CHAPTER X NEATLY DONE
As the scout master suddenly pressed the button of his little hand torchand threw the expanding ray of light straight ahead, he called out in aloud voice:
“Go to it, Tubby, Andy!”
There was a loud crash. Tubby had obediently thrown the wooden firescreen over to the floor, and was trying to snatch up some of the finetinder that would burst into a brilliant flame almost as soon as itreached the still hot embers on the hearth.
Andy, too, was equal to the emergency, and had his gun leveled directlyat the figure of the sprawling man. There was a grim suggestivenessabout the way in which all these things worked that must have staggeredany one thus taken completely by surprise.
“Lie just where you are, unless you want to get hurt!” cried Rob, in anauthoritative voice. “If you make any attempt to get up, or show fight,you’ll have to take the consequences, and they’ll not be pleasant,either. Understand that, Zeb Crooks?”
“Oh, that’s who it is, eh?” burst from Andy. Tubby too must have seen asudden light, though he was really a busy boy and did not bother toexpress his astonishment; for no sooner had he seen those fine bits ofdry resinous wood begin to flash up than, remembering his instructions,he waddled across the floor, much after the fashion of a fat duck, and,securing Rob’s gun, hastened to join the group near by.
Already the resuscitated fire had begun to illuminate the interior ofthe bunk-house. The glow disclosed a most singular scene, and one theboys would often remember with a smile.
The big man on the floor was staring at the trio of lads with a strangemixture of emotions depicted on his swarthy and bearded face. Evidentlyhe was sorely puzzled to account for their presence there, when he hadfirmly believed the building to be wholly without occupants. He may havestruck a match and read the “Notice” which the boys had not removed fromthe outside of the door.
“Who might the lot of you be?” he asked, still squatted there as he hadfallen after forcing his entrance, with his rifle alongside, though hedared make no move toward regaining possession of the weapon with thosetwo guns wavering back and forth so close to his face.
Rob bent over and quietly secured possession of the repeating rifle. Theaction showed him to be a diplomat of the first water, for in so doinghe cut the claws of the wild beast they had trapped.
“We’ll talk with you after we’ve made sure you’re not going to give usany trouble, Zeb. Tubby, step over and fetch the piece of rope that’shanging from the peg yonder.”
Tubby obeyed with alacrity—for him. Rob, taking the gun from his hands,gave another order.
“My friend, please accommodate us by rolling over on your face, andholding both your hands behind you. We mean to tie them there, wrist towrist. It’ll do no good for you to grumble, because it’s just got to bedone.”
The intruder was a strong and bronzed fellow, who might easily have heldtwo of the scouts out from him could he have gotten his hands on them;but then a boy in possession of a gun is as much to be respected asthough he measured up to the full stature of manhood, and evidently thefellow appreciated this fact.
Still he did look disgusted as he proceeded with rather ill grace to doas Rob had ordered. It was almost comical to see his huge figuresprawled out there on the floor, with fat Tubby seated on his legs, andendeavoring to do a neat job with the rope-end. Rob was watching to makesure that there was no bungling; he did not believe in poor workmanship.
“Cross his hands so, Tubby, with the wrists together,” he directed. “Nowbegin to wrap the rope around—draw it fairly tight. We don’t want himgetting loose on us, you understand. When Uncle George comes back fromthe Tucker Pond he’ll know what he wants to do with a thief!”
There was a loud growl from the man whose face rested sideways againstthe floor.
“Hold on, thar, kid,” he said savagely, “you don’t want to be so freeapplying such langwidge as that, ’ca’se it cuts to the bone. I may havebeen a fool to turn on Mr. Hopkins, and act stubborn-like, but I’m nothief! Mebbe onct in a while in times gone by I’ve shot deer out o’season, and busted the game laws, but I never in my life did takeanything as belonged to anybody else, never, so help me.”
Rob did not say anything until Tubby had finally completed his job,puffing over it as though the effort required every atom of breath hecould command.
“Now, Tubby, help me get him over here, where he can rest against thewall,” Rob said. “I know it’s going to be mighty uncomfortable for him,fastened up this way, but nobody’s to blame but himself.”
