by Roy J. Snell
CHAPTER XIV WILD MEN, BABOONS, AND SOMETHING STRANGE
The shadows of night had fallen when the three wanderers, Jensie, Johnny,and Ballard in their car came to a gliding stop before the Blue Moon.
The door stood half open. A mellow glow of light shone at their feet asthey hopped out. From within came the murmur of voices and low laughter.
"The old Blue Moon is still doing fine," Johnny smiled happily. "Come onin and have a snack."
No sooner had the door framed their faces than a voice shouted: "Here'sOld Kentucky! Kentucky and that mountain gal. Come on, Old Kentucky, giveus a tune."
At once the crowd, composed of all the team and many of their friends,was on its feet and cheering huskily.
Seizing his companions, Johnny pushed them to the front. Picking upJensie as if she were a sack of sugar, he set her down on the counter,then thrust a banjo in her hands as he whispered, "Do your durndest.Nothing could be better than this." She flashed him an understandingsmile. Then, after motioning Ballard to a place by her side, she beganthrumming the chords, and "Old Kentucky Home" came whispering through theroom.
Greeted by abundant applause, the two young Kentuckians played and sangtheir way through a half score of melodious mountain tunes into the veryhearts of their listeners.
Then, of a sudden, Jensie struck her banjo a thwack. She ran her fingersacross the strings to begin "Roll, Jordan, Roll! Roll, Jordan, Roll! Oh!Oh! Oh! I want to go there, to hear old Jordan roll."
Instantly every boy and girl in the room was on his feet and singing. Howthe rafters of the old Blue Moon rang.
Song followed song. Quaint, beautiful, melodious negro minstrels thatfitted the closing of the Sabbath day, they filled the minds of happy,carefree youth with a mellow joy that is experienced oh, so seldom, in along, long life.
"They're a wonderful bunch," Johnny said huskily as he helped Jensie intothe car an hour later. "A wonderful, wonderful bunch of fellows. NextSaturday they will go out on the field and romp all over it to the tuneof a dozen touchdowns. And already, thank God, they've forgottenKentucky's blunder that cost them a game."
"Old Kentucky will be the hero of the hour next Saturday, you'll see,"Jensie exulted. "Kentucky! My Kentucky forever!"
That night Johnny sat long musing beside the fire. Surely there werematters enough to occupy his thoughts. Kentucky was back. These mountainpeople had a way of winning their way into people's hearts. He was gladof that. But what of the games that were to come? Could this mountain boycontrol his hot temper when things went wrong? He wondered and shuddereda little.
He thought of the bear and laughed. The bear was dead all right. He hadtold Lige Fields about that explosion in the cave. Lige was short offresh meat. To a Kentucky mountain man, nothing is better than a goodjuicy bear steak. He had found the bear with his head blown clean off.
"Powerful stuff, liquid air and carbon," the boy said to himself. He hadsome of the bear steak in his car. They'd have it for dinner in the backroom of the Blue Moon tomorrow. He'd invite Coach Dizney and a few of theboys.
He thought of Old Mose and his mule, thought too of the "ornery no-count"Blinkey Bill who planned to beat Mose out of his coal mine.
"He said we might fix up a little bolt of lightning out of the blue,"Johnny murmured. He was thinking now of Donald Day. Queer sort of fellow,Donald was, mighty fine too. He wondered how a fellow'd go aboutmanufacturing a "bolt from the blue." He'd like to be around when ithappened, would too if it were possible. He could steal away down therein the middle of the week. Artie Stark would manage the Blue Moon in hisabsence. Plenty of boys needed work.
Another thing he meant to look into. He wanted to visit that youngaviator down there in the Kentucky valley. What kind of a motor could hebe building? Johnny was interested in all sorts of mechanicalcontraptions. He had once owned a car that ran on dust, just ordinarycoal dust.
"Couldn't be that," he whispered to himself. "Couldn't--"
Johnny was growing drowsy. But now, of a sudden, he was wide awake. Thelatch clicked. There came the sound of shuffling feet. Johnny caughtsight of a shadowy figure.
