CHAPTER VI
GUESTS AT THE CAMP FIRE
"Do what he says, fellows!" urged Hugh, sensibly, at the same timeelevating both hands above his head, in which ludicrous feat he wasspeedily imitated by his four chums.
The two armed men continued to advance cautiously toward the scouts.At the same time it could be seen that they appeared more or lesssurprised on account of discovering that it was a parcel of fairlywell grown boys whom they were making prisoners.
"Is this a joke?" asked Alec Sands, with a tinge of a sneer in hisvoice. "If so I want to say it's in pretty bad taste, don't you know."
"You'll find it a serious kind of a joke, young fellow," snarled oneof the two men in uniform, who seemed to be huffed over something,perhaps the scratches he had received in plenty where the brambleshad scraped his face.
"Perhaps you'll be kind enough to explain what we're being held upthis way for?" asked Hugh, as pleasantly as he could, for he realizedthat these men must represent some sort of authority, and in allprobability were laboring under a misapprehension.
"Who are you all, anyway?" demanded the taller of the two men, and Hughsaw that he had better address himself to this person, since he seemedto be the more even-tempered of the pair.
"Our suits ought to tell you that," Alec managed to snap out, notfancying the idea of being forced to keep his hands elevated in sucha fashion, just as though he might be a miserable criminal trying toescape from the penitentiary.
"We are Boy Scouts," said Hugh, hastily, seeing the men frown at Alec'simpatient remark. "We belong in Oakvale, and have come up here tospend a couple of days camping out. Besides that one of us has beencommissioned to take some pictures of an old deserted mansion not faraway from here, which his aunt in the city is expecting to buy, ifhis report turns out favorable. That's the whole story, I give youmy word of honor, sir."
The tall man looked straight into Hugh's face. What he saw thereseemed to impress him very favorably, for the expression of distrustquickly faded from his own countenance, and a friendly smile beganto take its place.
"I reckon we've been and made a mistake this time, Pete," he said,turning to his companion. "These young chaps don't look like they'dhave a hand in trying to get a crazy man free, after the law had shuthim up in an asylum!"
"What's that you say?" exclaimed Arthur, while Billy's eyes werelike small editions of saucers, in so far as being round was concerned.
"We belong at the State Asylum for the Criminal Insane," explainedthe taller man, whom Hugh now understood must be a guard. "There wasa notorious party shut up there, and he managed to escape by the aidof his money and the help of some friends outside. Men are searchingthe whole country over for signs of him. We got a clue that he mightbe found up here in this region, and that he was being taken careof in a camp, until such time as he could cross the line into Canada."
"Can we lower our hands now, friend?" asked Hugh, seeing that Billyfor one was getting very red in the face with the exertion ofstretching upward so long.
"I guess you don't none of you look very dangerous," he was told,"so drop back as you please. We can't take chances, you understand,so we'll ask you to produce proofs that you're what you claim. Thenif everything is O.K. p'raps now you might invite a couple of hungryand tired guards to hang around a while until you rustled up a bitof grub, and a cup of hot coffee which would go straight to the spot,for we haven't had a thing to eat since last night."
"Oh! that's really too bad!" exclaimed Billy, immediately sympathizingwith any one who knew, the pangs of hunger. "Sure, we'll invite youto stay with us to lunch. Luckily my policy of always providing alittle extra will come in handy, for we can fit you out with a prettyfair meal."
Even the shorter guard grinned on hearing this. He seemed to havequite lost the feeling of suspicion he had at first entertained towardHugh and his chums. In fact, he even stood his repeating rifle upagainst the tree nearest him, and seemed bent on taking things easy.
Hugh was pleased because the adventure had after all turned out soharmless. He had been a little startled when the demand was firstmade that they should surrender, and mention made of the startlingfact that they must consider themselves under arrest.
Every one busied himself in gathering wood, and making preparationsfor building a fire, even though, under ordinary conditions the boysmight not have started in to cook for some time to come. Billy,however, seemed to consider it always in order to think of such animportant subject as "preserving life"; for that was what he waspleased to call eating. No one ever heard a groan or complaint fromBilly when the order was given to prepare a meal; if the occurrencehappened six times a day he would have shown up smiling and hungry oneach and every occasion.
The taller guard became more and more friendly as he watched thesepreparations going on. He also asked numerous questions concerningHugh and his chums.
"Now that I think of it," he remarked presently, "it strikes me I readsomething about a batch of Oakvale scouts that helped the people overin Lawrence when they had that big flood there. Are you some of thatlot, boys?"
"Several of us were there, and had great times, I assure you," Hughmodestly replied, nor did he offer to enter into any particulars ofwhat had happened in the imperiled town at the time of their visit,though those boys from Oakvale had certainly earned the medals theyproudly wore for saving life at the risk of their own on that specialoccasion.
"Why, yes," the shorter guard now remarked, "and when I went downhome last week in Chester they were talking about how some scoutshad helped fight the forest fires over Oakvale way. Mebbe now youchaps had a hand in that game, too?"
