CHAPTER XVII.
ON GUARD.
Bob's first impulse was to run to his prostrate friend, and with aknife he quickly severed the cords by which Ben was bound. Angry asBen was, he did not speak, but instantly leaped to his feet and stoodwith his companions peering eagerly at the body which could be seenupon the roof of the tent.
The fire had burned low, but still threw out its long shafts of light,and in the shadows the animal seemed to assume fantastic shapes. Theboys were all alarmed, and to their distorted vision the visitor wasapparently of large size, and every moment they expected to see himspring from the tent. He had not moved since they had rushed out fromthe tent, and though he uttered no sound he seemed to be crouching asfor a spring.
"It's a bear," whispered Bert.
"No, it isn't a bear; it's a panther," replied Jock, in a whisper astremulous as that of his friend had been.
The suggestion was in no wise reassuring, and for a few moments theboys stood and watched their strange visitor, ready to dart into thewoods at the first sign of new danger. The animal, however, had notstirred, and was still crouching upon the roof.
"If I only had my revolver, I'd fix him," said Ben.
"Where is it, Ben?" whispered Bob, eagerly.
"In the tent there. I say, fellows," he continued, "if you will keephis attention off to one side I'll crawl in and get the pistol. Can'tyou throw some sticks or stones at him, or poke him with a long pole?While you're doing that, I'll creep round to the other side and getinto the tent. He won't see me if you keep him busy."
The suggestion of a pole met with no favor, but sticks and stones weremore practical, and selecting a short club as a weapon of defence incase of an attack, the three boys drew off together a little fartherinto the woods and then began to throw the missiles at the crouchinganimal.
As their aim was poor they added shouts to their other "weapons," andsoon the camp was ringing with their calls, though the animal did notmove and seemed to be alike fearless of their missiles and wild cries.
Ben, meanwhile, had crept stealthily around to the farther side of thetent, and when the uproar of his companions rose to its highest point,darted quickly into the tent, secured his revolver and then ran outagain with a celerity which his friends might well have envied.
Possessed of his weapon he called to the boys, and as soon as they hadjoined him he stepped nearer the spot and cocked his pistol. He couldstill see their visitor in the same attitude and place where he hadbeen when first discovered. The camp-fire flickered and the treesmoaned under the night wind. The wash of the waves upon the pebblybeach was the only other sound to be heard, unless the rapid beatingsof the hearts of the boys were audible to others besides their owners.
"Don't move, fellows," whispered Ben, as he slowly raised his revolverand took aim.
His warning apparently was not needed, for not one of the boys movedfrom his place. Each was intently watching that crouching form uponthe roof, and waiting for the report of the revolver, which shouldeither put an end to their suspense by killing the animal, or bringupon themselves the rush of an angry and perhaps wounded beast.
The suspense was not ended when the first report of Ben's pistol brokesharply in upon the stillness of the night. From all appearances theythought the animal had not been hit, but as he showed no dispositioneither to advance or retreat, Ben quickly raised his revolver againand two shots rang out in quick succession.
"Look out, Ben, you'll hit the tent," whispered Bob, made somewhatbolder by the continued failure of the animal to move.
Ben then fired the remaining cartridges, and to the delight of hiscompanions, they saw their enemy roll from his place on the tent andfall with a thud upon the ground. There was the sound of a strugglefor a moment, and then all became still again.
The boys waited anxiously, and at last Ben said, "I hit him! I hithim! He's dead, fellows. Go on and see what he was."
"Bob took a long stick and poked the motionless form."_Page 213._]
As no one seemed to be quite willing to respond to the appeal, Benhimself thrust a long torch or broken limb of a tree into the fire,and then, holding in his hand the blazing branch, at the head of thecolumn advanced to view the fallen foe.
They approached carefully and cautiously, Ben explaining that"panthers sometimes lived a long time after they were dead," and soonthey could see the motionless body before them. Holding the torch inone hand and his reloaded revolver in the other, Ben stood ready toshoot at the first returning sign of danger, while Bob took a longstick and cautiously poked the motionless form.
His actions produced no response, and then, concluding that theirenemy was indeed dead, they came nearer and soon stood looking downupon their victim. A closer inspection revealed the fact that it was amuch smaller animal than they had thought it to be, but none of themhad ever seen one like it before.
As Jock leaned down to touch it with his hand, he suddenly drew backwith a cry of pain, and instantly his companions darted from thespot. As they were not pursued, their courage revived, and once morethey returned to inspect the body of the strange animal. He was deadnow, that was evident; and satisfied as to that fact, Bob declaredthat he was going back to bed.
"We ought to keep a guard to-night, though," suggested Bert. "Perhapsthese animals hunt in pairs. I've heard of panthers that do."
"That's all right; we'll have a guard," replied Bob. "Ben's the one todo it."
"Me? Well, I guess not! Say, who fixed me that way?" he suddenlyinquired, his anger evidently returning at the thought of the wrongshe had suffered.
"Well, I did," drawled Bob, "if you really want to know."
"What did you do it for?"
"To make you see the point. When I'm lecturing on the earlydiscoverers of the St. Lawrence, I don't want you to go to sleep. I'mnot doing it for the fun of the thing. It's duty, pure duty; I want toteach my benighted countrymen something about the heroes of thisregion."
"Nobody asked you to," replied Ben, half laughing, though he was stillangry over his wrongs. "If I'd invited you to speak or paid for theprivilege that would have been another matter. Where did you get thestuff, Bob? Out of an almanac or the cyclopaedia?"
