CHAPTER XXI
SETTING THE FLASHLIGHT TRAP
"Jud's holding up one measly rabbit, as sure as anything!" exclaimedBobolink, with a vein of scorn in his voice, as became the lord of thehunt, who on the preceding day had actually brought down a young buck,and thus provided the camp with a feast for supper.
"We'd soon starve to death if we had to depend on poor old Jud for ourgrub!" remarked Tom Betts, with a sad shake of his head.
"All that waste of ammunition, and just a lone rabbit to show for it!They say successful hunters must be born, not made!" Sandy Griggs wenton to say.
Other sarcastic remarks went the rounds, while Jud just stood meekly,seeming to be very much downcast.
"Are you all through?" he finally asked, looking up with a grin."Because before you condemn me entirely as a poor stick of a hunter Iwant to ask Bobolink here, and Spider Sexton to walk over to that lowoak tree you can see back yonder, and fetch in what they find in thefork. I caved on the home stretch and dropped my load there."
"Good for you, Jud!" exclaimed Paul. "I suspected something of thekind when I saw the soiled condition of the game pockets in yourhunting-coat, and noticed that a partridge feather was sticking toyour hair. Skip along, you two, and make amends for joshing Jud so."
Of course Bobolink and Spider fairly ran, and soon came back carryingseven plump partridges between them, at sight of which a great cheerarose. Like all fickle crowds, the boys now applauded Jud just asstrongly as they had previously sought to poke fun at him.
"Oh! I don't deserve much credit, boys," he told them. "These birdsjust tree after you scare them up, and make easy shots. If they flewoff like bullets, as they do in some parts of the country, that wouldbe a bag worth boasting of. But they'll taste mighty fine, all thesame, let me tell you!"
During the afternoon the scouts found many things to interest them.Tolly Tip, of course, had to take care of the pelts he had securedthat day, and his manner of doing this interested some of the boysconsiderably.
He had a great many thin boards of peculiar pattern to which theskins were to be attached after stretching, so that they would dry inthis shape.
"Most skins ye notice are cut open an' cured that way," the oldwoodsman explained to his audience, as he worked deftly with hisknife; "but some kinds are cased, bein' taken off whole, and turnedinside out to dry."
"I suppose you lay them near the fire, or out in the sun, to cure,"remarked Tom Betts. "I know that's the way the Indians dry thepemmican that they use in the winter for food."
"Pelts are niver cured that way," explained the trapper, "because it'dmake thim shrink. We kape the stretcher boards wid the skins out inthe open air, but in the shade where the sun don't come. Whin they gitto a certain stage it's proper to stack the same away in the cabin,kapin' a wary eye on 'em right along to prevint mould."
All such things proved of considerable interest to the scouts, most ofwhom had very little practical knowledge along these lines. They wereeager to pick up useful information wherever it could be found, and onthat account asked numerous questions, all of which Tolly Tip seemeddelighted to answer.
So another nightfall found them, with everything moving alongnicely.
"Guess your old barometer didn't hit it far wrong after all, Paul,"remarked Sandy Griggs, about the time supper was nearly ready, and theboys were going in and out of the cabin on different errands.
"It has clouded up to be sure," said the scout-master, "and may snowat any time, though I hope it will hold off until to-morrow. I mean toset my camera trap to-night, you remember, with another comb of wildbee honey for a bear lure."
"I heard Tolly Tip saying a bit ago," continued Sandy, "that he didn'tbelieve the storm would reach us for twelve hours or more. That wouldgive you plenty of time to get your chance with old Bruin, who loveshoney so."
"Jud's promised to go out with me and help set the trap," Paulremarked. "You know it's a walk of nearly a mile to the place, andthese snowy woods are pretty lonely after the dark sets in."
"If Jud backs out because he's tired from his tramp this morning,Paul, call on me, will you?"
"Bobolink said the same thing," laughed the scout-master, "so I'm surenot to be left in the lurch. No need of more than one going with methough, and I guess I can count on Jud. It's hard to tire him."
