CHAPTER II. THE TROUBLES OF BUMPUS.
With the splash the three guides looked up from their task at the fire,and then turned toward each other with grins. These boys were a livelylot, and kept things moving all the time; but already had the guides cometo like them more than a little. But if one of the lads chose to go inswimming with his clothes on, of course it was none of their business. Sothey did not run to the rescue.
"Wow! gimme a hand, somebody!" spluttered poor Bumpus, as his head cameup, and he sent out a little Niagara of water that he had started toswallow in his excitement.
Bumpus could swim, and there was not the least danger of his drowning; sonone of the other boys manifested a frantic desire to help him. Indeed,Giraffe even showed himself heartless enough to give vent to a heartylaugh; while Davy Jones immediately called out:
"Bumpus, you never said a truer word in your whole life; that _was_ astunt worth two of mine. When it comes to doing _real_ things, with thesplash to 'em, I'm a back number compared with you. Oh! you Bumpus!"
Seeing that no one was going to do more than extend a paddle toward him,the indignant fat boy started to paddle ashore; where he crawled out ofthe water, looking like a half drowned rat, as Step Hen took occasion totell him.
But as the fire was out, and the air rather chilly, although in themiddle of a glorious fall day, wise Thad knew that the boys stood achance of getting cold unless he quickly changed his clothes.
"Here, Giraffe, overhaul his clothes bag, and get out his extra duds,"the scoutmaster remarked, in a tone of authority, which the elongated boyunderstood permitted of no nonsense; so he condescended to act as valetfor the unfortunate Bumpus, selecting the garments he was to wear, andoffering some of his own in case the other did not have a completeassortment.
As Giraffe was as tall and skinny as Bumpus was fat and rotund, it wouldhave been an utter impossibility for the latter to have worn anythingbelonging to his fellow voyager, even had he needed assistance.
Fortunately he had plenty for a complete change, and a sweater which Thadinsisted he should draw on over the shirt, gave promise of preventing anyserious result from the ducking.
"Wasted just twenty minutes, all on account of Bumpus's vaultingambition," remarked Step Hen, when they were finally ready to make afresh start.
"Vaulting ambition is good," observed Davy Jones, with a wink at Allan,who sat near him in the second canoe. "Now, d'ye know, I've tried thatstunt many a time, but I never yet was able to get one-half the fun outof it that Bumpus did the first shot. No use talking, he can see me, andgo one better. I'll have to take in my sign, and retire from business,boys."
"Anyway," grunted the object of all this side talk, and there was atwinkle in his eye as he looked at Davy; "I made the biggest splash youever heard; all of you have just got to admit that."
"You certainly did, Bumpus," said Thad; "but I'd advise you to be alittle more careful after this how you try to copy Davy Jones. To tellthe honest truth, though I don't want to hurt your feelings, Bumpus, but,you see, you're hardly built for doing most of the things he shows offin. If it was Giraffee here, instead, he might have a look-in."
"But Giraffe, he's just a little too smart to get caught trying; he cuthis eye teeth some time ago;" remarked that individual. "But I give youall warning that from now on I am going to try some of those differentways of making fires without using a single match. I've got a burningglass along; then there's my fine flint and steel, like our forefathersowned in the good old pioneer days; and last but not least, I'd just benton using a bow and a stick in the manner they say the South Sea islandersdo. You wait and see me show you something."
Thad moved a little uneasily at hearing this. Truth to tell, he had hadconsiderable trouble with the tall scout in times past, on account ofthis very failing, which was once more coming to the surface.
Giraffe seemed to be a regular fire worshipper. It was a subject thatwent away ahead of all others in his mind. Indeed, there were some of hismates who declared that the long-legged scout had really joined thepatrol in order to find chances to indulge in his favorite pursuit, whichwas to see the flames creep upward, snapping and glowing. Giraffe, havingstarted a blaze, would sit there and gaze into the heart of the fire,just as though he could discover the most wonderful things there.
As a rule, he occupied much of his spare time when in camp whittling; andif asked what he was doing, would reply that possibly they might want tostart a fresh fire later on, and he was getting the tinder ready.
His folks had had more or less trouble with him at home on this sameaccount; as on three separate occasions the fire department had beencalled on a run to save the Stedham home, when the boy, in pursuing hisinvestigations, had endangered it.
And now, it seemed that his latest fad was to try every kind of knownmethod for bringing about a flame without the use of a match. No wonderThad felt uneasy. He knew about the stringent laws of Maine with regardto setting the woods afire; and with such a reckless lad loose among thepines it would be necessary for some one to keep control over Giraffepretty much all the time.
