CHAPTER VI. THE NIGHT PROWLER.
When the alarmed Bumpus came crawling hastily out of the tent, hetrailed after the other three who had been sleeping near him; for ofcourse, not being forced to carry such a weight around with them asfortune decreed the fat scout should possess, Thad, Step Hen and DavyJones were much more spry in their movements.
Bumpus found a scene of more or less excitement when he reached the openair.
"I tell you I did shoot the thief, Thad, because I heard him kicking andgrunting over there in the bushes," Giraffe was crying, in excitedtones; and no doubt he was shivering all over at the very thought ofhaving done such a thing as fire directly at a human being.
"What was he doing at the time?" demanded the scout-master, who did notaltogether like the idea of hearing what the sentry declared was thetruth; for his little talk with Bumpus told how Thad felt about thematter.
"Just sneaking right into the camp!" declared Giraffe, who seemed tofeel that his act might need bolstering up the best he knew how. "Why,from his actions I just made up my mind the ferocious convict was benton murdering the lot of us in our sleep, and getting away witheverything we had. I tell you it served him right, Thad, and you mustknow it. I tried to hit him in the leg; but the light was that uncertaina fellow couldn't just make sure. I hope myself I haven't done any worsethan give him a wound, which you can bandage up."
Already it seemed, Giraffe's bold heart was failing him.
"We ought to see about it," said Allan, who, when there was anyunpleasant duty to be performed, never allowed himself to shirk.
"Giraffe, show us where you think he keeled over," demanded Thad.
"Why, over there where you see them bushes waving in the night wind,whenever the fire picks up. I'll foller after you, as soon as I can; I'mafraid I sorter sprained my ankle turning so sudden-like after I shot,and it hurts like anything, let me tell you. Go ahead, Thad, and take alight along. If you haven't got that handy little electric torch, why,just snatch up a stick from the fire. And look out everybody, that heain't playing possum, and meaning to shoot when you come close up."
Of course Thad understood. It was not that Giraffe was growing timid,for he had always been accounted the boldest of the boys in the SilverFox Patrol; but a sudden sickening realization that by his incautiousshot he may have taken a human life, however worthless, made him feelweak about the knees; that talk of a possible sprain of his ankle was apure fabrication to cover his hesitation about, looking on his work.
Thad, however, would not hold back on that account. If there was awretched human outcast lying there in pain, the quicker they found thisout the better, because, as scouts they had a plain duty to perform.
So Thad sprang over to the smouldering fire. As Giraffe had said, theflames occasionally leaped up as they found new places to eat into thebrands; and quickly selecting a promising torch he waved it severaltimes around his head until he had coaxed it to flame forth, when he ledthe way in the quarter mentioned by Giraffe.
The latter came limping after, no doubt all of a quiver as to what hewould hear said in another minute.
"There he is now, lying over yonder!" suddenly gasped Step Hen,pointing; and Bumpus gripped his gun nervously as he tried to crane hisfat neck in order to see.
"Yes, there is something lying there!" announced Allan; "and I saw itmove just a little then, so I reckon that it's pretty nearly gone!"
"Oh, that would be tough on the poor critter!" said Bumpus,sympathizingly.
"Yes, and on our chum Giraffe!" echoed Davy, with something about hisvoice as though he meant to imply that he would not envy the one who hadbeen so hasty about firing at an intruder.
Thad kept right on advancing, and suddenly he was heard to give a queerlittle hysterical laugh of relief; which proved that the scout-mastermust have also been laboring under quite a strain.
"Cheer up, Giraffe!" he called out.
"Ain't he dead, then?" cried the tall scout, forgetting to limp anylonger as he started to hurry toward the spot.
"Oh! I guess he's a goner, as far as that goes," Thad went on to say;"but it isn't a man after all, only a runt of a razorback pig!"
"Well, what d'ye think about that, now?" remarked Smithy, as theygathered about the dun-colored victim of Giraffe's deadly shot; andwhich had evidently given its last kick, for it was stiffening out eventhen.
Giraffe was heard to draw several long breaths. He could not say a wordat first, emotion so nearly overcame him; but then Thad was glad thishad taken place, because he believed it might teach the impulsive one amuch needed lesson. Already had Giraffe learned that he had a heart,which was not so callous as he made out. And he would hardly be apt topull trigger so quickly at another time, when there seemed to be a goodchance that it might be a fellow human being at whom his bullet, or loadof shot, was to be sent.
"I thought I heard a grunting when I shot," he finally admitted; "butthere were all sorts of sounds breaking out around me. And then youfellows started to yelp like everything, so no wonder I got mixed upsome. But see here, Thad, this porker belongs to somebody, don't he?"