“Huh, guess that’s correct, younker!” grunted the man. “I sartin suredid make a fool o’ myself, and I oughtn’t to grumble if I have to pay upfor it. But I’m plumb up against it now, seems like.”
“Then you are Zeb Crooks?” asked Rob.
“Yep, that’s who I am,” came the unhesitating reply.
“Mr. Hopkins, who is the uncle of this boy here, discharged you only aday or two ago, didn’t he?” continued the scout master, watching theplay of emotions on the swarthy face of the Maine guide and trying toread what lay back of them.
“Waal, we had a little misunderstanding, you might say, and I was sorterset in my way. Mr. Hopkins, he seen there wouldn’t be no sense o’ ustryin’ to pull together, so he up and paid me a hull month’s wages andtold me my room was a heap sight more agreeable to him than my company.I was that mad I jest up and cleared out o’ the camp, and started acrosskentry toward my home, which is away back nigh Moosehead Lake.”
“But it seems you changed your mind some, and turned back,” remarked Robdrily.
“Jest what I did, younker,” admitted Zeb contritely.
“You had a reason in doing that, of course?” continued the boy.
“Well, I guess so!” chuckled Andy scornfully, as though he consideredthat a superfluous question when they had caught the discharged guidecreeping into the bunk-house and evidently meaning to purloin the bestof the stores left there by the hunting party.
“Keep still, Andy,” Rob hastily snapped, for he knew the other did notlook as deeply into things as he ought, but often judged them in asuperficial way.
Zeb glared at Andy as though he could give a pretty good guess what theother had in mind. The guide did not feel as kindly toward Rob’s thincompanion as might be the case with regard to the scout leader himself.
“My reason was jest this,” he said firmly: “the more I got to thinkin’about how good Mr. Hopkins had been to me and my fambly for the tenyears he’s been hiring me as his head guide up here, an’ over in Canada,why, the more I felt ashamed o’ what I’d said an’ done. The stubbornfeelin’ died away, an’ I was plumb sorry. I jest stopped short on theway to Wallace, an’ camped, so I could think it over some. An’ there Istayed two days, a-wrestlin’ with the nasty streak that had got aholt o’me. Then I guess I come to my senses, for I made up my mind I’d trampback here and eat humble pie. Once I’d got to that point, nothin’couldn’t hold me in, an’ so I kim along. When I struck a match an’ readthat ’ere notice on the door, I figgered that Mr. Hopkins ought to beback in a day or so, an’ that I made up my mind I’d wait here for him.Then I couldn’t understand why the door was fast, but I remembered tharwas a loose shutter, an’—well, I kim in.”
Rob wondered whether the guide were telling the truth. He more than halfbelieved that it was a straight story, for the man looked penitentenough, and was surely humiliating himself to thus acknowledge hisfaults before boys who were strangers to him.
“Huh! Do you believe that yarn, Rob?” asked Andy, who it may as well beadmitted was rather skeptical by nature, and apt to think the worst ofany one whom he suspected not to be on the level.
“I don’t know what to think,” said Rob hastily. “It may be just as Zebtells us, but he will admit himself that his actions looked mightysuspicious, and also agree that we are perfectly justified in keepinghim tied up until Tubby’s uncle comes. Safety first is oft
en a goodmotto for scouts to follow.”
“Oh, that’s all right, boys!” sang out the big guide, as cheerfully as aman who faced a long and tiresome period of captivity might be expectedto appear. “’Course you couldn’t expect to take my simple word for it.None o’ you knows me. Mr. Hopkins, he’s slept alongside o’ me for tenyears. I ain’t afraid o’ what he’ll say when he comes back from TuckerPond. Do jest as you think best. I’m goin’ to take my medicine—and grin.I deserve the worst that could happen to me, arter treatin’ my bestfriend like I done.”
Rob liked the way in which he said this; it drew him closer to the manthan anything else could have done. When any one has been foolish, andcommitted an indiscretion, repentance and frank admission of the wrongare after all the best signs of a return to reason.
“We’ll make you as comfortable as we can for the night, Zeb,” he toldthe guide. “In the morning we’ll see what we can do about it.”
