CHAPTER V
THE SPIRAL OF BLUE SMOKE
ONE thing, at least, pleased Rufus when he crawled forth and stretchedhimself, giving a yawn at the same time--it promised to be a fine day.To a fellow who expected to do considerable prowling around in thevicinity of Raccoon Bluff this was a matter of material importance; fora heavy rain must have put a damper on his cherished plans.
By the time the latest up had finished dressing the welcome call tobreakfast was sounding. Lil Artha performed this sacred rite, and in thecustomary camp way, wishing to initiate the two tenderfoot chums in allthe mysteries that went with the ceremony. Taking the biggest frying-panthey had fetched along, he rattled a lively tattoo upon it with a heavycooking spoon. And during the course of their stay it may be said inpassing that never was there a more eagerly anticipated racket, in theopinion of Rufus and Alec, when their camp appetites developed, thanthat same summons to the "festive board," as Lil Artha dubbed the rudemakeshift table.
While they enjoyed the fruits of the cook's skill in wrestling with theculinary outfit, and made the bacon and fried eggs vanish in a mostremarkably swift fashion, the boys also laid out their plans for thefirst day.
Of course Rufus was eager to get busy looking up the lines of thesurvey; and he had already bound Alec to the task of being his helper.The latter did not object in the least, though after a day or two hadelapsed, and the fever calmed down somewhat with Rufus, the Scotch ladanticipated having his time more to himself; for he was eager to learn agreat many scout secrets which the accommodating lanky Lil Artha hadpromised to impart to the new fellows.
Elmer, however, had no intention of allowing those two greenhorns freeswing for a whole day. The chances were ten to one they would get lostthe first thing; and it would be too bad if a good part of their limitedstay at Raccoon Bluff was taken up in hunting missing comrades.
"I appoint you, Lil Artha, as supervisor," he went on to say, with asmile; "and your duties today will be to stick to Rufus and Alec like aporous plaster. Don't let one of them get out of your sight for aminute. You can lend a hand as much as you please; and fetch them backto camp at midday, when we'll have lunch, leaving the big meal until theday's work is all done."
Rufus looked as though about to rebel. He was so accustomed to havinghis own way that it came hard with him to be ordered to do anything.Then he suddenly remembered his scout vow, and that he had solemnlypromised to bow to superior authority. Elmer was the "boss," and hisword was law while they were away from home; so, making a virtue ofnecessity, Rufus shrugged his shoulders and grinned.
"Just as you say, Elmer," he observed, a bit ungraciously, "but I neverwas lost in all my life."
"That's nothing to boast of, Rufus," remarked Lil Artha. "It only goesto prove how many splendid opportunities you've missed. On my part I wasjust as proud of my ability to look after myself as you are; and yet Iused to get twisted in my bearings a heap until I got the hang ofthings. I can remember several times when I walked straight away fromcamp, under the belief that I was heading for it. You see, while I couldeasily tell which was north and east, I didn't know _which way the camplay_; because my faculty for observation hadn't yet been developed toany great extent. It'll all come to you by degrees, if you really wantto learn."
"Well, what am I to do this morning, Elmer?" asked George.
"That's an easy one," chuckled the leader. "As you're such a sticklerfor having everything so neat about the camp, George, with things handyto the reach, I'll appoint you camp warden for today. You can fussaround all you please, and by night I expect we'll find that CampComfort well deserves its name."
George looked pleased. His good qualities often more thancounterbalanced his poor ones; and being neat is something no scoutshould ever feel ashamed of.
Elmer did not mention what he meant to do himself. In fact, he had notwholly determined that point, though he fancied that he might take awide turn around, and see what the country about Raccoon Bluff lookedlike.
Although Elmer had not said anything about it to the others, the fact ishe had made a little discovery that aroused his interest considerably.Just before they sat down to breakfast he had chanced to step over to apoint where the best view was to be had, and using a pair offield-glasses which had been brought along, took a casual survey of thecountry.