"Pant," he called. "Panther Eye, is that you?"
"Yes, Johnny," the strange fellow's voice was low. "Yes, it's me. Butdon't talk so loud Johnny, not quite so loud."
As on those other occasions, Johnny prepared a small feast for hiswandering friend. Tonight, instead of talking, he sat silently watchinguntil the last bite was gone. Then he said quite suddenly:
"Did he find you?" Johnny eyed Pant eagerly.
"Who find me?" Pant stared.
"Have you forgotten?" Johnny asked in surprise. "The shadow. That giantwith a hooked nose."
"Did you see it?" It was Pant's turn to be surprised.
"I'll say I saw it. Gives me the creeps just thinking about it now."
"No-o," Pant said slowly, "he hasn't found me, not--not yet."
Pant dropped into a chair. At once his face became a mask. Only the gleamof his curious pink eyes, told that he was alive. Johnny knew the meaningof this, Pant, like a turtle, had withdrawn into his shell. Johnnysettled into his place to take up a pencil and begin tracing geometricfigures on a square of paper.
Pant was first to break the long silence that followed. When he did speakit was as if the many hours that had passed since their last meeting hadnot been.
"You'll be surprised, Johnny," he said as an amused smile played aboutthe corners of his mouth. "Perhaps you won't believe what I tell you--butI've got to finish that thing I was telling you."
"Go on," Johnny urged.
"Well, we went into that cave, that mysterious girl that may have beenwhite. I don't know about that--
"We hadn't been in there ten minutes when we heard a shuffling sound bythe cave's entrance and what do you think?" Pant paused to stare at aspot on the wall. "What could you expect? Almost anything. What was itbut that troop of giant baboons!" Once again Pant paused.
Involuntarily Johnny allowed his eyes to stray to the window shade. Noshadow there tonight. Even the tree branches were still.
"Well, sir," Pant gave vent to a low chuckle, "there we were, that girland I crowded way back in the cave. And there were the baboons. They cameshuffling in, like thirty or forty boys playing hooky from school. Andsilent! Say! I didn't suppose any wild creature except maybe a tigercould be that quiet.
"The girl was scared. Plumb scared to death. As she crowded close to me,I could feel her heart beat madly like it might burst. Surprised me thatdid, because these natives all know a baboon won't hurt you. Made methink she was all white. Suppose she was, Johnny?"
"Don't you know? Didn't you find out?" Johnny asked in surprise.
"No--I--but where was I?" Pant broke off. "Oh, yes! That wasn't all, nothalf, Johnny. You won't believe it but I'm going to tell you just thesame. The baboons hadn't much more than got good and settled, when therecame another quick shuffle outside the cave and in popped--who do youthink?" Pant drew in a quick breath. "That whole band of wild men."
"Must have been a large cave."
"It was!" Pant exclaimed. "But not big enough for all that outfit, anywaynot if that something strange that was after them decided to come in too.
"Well," Pant went on after a pause, "the strange thing didn't come.Perhaps there wasn't anything strange. Maybe these wild fellows justimagined it. But there were baboons and wild men and that girl andI--which was a whole lot too many. The baboons kept crowding back, back,back, until one big fellow was square against my side and that girlbetween me and the rocky wall of the cave. And all the time that bunch ofhuge baboons, scared stiff by the wild men, who are always hunting them,crowding more and more until I was sure we'd be crushed.
"Something had to be done, Johnny, and I did it. I had a short huntingknife in my belt. Getting a good grip on it I lifted it high to bring itdown square between that nearest baboon's shoulder blades. And then--"Pant broke off to indulge in a prolonged reminiscent chuckle.
/> "Come on," Johnny urged, "you'll see that shadow again."
"No, I--well--to tell the truth, Johnny, there's little left to tell.That baboon let out a most terrific roar. After that there was noise,dust and confusion. That lasted three full minutes I guess, and afterthat, believe it or not, they were gone, baboons, wild men, and all. Thatcave was as silent as a tomb.
