"Aha, Sappy, you got to go home; the straw says so."
"I ain"t goin" to believe no such foolishness."
"It"s awful unlucky to go against it."
"I don"t care, I ain"t goin" back," said Guy doggedly.
"Well, my straw says go to the house; that means go scouting for milk, I reckon."
Yan"s straw pointed toward the garden, and Guy"s to the residence and grounds of "J.G. Burns, Esq."
"I don"t care," said Sappy, "I ain"t goin". I am goin" after some of them cherries in your orchard, an" "twon"t be the first time, neither."
"We kin meet by the Ba.s.swood at the foot of the lane with whatever we get," said the First War Chief, as he sneaked into the bushes and crawled through the snake fence and among the nettles and manure heaps on the north side of the barnyard till he reached the woodshed adjoining the house. He knew where the men were, and he could guess where his mother was, but he was worried about the Dog. Old Cap might be on the front doorstep, or he might be prowling at just the wrong place for the Injun plan. The woodshed b.u.t.ted on the end of the kitchen. The milk was kept in the cellar, and one window of the cellar opened into a dark corner of the woodshed. This was easily raised, and Sam scrambled down into the cool damp cellar. Long rows of milk pans were in sight on the shelves. He lifted the cover of the one he knew to be the last put there and drank a deep, long draught with his mouth down to it, then licked the cream from his lips and remembered that he had come without a pail. But he knew where to get one. He went gently up the stairs, avoiding steps Nos. 1 and 7 because they were "creakers," as he found out long ago, when he used to "hook" maple sugar from the other side of the house. The door at the top was closed and b.u.t.toned, but he put his jack-knife blade through the crack and turned the b.u.t.ton. After listening awhile and hearing no sound in the kitchen, he gently opened the squeaky old door. There was no one to be seen but the baby, sound asleep in her cradle. The outer door was open, but no Dog lying on the step as usual. Over the kitchen was a garret entered by a trap-door and a ladder. The ladder was up and the trap-door open, but all was still. Sam stood over the baby, grunted, "Ugh, Paleface papoose," raised his hand as if wielding a war club, aimed a deadly blow at the sleeping cherub, then stooped and kissed her rosy mouth so lightly that her pink fists went up to rub it at once. He now went to the pantry, took a large pie and a tin pail, then down into the cellar again. He, at first, merely closed the door behind him and was leaving it so, but remembered that Minnie might awaken and toddle around till she might toddle into the cellar, therefore he turned the b.u.t.ton so that just a corner showed over the crack, closed the door and worked with his knife blade on that corner till the cellar was made as safe as before. He now escaped with his pie and pail.
Meanwhile his mother"s smiling face beamed out of the dark loft. Then she came down the ladder. She had seen him come and enter the cellar, by chance she was in the loft when he reached the kitchen, but she had kept quiet to enjoy the joke.
Next time the Woodp.e.c.k.e.r went to the cellar he found a paper with this on it: "_Notice_ to hostile Injuns--Next time you ma.s.sacree this settlement, bring back the pail, and don"t leave the covers off the milk pans."
Yan had followed the fence that ran south of the house. There was plenty of cover, but he crawled on hands and knees, going right down on his breast when he came to places more open than the rest. In this way he had nearly reached the garden when he heard a noise behind and, turning, he saw Sappy.
"Here, what are you following me for? Your straw pointed the other way. You ain"t playing fair."
"Well, I don"t care, I ain"t going home. _You_ fixed it up so my straw would point that way. It ain"t fair, an" I won"t do it."
"You got no right following me."
"I ain"t following you, but you keep going just the place I want to go. It"s you following me, on"y keepin" ahead. I told you I was after cherries."
"Well, the cherries are that way and I"m going this way, and I don"t want you along."
"You couldn"t get me if you wanted me."
"Erh----"
"Erh----"
So Sappy went cherryward and Yan waited awhile, then crawled toward the fruit garden. After twenty or thirty yards more, he saw a gleam of red, then under it a bright yellow eye glaring at him. He had chanced on a hen sitting on her nest. He came nearer, she took alarm and ran away, not clucking, but cackling loudly. There were a dozen eggs of two different styles, all bright and clean, and the hen"s comb was bright red. Yan knew hens. This was easy to read: Two stray hens laying in one nest, and neither of them sitting yet.