For answer Billy thrust out his left hand before the man's eyes.
"See that red scar on the back of my hand?" he asked. "Well, I gotthat up there fighting the fire on the mountain that was trying towipe out the home of Mrs. Heffner, a widow."
"Good for you, Billy!" exclaimed the taller guard, for by now they hadcome to know the scouts by their several names, feeling quite at homein the temporary camp. "I'd like to wager that there must have beensome tall doings when _you_ got busy with the water pails. I've beenon the same line myself, and know what it means to fight a forestfire with the wind a-blowin' it right along, spite of all you can doto stop it."
"About this crazy man you were speaking about," observed Alec, asthough a sudden suspicion might have struck him, "it doesn't happenthat his name could be Randall, Judge Anson Randall, does it?"
"Oh! what if it should turn out that way?" gasped Billy, as hecomprehended the nature of the idea that must have flashed throughthe other's mind.
The tall guard, however, shook his head in the negative.
"That isn't his name at all," he told them. "This man did somethingterrible, and his money hired the best lawyers in the country to defendhim. In the end he was called insane, and sent to the asylum. Thenhis folks tried every way they knew how to get him free. At last ascheme was hatched up so he could make a break for liberty. Well,their plans have succeeded. He's escaped. They're searching forhim all over the country up here. But I reckon, because their planshave been laid so carefully, all our efforts to catch the conspiratorswill be in vain."
"Money talks!" said Alec, laconically.
"Well, it talks pretty loud in a case like this," the man added.
When the meal was ready they all sat around to enjoy it. Billy inparticular seemed very much taken with the idea that they had company.
"We've known some queer happenings in our camping out experiences,fellows," he told the others, as they started in to dispose of theimmense amount of food the generous fat scout had cooked. "This isthe first time, however, we've had for guests a couple of gentlemenguards from the State Asylum for the Criminal Insane. I'm glad tosee you are enjoying my little snack, thrown together in so hastya manner."
"Well, me and my side partner," commented the taller guard, with awink at his companion, "wouldn't mind if a prisoner managed to breakaway every da
y in the week if we could be sure of getting such a finetreat as this, eh, Pete?"
Pete declared that he could truthfully echo that assertion, thoughhis mouth being so full at the time he could hardly more than mumblehis sentiments.
The two men did full justice to the meal, and then announced that, muchto their everlasting regret, they felt compelled to bid the friendlyscouts good-bye, though they would like nothing better than stayingover the night with them.
It was hardly full noon when they took their departure, waving a farewellfrom the edge of the thick brush before plunging into the same. Theyhad another clue that was worth following up, for those who were fortunateenough to recapture the escaped prisoner would be in line to receivesome satisfying sort of reward, either in the shape of money, or abetterment in their condition of employment at the asylum.
"Well, they're gone!" remarked Alec, as he busied himself with hisdevelopment tank, anxious to find out how his films were going toturnout.
Billy heaved a sigh that seemed to come from the soles of his feet.
"To tell the honest truth," he admitted, "I ain't sorry a bit. Thosefellows could give me points about how to stow stuff away, and thennot half try. Why, they acted as if they were hollow clean down totheir shoes. I guess they told the truth when they said they hadn'thad a bite of breakfast this morning."
"But, Billy," interposed Arthur, "I thought you loved to see people eatheartily all the time? We've always believed you were the mosthospitable fellow going."
"Huh! I used to think the same," grunted Billy, scratching his head,"but then you know there's such a thing as piling on the agony. Thosefellows weren't just hungry men---they were cannibals, regular humangraveyards, I should say, by the way the stuff disappeared down theirthroats. If they drop around again to-night I reckon our stock ofgrub will be lowered so much we'll all of us have to go on half rationsthe rest of the time we stay here---something I don't look forwardto with much joy."
"Don't worry, Billy," Hugh told him. "They said they would be milesaway long before night set in. The country is safe, and we're notlikely to starve."
Alec interrupted the conversation to call out exultantly:
"Oh! this first roll is coming along dandy, let me tell you! It'sgoing to be the best thing I ever did; and my stars, but that lensdoes cut fine! It was a lucky day for me when Aunt Susan got trackof this old castle up here in the woods, for it's given me a regularjewel of a camera outfit."
Every one felt pleased on hearing this, since it would save Alec thetrouble of snapping the pictures over again.
Billy was taking things easy after getting up the midday meal, as hefelt he had earned a rest. At the same time the fat scout's mind wasbusily employed.
"I was just thinking," he finally broke out with, "what a lot of queerthings have happened to us since we came up here. I wonder what we'llstrike next. We've rubbed up against raiding tramps, mewing owls,ghosts in the night, and guards hunting for an escaped insane criminal.Besides, there are still a few more hours left for a new batch ofexciting happenings. I tell you, boys, this little side trip proposedby Alec and engineered by Hugh bids fair to equal anything we've enduredin our whole checkered career."