"I was sorry about that baboon," Pant went on after a moment. "I neverlike to hurt any living creature. But what else could I do?"
"N--nothing," Johnny shook himself. Had he been listening to a fairystory or a real adventure?
"We waited an hour, that girl and I," Pant continued in a matter-of-facttone. "After that we crept out into the bright sunlight. We looked about.There was no one to be seen, not even a baboon. You better believe me wegot out of there quick.
"Well--" Pant stretched his long legs, "I found that river again. Then Iknew where I was."
"And the girl?" Johnny breathed softly.
"She had no idea where we were. And I feel quite sure--" Pant paused toconsider, "yes, I'm certain she had no idea what I was up to. Shefollowed me as she might have followed that big man with a hooked nose,had he given her the chance, followed because there was nothing else todo.
"I kept getting more and more signs. A fallen tree, a particular clusterof hanging vines I'd noticed before, a tumble-down native hut, all thesetold me I was on the right track.
"Just a little before sunset, I came to a spot I was sure of. It was nota hundred yards from that clearing, the picture clearing, you know."
"Yes, the pasture, the cattle, the gem of a cottage," Johnnysupplemented.
"And the girl lost out of it," Pant broke in. "I was going to put herback into the picture. I DID put her back," there was a note of triumphin Pant's voice. "I stopped dead in my tracks, pushed the girl on beforeme, then pointed straight ahead.
"At first she did not seem to understand, just stood there staring. Inthe end, I'm sure she only half understood, for she seemed to goreluctantly.
"I watched her until she was ready to part the branches that were to giveher a glimpse of home, then I ducked.
"I can hide, Johnny, hide anywhere, always could. It's a gift. I wasn't aminute too soon, for I was scarcely under cover when she let out ascream."
"A scream?"
"Sure! One wild scream of pure joy. She had seen her home. Probably up tothat moment, she had never hoped to see it again. Who wouldn't scream?
"Then," Pant indulged in a broad grin, "what do you suppose she did afterthat?"
"Went down through the jungle like a scared rabbit," suggested Johnny.
"No. You're wrong," Pant heaved a sigh. "She stood there for a moment.Then she turned and started back. Looking for me--wouldn't you say?"
"Sure would."
"But she didn't find me," Pant added dryly. "You bet she didn't. I canhide, you know that, Johnny. That's one time I did a good job of hiding."
"Why?" Johnny stared.
"Well, you know, Johnny," Pant replied slowly, "you can never tell what alady will do when she discovers quite suddenly that you've done her avery good turn. You can't now, can you, Johnny?"
"No, you can't," Johnny laughed. "You really can not. I've known them tothrow their arms about their benefactor and--"
"Kiss him," Pant made a face. "And that, Johnny, would have beenhorrible!"
"I don't know," Johnny said slowly. "That's purely a matter of taste.Anyway, you were not quite fair to her. You had saved her from slavery,worse than death. You didn't even give her a chance to thank you."
"I thought of that, Johnny. Went back to the edge of the clearing thevery next day. Had some notion of showing myself. But I didn't--" Pantbroke off abruptly.
"Why?"
"The picture was there, Johnny, pasture, cattle, house and even the girl.There was one slight change. A man sat before the cabin, a tall, thin manin a white suit. Across his knees lay a long-barreled rifle. How thatbarrel did gleam in the sun! So-o, Johnny, I didn't go down."
"He wasn't looking for you."
"Probably not. But people do sometimes make mistakes. And really, itdidn't matter."
This was one time when Pant was mistaken, more mistaken than he couldimagine. It did matter. It mattered a great deal.
"Well, I'll be going, Johnny," Pant stood up.
"What's the hurry, Pant? No shadows tonight!"
"There might be, Johnny, you never can tell. Good-night, Johnny." He wasgone.
"The shadow of a glorious past," Johnny murmured low.