"So ho! Straws show which way the hens go."
He gathered up the eggs into his hat and crawled back toward the tree where all had to meet.
But before he had gone far he heard a loud barking, then yells for help, and turned in time to see Guy scramble up a tree while Cap, the old Collie, barked savagely at him from below. Now that he was in no danger Sappy had the sense to keep quiet. Yan came back as quickly as possible. The Dog at once recognized and obeyed _him_, but doubtless was much puzzled to make out why he should be pelted back to the house when he had so n.o.bly done his duty by the orchard.
"Now, you see, maybe next time you"ll do what the medicine straw tells you. Only for me you"d been caught and fed to the pigs, sure."
"Only for you I wouldn"t have come. I wasn"t scared of your old Dog, anyway. Just in about two minutes more I was comin" down to kick the stuffin" out o" him myself."
"Perhaps you"d like to go back and do it now. I"ll soon call him."
"Oh, I hain"t got time now, but some other time--Let"s find Sam."
So they foregathered at the tree, and laden with their spoils, they returned gloriously to camp.
V
The Deer Hunt
That evening they had a feast and turned in to sleep at the usual hour. The night pa.s.sed without special alarm. Once about daylight Sappy called them, saying he believed there was a Bear outside, but he had a trick of grinding his teeth in his sleep, and the other boys told him that was the Bear he heard.
Yan went around to the mud alb.u.ms and got some things he could not make out and a new mark that gave him a sensation. He drew it carefully. It was evidently the print of a small sharp hoof. This was what he had hungered for so long. He shouted, "Sam--Sam--Sapwood, come here; here"s a _Deer track_."
The boys shouted back, "Ah, what you givin" us now!" "Call off your Dog!" and so forth.
But Yan persisted. The boys were so sure it was a trick that they would not go for some time, then the sun had risen high, shining straight down on the track instead of across, so it became very dim.
Soon the winds, the birds and the boys themselves helped to wipe it out. But Yan had his drawing, and persisted in spite of the teasing that it was true.
At length Guy said aside to Sam: "Seems to me a feller that hunts tracks so terrible serious ought to see the critter _some time_.
"Tain"t right to let him go on sufferin". _I_ think he ought to see that Deer. We ought to help him." Here he winked a volley or two and made signs for Sam to take Yan away.
This was easily done.
"Let"s see if your Deer went out by the lower mud alb.u.m." So they walked down that way, while Guy got an old piece of sacking, stuffed it with gra.s.s, and, hastily tying it in the form of a Deer"s head, stuck it on a stick. He put in two flat pieces of wood for ears, took charcoal and made two black spots for eyes and one for a nose, then around each he drew a ring of blue clay from the bed of the brook.
This soon dried and became white. Guy now set up this head in the bushes, and when all was ready he ran swiftly and silently through the wood to find Sam and Yan. He beckoned vigorously and called under his voice: "Sam--Yan--a Deer! Here"s that there Deer that made them tracks, I believe."
Guy would have failed to convince Yan if Sam had not looked so much interested. They ran back to the teepee, got their bows and arrows, then, guided by Guy, who, however, kept back, they crawled to where he had seen the Deer.
"There--there, now, ain"t he a Deer? There--see him move!"
Yan"s first feeling was a most exquisite thrill of pleasure. It was like the uplift of joy he had had the time he got his book, but was stronger. The savage impulse to kill came quickly, and his bow was in his hand, but he hesitated.
"Shoot! Shoot!" said Sam and Guy.
Yan wondered why _they_ did not shoot. He turned, and in spite of his agitation he saw that they were making fun of him. He glanced at the Deer again, moved up a little closer and saw the trick.
Then they hooted aloud. Yan was a little crestfallen. Oh, it had been such an exquisite feeling! The drop was long and hard, but he rallied quickly.
"I"ll shoot your Deer for you," he said, and sent an arrow close under it.
"Well, I kin beat that," and Sam and Guy both fired. Sam"s arrow stuck in the Deer"s nose. At that he gave a yell; then all shot till the head was stuck full of arrows, and they returned to the teepee to get dinner. They were still chaffing Yan about the Deer when he said slowly to Guy:
"Generally you are not so smart as you think you are, but this time you"re smarter. You"ve given me a notion."