CHAPTER XXIII. A FLANK MOVEMENT.
"I should say Sebattis _did_ hit something!" declared Giraffe, staringhard at the tell-tale spot in the footprint.
"But it wasn't Charlie that got hurt," remarked Davy, evidently alive tothe fact that the track which showed the trace of blood did not have anycross line, showing where the sole had been patched.
"No, it was the other fellow," observed Thad. "Where was he hit,Sebattis?"
"Left leg, not much, but bleed heap," and the Indian pointed to severalother significant spots as he moved along the trail.
"Now how under the sun could he tell it was the left leg?" asked StepHen, evidently deeply puzzled to account for the positive manner in whichthe guide made this assertion.
"Oh! that would be easy enough," remarked the patrol leader. "Just stop,and you'll remember that each foot makes a different track. This one isthe left foot. And now you'll be quick to think, even if you don't sayit, that perhaps that drop could have fallen from the right foot as itwas raised, into the track of the left foot. Sebattis has other ways toprove what he says. Show them, chief, won't you; because they want tolearn all they can."
"Huh! look this way, see how," replied the dark-faced guide, leading theseveral eager scouts to where he knew an extra-plain print of the foot inquestion might be found.
Then he pointed out the difference between the mark of the right from theleft foot, and showed them that there was a heavier trail where that sameright shoe happened to be planted.
"You understand?" remarked Thad, who was following all this withconsiderable interest himself, for he, too, had more or less to learn.
"Seems to me he means that if a feller happened to get hurt, sudden like,in his left leg, he'd begin to limp," Giraffe spoke up, eagerly.
"And when he limped," Step Hen went on to add, "it stands to reason theprint of the foot on the leg he wanted to favor wouldn't be near so plainas the other. Why ain't that the easiest thing you ever heard tell of?"
"Sure it is," Davy Jones insinuated; "and after Columbus showed thoseSpanish grandees how to stand an egg up on end by punching the top downon the table, why, didn't they think that was the silliest thing ever?Oh! it's just as simple as turnin' over your hand--after another fellerhas been and told you how."
"All the same, it is easy," Thad went on to say, "and next time, perhapssome of you will be able to figure things out yourselves. That's whatscouts ought to do every time. That's the best part of the Boy Scoutmovement, General Baden-Powell says; it makes boys stop depending onother people, when they can just as well look out for themselves."
"Will these hoboes haul off now, do you expect, Thad, and give the cabina wide berth?" asked Bumpus.
"Well, it begins to look as though they ought to steer clear of it, aslong as we're in possession," the patrol leader replied. "Still, you cannever tell. By now they must be feeling pretty ugly toward us; and whensuch men have a grudge pushing them on, it's hard to say what theywouldn't do."
"Ketch me agoin' to sleep then," remarked Bumpus; but even while he wasmaking this brave remark, with one of his hands he was trying to suppressa great yawn.
"Oh! I don't suppose there will be as much danger as that," Thadcontinued, not wishing to alarm his chums unnecessarily. "The guides willdivide up the balance of the night into three watches; and if we like,one of us can keep company; in fact," he went on in haste, fearing thatBumpus might, in the goodness of his heart, volunteer his services, whichit would be hard to decline, "I'll appoint Allan here as one of theassistants, to help out Jim; while Giraffe can stay up with Eli; and I'llshare the watch of Sebattis, because I want to have a little whisperedtalk with him as we sit alone."
So it was arranged. Bumpus made out to feel a little hurt that he hadbeen overlooked in the distribution; but Davy showed him that both he andStep Hen were in the same boat.
"Besides," he added as a clincher, "you know you haven't got any gun,Bumpus; and don't know much about firearms anyway."
"Don't you forget it," remarked the stout scout earnestly; "I'm justdetermined to know more about 'em right along, after this. The Boy Scoutsmay stand for peace, all right; but I c'n see right now that the fellerthat's able to look out for himself is just the one that never getstrampled on. Be prepared to defend yourself, and chances are you'll neverbe called on to do a blessed thing. Oh! I'm on to a few dodges. I ain'tso much asleep as some of you think. Wait till we go off on our tripacross the Continent, with the money we're going to rake in forrecovering this stuff, an' capturin' the thieves; mebbe I'll show you athing or two then."
"He's got a programme all laid out, I do believe," ventured Step Hen,afterward to Giraffe; "and expects to take lessons in shooting, and allsorts of stunts, once we get back to Cranford. But it'll be the making ofBumpus if he does wake up and do all kinds of things. He'll quit bein' sofat then, and make muscle instead. And for one, I hope he carries itout."
The entire party went back to the cabin. Here arrangements for thebalance of the night were concluded, and the first pair sent out to taketheir places as sentries.