"Out of my head. By the way, Ben, what made you yell so when you wokeus up?"
"Yell? Well, perhaps you'd keep quiet when you opened your eyes in thenight and saw a wild beast crawling over the roof of the tent andready to spring upon you and devour you. Then when I tried to move Ifound some one had tied me hand and foot."
"Your voice was free. Your lungs seemed to work all right," suggestedBob.
"They might not, though, if it hadn't been just as it was. When Itried to raise my head the string choked me, and I couldn't use myhands to help me, either. That was a dangerous thing to do, Bob. Idon't believe in practical jokes. Why, do you know, I thought at firstI was having the nightmare; but when I saw that great beast there, Iknew I was only too much awake. No, Bob, you'll have to be the one tostand guard to-night."
"Makes no difference to me," drawled Bob. "I'm entirely willing."
It was evident that the other boys were as willing as he, and afterBen had given him his revolver, and all three had bestowed upon himmany cautions and much advice, he was left to himself.
Bob waited until the sounds that came from the tent indicated that allwithin were asleep, and then he coolly entered, and selecting his ownblanket and pillow, returned with them to the fire.
Before spreading them upon the ground, he stopped for a moment andseemed to be thinking intently upon some matter. The result of hisdeliberations became apparent, when he placed both blanket and pillowcarefully behind one of the trees in a spot where they would not beseen by any one in the camp. Then he returned, and, cocking therevolver, advanced to the front of the tent.
Lifting his arm, as if he was aiming at the distant sky, he suddenlyopened his mouth and emitted some screeches that might have made anIndian chief envious, and at the same time began to dance about anddischarge the revolver.
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"Hi! Yi! Yi! Hi! Yi! Yi!" he shouted.
The din caused by his unearthly cries, punctuated by the rapiddischarge of the revolver, brought the startled inmates instantly tothe door.
"Hi! Yi! Yi! Hi! Yi! Yi!" repeated Bob, dancing about with increasedvigor, and at the same time discharging the last remaining chamber ofthe revolver as he beheld his frightened comrades.
"What is it? What is it, Bob?" exclaimed Ben, breathlessly.
"Did you see anything?" added Jock, equally excited.
"See anything? No, I didn't see anything," replied Bob, slowly.
"What! You didn't see anything?" demanded Bert. "What did you make allthat racket for, then?"
"Did I make any racket?" inquired Bob, in his most innocent manner.
"Didn't you really see anything?" said Jock.
"No-o-o. I didn't see anything. But I'll tell you, fellows, I wasafraid I might. I thought it might be just as well to scare away anyprowling beast that might be near. Did I disturb any of you?" heinnocently added.
"Oh, no, you didn't disturb us," said Ben, sarcastically. "We justcame out to see if you were all safe yet."
"It's fearfully lonesome out here, fellows," drawled Bob. "Don't oneof you want to sit up with me awhile?"
"Not much we don't," replied Ben, as he darted into the tent again,followed by the other two boys. "We'll leave you alone in your glory."
"Well, wait then till I load up again," said Bob, as he, too, enteredthe tent. "Where's the cartridge box, Ben?"
"Over there on the table," replied Ben, lazily. "Help yourself," headded, as he turned over upon his side.
Bob evidently did "help himself," for he not only filled the emptychambers with cartridges, but he slipped the box also into his pocket.When he returned to the fire, he spread the blanket upon the groundonce more and carefully adjusted the pillow.
"If I've got to stay on guard I might as well do it in style," hemurmured, as he stretched himself upon the blanket, and was soonsleeping as soundly as his friends in the tent.
He did not sleep so long, however, for about once in every half hourhe rose, and taking his stand in front of the tent he repeated his wardance, punctuating it with the sharp reports of his revolver and hisear-splitting shrieks.
In vain the boys begged of him to permit one of them to relieve him ofthe task, but Bob remained obdurate. "No, sir," he declared. "I'mdoing my duty! I'm not going to let one of those St. Lawrence panthersinto this camp to-night if I know myself. I'm going to protect you, nomatter at what cost to me."
And so there was not much sleep in the camp that night, though it waslikely that Bob enjoyed as much as any one, for between his efforts tofrighten away the "prowling panthers," he slept on his blanket beforethe fire.
Perhaps the excitement of the night caused the boys to sleep somewhatlater than usual on the following morning, for Bob, who was the firstto awake, was roused by the voice of Ethan.
"What ye sleepin' out here for?" demanded the boatman in surprise.
"That you, Ethan?" drawled Bob, as he opened his eyes. "Oh, thatreminds me," he added, as he hastily leaped to his feet, and graspingthe revolver, rushed up to the front of the tent, where he repeatedhis frequent performance of the night.
"What ye doin' that for?" demanded Ethan, in astonishment.
"Keeping the wild beasts away. Ethan," he added solemnly, "we've beenattacked. A fearful beast leaped on our tent in the night, and trieddesperately to tear it into pieces and get at us to devour us."
"Hey?" demanded Ethan, sharply.
"Yes. That's just what he did," repeated Bob, as the boys came out ofthe tent and joined him. "But we managed to shoot him."
"Ye did, did ye? Well, where is he now? Show me yer beast."
Bob silently led the way to the spot where they had left their victim.Ethan looked sharply for a moment at the body, and then with a snortof contempt, said, "Pish! Nuthin' but a hedgehog!" and Tom, for thefirst time our boys had heard him since their arrival at the camp,laughed aloud.