"He certainly must have, when he was alive," answered the other, with asmile; "and if we can ever learn who his owner was, we'll be only tooglad to settle the bill with him. That may prove to be a dear snap shotyou took, Giraffe; because of course the cracker will put a highvaluation on his property. They always do when a train kills a cow onthe track."
"Well, it would be a shame to waste such juicy meat, wouldn't it?"pursued the lanky scout, insinuatingly, as he made his jaws move in away that carried out the idea of feasting.
"Don't worry, it isn't going to be wasted," said Thad. "If we get thename we're bound to have the game, too. So hang up your victim by thehind legs, Giraffe, and in the morning we'll see that we get two freshhams, some shoulders, and spare ribs in the bargain."
"Yum! yum! how's that for high? Nut-fed pork for me every time, fellows.Haven't I read heaps about the same being so fine down in Old Virginia.Here, give me a hand, will you, Bumpus--no, never mind, one of theothers will do as well. Smithy, you take hold, because you're nearly astall as I am; and we'll tie the pig's hind legs together, so he can hangnicely."
This was soon accomplished, and all of the scouts felt that theadventure, though giving them something of a shock at first, was notfated to be without its compensating features.
Once more those whose privilege it was to be occupying the twin tentswhile their comrades remained on guard without, again sought theirblankets, and the soft couches fashioned from the yielding gray Spanishmoss.
Giraffe, had, however, so far yielded to the dictates of his betternature to say to Thad before the scout-master crept out of sight:
"I want to tell you that I'm awful glad that was only a shoat of arazorback instead of a poor black coon," which was as good as admittingthat he had learned his lesson, and would be much more careful afterthat how he pulled trigger when he did not exactly know what species ofintruder had invaded the camp.
Thad was more than satisfied with the result. He believed that he wouldnot mind being given a frequent shock, if by its means the rest of theboys under his charge might see their way clear to better things.
At the proper time Giraffe came and woke up Step Hen and Davy, who wereto take a turn outside. The latter was heard to express himself the veryfirst thing he crawled beyond the flap of the tent that "the night airwas quite cool, and likewise very sweet."
Morning came at last, and there had been no further alarm; but for allthat the boys were glad when Thad called them forth, and said it washigh time they got breakfast started, as they had a long day's workbefore them.
Giraffe begged that Allan cut up the dead pig; and as the Maine boy hadhad considerable experience along that line, he consented to act asbutcher for the occasion. Nothing would do the lanky scout but that theymust have some of the razorback in the pan for breakfast, in the shapeof chops, for he could not wait until
another whole day had passedbefore tasting, to see if "nut-fed" pork was so very fine after all.
Some of them said they thought it was "peculiar," others did not fancyit very much; but as for Giraffe, he fairly raved over it; although Davyhinted that he was just "making believe," so that he could come backthree more times for the portions of those who shook their heads, andsaid it was a little too "piggy" for them.
Bumpus was strangely quiet this morning. He could be seen frowningoccasionally, as though his thoughts might not be very pleasant; butthen they knew what a great fellow he was to worry over small things;and they took it for granted that he must be again trying to puzzle outthe answer to that mystery concerning the little package ofmedicine--whether he had really delivered it to his mother, or left itat some house on the way home.
No doubt he even pictured that mother as suffering all sorts of agoniesjust because he had been so careless; for he often declared it was goingto be a terrible lesson to him, and break him of some of his bad habits.
But then he also eyed Giraffe and Davy suspiciously whenever they camenear him, as though he rather expected to hear them once more makedisparaging remarks about the odors they claimed came from the old andgreasy suit he insisted on wearing while in the swamp, instead ofsoiling his brand new one; but they failed to do anything to stir himup, from one reason or another.
"There's Thad beckoning to us to all come over," said Step Hen.
"He's found something or other, I warrant you," Davy remarked; "becauseI could see him nosing around. Tracks, chances are ten to one, you markwhat I say."
For once Davy proved a true prophet, for as they came up to where theyoung scout-master was standing, Thad pointed to the ground, and thenwent on to remark:
"When you fired that shot, and knocked over the shoat, Giraffe, youbuilded better than you knew. Look right here, and you'll see where aman was crawling along on his hands and knees, bent on entering ourcamp. He must have thought you'd taken a shot at him, for here's wherehe whirled around behind this tree, and then made off in a stoopingposture as fast as he could move, always trying to keep a clump ofbushes between himself and the camp. And the man your shot scared off,Giraffe, was a barefooted escaped convict too, as the signs seem toprove!"