The afternoon began to wane as they pushed on up the current of theriver. The guides had informed the boys that there was still a short timewhen trout could be legally taken, as the fishing season overlapped thehunting term a week or two. And hence a couple of jointed rods had beenbrought along, with the idea of making use of them. A platter ofdeliciously browned trout was a dish that appealed to the appetites ofthese boys tremendously, and right now Thad was keeping Allan on thelookout for a tempting spot, where it seemed likely they might gather ina mess of the speckled beauties.
All at once Bumpus was seen to half rise from his seat in the bottom ofthe canoe in which he had a place. Thad noticed that the fat boy seemedstrangely moved, as though distressed over something.
"What ails you, Bumpus?" he asked. "I hope you don't feel the effect ofyour bath. This sun has been fairly warm, and by now you ought to befeeling all right, especially after doing your share of paddling for anhour or so."
"'Tain't that," said Bumpus, weakly; "but I guess I ought to turn around,and go back, fellers."
"Sure," cried Step Hen, "go right over the end of the canoe; the walkingon the water is fine, Bumpus."
But Thad saw that the other was really distressed about something thathad suddenly come into his mind.
"Why should you go back, Bumpus, when you know well enough it's out ofthe question?" he demanded. "Have you forgotten something? Thought weleft all that to Step Hen here, who's forever losing his possessions?"
"That's right, I did forget, Thad," replied the other, with a forlornlook on his face, that would have made the scoutmaster laugh, only thathe realized Bumpus was suffering mentally.
"Forget what, Bumpus?" asked Giraffe.
"I'll tell you, fellers," continued the fat boy, with a sigh that seemedto come from the very depths of his heart. "Just before I started off onthis glorious trip with you my father handed me a letter which he said hewanted me to take right away to Mr. Harriman, the cashier of the CranfordBank, as it was _very_ important that he should have it before noon thatday. I was just trying to remember whether I did go there and give it tohim or not; and d'ye know, for the life of me I just can't make sure ofit."
"That's funny!" exclaimed Giraffe. "Ain't you able to recollect seeingthe gentleman, or anything he said to you?"
The other shook his head sadly.
"That's the queer part of it," he declared. "Sometimes it comes to methat I must have done it, and I think I see it all plain before me. Thenit gets mixed, and I'm not so sure. You see, here's what bothers me. Thatsame morning I met a friend who was going about ten miles off in hisdad's machine, and he asked me to have a spin with him. Just couldn'tresist, boys, and we did go licketty-split. I'm telling you right now."
"I saw you go past our house, riding for fair," remarked Step Hen.
"Tell us the rest, Bumpus; what had that ride in a car to d
o with theimportant letter your father gave you to be delivered at the bank?" askedDavy Jones.
"A heap, I'm afraid," answered the other, making a wry face. "I can justremember that my coat managed to break loose, and was flapping in thewind before I was able to grab it shut, and button it again. And fellers,I had a glimpse of something white, like a letter, that had slipped outof my pocket, and was carried over the fence into Brainard's woods!"
"Wow! and again, wow!" exclaimed Giraffe, that being his favorite way ofexpressing surprise and interest in anything.
"I thought at the time that it must be only a scrap of waste paper Ihappened to be carrying in my pocket; but fellers, it just broke in on mea little while back that it _might_ have been that very important letterI was to give to Mr. Harriman at the bank!"
"Oh! the chances are ten to one it wasn't, Bumpus," said Thad, who sawthat the scout was really dreadfully worried, and in a fair way to havehis whole vacation trip to the woods spoiled by over anxiety.
"Perhaps you're right, Thad, and it's kind of you to bolster up my hopeslike you do; but then, there is one chance, you see, that I lost thatdocument; and I'm wondering right now what it could be. Oh! what if itwas so important that my folks would suffer because I lost it? Think howI'd feel if I came home after having the time of my life up here, andfound all the household stuff out on the street, and the red flag of anauctioneer telling people that the Stedman place was for sale? Whew! itmakes me feel chilly all over just to think of what I may have done. ThenI just say to myself that of course you delivered that letter BumpusStedman; you couldn't be so wrapped up in getting ready for the start onthis jaunt as to just forget all about it. And now, it's too late to goback, and I've just got to worry and worry until I lose pounds every day.And perhaps, when we go back, I'll be a living skeleton, like Giraffehere. Oh! that's the worst of it. Better learn to quit callin' me Bumpus,fellers, because right soon it won't fit at all."
"Cheer up!" said Thad, "and sooner or later you're sure to remembersomething that Mr. Harriman said or did, when you handed him the letter;"but poor Bumpus only shook his head sadly, and sighed again.