CHAPTER XIX.
A GOOD RIDDANCE.
Bumpus somehow seemed to keep his senses about him. Frightened as hewas, he never forgot that, as the chosen bugler of Cranford Troop, hehad certain duties devolving upon him which should not be neglected.
So he made a frantic dive for his precious bugle, hanging close by.Seizing the instrument, he clapped it to his lips, and blew a clarioncall. It was the rallying signal of the scouts, and which they knew fullwell.
The bear immediately set up a whimpering, and then merged this into aroar that echoed from the side of the hill far away. Thad wonderedwhether this action on his part was intended to be disgust with themusic produced by the silver-voiced troop bugle; or if the coming of thetwo men had anything to do with it.
Immediately he saw that the latter was the case, for one of the men leftthe side of his companion, and striding swiftly toward the dancing bear,began to fondle the beast, while speaking words in some outlandishtongue.
That told the story. The newcomers then, were the two men whom Smithyhad seen exhibiting the trained beast near his house, and one of whom hehad declared asked him ever so many questions in good English about thecountry above, and the people living on the farms there.
But the scouts had had their little scare all right. Under the beliefthat the camp was in danger of being raided by a couple of thievingtramps, who had already picked out the bag of Bumpus as the choicestprize of the lot, Davy and some of his mates had gained their feet onlyto jump for the spot where their stout staves happened to be restingagainst various trees.
They really presented quite a warlike front as they began to wave thesesticks in a menacing manner, and ranged on either side of theirscout-master.
"Hold on, boys, there's no need of making such a show as that," Thadremarked, secretly pleased, however, to see how bold a band he had underhim; "these men are the ones who own the bear; and I rather thinkthey've come for him at last."
"Hurrah!" shouted Giraffe, ready to dance with happiness over the suddenprospect of being rid of their "star boarder," while the stock of foodstill remained fairly bountiful.
Thad was observing the man who kept on toward them. He was coarselydressed, and to all appearances as much of a foreigner as the one whowas caressing the whining dancing bear, and speaking such strange wordsto him. At the same time Thad, who was quite an observer, felt thatthere was a vast difference between the two men.
This one had clear features, sunburned and begrimed it is true, but withintelligence in his manner; while his gray eyes were keen andpenetrating.
Just now, as he surveyed the hostile attitude of some of the scouts,Thad could detect a grim smile passing over the face of the other. Henodded his head to the boy whom he guessed must be the leader of thecampers.
"We lost the bear by accident, and my companion has been mourning eversince. You see he brought the beast over the ocean, and cares a heap forhim," he said, as he pointed to where the bear and keeper were actuallyhugging each other, so it seemed.
"He walked in on us the other night, just when we were ready to go toour blankets," Thad went on to explain, "and nearly scared some of theboys out of their wits. But we happened to have a scout who had fed yourbear, and talked to him. He was brave enough to get down from his tree,and offer the animal part of a loaf of bread."
"Half a loaf it was too, mister!" broke in Giraffe, determined that theother should not be left in any doubt as to the immense hole the beasthad made in their provision chest.
"And while the bear was eating, Smithy managed to get the chain fastaround that tree," Thad continued. "We hoped you'd come for him, sooneror later, because we hadn't laid in stores for a bear when we startedout on this hike. And Giraffe here is anxious to see the last of him,because he's afraid his rations will have to be cut pretty soon if itkeeps on much longer."
"Thank you, boys, for keeping the bear," the man remarked, in excellentEnglish, as he smiled, and bowed around the half circle. "If you say so,we will gladly settle his board bill right now, as we have to be off,too much time having been lost in this hunt. But he refused to doanything without his bear, and I had to give in."
"That's kind of you; but I guess we don't want to ask any pay for thelittle he ate of our food," Thad hastened to say.
"Little, oh, my!" Giraffe burst out with; and then subsided at a frownfrom the scout-master.
"And besides," went on Thad, "he happened to do us a service byfrightening away a lot of boys from town who meant to play some trick onus, perhaps stealing all our eatables; so you see we feel square. Butperhaps you'd like to have a cup of coffee while you're here? We haveplenty, and can fix you up in short order."
Giraffe could only groan. To his mind it seemed that they must bekeeping open house for all the roving creatures at large in that sectionof the country. And besides, who could say what manner of men these twowith the trained bear might turn out to be? For his part, the one whotalked so well, looked very suspicious, to say the least; and why shouldan educated man be tramping all over the country in company with anignorant foreigner and his dancing bear, if he did not have some slygame back of it?