“Jest as you say, sir; I guess I kin stand it. So you youngsters are BoyScouts, be you? I got a nephew down at Waterville as belongs to theorganization. When I was thar I thought his troop a right smart bunch o’kids. The stunts I showed ’em about things connected with the woodspleased the boys a heap. If I had a son, he’d have to jine the scouts,or I’d know the reason why, ’cause I believes in the things they standfor, every time, but my kids is all three gals.”
“Well, he knows how to soft-soap, all right,” muttered Andy, stillsuspicious.
Rob had a pretty firm conviction that Zeb Crooks belied his name, andthat he was as straight as a die. Still, it would hardly do to be toohasty in freeing him; they had better wait until morning at least, whenall of them had cooled down and the matter might be properly debated andsettled, majority ruling as it generally did in such matters. Rob feltpretty certain that he would have the backing of gentle-hearted Tubby,in case he wished to remove Zeb’s bonds.
Rob said nothing further, though he undoubtedly did a heap of thinking.With the assistance of his comrades he managed to get Zeb into one ofthe lower bunks. The man said he was fairly comfortable, and woulddoubtless manage to get some sleep, though his position was awkward, andof course his hands would feel “dead” from lack of circulation.
“I sure hopes you’ll decide in the mornin’ to believe me, boys, and undothese here cords,” he remarked, with unction, as they turned to leavehim.
“Perhaps we may; wait and see,” Rob told him.
Andy shook his head and looked unhappy. Plainly he could not get it offhis mind that the guide was what his name signified; and even though hehad served Uncle George for ten years, doubtless he had been deceivingthe good man all the time, only he had not been found out until now.Andy meant to “keep one eye open” during the remainder of the night, ashe privately informed Tubby, thereupon causing that worthy furtheruneasiness.
They had thought to throw more fuel on the fire before climbing backinto their bunks, so that the room would be lighted more or less duringthe rest of the night. If Andy chose to remain on guard, he was welcometo do so for all the others cared.
Tubby himself could not immediately get to sleep, for a wonder. Truth totell, he was busy trying to figure out whether Zeb Crooks was a cleverrascal or a blunt, honest backwoods guide, whose main faults possiblymight lie in the possession of an easily aroused temper and a stubbornwill.
Once or twice Tubby lifted himself on one elbow and stared hard towardthe bunk where they had stowed the prisoner. He wondered if Andy couldknow better than Rob, and whether the big rough man right then might beworking his hands free. Suppose Zeb should get loose, would he betempted to turn the tables on them? Tubby tried to imagine how it wouldfeel to have his wrists triced up like the legs of a fowl bound for themarket. He did not believe he would fancy the sensation over well; andperhaps he should feel grateful to Andy because that worthy had promisedto keep watch.
Then Tubby leaned forward and listened more carefully. Some one wassleeping soundly, that was sure, and the heavy breathing certainly camefrom the next bunk, where that alert guardian of their safety, Andy, hadtaken up his lodging. Tubby gave a scornful snort.
“Huh, a nice sentry he’d make, if our lives depended on his keepingawake! Guess I might as well drop off myself. If Zeb gets free while wesleep, and skips out, why, it’s just as well.”
After that all was still in the bunk-house. Even the man whose handswere so painfully fastened together must have made the best of a badbargain and managed to get a certain amount of sleep; from which fact itwould appear that Zeb’s mind was perfectly at ease, now that he haddecided to do the right thing.
The night passed away, and dawn came at length. It was about this timethat all of them were awakened by certain noises without. At first theyfancied that the hunting party must have returned and were beating atthe door demanding admittance.
Then suddenly Tubby was observed “making a bee-line” for the door asfast as he could go. As Rob and Andy tumbled from their bunks they sawhim fumbling with the bar, which he dropped before either of the otherscould call out. With that Tubby flung the door open, and in frisked anactive object that seemed to want to fairly devour the stout chum. Tubbywas crying:
“It’s Wolf come back to us again, don’t you see? Good boy, you didn’tmean to desert your new friends, did you? Hey! Keep down there, anddon’t eat me alive, please.”