“No, I got somet’ing else to do, Dom. By chiminy! Of da charge so much as dot I ton’t took no bictures, not much!”
“Well, maybe we can fix it so you won’t have to pay any license,” returned Tom, calmly. “But jump in—dinner is waiting for us at home.”
“Say, what a dandy car!” cried Fred. “I’ve been anxious to see it ever since you wrote about it.”
“Tell us all about dear old Putnam Hall,” said Sam to Hans, when the crowd were on the way to the farm, and the German boy told them all the news. Then Fred told about himself, and how he was thinking of going into business with his uncle.
“Where are you going to camp?” asked Fred, just before the farm was reached.
“We thought of going up the Swift river,” said Dick. “But maybe we’ll go over to Lake Nasco. There is a fine spot up there for camping, and we can have the use of a small sailboat.”
“That would be fine, Dick!”
“We’ll talk it over tonight—after you have had supper.”
Fred and Hans had been at the farm before and the old folks greeted them warmly. As usual, Mrs. Rover had a substantial meal prepared, and it did her good to see how both Hans and Fred relished the things provided. The German youth especially had a good appetite, and he stowed away so much it looked as if he would burst.
“Say, we’ll have to take along lots to eat,” whispered Sam to Dick. “If we don’t, Hans will clean us out in no time.”
“Well, we’ll take all we need,” answered the big brother.
After supper the five lads talked over the plans for camping out, and it was finally decided that they should journey up the Swift River to Lake Nasco. They were to remain in camp for a week or ten days, and possibly two weeks.
As my old readers know, the Swift River could not be navigated around the Falls—those awful falls where the boys had once had such a harrowing experience. But further up, the watercourse was fairly deep and smooth, and from that point the boys decided to take the small sailboat and either sail or row to the lake, two miles further on.
“We’ll drive to the boat landing with the farm wagon,” said Dick. “Jack Ness can take us, and bring the wagon back.”
On Sunday the entire family went to the village church and the visitors accompanied them. In the afternoon the boys inspected their outfits and took it easy. Fred and Hans sent letters home, stating they had arrived safely, and the Rovers sent letters to Cedarville.
“Hans, while you are in camp, don’t forget to take a picture of the Pluibuscus,” said Tom. “They don’t charge to take those.”
“Vot is dot?” asked Hans innocently.
“What, didn’t you ever see a Pluibuscus!” demanded Tom, in astonishment. “It’s a sort of a Cantonoko, only larger. They live in holes, like bears, only they have four wings, located between the sixth and the seventh legs.”
“Mine cracious, Dom, vot you talkin’ apout, ennavay?” demanded the German boy. “I ton’t know no animals vot got legs and vings alretty. Vos da very pig?”
“No, they are not pigs.”
“Vot? I tidn’t say pig. I say vos da pig—pig—pig. Ton’t you understand?”
“Sure I understand. They are not pigs.”
“Dot ain’t it at all. I say vos da pig—so pig or so pig?” And the German boy put out his hands, first close together and then wide apart.
“Oh, you mean large?”
“Yah, dot’s him.”
“Oh, they are about the size of a horse, that is, when they are young. As they grow older they get smaller, so that an old Pluibuscus is about the size of a dog. But it’s the horns you have to look out for. They are pointed like daggers and very poisonous.”
“Du meine zeit! Den I ton’t vont to meet none of dose Pluricustibusters, or vot you call dem,” and Hans shook his head, decidedly.
“If you see one I advise you to run,” put in Sam, who was enjoying the fun.
“Run? You bet my life I run!” cried Hans.
“The best way to get away is to run into the water,” went on Tom. “They hate the water. Just run into the lake and duck down and keep hidden for five or ten minutes and the Pluibuscus will walk away in disgust.”
“How vos I going to keep mine head under der vater fife oder den minutes?” questioned Hans, in perplexity.
“Oh, take a deep breath,” suggested Fred.
“I can’t do him so long as dot.”