"That is very kind of you, boy," remarked the man, with a smile thatmade Thad forget his soiled face and rather ragged clothes; "and as thenight is cool, and we've still got a long tramp before us if we expectto make half the distance to Faversham before morning, I'm going to takeyou at your word. But I wish you'd let me pay you something for all thistrouble."
Thad of course shook his head, and gave orders for coffee to be put inthe pot, which might be set close enough to the hot camp-fire to soonstart boiling.
The man sat down and began to talk to Davy Jones, who happened to benext him. He seemed to be asking a few questions, possibly concerningthe road to the town toward which they were bound, and which was reallya good many miles away.
Thad walked over to where the other was still chattering to hisrecovered pet. He found, however, that the man could not speak enoughEnglish to answer any question. If the other man was able to communicatewith this fellow at all then he must be educated enough to speakRussian; for that was what the foreigner's native country seemed to be,as far as Thad could make out.
When the coffee was ready, the man by the fire accepted of a cup, andthanked Step-hen warmly. Davy carried another cup to the bear keeper,who took it with some strange words, which the boy supposed were meantto express his gratitude.
And after that, to the immense delight of Giraffe, they prepared todepart. The bear was made to shake hands with each scout, and in his oddfashion express his thanks for the attention that had been given him.But Giraffe declined the honor.
"It's all right for you fellows," he grumbled, when they joked him onhis timidity; "he likes you, and wouldn't do anything to hurt you; butit's different with me, you see. The old rascal's taken a dislike to me,and I'd be afraid he'd give me a sneaky bite, or claw me. Just saygood-bye for me, and a good riddance."
Thad was afraid the man who could talk such good English might show somesigns of being offended by these frank expressions of Giraffe's views;but instead he laughed quite heartily, as though rather tickled.
"A bear can eat a big amount of stuff in a day," he remarked, "and Idon't blame your friend for being afraid he'd clean you out, if hestayed longer. Good-bye, boys. Hope you enjoy your outing to the limit;and that the time may come when I can return that favor of a bully cupof coffee."
With that they were off, the bear growling one minute, as it struggledwith its chain, and looked back; and then whimpering in its joy atseeing a familiar face again.
"See, he knows he'll miss the good feeds he's had since he dropped in onus," remarked Davy.
"You're away off there, Davy," declared Giraffe, drawing a big sigh;"he's ugly just because he can't get a bite at me. He's been waiting allthe time to do that, and he shows how mad he is to be taken away withouta chance. Perhaps I'll sleep easier to-night, boys. It's an awful thingto lie awake there in a tent, and know a revengeful bear
is trying tobreak his chain only twenty feet away, meaning to take a nip at you."
But the others only laughed at Giraffe, as the shadowy figures of menand bear were swallowed up in the dense darkness of the forest.
Still, every one was glad the bear had gone. They might have laughed atsome of his antics; but his little eyes looked treacherous; and Thad hadgiven orders that nobody should be too familiar with the beast while hehonored them with his company.
"That one man was sure a foreign chap," remarked Allan; "but the othertalked as good English as any of us, perhaps better than some. I saw himspeaking with you, Davy; did he tell you who he was, and all about hisroving life?"
"Well, I guess not," replied the other, "to tell the truth, he wasasking questions about getting to Faversham, and finding a couple ofparties he seems to want to come up with mighty bad. But I couldn't givehim much help, because you see, I've never been as far as that town; andI sure never met up with the men he described. But I promised him I'dkeep my eyes open, and if so be I ran across 'em, I'd send him word, incare of a man up in Faversham named Malcolm Hotchkiss."
"Well," broke in Bumpus just then, after his usual impetuous style, "formy part, I'm believin' that they're the very two rascals Thad spokeabout, hanging out in this region, and taking game out of season. Andperhaps now, one of 'em even sneaked in camp when nobody was around, andgot away with my bag."
He said this in a sneering way, and kept his eye fixed reproachfully onStep-hen while speaking. The other frowned, and shook his head, in acombative way.
"Of course you mean it's me that touched your old bag, Bumpus," heremarked; "but you've got another guess coming. I watched you hunting inthe tent like you'd lost your head. Reckon you have, all right, because_you took the wrong tent_! Just step in the other one for a change, andmy word for it you'll find your blessed old haversack just where youhung it!"
And Bumpus, looking rather shame-faced, did go into the second tent; toappear a moment later carrying the disputed bag in his hand, and with arosy blush mantling his fat face.