A warm and bountiful breakfast seemed to put new animation in them all.
Even that born grumbler, George, admitted the sun did shine "fairly well," and that coffee, bacon and flapjacks with syrup, all served lavishly as regarded quant.i.ty, made life worth living again.
"I don"t believe I was ever so hungry as this morning," Rufus candidly declared, as he gulped down his third cup of coffee, and eyed the last flapjack as if tempted to gorge himself, though already as full as prudence dictated.
"That"s because so far in life you"ve lived on Easy Street," Lil Artha told him, "and never have known what it meant to miss a single meal.
Some of us have gone a day without a bite, and we know how it goes on an empty stomach. I warrant you right now some woods animals are feeling that way too, because they couldn"t get around last night as usual."
It was strange that this casual remark on the part of Lil Artha should be fully confirmed before a great while had pa.s.sed, and in a most convincing fashion.
Alec chanced to be the one fated to bring the thing about. None of them meant to wander away from camp until noon had come, and the warm sun had had a chance to dry things out; but being a little restless, and, moreover, inspired with a desire to ascertain if any of those ill-fated trees had fallen close to the camp, he picked up a heavy walking stick and stepped out.
"Be sure you don"t go farther than you can hear Lil Artha chopping with the ax," cautioned Elmer, seeing him about to take a stroll; "and if you fail to catch any sound, or need help, just give a whoop. We"ll answer right away."
"Hoot, mon," said the Scotch lad, a bit sarcastically, "d"ye ken I"ve cut me eye-teeth the while as a scout? I"m observing all aboot me, and I find it mair interesting than I ever believed could be possible. I"m o"er glad now I made up my mind to join the troop. Now I"ll gang awa"
and be verra careful. And if some fearsome beastie jumps up in front o"
me ye"ll hear me shout at the tap o" my voice."
He went away, still laughing, as though he thought it a good joke. Lil Artha continued to ply his ax industriously, meaning to lay by a good store of firewood while at the job; though Elmer warned him that task should really fall to the greenhorns, since neither of them seemed to be much of a cook, and it was only fair the various duties about the camp should be impartially shared alike by all the party.
Hardly had ten minutes pa.s.sed when the four by the fire heard a shout.
Elmer instantly answered it, thinking, of course, that as Lil Artha had dropped his ax Alec wanted some sound to serve as a guide to locating the camp. To the astonishment, and also consternation of the others, they heard the Scotch lad calling:
"Here"s a hungry cat facing me, and growling like everything. Aye, but he"s wild to get at me, and I don"t know just what a braw scout should do under the circ.u.mstances. Shall I gi"e the gillie a rap o"er the head wi" me stick; or beat a retreat like a wise general? I"m no" so taken wi" his looks I confess that I"m wishin" to make his further acquaintance. Hey; ye would bite me, eh? Tak" that, then, and learn better manners!"
Elmer s.n.a.t.c.hed up another stick, while Lil Artha darted over to the tent and immediately reappeared bearing his trusty Marlin. They knew what it meant to be attacked by an angry bobcat, even if it was far in the morning, and these animals usually hide during the better part of the day, preferring the shades of night for their prowling.
Even as the pair started toward the spot, followed in turn by George and Rufus, as soon as the others could manage to find some sort of crude weapon, they heard a most terrific crashing going on. There were also short cries, now of pain and again of momentary triumph, to tell how Alec was progressing in his task of beating off the savage attack of the hungry wildcat.
There was no trouble in locating the spot where all this disturbance was taking place; the scuffling of Alec"s feet, his jerky cries, and now and then a plainly heard snarl from the enraged cat led them as truly as the magnetic needle of the mariner"s compa.s.s points out the North Star.
When they finally came in sight of the little woods drama they were thrilled to see how the brave Scotch lad managed to keep his four-footed enemy at bay by means of his clever strokes with his stick. Even as they looked he gave the beast a good blow upon the head that rolled it over; but instantly the cat was on its feet once more, and leaping at him.
The performance was repeated, with the same result; but in case Alec failed in his stroke, he stood a good chance of having the animal land on his breast, when its claws and teeth would do terrible damage.
"Get the beast, Lil Artha!" cried Elmer, seeing that even their bursting on the scene did not appear to intimidate the enraged feline adversary that Alec was battling with.
He had hardly given the word than a report sounded. Lil Artha had once been quite a smart hunter, though of late his ambition to excel along those lines had waned. On this occasion his aim was particularly true, for the cat was seen to be writhing on the ground, as though fatally injured. Lil Artha immediately ran up and dispatched the dying beast with several blows from a stone; for although a hunter by instinct, Lil Artha could not be cruel and see anything needlessly suffer.
"I sure hated to have to do it the worst kind," he told Elmer, as he looked down at the now quiet beast, ferocious even in death, "because I reckon now she"s got kits somewhere near by, which was what made her act so savage like. She smelled the food in camp, and was sneaking around in hopes of stealing something, when Alec, he chanced to run across her, and I guess waved his stick in a way she didn"t just like. But I had to shoot her, and you thought the same, Elmer, you know."
"Yes, it couldn"t be helped," the scout-master told him, "and besides, a fellow need hardly ever be ashamed of making way with a wildcat, because they are mighty destructive to all game. Why, this one beast would, in the course of a year, devour more young partridges, quail, rabbits and squirrels than half a dozen human hunters. And besides, I was afraid she might get inside Alec"s guard, though he did swing that stick of his in great fashion."
