it was a sight well worthobserving, one that would return to them many a time, and always cause asmile to creep across each boy's face.
For it was more humorous than tragical, though possibly one of the actorsin the affair looked upon it in the light of a serious proposition.
First, there was Herb aboard the good old _Comfort_, and engaged inwaving the ax, upon which he seemed to lay considerable dependence. Heappeared to be defying some enemy, and promising all sorts of direthings if so be the boat was boarded.
But Nick's clarion voice was proceeding from a higher place; in fact, itseemed to ooze forth from the branches of a small tree that happened togrow not far from where the camp-fire had been started.
A look upward disclosed the fat boy, perched among the branches of thesaid tree. He varied his outcries by waving the shotgun, which seemed tobe utterly useless in so far as discharging it was concerned.
There was a black bunch of hair busily engaged in trying to tear opensome of the provisions that the fat boy had "toted" ashore, in hisdesire to get supper started. It was, in truth, a bear, a hungry animalthat had declined to gorge himself upon the remains of the jewfish, whenother and greater delicacies were within reach.
It was breaking the heart of poor Nick to see this vandal threateningto dispose of all their precious food, so that they must go on scantrations the rest of the way to Naples or Meyers. No wonder that thehungry Nick whooped and yelled, calling the black pirate by all the hardnames he could think up.
Now and then the animal would appear to be disturbed by all this racket.On such occasions he would shuffle over to the sapling in which the fatboy was perched, raising his snout to sniff the air, as though halftempted to make the climb, and punish his detractor as seemed mostfitting.
Nick evidently became fearful each time that he was going to be infor it. He would howl worse than ever, and make all sorts of dreadfulthreats as to what he might do in case such a thing happened.
"Oh! ain't you the lucky thing, though?" he bellowed, just as the othersranged up to take the whole picture in. "If I hadn't been silly enoughto go ashore, carrying Herb's old gun, and forget to put any shells inthe same, I guess you'd be a dead bear right now, old top! Here, quitshaking this tree, won't you? Think you own the whole ranch? Reckonother people got some right to live. Just go back to your jewfishdinner, and all may be forgiven; but you let our crackers and cheese andbacon and hominy alone, hear that? Wow! there, he's gone and busted thehominy sack! Look at the gump wasting all that fine food, would you?Herb, can't you _please_ get some of those bully old shells over to mesomehow? I'd give a heap to tickle him between the sixth and seventhribs, sure I would!"
Just then Jack gave a peculiar little whistle. Nick heard it, andimmediately "perked up his ears," as Josh called it. He could be seen totwist his head around, and try to locate the one who had given the wellknown signal.
"Hey, Jack! wherever are you?" he called, in perplexity.
Jack did not dare make any reply. He had seen the bear start at thesound of the signal whistle, just as if the sly beast understood that itmust surely spell danger for one of his type.
"Get ready to back me up, George, Jimmy!" Jack whispered.
They understood that since Jack carried the repeating rifle, it ought tobe his duty to fire first. Should he make a failure, then they couldcome in, to try and load the marauding bear with all the lead possible.If, after all, the beast managed to get away, he would at least surelycarry the marks of the warm engagement with him the rest of his naturallife.
By this time both Herb and Nick had discovered what was going on, and,naturally enough, they were deeply interested.
"Give him Hail Columbia, Jack!" called Herb, waving his ax above hishead, as he stood there on the deck of the gallant old _Comfort_,looking as though ready to hurl defiance at all the bears in SouthFlorida.
"Oh! be sure and pot him, Jack!" cried Nick, entreatingly. "I alwayswanted to see what real bear steak tasted like. And honest now, I reckonit'll be sweeter because the old villain ran me up this tree. Get a beadon h
im, and make dead sure of your aim. Don't I wish I had some buckshotshells up here? Wouldn't I have enjoyed peppering him, though. Wow! givehim another for his mother, Jack!"
Jack had waited until the bear turned, so as to expose his side. Itwas his desire to send the bullet so that it would strike just back ofthe foreleg, because he had always been told that that was the mostvulnerable spot in which to hit any large animal.
When the opportunity came he sent in his card. Instantly there arose atremendous commotion. The bear sent out a series of roars and whirledaround, to fall down, and then struggle to its feet again, while Nickshouted in his excitement, and the other fellows added their voices tohis chorus.
Jack coolly pumped another cartridge into the firing chamber of hisrepeating rifle, and stood ready to make a second try, if he foundreason to believe such action were needed.
It was quickly proven to his satisfaction that nothing of the kind wasrequired. The bear soon toppled over again, and from the way in whichthe poor animal kicked it was plain to be seen that the last stage hadcome.
"Bully! we're going to have bear steaks all right!" laughed the pleasedNick; and then he added: "Say, Jack, do you really believe the oldsinner's kicked the bucket, or is he playing a little game to coax medown? I'm sore from hanging up here so long. Give him a punch and see ifhe moves, George. My gracious! what ails Josh, and where'd he get thatnightcap he's wearing?"--and, overcome by curiosity, the fat boy camesliding down the bending sapling, to land in a heap at its foot.
Herb too came ashore, filled with wonder, and eager to hear the story,which was told as they stood around the body of the bear that hadinvaded the camp, and sent Nick in hot haste "shinning" up a tree.