“Poke a hole in the water to breathe through,” suggested Dick.
“Say, I guess you vos making fun!” cried Hans, suspiciously. “Maybe dare ain’t no Pluicusisduster at all. Dot’s—vot you call him?—Yah! He is a fish story!”
“Tom, you’re discovered!” screamed Sam, and then there was a roar of laughter. Hans looked a bit sheepish, but took the fun in good part.
“Put I get square, see of I ton’t!” he said, shaking his finger at Tom.
Sunday evening there was a light shower and the boys were much worried, thinking it might keep on raining. But the shower passed by morning and the sun came out bright and clear.
“And now ho! for camp!” cried Sam “Come on, the sooner we start the better.”
An early breakfast was procured, and the camping outfit, consisting of the tent, their fishing and hunting outfits, blankets and extra clothing, and a quantity of food, canned and otherwise, was loaded on the big farm wagon.
“All ready?” asked Dick.
“All ready, so far as I can see,” answered Sam.
“Vait! vait!” cried Hans, “I got to get mine ear coferings!” And he ran back into the house.
“Ear coverings?” queried Tom.
“Yes,” answered Fred, with a smile. “His mother made him a pair of coverings of mosquito netting, so that ants or other insects couldn’t crawl into his ears while he was sleeping.”
“Not such a bad idea,” said Dick. “But he needed them more in the West Indies than he’ll need them here.”
Soon Hans appeared with his ear coverings, and then the lads said good-bye. The whip cracked, and they were off on their outing. Little did they dream of how the holidays were to come to an abrupt end.
The road along the river was a rather rough one and they had to proceed slowly, for fear of jouncing off part of the load. But the lads were in the best of spirits and as they rode along they sang and cracked jokes to their hearts’ content. Tom had the last of his “doctored” cigars with him and he passed this over to Jack Ness, and all had a hearty laugh when the hired man lit up and was treated to a dose of the “worms.”
“By gum! I might have remembered about them cigars!” murmured the wagon driver. “I laffed at Ricks an’ now you got the same laff on me!”
“Never mind, Jack, you buy something worth smoking, when you go to town,” said Tom, and slyly slipped a silver quarter into the hired man’s palm.
It was noon-time when they reached the spot where they could get the sailboat. This was hired from a man living in the vicinity, and that individual’s wife supplied all hands with dinner, for the boys did not want to touch their stores until necessary. Then the sailboat was loaded and the boys got on board.
“We’ll have to row,” said Dick. “There isn’t breeze enough to do any good.”
“Well, rowing suits me,” cried Sam, and caught up an oar and Tom did the same.
“I’ll spell you after a bit,” said Fred. “It is not fair to let you do all the work.”
“So will I,” added Dick.
“Yah, and me,” nodded Hans.
“Good-bye, Jack!” cried all, and waved their hands to the hired man.
“Tell the folks not to worry—that we will be all right,” added Dick.
“Have a good time!” answered Jack Ness. Then Sam and Tom started to row, and slowly the boat moved in the direction of Lake Nasco.
C
HAPTER XIII
HANS MUELLER’S QUEER CATCH
Lake Nasco was an irregular sheet of water, about three miles long by a quarter of a mile wide. It was not very deep, excepting at one spot near the upper end. In the center were several islands, known locally as the Cat and Kittens.
The spot the Rover boys had in mind for their camp was located near the upper shore, where a series of rocks ran out to the deep water. Here would be a good place for the sailboat, and here the fishing would be good and also the swimming.
The whole crowd took turns at rowing, and when the lake was reached Sam and Hans got out their fishing outfits and started to troll.
“I don’t know if I can catch anything, but if I am successful, we can have fried fish for supper,” said Sam.
“Yum! yum! that would just suit me!” cried Fred. “Fish just caught are so much better than those from the store.”
It was not long before Sam felt a tug on his line. He hauled in quickly and found a fair-sized perch.
“Hurrah! first luck!” he cried, his face beaming with pleasure.
