CHAPTER II
A CAMP SUPPER
The two boys stood there looking for a full minute. Hugh haddiscovered the presence of a light in the cabin about the sametime that Bud mentioned the fact. It could be seen shining throughthe aperture that had once been used as a window. There was noglass in this now, and a heavy shutter, hung on rusty hinges, gavethe only means of keeping out the cold air, though this had notbeen closed by the unknown party within.
"Whoever can it be?" muttered the disgusted Bud, doubtless begrudgingthat long tramp from the road where the friendly farmer had droppedthem.
"Perhaps some one who's thinking of using the old shanty asheadquarters while trapping this season," Hugh replied. "You knowRalph Kenyon used to take quite a lot of pelts around this regionbefore he joined the scouts and changed his mind about that sort ofthing."
"Then you don't think it could be a hobo?" queried Bud with arelieved vein in his voice.
"Well, tramps nearly always stick close to the railroads, you know,"the other observed with the air of one who had made it a point totake note of such happenings; "and besides, what hobo would thinkof wandering away up here so far from a base of supplies? But wecan settle all that easy enough, Bud."
"By going on and breaking in on him, you mean?" questioned the othereagerly.
"Yes, though perhaps first of all we'd do well to creep up and takea look in at that opening. A scout should be sure of his groundbefore he takes a leap. It isn't always so easy to go back again."
"All right, Hugh, let's start right in and have a squint at him.Seems to me I get a whiff of cooking, don't you?"
"Yes, I noticed that, Bud; and also that he's got a fire burning inthere. You can see it flicker, and that wouldn't happen if thelight came from a lantern, or even from a torch."
"Smells good, too. That fellow knows how to cook, whoever he is,"remarked the other scout, sniffing eagerly at the air as he spoke.Hours had passed since dinner-time and they had had a hard tramp.
They advanced quickly though cautiously. Their hearts were beatingfaster than usual, perhaps because they had been carrying heavyloads. Then again there was a chance that the moment's excitementhad considerable to do with the quickening of their pulses.
Arriving alongside the wall of the lonely cabin that had been builtmany years before by a man who meant to start a farm up in thisregion, the boys hastened to glue their eyes to the opening.
What they saw astonished them and at the same time relieved theirfeelings. There was but a single occupant of the cabin, and he a boyabout their own age, also dressed in the khaki uniform of a scout.He was busily engaged in cooking some supper, and apparently did notsuspect the presence of any one near by.
"Why, it's Ralph Kenyon!" gasped Bud. "Whatever can he be doing allby himself up here?"
Hugh could give a guess. He knew that in times past the young chapin question had made it a practice to trap the little wild animalsthat might still be found in the woods and swamps of that region,for the sake of the money he could get for their fine furry pelts.This was before he joined the scouts, which was soon after valuableore had been discovered on the Kenyon farm and a strip of land soldto the railroad, these transactions placing the family on a securefinancial foundation.
Evidently as the cold weather came on, Ralph had been tempted towander over to his old stamping-grounds, not to set traps as ofyore or shoot any of the timid woods' animals for the sake of theirwarm coats, but just to revive old recollections.
He had evidently fetched his double-barrel shotgun along with him,since it stood in a corner; and he was evidently cooking a braceof fat quail which he must have managed to knock down on his tripup here.
From the way he cocked his head just then it seemed as thoughRalph must have thought he had heard some strange sound. PerhapsBud had spoken louder than he had meant to do. But then therewas no need of further holding back. Ralph was a member of thesame troop as themselves, and while perhaps Bud would have preferrednot increasing the number of witnesses to his own triumph or rankfailure, he saw that it could not be helped. And Bud was oneof those who can make the best of a bad bargain. Besides, Ralphwas a good fellow, and generally well liked by his companions.
Instead of calling out and telling the boy inside the shack thata couple of weary wayfarers had arrived and meant to join him,Hugh saw fit to give the recognized signal of the Wolves: "_How-oo-oo_!"twice repeated.
Then as Ralph sprang to the door to take away the prop with which hehad secured it, Hugh and Bud pushed into the interior of the cabin.
Ralph stared at them but seemed decidedly pleased, for he instantlythrust out his hand in friendly greeting.
"Well, well, who'd think you would drop in on me as if you came fromthe skies?" he was saying as he worked Hugh's arm like a milkman'spump handle. "You see, I've been coming out here for several yearsevery Thanksgiving afternoon to set my first traps of the season;and while I don't expect ever to do it again, I just couldn't keepfrom spending one night in the woods to revive old recollections.But I'm tickled to death at the idea of having company, for it doesget mighty lonesome sometimes. Whatever are you doing up here, Hughand Bud?"
So, as Hugh waited for his companion to explain, Bud began to tellhow he had been up to his old tricks again and believed that he hadinvented something that was going to be a stunning success; also,that he had coaxed accommodating Hugh to go off with him in orderto try it out in secret.