In one particular spot he believed he could see a faint column of paleblue smoke climbing straight skyward from amidst the thick growth. Elmerwas a pretty good woodsman, and he did not have to be told that suchsmoke always comes from well seasoned wood, while black smoke springsfrom greener stuff.
Some one had a fire over there, that was evident, and knew what sort offuel to select in the bargain; which fact made it patent that he waseducated in the ways of the woods. Elmer's curiosity was excited. Hewondered who their neighbor could be. Was it some fishing party, perhapscamped on the shore of the unseen lake on the bosom of which that loonthey had heard cry had been swimming at the time?
Of course there might be numerous answers to the question Elmer wasasking himself. Perhaps lumbermen were looking over the property whichhad lately come into the possession of Mr. Snodgrass, with an idea ofmaking him a proposition for the right to cut off the big timber. Thenagain, charcoal-burners sometimes worked in the season; or it might begame wardens were abroad, with the idea of catching detested poachers attheir work.
Then last of all Elmer thought of Jem Shock, the slippery customer whomno warden had thus far been able to catch red-handed, breaking the gamelaws; and who, it seemed, had gained an unenviable reputation forboldness as well as knavery, so that his name, bandied about from lip tolip, had gradually become a synonym for everything that was bad, whetherthe fellow deserved it or not.
Well, they knew that this same Jem lived somewhere in the wilderness,since he seldom appeared in any town; and what more likely than that hiscamp lay over yonder, where the blue trail of smoke lifted toward thesky?
Elmer felt an enticing temptation beginning to assail him. It has beensaid before that he had found himself attracted toward Jem Shock, simplybecause of a curiosity to know what the _real_ man might be like; forElmer was loath to believe all he heard about any one, knowing howstories are magnified in the telling.
And by the time breakfast was over with, the scout leader had decidedthat he would take a little stroll, which might, there was no telling,carry him in the direction of the blue column of smoke.
It happened that Rufus was so busy getting ready to start out with hissurveying instruments that he had given no thought to looking around.Lil Artha on his part would, of course, take note of the general lay ofthe land; but with the ridge to serve as a guide he believed he couldalways make a bee-line back to camp whenever the necessity arose.
All was soon ready, and Alec, laden with the heavier material, calledout a cheery goodbye to the two who were being left behind.
"I'm glad this day that I've got on the braw khaki breeks," he wassaying, "for if they were woollen ye maun rest assured it would tak allmy time picking off the beggars' lice, as ye call these little burrs.We'll be back the noo and expectin' lunch to be served, George,remember, lad."
"Well, stick by Lil Artha then, if you know what's good for you,Scotchy," called out the keeper of the camp. "And I'm glad Elmer madeeach one of you put a little snack of cheese and crackers in his pocket.If you have the misfortune to get lost that will be the only thing tostand between you and starvation."
Rufus sniffed in disdain.
"Talk away, George," he told the other, "we all know that you're one ofthese pessimists, and always seeing the black side of things. Whoexpects to get lost? Certainly neither of us. And besides, what do wehave a guardian angel like Lil Artha along with us for? Not because ofhis good looks, that's sure."
"Oh! come along, and don't talk so much, Rufus!" the said "guardianangel" called out, though smiling broadly at being so highlycomplimented.
"Just see Lil Artha feeling of his shoulders, will you?" George jeered."Now you've gone an
d spoiled him for any decent sort of work, Rufus;after this he'll be spending most of his time looking for his angelwings to sprout. But goodbye, and good luck, fellows. Look for you aboutnoon, remember."
So they went off, seemingly as happy as boys could well be; for Rufuswas about to test his superior knowledge of survey work. Alec saw achance of having many little talks between whiles with the tall guide,upon whom he was leaning more and more as an exponent of the jollytimes to be had in the open; while Lil Artha, himself, was alwayssupremely happy when he could shoulder his Marlin gun, and stalk abroad,no matter whether he meant to do any hunting or not.
Elmer knew very well that nothing would tempt Lil Artha to fire his gunwith the intention of breaking the law. The only reasons he insisted ontaking it along were that it might come in handy in case they met awildcat, always a possibility, of course; and that he loved to feel itsfamiliar touch upon his shoulder, where his khaki coat was well wornfrom contact with it.