Bumpus had declared that he would not sleep a wink; but once he lay down,he really knew nothing more until he felt some one tugging at his sleeve.
"Is it my turn to be on guard? All right, I'll be up right away!" heexclaimed, and then began to sniff the air. "Say, what's all this mean;are you goin' to eat breakfast in the middle of the night?"
"Go over to the door, and look out," laughed Thad. "You'll think it stillfunnier to see the silly old sun poking his face up at such a time; buthe's gone and done it, all the same."
"Blessed if I ain't slept the whole night," muttered Bumpus, not knowingwhether to be pleased because he had obtained such a refreshing sleep, ormiffed on account of having been neglected when there was "a call for allbrave men and true." Finally he concluded that what was done could not beundone; and besides, that venison did smell mighty appetizing. So hefolded up his blanket, and went outdoors to chase the last remnant ofdrowsiness from his eyes by a dash of icy water.
There was no haste, for they did not mean to leave their presentcomfortable quarters until about the middle of the morning. This had beendecided on as the best policy to be pursued; since they hoped that theiractions would be observed by those in whom they were so deeplyinterested.
By degrees they started to pack their belongings, and stow them away intheir regular places; for each canoe had its own complement, the objectbeing to divide the many things besides tents which they carried, so thatthe boats might be about equally loaded.
It is no easy task to paddle a heavily charged canoe up against a strongcurrent, hour after hour. Muscles hardened by constant use are needed toaccomplish such a feat successfully without great fatigue. The scoutsknew this now, if they had not been so wise before; for at sundry timeseach of them had been given opportunities to wield the spruce paddle, andbattle with the swift current.
It was in the neighborhood of ten o'clock that the last thing was stowed;and after looking all around to make sure that nothing had beenforgotten, the patrol leader gave the signal to depart.
Bumpus did not have his bugle along on this expedition. He had wanted tocarry it, being a clever musician, and quite fond of practicing the manyfine calls whereby scouts may regulate their going to bed, rising in themorning, assembling for meals, and other things. But Thad and Allan hadshown him the folly of sounding a bugle in the Maine woods, where, ashunters, they were expected to keep as still as possible, so that the biggame they hoped to secure might not take the alarm, and flee wildly fromthe vicinity of such weird sounds.
But Bumpus, not to be entirely undone, placed his hand to his mouth, andmanaged to give a pretty good imitation of the bugle call; though hesubsided suddenly when he saw the patrol leader frowning at him.
So they left the spot where so many interesting, as well as exciting,events had come to visit them. And they carried away quite a few thingsbesides the memories that woul
d always haunt them. There was the honey,for instance, fastened up in every possible receptacle that could hold itsecurely; then they had some bear meat that would do to chop up intohash; the fine skin that Giraffe meant to have made into a rug for thefloor of his den at home; and last but far from least, that preciouspacket so carefully tied up and sealed, containing the plunder which somebank must have lost a year or more back.
This, of course, had been carefully hidden, so that even though thehoboes were secretly watching their departure, they could hardly guessthat the scouts were carrying off their ill-gotten loot.
Gaily they paddled against the current. Although they were warned not toseem to stare around in too curious a fashion, most of the boys werereally watching the shore as they bucked up against the stream. And ashort time after they had quite lost sight of the cabin and landing,Giraffe quietly informed Thad, who was close by, that he was prettypositive he had seen a man peering out at them from a clump of bushesalong the river bank. He had not mentioned the fact at the time, becausehe said he was afraid one of the "tenderfeet," meaning possibly Bumpusand Step Hen, might betray themselves by appearing too curious, and thusbring a shot from the shore.
On they pushed until fully a mile had been covered. Thad allowed the boysto emit an occasional shout, meaning that it should be carried back tothe ears of the man on the shore, and by gradually growing fainter andfainter, convince him that the party had really gone for good.
"There's the very place where we want to land," said Thad, after a littlemore time had elapsed. "Plenty of rushes growing along the bank, where wecan hide the canoes, and leave two to guard them, which will be Jim, andBumpus here. The rest of us ought to be enough to do the business, if wemanage to surprise the hobo crowd."
Hearing what his fate was to be Bumpus groaned; but remembering what ascout must promise to do when given an order by one in authority, he shuthis teeth hard, and doubtless determined that the next time he would havea gun, and then they must consider that he had rights, as well as theremainder of the party.
Once in the rushes the landing was made. It proved to be a splendid placefor slipping away without showing themselves, for the woods grewunusually thick just alongside, and the sun happened to be hidden byclouds at the time, which was near noon.
And this was the way Thad led his company back toward the lone cabin,with himself and Sebattis in the lead, then Davy and Giraffe; and oldEli, in conjunction with Step Hen and Allan, bringing up the rear,--sevenin all.