"Of course, since we find you in possession of the shanty where wemeant to put up for one or two nights," Bud continued, with a grin,"why, I'll have to let you share my secret tomorrow when we startto try it out. Till then don't ask questions and I'll tell you nolies. And I want to inform you right now that what you're cookingfor supper sets my nerves on edge, it smells so good."
"That's lucky," remarked Ralph, "for I have just four more fat juicyquail on hand. I made a double shot into a covey that got up inthe brush. If you fellows say the word, I'll start right away toget them ready for the pan."
"You'll do nothing of the kind," chuckled Hugh, who, like Bud, haddeposited his burden in a corner, "we're only too glad of a chanceto help pluck a few feathers ourselves. It's enough that you makeus a present of what you meant probably to take home to your mother."
"Oh! I can get others later on," observed Ralph, as he pointedto the little heap of brown and black feathers which marked thespot where the unused birds lay. "You see, she's not feelingvery well, my mother, I mean, and somehow quail on toast alwaysappeals to her. But while you're working there, let me make morecoffee. Have you got cups and such things along in your packs, boys?"
"We have," declared the overjoyed Bud; "and this bird is just prime;never saw a fatter one, I declare. Say, Hugh, we didn't expect sucha bully treat as this, did we, when we aimed to get here in time tocook supper?"
Preparations progressed rapidly. As Ralph had already stowed awayquite a large quantity of wood for use during the night, that laborwas spared the two late arrivals, which fact pleased Bud very much.He could work as hard as the next one when interested in what he wasdoing, but gathering fuel had never appealed to him in the same wayit did to Billy Worth, who was all the time figuring out whatsplendid things the wood could be used to cook.
As the three boys sat around eating the evening meal, they chatted ina lively manner. Hugh told how he and Bud had had a fine lift bymeans of the farmer's wagon, and then continued:
"I suppose you started this morning, and on that account missed yourThanksgiving turkey, Ralph? But you said your mother was notfeeling well; and so perhaps the feast has been postponed at yourhouse to a more convenient time?"
"Just what it has," replied the other. "You see my married sistersare expected home on Saturday night, and so mother decided to letthe big dinner go until Sunday, when we'll all be together again.I just took a snack to munch on at noon, and brought some things tocook. I got here two hours back, and had plenty of time to fixthings as I wanted them for my one ni
ght out."
"Perhaps you'll make it two, if we decide to stay that long, eh,Ralph?" asked Bud, who was feeling much more warmly toward the othersince partaking of the delicious quail. "You see, we've got plentyof rations along for three, and you'd be as welcome to share with usas a shower in June."
"I'll see about that to-morrow afternoon, Bud," replied the other."But before I forget it, I want to tell you boys about a couple ofqueer men I happened to see while coming through the woods not morethan a mile or so away from here."
"P'raps timber prospectors" suggested Hugh; "I've known of such mento come up in this region trying to spy out new fields for operatingtheir destructive saw-mills. Somehow I hate to see the forestwiped out that way. A tree takes some hundreds of years to mature,and then it goes down in a heap, to be sawed up into boards. Itseems like a shame to me every time I think of how the timber isdisappearing. I believe in the work of the Forest Reserve Board.It's high time this country began to think of keeping what it's gotbefore everything is lost. But tell us about these men that you saw.They were not tramps, Ralph?"
"Oh, no, they were dressed too well for that," replied the otherquickly. "I happened to sight them in time to duck behind a tree,and they never once suspected that anybody was near. One was a tall,thin man, a German, I thought, while the other was dark andshort,---fact is, I took him for a Chinese, a Japanese or a Koreanfrom the color of his skin and his black bristling hair."
"That sounds interesting, anyway!" commented Bud. Then he added witha little amused laugh, "P'raps they've heard in some mysterious way,Hugh, how a celebrated young inventor named Bud Morgan means to tryout his latest wonderful stunt, and they hope to steal the concreteresult of his budding genius. But go on, Ralph. What did they dothat looked suspicious?"
"Oh! their every action struck me as queer," Ralph continued."You see they talked in a low voice, put their heads close together,looked all around as if they were afraid some one might be watchingthem, and then moved off, always turning to the right and to the left.You know when valuable iron ore was discovered on our farm, for along time afterward strange men came prowling around there. It struckme these fellows might be looking for something like that."
"Perhaps they're really civil engineers, meaning to run a line acrosshere in order to straighten the railroad and save time on throughtrains," Hugh suggested, leaning back after finishing his meal.
"That might account for it," Ralph admitted, "though they actedmighty strange to me. I never let out a peep till they'd disappearedfrom sight; and even then I thought it best to change my line ofadvance for fear that I might stumble on the precious pair again.Really now, I'd give a cooky to know just who and what they are,and why they've come away up here where only charcoal burners canbe met as a rule."
Bud had opened his mouth to make some remark, sighing to think howhe was utterly unable to eat another bite, when there was a suddenvivid flash as of lightning without that startled all the scouts;and immediately following came a tremendous roar similar to a clapof nearby thunder!