Lieutenant Wingate answered the hail. A few moments later they descried a horseman riding through the forest towards the camp.
The newcomer was dressed in khaki, wearing an army hat and high lace boots. Grace recognized the uniform at once, having seen it before when foresting with Tom Gray. Her identification was confirmed when she caught sight of the bronze badge of the Forest Service, which the stalwart rider wore on his left breast. His face was rugged and weatherbeaten, and the strength of the wilderness was in his eye, though the man"s facial expression, at that moment, was far from pleasant.
The forest ranger, or fire warden, halted and surveyed the camp with a slow, searching gaze, narrowly observing the crackling campfire, then suddenly bent a stern look on each member of the Overland party.
"Morning, Buddy. You are just in time to sit in with us for a snack of breakfast," greeted Lieutenant Wingate cordially.
"Put out that fire!" commanded the ranger sternly, pointing a lean brown finger at the cook fire that had grown into a lively blaze.
CHAPTER XIV
THEIR DAY AT HOME
"What is wrong about the fire, sir?" questioned Grace pleasantly.
"Have you a permit to build fires in these woods?"
"We have not," spoke up Hippy. "Why?"
"Then put it out!"
"Just a moment, old top. Who sent you here?" demanded Hippy.
"The Dusenbery outfit that"s cutting on Forty-three notified me by telephone yesterday that a party of campers had set on fire and burned off several thousand feet of timber. He said there were two men and a party of women--that they were rough-necks, and a lot of other things. I haven"t anything to do with that, but I"m going to see to it that you don"t do any more damage to the forest."
"Peg Tatem, eh?" reflected Hippy. "How did you find us? Did Peg tell you where we were?"
"I saw your smoke yesterday, but couldn"t rightly place you till this morning when I smelled your smoke and found I was close to you. Are you going to douse the fire?"
"I think not, sir," answered Grace.
The ranger sprang from his horse and strode towards the campfire. Hippy stepped between him and the blaze.
"Don"t do anything childish. Let the fire alone. When we want the fire out we will put it out ourselves," reminded Lieutenant Wingate.
The ranger drew back an arm as if about to strike at the Overland Rider when a menacing growl at his side caused the forest man to spring back.
He had recognized that growl instantly. Henry, standing on his hind legs, "arms" extended, was ready for fight, following a gentle prodding and a "Sick "im, Henry," from his mistress.
The ranger whipped out his revolver.
"Drop that gun!" yelled Joe Shafto. "That"s my bear!"
"Don"t shoot! He is a pet bear," admonished Lieutenant Wingate. "That is Henry. Oh, are you awake?" he added, as Hindenburg rolled over, blinked, and then dashed out and began barking at the stranger.
"What"s this--a circus?" wondered the ranger.
"I give ye fair notice it"ll be a circus if ye don"t let that bear be,"
warned the forest woman in a shrill high-pitched voice.
"Put away your gun, Mister Man. There"s nothing to shoot here, unless you get too confounded obstreperous," urged Hippy, now smiling. "My name"s Wingate, Lieutenant Wingate, late of the Army Flying Corps in our late unpleasantness with the Hun. What"s yours?"
"Chatworth"s my name. I"m the warden up here, and, not having a permit to have a fire in the forest, you"ll have to hit the lumber trail for the open country."
"Nothing doing! You will have to dope out something better than that to induce us to leave," grinned Hippy.
Grace demanded to know where the ranger got his authority for stating that they should have a fire permit.
"It"s my authority!" he answered brusquely.
"Who told you to a.s.sume such authority?" interjected Miss Briggs in the calm judicial voice that was hers when trying a lawsuit.
"I"m not answering fool questions. You heard what I said. Are you going?"
"Well--yes, of course we are going, but it may be a month or two before we do go. If you will kindly give me your address I"ll drop you a picture card later on, telling you when we expect to leave the Big North Woods," drawled Lieutenant Wingate.
"Hippy, I do not believe that Mr. Chatworth fully understands who and what we are," interjected Grace. "We take such trips as this one every summer, sir, and we are not greenhorns in the forest. We realize the danger of fire to the forests as fully as well as you do. For your information, I will merely say that we were in no wise to blame for the fire at Section Forty-three. A tree fell over and scattered the embers of our campfire, thus starting the forest fire and--"
"All the more reason why you"re not fit to be in the woods," answered the ranger roughly.
"Cut the rough talk!" admonished Lieutenant Wingate severely. "Had it not been for us that blaze would have swept the whole state. We fought it all night and until nearly noon next day. Stop growling! If you keep on growling the bear and my bull pup will think you are an animal and sail into you for keeps."
"As I was about to say," reminded Grace, "my husband is a forester and is in the North Woods now on official business. He was with us when the fire occurred, and will join us further along in a few weeks."
"Eh? What"s his name?" demanded the ranger sharply, eyeing Grace with new interest in his eyes.
"Tom Gray," answered Grace.
"Is he the fellow that"s cruising the timber up here for the state?"
"Yes."
"Humph! Why didn"t you say so before?"
"I presume because you did not ask me," returned Grace demurely. "Now that you understand, won"t you please sit down and have breakfast with us? We have plenty and really shall be glad to have you."
"Well, I reckon I might as well," decided the ranger, striding over and tying his horse to a sapling.
Hippy introduced him to the members of the Overland party, the ranger bowing awkwardly, but with the quiet dignity so characteristic of those who have learned their lesson from the heart of nature herself.
"Sorry, folks, that I had to be up a tree with you, but we must do our duty and protect this forest. There are not many of "em left in these United States, and what there is, are going fast. I"ll have a snack with you."
"Peace has been declared," murmured Emma.
"Keep that menagerie away! I don"t like bears nosing around me any more"n I do wolves."