CHAPTER IX.
THE INVASION OF THE CAMP.
"OH! what is it?" cried Landy, who was actually trembling all over as hestood there in the night air, which had grown a trifle cooler during thehours they had been asleep.
"What's Elmer going to do?" exclaimed George, as he saw the patrolleader spring suddenly forward, and bend down.
"He'th got thomebody!" yelled Ted. "Perhapth it'th jutht one of thetrampth come over here to rob the camp!"
"Aber I dinks me he iss yust getting some off der vood to puts on derfire," remarked Adam, who, strange to say, in all the excitement, seemedto keep fairly calm.
It turned out to be exactly the case; for immediately Elmer threwsomething on the smouldering fire, which started up a cheery blaze. Whenthis came about it was wonderful how much better all of them felt. Acrackling fire can do more to dispel thoughts of ghosts, and all suchsilly things, than any other agency.
"But Ted," said George, "I don't think you could have guessed right,because you see there ain't any sign of a tramp here."
"Sounded to me," ventured Landy, "like it was out there on the river.Say, p'raps it might have been some poor duck just going down for thelast time!"
"Shucks!" grunted that unbeliever, George; "he'd never be able to letout such a whang-doodle yell in that case. I ought to know, because I'venear drowned myself twice, and all I could do was just to gurgle andkick and grab."
"How about that loon Elmer wath telling uth about?" suggested Ted,softly. "From all he thaid I reckon it'd let out jutht thuch a noitheath that."
"Elmer, you heard it, didn't you?" demanded Landy.
"I sure did," came the reply.
"Wath it a loon, then?" went on Ted.
"Not the kind you mean, boys; I give you that straight," replied theother.
"But it came from out there on the river, didn't it?" persisted Landy,who seemed to have that notion imbedded in his brain pretty strongly.
Elmer shook his head in the negative.
"Then where did it come from?" asked Landy.
"I didn't tell you, boys," went on the patrol leader; "but knowing thatsix in the tent would make it stuffy, I planned to sleep out here underthe stars, just as I've done many a night, you know. And so I was in apretty good position to hear where that whoop came from."
"Tell us, Elmer, tell us right away," demanded Landy, impatiently.
"The tent!" said Elmer, without hesitation.
The boys stared at each other.
"Say, he means that one of us let that yell out," remarked Landy.
"I know I didn't!" declared George.
"Not guilty!" chirped Ted immediately, holding up his right hand as hespoke.
"Noddings doing, poys, mit me," Adam ventured to say, positively.
"How about Ty?" asked Elmer, chuckling.
"Where is he?" demanded Landy.
And thus, all at once, they awakened to the fact that one of theirnumber was absent, though no one save Elmer had noticed this before.
Landy rushed to the tent and looked in. The fire was by this time givingout enough light to make it possible to see the entire interior.
Landy crawled inside, and almost immediately came forth again.
"Say, he ain't there! Ty's disappeared, fellows! Mebbe he's been takenwith a fit, and jumped into the river!" he cried, in tones that werefilled with horror.
"Elmer, what have you got to thay about that?" demanded Ted, who hadnoticed the significant fact that the patrol leader did not seem toshare the alarm of the rest; indeed, he even smiled as though amused.
"Watch me," said Elmer.
He strode back of the tent, while the other boys waited with wonderingeyes. In a minute Elmer reappeared, nor was he alone. He had hold of ashrinking figure, also clad in pajamas, and these of so violent a colorthat they instantly recognized them as belonging to the boy who hadclung so long to that red sweater.
Yes, it was surely Ty, and he did not seem to be suffering to any greatextent. There was evidence of a grin hovering around the corners of hismouth. Evidently Ty was the one who had crawled hastily under the canvasof the tent after that fearful yell had awakened the entire party. "Thewicked flee when no man pursueth," and Ty knew that he was probably infor a good raking, after giving his mates so great a scare.
"Hey, he's got him!" declared Landy. "Elmer knew where to find him. Seehere, did you let off that awful whoop, Ty Collins?"
"I s'pose I did," replied the culprit, meekly. "I was dreaming aboutthat old bull, you see. Thought I was sitting up there between hishorns, and he was just gallivanting around the whole country with me,jumpin' fences and all that. Then we came to a barn, oh, as high as thechurch steeple at Hickory Ridge; and as sure as you live if that critterdidn't make straight for the same. I felt him rising in the air like aballoon, and then I think I must have let out a squawk, fellers."
"Listen to him, would you!" cried Landy; "he calls that a squawk! Why,it sounded like a whistle for down-brakes on the track; or else a fellerfalling over a precipice ten thousand feet deep! And he's got the nerveto say it was only a little squawk, just like a chicken would give!"
"Well, if you'd been dreaming like I was, you'd holler too," argued Ty."Say, I reckon I scared myself pretty bad too, for I crawled out of theback of the tent in a big hurry, and tried to hide in the bushes. Then Iheard you talkin' and it struck me what I'd done. Didn't feel much likewalkin' in after that; but Elmer, he came and convinced me."
"No great harm done, boys," said Elmer. "And as Ty didn't mean tofrighten anybody, we'll have to let him off this time."
"Yes, if he'll promise not to repeat the dose, we might," grumbledLandy.
"Don't believe him, if he does, because he won't keep his word,"declared Doubting George.
