by Quincy Allen
CHAPTER XI
FACING TROUBLE
After all, no hunting party started out that afternoon. Jerry probablyate too heartily of the midday meal, for he complained of pains in hisstomach and "guessed he had better lie around the rest of the day."
He wanted Bluff and Frank to go, but the former was busy doctoring hisheel, while Frank would not break the rule he had set and go alone.
"Besides," Frank remarked, as he once more put his rifle away insidethe cabin, and "hefted" the ax, as though meaning to have anotherspell with the firewood, "we've still plenty of that venison on hand.To-morrow will do just as well."
So it was settled.
Of course, that did not mean they expected to be idle the remainder ofthe day, for none of them liked to do nothing. Jerry and Will weregone a little while after the former had recovered from hisindisposition.
"We found a place where I think a fox passes along a trail," Jerryannounced, on their return, "and to-night Will means to try and takehis picture. I should think a fox would make a good one, if only youget him as well as you did the wolf."
"And I'm much obliged to you for helping me, Jerry," said Willearnestly.
"Oh, that's all right!" was the reply. "It's beginning to getinteresting; and I can see how a fellow could easily develop a hobbylike this."
"It means matching your wits against the shyness and cunning of theselittle animals," said Will proudly; "and when you've succeeded ingetting their pictures, in spite of everything, you feel that you'vedone something more than just aiming a gun and pulling a trigger."
Bluff shrugged his shoulders. He had his own opinion about that; butof course Will could never understand the thrill that comes to thesportsman when he is tracking his quarry, and has to meet the cunningor ferocity that is the common heritage of all wild animals.
But Frank knew all about it, and met Bluff's look with a smile and anod.
"Every one to his taste, Bluff," Frank said. "We can't all of usexpect to be crazy over taking pictures. And at the same time it wouldbe queer if every man wanted to be out in the woods all the time witha gun on his shoulder, as we do. But I can understand how Will feels,and in a small way share his pleasure."
"What was it you were telling us, Frank, about the mink that livealong the bank of the creek just below the cabin?" asked Jerry.
"Only that you can find some interesting tracks there, and see how thelittle rascals travel about from one hole to another. If you care tostep down now with me, we'll look things over."
"And perhaps I might get a good chance to take some of the tracks, soas to remember what sort of a print a mink makes," observed Will,tucking his camera under his arm.
"Shall I step in and get my gun, Frank?" asked Bluff.
"If you want to, though we're not going to be out of sight of thecabin at any time, I should think."
Thus it came about that none of them carried any weapon. It couldhardly be conceived that one would be required under any circumstanceswhen within a stone's throw of the home camp, and with all present.
Frank had such an interesting way of showing anything. He seemed toknow all about the habits of the mink.
"They live along the banks of streams," Frank said, as they prowledabout, examining the various tracks, "and can swim and dive almostlike an otter. They are not as destructive to game fish as the otter,though, I've been told. All those animals--badger, fisher, mink, andotter--are hunted for far and wide by trappers, and even weasels andmuskrats have pelts that bring fair prices."
"Why," said Bluff, "I've read that even the common rat skin is beingused now, because there's a scarcity of furs. Moles have always beenfine for gloves, I know."
"That bunch of tracks seems plain enough to make a fine picture, withthe sunlight shining on the place. Let me get it." And Will proceededto carry out his idea.
He had just "clicked" his shutter when Jerry said, in a low tone:
"Great governor! Frank, is that one of the wolves over yonder?"
Of course they all looked in the direction Jerry pointed, and it goeswithout saying that more than one of the boys felt nervous uponremembering that no one had brought a gun along.
Then Frank spoke up, and his voice, as well as his words, went a longway toward stilling their alarm.
"That's no wolf, boys; I'd rather say it might be a dog. He seems tohave come upon a hole in the ground, and has got some sort of animalcornered. Listen to him bark as he digs with his forepaws!"
"And see the dirt fly, will you, as well as the snow!" observed Bluff."But say, Frank, seems to me we know that cur."
"Yes, we've met him before," Frank admitted.
"It's Nackerson's beast, then," suggested Jerry.
"No doubt about it," he was informed by Frank, who still watched theexcited dog, digging and thrusting his nose as far down in the burrowas he could. "Better take care, Carlo, or you may get a nip from theclaws or the teeth of your game!"
It seemed as though Frank must have been a prophet, for hardly hadthese words left his lips than the dog gave utterance to a howl, andstarted to run away as fast as his legs could carry him.
"Whee! That must have taken him square on the nose!" ejaculated Jerry.
"And didn't he put his tail between his legs in a hurry, though?"Bluff asked. "That's always a sign a dog is whipped. How about it.Frank? What're you looking so serious about?"
"Only this," came the reply: "where that dog is, there's a chance ofthe men being, too."
That caused them to exchange glances.
"And, sure enough," Jerry hastily remarked, "there they come, breakingthrough the brush, all three loaded down with birds as though they'dbeen having sport somewhere, though none of us heard any firing thismorning."
"No use trying to make the cabin, is there, Frank? They happen to bebetween it and us," Will observed, with a catch to his voice, althoughhe would possibly have indignantly denied being frightened, had anyone shown the temerity to accuse him.