For some little time afterwards Elmer busied himself in fixing certainthings of his own. George had already cleaned up the mess of breakfastpans and dishes, so that he could devote himself to other matters. Hehad already sized things up, and made a list of certain improvementsthat were calculated to add to the comfort and peace of mind of thecampers.
"While we're only going to be up here at Raccoon Bluff for a matter ofseven days or so," he had remarked in the hearing of the tenderfootsquad, "that's no reason we ought to let things run along in a slipshodfashion. It's a pleasure to me to have the camp look spic and span tobegin with, no matter if it does get littered up somewhat as the days goby."
That is just the way with scouts, as a rule. No one of them unites allthe virtues in his single person; but while owning up to certain faults,at the same time he will be found to possess a number of splendidqualities that add to the comfort and health of his comrades. Georgecould make himself one of the most disagreeable chaps going, when hisargumentative and unbelieving mood was upon him; then again, he wouldsuddenly blossom out in another phase, and cause all his chums to blesshim as a real public benefactor.
Finally Elmer strode forth from the tent.
"I'm going to take a little turn around, George," he remarked casually,"and see what this part of the country looks like."
"All right, Elmer," the busy one told him, "I can manage alone, I guess,because I've got a heap to do before I'm satisfied with the way thingslook. No use telling _you_ to not get lost; because that'd be next toimpossible."
"Nevertheless," the scout-master assured him, "I mean to keep on thealert, for when you're in the woods constant vigilance is the price ofsafety. I always take observations as I go along; and notice manyqueer-shaped trees, so that I'll know them again when I see them. I alsolook back considerably, too, because it pays to notice how things appearfrom the other side."
"It certainly does," agreed George, very amiably; "I've had thatexperience myself more than once. Thought I had taken stock ofbent-over trees and rock formations, yet on trying to follow the trailback, they all looked vastly different from what they had before. Taughtme a lesson I've never forgotten either. Well, so-long, Elmer. I'llexpect you when you turn up. I hope though you don't happen to run foulof that ugly poacher chap, Jem Shock. I didn't much fancy the cut of hisjib when we met him on the road; and I reckon he'd be a bad one to rileup."
Elmer only laughed lightly and walked off. He had cut a stout cane, andthis was the only kind of weapon he cared to carry along. It would servehim in good stead should he happen to come across a rattlesnake, forthis was likely to happen at any time, since they had been warned by thefriendly farmer that such venomous reptiles abounded along RaccoonBluff. And in case a bobcat should turn up, Elmer fancied he coulddefend himself against attack with that choice staff. Besides, it wasnot often that a cat was to be met with in broad daylight, since theyprefer to do most of their wandering about in search of food afternightfall comes.
He stopped and looked back at the camp. It had a very picturesqueappearance just at that time, with the fire casting up a spiral of smoketoward the clear heavens, George bustling around in the capacity ofcampkeeper; and the whole overhung by those magnificent trees.
Elmer dearly loved this sort of thing. Something implanted in hisnature, coming down possibly from far-back ancestors who used to huntgame for a living, caused the boy to possess an earnest yearning tospend a season every year in the primeval wilderness, close to Nature'sheart. It was as near the "call of the wild" as the ordinary boy evergets, since school duties, as well as home ties, have dominion over himmost of the year.
Elmer prepared to enjoy himself to the full. The air was certainlydelicious at this time in the morning, though growing rapidly warmer asthe sun climbed higher. All outdoors seemed to be rejoicing with him. Hecould hear the merry voices of insects all around; the croaking of frogsin a nearby marshy spot he passed; and the constant cawing of crows inthe treetops, as they prepared to sally forth bent on finding a latebreakfast, or possibly teaching their young how to use their wings inshort flights around the home nests.
"This is the life!" said Elmer, exultingly, as he walked along with abrisk step, and used his eyes to notice a thousand and one things aroundhim, most of which would of a certainty never be seen at all by anordinary boy, until his senses had been sharpened, brought about throughpractical scout activities.