"Wow! but those birds do smell good!" exclaimed Sandy, as he sniffedthe air. "And that oven of Tolly Tip's, in which he says he oftenbakes bread, seems to do the work all right. Looks to me like one ofthe kind you get with a blue flame kerosene stove."
"Just what it is," Paul told him. "But it works splendidly on a redcoal fire, too. We're going to try some baking-powder biscuitsto-morrow, Bobolink says. He's tickled over finding the oven here."
The partridges were done to a turn, and never had those hungry boyssat down to a better feast than several of their number had preparedfor them that night. The old woodsman complimented Bobolink, who wasthe chief cook.
"I ralely thought I could cook," Tolly Tip said, "but 'tis mesilf astakes a back sate whin such a connysure is around. And biscuits is itye mane to thry in the mornin'? I'll make it a pint to hang aroundlong enough to take lissons, for I confiss that up till now I niverdid have much success with thim things."
Again some of the scouts had to warn Bobolink that he was in jeopardyof his life if he allowed his chest to swell up, as it seemed to bedoing under such compliments.
After that wonderful supper had been disposed of, Paul busied himselfwith his camera, for he had several things to fix before it would beready to serve as a trap to catch the picture of Bruin in the act ofstealing the honey bait.
Jud fondled his shotgun, having thoughtfully replaced the bird shellswith a couple of shells containing buckshot that he had brought alongin the hope of getting a deer.
"No telling what we may run across when trapsing through the woodswith a lantern after nightfall," he explained to Phil Towns, who waswatching his operation with mild interest, not being a hunterhimself.
"What would you do if you came face to face with the bear, or perhapsa panther?" asked Phil. "Tolly Tip said he saw one of the big catslast winter."
"Well, now, that's hardly a fair question," laughed Jud. "I'm toomodest a fellow to go around blowing my own horn; but the chances areI wouldn't _run_. And if both barrels of my gun went off the plaguedbeast might stand in the way of getting hurt. Figure that out if youcan, Phil."
After a little while Paul arose to his feet and proceeded to light thelantern they had provided for the outing.
"I'm ready if you are, Jud," he remarked, and shortly afterwards thetwo left the cabin, Tolly Tip once more repeating the plaindirections, so that there need be no fear that the boys would getlost in the snowy woods.
Paul was too wise a woodsman to be careless, and he took Jud directlyto the spot which the bear had visited the preceding night.
"Don't see anything of the creature around, do you?" asked Jud,nervously handling his gun as he spoke.
"Not a sign as yet," replied Paul. "But the chances are he'll rememberthe treat he found here last night, and come trotting along beforemany hours. That's what Tolly Tip told me, and he ought to know."
"Strikes me a bear is a pretty simple sort of an animal after all,"chuckled Jud. "He must think that honey rains down somehow, and neverquestions but that he'll find more where the first comb lay. Tell mewhat to do, Paul, and I'll be only too glad to help you."
The camera was presently fixed just where Paul had decided on hisprevious visit would be the best place. Long experience had taught thelad just how to arrange it so that the animal of which he wished toget a flashlight picture would be compelled to approach along acertain avenue.
When it attempted to take the bait the cord would be pulled, and thecartridge exploded, producing the flash required to take thepicture.
"There!" he said finally, after working for at least fifteen minutes,"everything is arranged to a dot, and we can start back home. If Mr.Bear comes nosing around her
e to-night, and starts to get thathoneycomb, I reckon he'll hand me over something in return in theshape of a photograph."
"Here's hoping you'll get the best picture ever, Paul!" said Jud,earnestly, for he had been deeply impressed with the clever manner inwhich the photographer went about his duties.
They had gone almost a third of the way over the back trail when athrilling sound came to their ears almost directly in the path theywere following. Both boys came to a sudden halt, and as Jud started toraise his gun he exclaimed:
"Unless I miss my guess, Paul, that was one of the bobcats Tolly Tiptold us about."