“Huh! dot ain’t mooch of a fish!” was Han’s comment. “Chust vait till you see vot I cotch!”
They continued to troll, and presently Sam hooked a medium-sized pickerel. The fish was game and he had to play it a little before Dick was able to bring it in with the net.
“Say, I guess we had better all try our luck,” said Tom. “This sport suits me down to the ground.”
“No, Tom, let us get to camp,” replied his elder brother. “Remember, we have got to cut poles for the tent and cut firewood, and do a lot of things before we go to bed. You can fish all you please tomorrow.”
The boat moved on and soon Hans got a bite. It was another perch, about the size of the one caught by Sam. Then Sam got another, but of a different stripe.
Suddenly Hans’ line tightened and the German youth stood up in his excitement.
“Vait! I got a pite!” he cried. “Say, dot is a pig feller I guess!” he added.
They stopped in their rowing and watched Hans try to land his catch. He tugged on the line, which grew taut and threatened to snap.
“Play him a little, Hans,” suggested Dick. And the line was let out cautiously. Then Hans commenced to reel in once more. Slowly but surely his catch came closer.
“What have you got, Hans, a maskalonge!”
“Maybe it’s a whale!”
“Or a water snake!”
“Cracious, vos der vater snakes here?” questioned the German boy, turning slightly pale.
“Sure there are,” answered Tom, readily. “Some of ’em are fifteen and twenty feet long.”
“Dom, you vos choking.”
“No, I’m not choking,” answered Tom. “My breath is regular.”
“You know vot I mean.”
“Oh, pull in the catch!” cried Fred, impatiently.
“That’s the talk!” added Sam. “Say, Hans, you’ve got something big that’s sure.”
Slowly but steadily the German youth reeled in, until his bait was within a few feet of the boat. Then from the water came something long and dark and slimy.
“It’s a water snake!” yelled Tom.
“Oh my! safe me, somepody!” screamed Hans, and fell back in fright and came close to falling overboard. “Cut der line! Ton’t let him pite me!”
“It’s no snake!” said Sam, quickly. “But what is it?”
“I’ll soon know,” answered Dick, and pulled in on the line a little more. Then the object came alongside the boat and the boys set up a shout.
“A piece of old rope!”
“With a knot for a snake’s head!”
“And a rock at the other end. This must have been used by somebody for an anchor.”
“That’s it!”
“Say, vos you sure dot ain’t no vater snake?” asked Hans, timidly. He had crawled to the bow of the boat, as far from the line as possible.
“See for yourself, Hans,” answered Dick.
Hans went forward cautiously and his eyes opened in wonder. Then a sickly grin spread over his round face.
“Huh! Dot’s a fine fish, ain’t he? Say, Sam, vos you goin’ to fry him in putter oder in lard alretty?” And at this quaint query all the other boys set up a hearty laugh.
“Guess you’d better give up fishing now,” said Dick, after the merriment was over. “We’ve got enough for supper, and the best thing we can do is to reach the end of the lake and fix up our camp for the night. We want everything in first-class shape, so that if a storm comes our things won’t get soaked.”
“Oh, don’t say storm!” cried Fred. “I don’t want to see rain.”
“We are bound to get some, Fred, sooner or later.”
The fishing outfits were put away, and once more the boat moved over the bosom of the lake. They had passed three other boats and saw one camp on the north shore.
“Hope we find the Point deserted,” said Dick.
“So do I,” answered Tom. “We want to camp all by ourselves this time.”
It was not long before they came in sight of the shore and the rocky Point. Not a soul was in sight. They brought the boat around to a little cove and all leaped ashore. Near at hand was the remains of a campfire, but it looked a week or more old.
“Nobody here,” said Dick.
“What an ideal spot for camping!” was Fred’s comment, as he gazed around. And he was right. The shore sloped gently down to the water’s edge, and was backed up by a patch of woods. Among the trees were some rocks, and between them a spring of clear, cold water. Not far off was the cove, where the sailboat could be tied up.