"A few scratches is all the beastie managed to gi"e me," admitted the still panting Alec, and then, as he looked down on his now quiet adversary, he shook his head, continuing: "faith I tauld ye to tak yersil" awa" and leave me alone, but ye knew best. I"m awfu" sorry ye had to be kilt, but it was no fault o" mine."
Elmer and Lil Artha exchanged satisfied glances. They both felt that for a tenderfoot, Alec had proven a credit to the troop, and this was encouraging. After all, this outing seemed bound to be the making of a couple of embryo scouts; it would bring out whatever good qualities they possessed, and show what sort of foundation there might be for their immediate future.
"Come back to camp with me right away, Alec," Elmer told the other, who was still curiously examining the dead cat, especially interested in its savage looking claws and the cruel teeth that were exposed in the snarl that death had set upon its face. "I want to take a look at those same little scratches you mention. They may appear harmless enough, but many a fine hunter has died from such simple things."
Of course Alec was astounded. He stared hard at his hands, and shook his head in a skeptical way.
"I ha"e nae doot but that ye knaw best, Elmer," he finally said, "but would ye tell me the noo how such a wee bit o" scratches could mean so much?"
"Blood poisoning is apt to set in," explained the other, readily enough, as he locked arms with the Scotch lad and hurried him off toward the camp. "You see, carnivorous animals that live upon the flesh of their prey are apt to have their claws contaminated. Even a slight abrasion caused by those claws is impregnated with just so much danger. Nothing might come of it; but scouts believe in taking as little chances as possible. I"ve got a phial of permanganate of potash along for just such purposes, and we"ll daub some of it on. You"ll resemble a wild Indian with the splotches, for it stains a deep purple, but safety first before looks."
Indeed, Alec did look rather odd after his several slight injuries had been duly attended to, for Elmer did not spare the "painting."
"I wish me mither could see me the noo," chuckled the Scotch boy, after he had surveyed his mottled appearance in a tiny hand mirror one of them had been thoughtful enough to fetch along. "Ye ken, she"s often tauld me aboot the Highland chiefs in their war-paint in the gude auld days of lang syne. I warran ye she"d think her son and heir had copied after the McGregor, Rob Roy, ye remimber, our outlaw ancestor."
Lil Artha was to fetch along the defunct wildcat, for it was designed to save the skin, and present it, when properly tanned, to Alec, who could use it in his den at home for a small mat. Every time he looked down at it he must be forcibly reminded of his stirring adventure, and it would serve to encourage him in his endeavor to become a first-cla.s.s scout.
It was perhaps half an hour afterwards that Elmer heard voices, and looking toward the spot where Lil Artha had been working with the pelt of the bobcat, he was both surprised and thrilled to discover that the long-legged scout was talking with a small party in whom Elmer immediately recognized Conrad Shock!
CHAPTER XIII
A CALL FOR HELP
"WHAT"S this mean?" Elmer heard George saying, which proved that the other had also discovered Conrad"s presence. "I reckon that must be your Boy Wonder with the fiddle and the bow, Elmer. Now, whatever brought him away over here to visit us, do you think? Perhaps his folks don"t know that scouts are at home in the woods, no matter what sort of gay storm crops up. Mebbe now they were afraid some of us had suffered. Well, it was nice of them to send a messenger, anyhow."
But Elmer was disposed to view the matter differently. He could see that there was a look of considerable apprehension visible on the peaked face of Conrad. Elmer scented some kind of trouble at once. The boy had sought them out, possibly sent with a message by his mother.
Lil Artha had entirely suspended operations with the pelt which he had been engaged in fastening to a crude but effective stretching board, fashioned after the directions he had received from the old scientist and trapper some of the boys had visited a while before.[B]
Lil Artha loved good music, in which he differed from George. Hence he had felt considerable interest in all Elmer told them about Conrad being the direct descendant of the famous violinist, Ovid Anderson, of whom he had often heard. He was in truth quite eager himself to hear the child play, though ready to take Elmer"s word for it that Conrad was the possessor of wonderful genius.
As Elmer hastened toward the spot Lil Artha looked around and discovered him.
"Hi! here"s your young friend come to hunt you up, Elmer!" he called out. "He is just telling me that his mother sent him. I hope now there"s nothing gone wrong over at their place. If we can do anything, of course we"d be only too willing."
The boy shot him a look of grat.i.tude at hearing Lil Artha say this. Then he turned eagerly toward Elmer.
"Mother sent me over to see you," he went on to say in a voice that quivered a little despite his manly effort to control his feelings.
"I hope she isn"t sick, Conrad?" ventured the scout-master, anxiously.
"No, it"s father," the boy said after he had gulped several times. "You see, he hasn"t come home; and we"re so afraid something dreadful has happened to him."
Elmer looked doubly concerned.
"Do you mean he was away from home during that awful storm last night?"
he went on to ask.
The other nodded his head, and then managed to explain further. Even the proximity of Elmer seemed to have already done him much good; for there was a certain atmosphere connected with the resolute scout-leader that inspired the utmost confidence.
"He started to go to the lake that is farthest away, for there are two small ones, you may not know," Conrad explained. "He had some set lines there that needed attention, and we wanted the fish for eating, too. But father backed out once, for he said he had wrenched his leg and felt a little lame. But in the end he decided to start, though mother didn"t just like him to go."