Banner Boy Scouts Afloat

by George A. Warren

  CHAPTER XIX

  LAYING PLANS

  "Whee!"

  That, of course, was Bobolink giving expression to his feelings when hetoo saw the crouching figure of the ugly beast in the pile of brush.

  He fully expected that Paul would now feel it necessary to raise his gunto his shoulder, and fire, on the spur of the moment. Contrary to hisbelief, he found that the scout master did nothing of the sort. Instead,Paul took a deliberate step forward, straight toward the animal that laythere, staring at the blinding light.

  "Oh I my stars! he's going to scare him off with only that light!" saidBobolink, talking to himself; and yet, strange to say, he followed closeat the heels of the advancing scout master, clutching his club tightly,and doubtless fully determined that if they were attacked, he would makethe stout weapon give a good account of itself.

  For a brief space it seemed an open question whether the animal wouldturn tail and slink away, or openly attack the advancing boys. But therewas evidently something in that approaching dazzling light, and thepresence of human beings behind it, that proved too much for the beast.He gave a sudden turn, and bounded off, vanishing in the denser scrubbeyond; and for a short time the listening Bobolink could hear the soundof his retreat.

  "Whew I that was the stuff, Paul!" cried Bobolink. "He just couldn't lookyou in the eye; could he? That fierce little staring orb was too much forhim. But what was it, Paul, a panther?"

  Some one laughed back of them, and turning, light in hand, Paulsaw Nuthin.

  "What ails you, and how did you get here?" demanded Bobolink.

  "Heard what you said to Paul in the tent, and wanted to see what was up,so I just crawled out," answered the smaller scout, still grinning, asthough he had discovered something comical in the adventure.

  "Well, what ails you?" Bobolink demanded again, feeling irritatedsomehow.

  "Panther! Well, I guess he hasn't got that wild, yet!" ejaculated Nuthin.

  Paul began to understand something about it.

  "See here, Nuthin," he said, sternly; "you know that was a dog, as wellas I do; have you ever seen him before? Do you know him?"

  Nuthin laughed softly.

  "Guess you fellows must have forgot that old mongrel dog, Lion, we usedto have," he went on. "Well, he disappeared a long time ago, and we neverknew what did become of him. There always was a sorter wild streak in thecritter. And now it seems that he's found, it nicer to live like a wolfin the woods, than stay at home and be tied to a kennel. Because that wasLion, I give you my word for it!"

  "Mebbe he smelled you here, and wanted to make up again?"suggested Bobolink.

  "Don't you believe it," retorted Nuthin. "He never did like me, and mydad wouldn't let me go near his kennel. When he skipped out we all feltglad of it. And to think he'd show up here, of all places! What d'yereckon he's doin' over here on this island, Paul?"

  "Listen. When he got away from you did he have a rope around his neck,with six feet of it trailing on the ground?" Paul asked.

  "Did he? Not any that I know about. We always kept him fastened with achain; and when he broke away, it was his collar that busted. I've got ithome yet," was the response.

  "Well, that dog had the rope, just as I described. He's been tied up,of late, and broke away," the scout master observed, with conviction inhis voice.

  "Then he must have been in the keep of these men who're doin' somethin'queer over here on Cedar Island, and don't want a parcel of peepin'scouts around; looks that way, don't it, Paul?" Nuthin inquired.

  "I was wondering whether it could be that crowd, or the other," Paulreplied, musingly.

  "D'ye mean the wild man?" asked Bobolink.

  "It might be," replied Paul. "If your old dog, Nuthin, has taken to thefree life of the woods--gone back to the type of his ancestors, as I'veheard of dogs doing many a time--why, you see, he'd just seem to fit inwith a wild man who lived about like the savages used to away back."

  "Wonder if he'll come again to bother us?" queried Bobolink.

  "Honestly now, I don't think he will," Paul made answer. "That littleevil eye of the torch threw a scare into him he won't forget in a hurry.I suppose he must have been roaming around, and got a sniff of ourcooking. That made him feel hungry, and he was creeping in closer andcloser, in hopes of stealing something, when we broke up his game. Andnow, if it isn't time for me to go on duty, I'll crawl in again, and geta few more winks of sleep."

  "Say, Paul, don't you think it'd be about right to leave that littleflashlight with me, in case the dog comes around again?" asked Bobolink.

  "I was going to say that very same thing; and when my turn comes you canhand it over again. Here you are, Bobolink; and don't go to fooling withit, unless you really hear something."