“Well, what’s the first thing to do?” questioned Tom.
“Cut poles for the tent, and also cut some firewood,” answered Dick. “Bring out the hatchets, fellows!”
Two hatchets had been brought along, and all hands were soon at work, getting the camp into shape and starting a fire. Dick selected the poles for the tent and cut them down and trimmed them. Fred built the fire, and Sam cleaned the fish. Then everybody took a hand at raising the tent and fastening it down tightly with pegs. A trench was dug at the rear of the canvas covering, so that if it rained the water would run off towards the lake. The tent was a large one, and in the rear they stored their extra clothing and food. Then they cut down boughs for bedding and got out their blankets.
“The water is boiling,” announced Fred, who had put a kettle on some sticks over the fire.
“Well, now the tent is fixed, we’ll have supper,” said Dick, who had been made leader. “I reckon we are all hungry enough.”
“I know I am,” said Sam.
“I dink I could eat a leetle,” said Hans, winking one eye laboriously.
“Want a piece of fried water snake, Hans?” asked Tom, dryly.
“No, Dom, I dake a steak from dot Pluibusterduster,” answered the German youth, with a grin.
Sam knew how to fry fish to perfection, and soon an appetizing odor filled the air. Fred made the coffee, and boiled some potatoes. They had brought along some fresh bread and cut slices from one of the loaves. They also had a few cookies, made by Mrs. Rover.
“Say, this is the best fish I ever tasted!” cried Dick, when they were eating.
“So I say!” added Fred. “Sam, if you don’t mind, I’ll take another piece.”
“It’s the fresh air that tunes up a fellow’s appetite,” remarked Tom. “Stay out a month and you’ll want to eat like a horse.”
“Nothing the matter with my appetite at any time,” murmured Sam. “Oh, Hans, what’s the matter?” he demanded, as he saw the German lad throw his head into the air.
“He’s choking!” exclaimed Dick, leaping up in alarm.
“It—it vo—vos ch—chust a fi—fish pone!” gasped Hans. “He got in mine neck sidevays al
retty!”
“Better be careful after this,” cautioned Dick. “Here, swallow a piece of dry bread. That will help to carry it down.” And it did, and then Hans felt better.
As night came on the boys prepared their beds and then gathered around the campfire and talked, and told stories. All were in the best of humor, and they talked of their old schooldays at Putnam Hall, and of the jokes played on the other boys, and on Josiah Crabtree, and on Peleg Snuggers, the general utility man.
“Those were certainly great days,” said Fred, almost sadly. “I wish they could come back.”
“Well, we’ve got to look ahead, not backwards,” answered Dick.
“How some of the fellows have changed,” went on Fred. “Just think of what a bully Dan Baxter used to be!”
“Yes, and now he is a real good fellow, and doing well as a commercial traveler,” said Tom.
“It’s too bad that Tad Sobber can’t turn over a new leaf.”
“Maybe he will, some day,” came from Sam.
“I don’t believe it is in him,” answered Dick. “He is not like Dan Baxter was. Dan got awfully hot-headed at times, but Sobber is a regular knave—one of the oily, sneaking kind.”
“Have you seen him since his injunction against the Stanhopes was dismissed in court?”
“No, but I have heard from him, Fred. He is after that fortune, still.”
“What can he do?”
“We don’t know. But he is bound to make trouble, some way or other. It makes me sick to think of it.”
“Then let us talk about something else,” said Tom; and then the lads branched off into a discussion of how the days to come were to be spent.
“Any big game left around here?” asked Fred.
“Not that I know of, Fred. And you couldn’t shoot it anyway—it is out of season.”
“Maybe we can get some rabbits.”
“They aren’t of much account this time of year—and they are out of season, too. We’ll have to depend mostly on fishing.”
It was nearly ten o’clock before they turned in. Then Sam was so sleepy he could hardly keep his eyes open.
“Anybody going to stay on guard?” asked Fred.
The Rover Boys Megapack Page 226