"Well, what sort of remedy would you suggest?" asked Ty, indignantly.
"Gag him; that's the only way," returned George; "and even then I thinkhe'd find a loophole to let out another howl. Ty always could whoop itup better than any other fellow at school. That's why they made him thecheer captain when he couldn't get in the football game on account of asprain."
"You just try it," muttered Ty. "I've got troubles enough, and a plenty;but a gag is going it a little too strong. Elmer says it's all right,and that anybody is liable to have bad dreams. Think of what I wentthrough with, when that bull chased after me! Forget it, fellers, andlet's go back to our blankets."
"Yes, get along there, the whole bunch of you," laughed Elmer,pretending to "shoo" them as he might a flock of little chickens. "It'sgetting cool out here, and we've got a few more hours for sleep. Solong!"
So the five crept inside the tent again, and for some little while themurmur of voices told that they did not find it so easy to drop off intosleep as on the earlier occasion.
But finally all became silent. The episode was closed; and once moresleep dominated the camp by the Sweetwater.
There was no further alarm that night. Perhaps Ty took warning from theawful proposition made by George, and found some way of restraining hisinclination to dream; but no one ever knew how he did it.
When early morning came, with the cheep of birds in the thickets, Elmerwas the first one to be stirring. He kindled the fire afresh, and tidiedup around the camp a bit, after the manner that was so much to hisliking.
Then he went down to the river and plunged in.
It was now broad daylight; indeed, the sun was peeping up beyond the lowhills far away to the east. The sound of splashing must have reachedthe ears of Landy as he awakened, for presently he came crawling forth.
"Hi, get up there, you sleepy-heads!" he shouted, stooping to thrust hishead into the tent. "Here's Elmer occupying the whole river, and therewon't be any of it left if you don't hurry!"
That brought the balance out in a hurry, and soon the six were sportinggayly in the water. Adam had to do the high dive, with all its attendant"frills," as Landy called them, in the way of double somersaults,backward and forward, in order to convince the newcomer of
hisaccomplishments. For, of course, Doubting George refused to believeuntil he had been shown; and even then declared that there must be somesort of trick about it, because it stood to reason that a greenhorncould not excel in anything.
Adam, however, was too good-natured to take offense. As long as theyremained in the water he was kept busy showing the many tricks he knew.Tenderfoot though he might be in most things connected with boy life inAmerica, Adam certainly stood in a class by himself when it came toaquatic events.
Then came the pleasing job of getting breakfast. Ty, assisted by George,consented to look after that part of the business. Since George wouldonly have one whole day in camp, with two nights thrown in, he purposedgetting all he could out of it, and had laid out a list of things hewished to try before sundown, consisting of fishing, taking a fewpictures with a little camera he had fetched along, and roaming theneighboring country, looking for promising nut trees for the Octobergathering, because George was very fond of hickory nuts, chestnuts andwalnuts, in season and out.
"Just as like as not there won't be a fish willing to nibble at mybait," he grumbled, after his customary fashion; "and I'd like to wagerthat this year is a bad one for nuts."
"Oh, let up on that cranky way of looking at things," said Ty. "Perhapssomething's the matter with your new camera too, George!"
"Well, you never know," replied the other, sighing. "It looks all right;but the proof of the pudding lies in the eating; and I'm sorterexpecting the thing to turn out a fizzle. Cheap things never do amountto much, you know."
"But that was a present on your birthday!" ejaculated Ty.
"Sure it was; but all the same it's not one of the best; and I'm alwayssuspicious of these things that don't cost top-notch prices," Georgecontinued.
"I'd just like to know what you ain't suspicious of," snapped Ty. "Here,don't you go smelling at my flapjacks like you thought there was a badegg in 'em. Every egg we get is fresh from the coop that day, and markedgilt edge. Before I'd have a way like yours, George, I'd, well, Ibelieve I'd jump in the river."
"I don't believe you would," grinned George, once again true to hisreputation as a skeptic.
"What's Elmer going to say?" remarked Ty, he noticed the patrol leadercoming hastily into camp, with a queer look on his face.
"Get ready!" Elmer said, mysteriously.
Ty, Ted, George and Landy looked up at this.
"Get ready for what!" demanded the fat boy, attempting to gain his feetin haste, but having to clutch hold of Ted in order to assist himself.
"To vacate the camp," replied the other.
"But, Elmer, explain, won't you?" asked Ted.
"Yes, tell us why we must get out," echoed George, and adding: "I don'tbelieve he means anything at all, that's what; he's just fooling us,fellows."
"Wait and see," Elmer continued, gravely nodding his head, although hiseyes were sparkling with humor. "It's coming, and I tell you that afterit arrives there won't be any room here for you fellows. It will occupythe whole place!"
"But, Elmer, what is it that's coming?" asked Landy, visions of the twodesperate hoboes filling his mind.
Elmer, in reply, commenced to raise his head, and make a face as hesniffed the air.
"Just try that and see," he remarked, simply.
Upon that the whole lot started to drawing in their breath. Immediatelyvarious exclamations told that they had "caught on," as Landy expressedit.
"Oh, murder! What sort of an odor is that!" ejaculated George.
"I know!" cried Landy, who had started to clutch his nose between thumband fingers; "it's a skunk, that's what it is. Wow! It's getting worseall the time, too!"