It seemed as though Nackerson and his companions must have discoveredthe four outdoor chums almost as soon as they themselves were seen. Atany rate, they were even then starting toward the boys.
"He looks pretty huffy, doesn't he, Frank?" Will asked, in a troubledtone.
"Like as not he thinks we kicked his dog and sent him off howling,"ventured Bluff; which it turned out was exactly what the other didbelieve.
Frank did not like the situation. He would have felt relieved had someof them been in possession of weapons with which to stand up for theirrights. Some men of ungovernable temper act first and do theirthinking afterward.
The dog was trotting at the heels of his master, every now and thenstopping to paw at his muzzle, which Frank could see at a glance wasbleeding freely.
As the big man came up to the boys, possibly noting that none of themcarried a gun, he was scowling.
"Which one of you cubs kicked my dog?" he growled. "I've got a goodnotion not to wait to find out, but start in and give you a lickingall around, so as to be sure to strike the right one."
Frank looked him straight in the eye. If his heart was thumping fasterthan usual, one never would have known it from the deliberate way inwhich he spoke. At the same time there was calm dignity in his manner,and he tried not to make his words seem like a defiance.
"I wouldn't try anything like that, if I were you, Mr. Nackerson. Wehave had nothing to do with your dog getting hurt, and none of useither kicked him or threw a stone at him."
"That's one of your lies, youngster!" snarled the hunter.
"It is the simple truth!"
"But didn't we hear him yelping like a crazy thing; and didn't he comerunning to me straight from here? Tell me I haven't got eyes to see?You're going to pay dearly for that kick, understand me!"
"Let me tell you what happened," continued Frank steadily, at the sametime watching the man closely, for he feared the other might strikehim.
"I wouldn't believe anything you might tell me," answered the other,with a sneer in his
voice that caused Bluff to grit his teeth andwonder whether the stick he held in his hand would be heavy enough touse as a club, in case of necessity.
"Go on, boys," urged one of the companions of Nackerson, who perhapshad a grain of common sense in his make-up, and realized that it wasonly fair they should allow the boys a hearing.
"We were down here looking after some mink that use this bank," Frankcontinued. "You can see their tracks here and there all around. Ourchum who has a camera was taking some pictures, when we discovered ananimal close by which at first sight looked something like a wolf, forwe heard wolves howling last night."
Nackerson moved a trifle uneasily at the mention of wolves; itafterward turned out that once he had been treed by a pack of thoseanimals, and came very near freezing to death during a long night'svigil.
"Then we saw that it was a dog," continued Frank. "He seemed to betrying to dig out some animal whose scent he had been following. Allof a sudden the dog set up a screech, and went away on the jump, withhis tail between his legs. A fierce old buck mink in that burrow hadgiven him a nasty dig along his nose with his teeth or his claws."
Nackerson sneered again, while his ugly face looked more scowling thanever.
"A likely yarn," he said angrily.
"Take a look at your dog's nose, and perhaps you'll see the scratchesthere, because he's bleeding now!" Bluff broke in, unable longer torefrain from having a hand in the game.
Nackerson showed no sign of bothering himself; but one of his croniesbent over the dog, which whined when he touched its lacerated muzzle.
"He's been badly scratched, all right, Bill," was the report.
"If you want any more proof," Frank went on coolly, "take a look overby that bush yonder. That's where we saw him digging first. You'lllikely find there's a burrow, with the snow and dirt thrown out."
"Yes," added Bluff, "and if you look sharp, perhaps now you'lldiscover a few specks of blood on the snow along the trail the dogmade when he skipped out."
No one took the trouble to find out. The two men with Nackerson musthave been already convinced that the boys were not guilty. As for thebig hunter, he did not wish to put himself in a place where he mighthave to admit that he had wronged them.
"Don't believe a word of it, I tell you," he persisted, as though benton making trouble. "You've got a pretty slick tongue, youngster; butyou can't fool me. I cut my eye-teeth long ago."
"I suppose you _are_ a gentleman of considerable experience inthe woods," Frank observed, still hoping to conciliate the man, who hesaw had been making a liberal use of his pocket flask, as usual. "Butwe have told you only the truth, and say again that your dog was notharmed by us."
"Then there was that nasty business aboard the train," continuedNackerson, "when you purposely upset that heavy pack on his back.Seems like you've taken a spite against my dog, and he never harmedyou that I know of. I wanted to teach you cubs a lesson right then,but my friends held me back. Now you've gone and done another meantrick."
Frank did not answer. He saw it would be useless, for the man was onlyworking himself up to a pitch where in his rage he might attempt anattack. The boy, on the contrary, was wondering just what he and hischums might do, should they be actually set upon.
"Hold my gun, Whalen!" said the giant hunter, turning to one of theothers. "Now don't you dare say a word to me again about not laying ahand on these troublesome kids. I'll teach 'em a lesson they won'tsoon forget."
Frank shut his jaws hard. Bluff edged up alongside, as though it washis earnest desire to be on the firing line if there was going to betrouble.
At that critical moment a voice was heard, saying:
"I wouldn't do that, if I were you, Bill Nackerson!"
Looking in the direction whence these words came, Frank saw with theliveliest satisfaction that the speaker was no other than Mr. Darrel,the lumberman.