  "I won't, Paul," replied the other. "But chances are, I'd better make therounds and tell the other fellers about what happened; because they musthave seen the flash, and heard us talkin' over here; which will throw 'eminto a cold fit, wantin' to know all about it."

  "A good idea, Bobolink," observed the other, as he and Nuthin movedtoward the tents again.

  The balance of the night passed without any further alarm. If the wilddog came prowling around again, attracted by the presence of good thingsto eat, which may have reminded him of other days when he was content toremain chained up in the Cypher back yard, and take the leavings from hismaster's table, he certainly did not betray his presence nor could hemuster up enough courage to crawl into the camp, when it was guarded bysuch a terrible flashing eye.

  Morning arrived in good time, and the boys were on the alert. This novelexperience was having its effect on them all. They showed that theirsleep could not have been as sound as appearances might indicate, formany had red eyes, which were the cause of considerable comment, and nota little good-natured chaff on the part of those who betrayed no suchtelltale signs of wakefulness.

  Breakfast was prepared about in the same fashion as the supper had beenon the preceding night. Fires were carefully lighted, and such fuelchosen, which, in the opinion of the best judges, would be least apt tosend up heavy smoke, such as might betray their presence on the island.

  All these little things were supposed to be a part of their education asscouts and woodsmen. They aroused considerable interest among the boys,many of whom had never bothered their heads before to discover that kindsof wood burned in various ways; that one might give out only a lightbrown smoke, hard to discern, while another would send up a dense smudgethat could not fail to attract the eye of any watcher.

  Paul showed them that when they wanted to signal with smoke, as allscouts are taught to do when learning the wigwag code, they must becareful to select only this latter kind of wood, since the other wouldnot answer the purpose.

  He had been thinking deeply over the matter, and had about made up hismind as to what course they should pursue. Like most of his comrades,Paul was averse to being driven away from Cedar Island by unknownparties, without at least another effort to explore the mysteriousplace, and making an attempt to discover what sort of business these menwere engaged in.

  That it was something unlawful he was convinced, as much as any of hischums. Indeed, everything would seem to point that way. Men do not oftenhide themselves in an unfrequented section of the country, unless theyare engaged in some pursuit that will not stand the light of day.

  At one time Paul had even suspected that these men might be some speciesof game poachers, who wishing to defy the law that protected partridges,and all feather and fur-bearing creatures in the woods, during the summerseason, had taken up their dwelling on lonely Cedar Island.

  This was in the beginning. On thinking it over, however, he came to theconclusion that there was hardly enough game of all kinds within fiftymiles of Stanhope to pay several men to spend their time snaring it; andso on this account he had thrown that theory overboard.

  As they ate their breakfast the boys talked of nothing else but themystery of the island, and many were the expressions of opinion that the
ymust not think of leaving without doing everything in their power to liftthe curtain.

  They wanted to know who the strange men were who had brought some bulkyobject across from the mainland in a rowboat; what business they wereengaged in there; who the wild man might be, and last of all whether hehad any connection with the others.

  "You see," declared Bobolink, in his customary impressive way of talking,"it looks to me as if they had him here to scare meddlers off. Who wantsto rub up against a wild man? Everybody would feel like giving the hairyold fellow a wide berth, believe me. But Paul, if you make up a bunch toexplore this bally old island, please let me go along."

  There were others just as anxious and then again some gave no expressionto indicate how they felt about it. So the wise scout master, not wishingto have any half-hearted recruits with him on such an errand, observedthese signs, and made sure to pick only such as had pleaded forrecognition.

  "You can go along, Bobolink," he said, presently; "and I shall need fiveothers in addition. Jack, you're one; then there's Bluff, Tom Betts,Phil, and Andy. Jud Elderkin will be left in full charge here, and everyscout is expected to look to him as the chief while I'm gone. Is that allunderstood, fellows?"

  Everybody looked satisfied--those who had been selected because theywanted to be with the party of exploration and the scouts who wouldremain behind because they had no particular desire to prowl through thatdense undergrowth, looking for what might prove to be a jack-o'-lantern.

  And as they continued to devour the food that had been cooked over thelittle fires they exchanged confidences, all sorts of queer theories andplans being suggested. For when eighteen wide awake scouts put theirheads together, it can be set down as positive that little remains unsaidafter they have debated any subject pro and con.