CHAPTER XVIII
CAMPING ON THE LAKE SHORE
For several minutes the scouts lay there and fairly held their breathin the grip of that sudden fear that had come upon them. As therumbling noise and the sickening sensation of the rock trembling underthem passed away they regained in some degree their former confidence.
"The worst is over, I think," said Mr. Witherspoon; "but we'll staywhere we are a while longer."
Content to abide by his judgment, and glad that they had escaped beingcaught in that avalanche of earth and rocks, the boys kept quiet untilfinally, as there was no repetition of the landslide, they were allowedto issue forth.
Investigation showed them where the slip had occurred. Some fault inthe formation of the mountain side had allowed it to happen, theconditions being just right.
Later on the rest of the scouts went over to view the wrecked oak,bringing back some of the splinters of wood to use in making the firethey expected to have going presently.
Considering the two narrow escapes they had passed through recently,one from lightning and the other from the avalanche, the boys all feltthat they had reason to be thankful.
"You'll have some remarkable things to set down in that log book ofyours for this particular day, Tom," said the scout master; "and Ithink you can do the subject justice. I hope to read an account of thistrip in print one of these days."
"Oh! there's a small chance of my account taking the first prize, I'mafraid Mr. Witherspoon," laughed the leader of the Black Bear Patrol;"I imagine there'll be scores of competitors in the race, and plenty ofthem can write things just as well as I can, perhaps even better."
"Yes," remarked Josh, "but don't forget that every account of an outingtrip has to be absolutely true. No wonderful imaginary stories will beallowed in the competition, the rules said."
"Yes, that's just what they did state," added Felix; "you've got tohave things authenticated--wasn't that the word the paper used?"
"Attested to in due form by the scout master who accompanied thetroop," Mr. Witherspoon explained, smiling; "and in this case I can dothat with an easy conscience."
"And if things keep going as they have been lately," declared anotherboy, "there never was and never can be a trip so crowded withinteresting happenings as this same hike of Lenox Troop over Big BearMountain."
The fire was made without any particular trouble, just as Josh and someof the others had predicted. The boys knew how to get dry fuel out ofthe heart of a stump, and once the fire was roaring it hardly matteredwhat kind of wood was used, since the heat quickly dried it out.
Then supper was cooked as usual, only on this occasion they dispensedwith some of the conditions that were not absolutely necessary, such ashaving two separate fires.
On the whole they managed to get on, and every one admitted he coulddispose of no more when finally the meal was concluded.
Later on the boys sat around, and while most of them compared notesregarding their experiences during the exciting day just closed, othersproceeded to attend to certain duties they did not wish to postpone anylonger.
As for Tom Chesney, it was an aim with him to write out his account ofdaily events while they were still fresh in his mind. He was afraidmany of the little details might be forgotten if he delayed; and in theend those were what would give most of the charm to the narrative ofthe scout doings.
The storm had passed on, and above them they saw the stars peeping outonce more. Long into the night the steady drip of water could be heard,telling of numerous little rivulets that still ran down the side of BigBear Mountain, though by morning most of these would have dried up.
They slept under the friendly ledges. It was, after all was said, apretty "rocky" bed, as Josh termed it; but since the ground outside wasso well soaked, and there was always more or less peril in the shape ofanother landslide, none of the boys complained, or expressed hisfeelings in more than sundry grunts.
With the coming of morning the strange camp was astir, and one by onethe boys painfully crawled out, to try to get some of the stiffnessfrom their limbs by jumping around and "skylarking."
About nine o'clock the hike was resumed Mr. Witherspoon did not thinkit advisable to go on up the mountain any further after that avalanche;he believed they would have just as good a time passing around thebase, and in the end making a complete circuit of the high elevation.
The day turned out to be a delightful one after the storm. It seemed asthough the air had been purified, and even in the middle of the day itwas not unpleasantly warm.
"We ought to make that little lake by the afternoon, oughtn't we, Tom?"the scout master asked, as he plodded along at the side of the patrolleader.
Another consultation of the map Tom carried followed, and it wasdecided that they must be within a half a mile of the water. Tenminutes later Josh declared he had caught a glimpse of the sun shiningon dancing wavelets; and shortly afterwards a sudden turn brought themin full view of the pond.
It was hardly more than that, covering perhaps ten acres; but the boysdeclared they had never set eyes on a prettier sight as they arrived onthe near shore, and proceeded to make a camp there.
"If we only had a canoe up here what a great time we'd have fishing,"said Josh, who was particularly fond of casting a fly for a trout orbass, and scorned to use the humble angleworm, as ordinary fishermendo.
"What's the matter with taking a log and straddling the same?" askedTom. "Three of us could manage it, one to troll with a spoon, anotherto cast near the shore and the third to paddle the log."
"Let's try that in the morning," suggested Josh, eagerly; "it's toolate in the day to have any great luck now. But I like the looks ofthat pond--and I think we might get a good string of fish from it, ifthe wind's right."
That night their fire glowed upon the border of the water. It was anew experience, and the boys, seeing Tom busily engaged in writing,told him to do full justice to the theme, for it deserved to berecorded exactly in the way they saw it.
It was a comfortable night they spent by the pond, in sharp contrast tothe preceding one when flattened out under the rocky ledges. Every onegot a good sound night's sleep, so that when morning came they were inprime condition for the work of the day.
"We'll stay here to-day and not go on for another twenty-four hours,"decided the scout master, as they sat around eating breakfast.
"For one I'm glad to hear that," said Felix; "I can hike as well as thenext fellow; but just the same when I'm off for pleasure I don't liketo keep moving all the time. This suits me first-rate. Then I expect todo some paddling when we find the right sort of a log, with Josh at thebow casting his flies, and Tom at the stern trolling his phantom minnowalong."
The log needed was easily found, and was rolled down, to be launched inthe pond. A rude paddle was also cut, with the aid of the ax and asharp knife. Felix declared he could make it answer the purpose; sopresently the enterprising scouts composing the fishing party wentforth, followed by the best wishes of their mates.
"Fix it so we have a fish dinner to-night, fellows!" Billy Buttoncalled out.
"If you're wise you'll not make up your mouth that way; then there's nodanger of being disappointed," said George. "I never expect anything,and so I meet with pleasant surprises once in a while."
Perhaps since the days of old Robinson Crusoe a more remarkable fishingparty never started out than that one. The three boys had taken offshoes and socks, and rolled up their trousers above their knees.Straddling the log, Felix used his paddle, and, sure enough, the clumsycraft moved along fast enough to answer their desires.
Tom let out his line and trolled, while Josh began to cast with greatanimation, sending his trailing flies close to the shore, and drawingthem toward him in fine style.
Presently he struck and managed to land a fair-sized bass. Then Tomcaught a larger one on his imitation minnow. The fun began to waxfurious, so that once both the anglers chanced to be busily engagedwith fish they had hooked at the same time.
/> It was while this was going on, and their string had already reachedrespectable proportions, that the boys on the log heard a sound faraway, up on the side of the mountain, which caused Josh to exclaim:
"That's a pack of dogs yapping, and they're hot on the track of somesort of game, too! It may be only a poor little cottontail, but we'llsoon know, for they're heading straight in our direction. Whew! listento the yelps they give!"
"There's something in the lake over yonder, and coming this way, too!"exclaimed Felix "Can it be a muskrat, Tom, do you think, swimming ontop of the water?"
"Not much it isn't!" cried Josh from the bow of the novel craft; "it'sa deer I tell you, a stag with half-grown antlers, taking to the waterto escape from the hounds."