CHAPTER XX
ROBBED OF THE SPOILS
"Had we better move along out of here?" asked Jerry, as he lookeddoubtfully toward the quarter whence the three sportsmen were hastilyadvancing.
"What for?" demanded Bluff truculently.
"You know what Bill Nackerson threatened to do if ever the chance camehis way," Jerry replied. "We're outnumbered three to two."
His words implied that had there been an even showing he might nothave thought of leaving.
Bluff knew that their best policy under the circumstances would be towalk away and avoid any trouble with the men. He also rememberedpromising Frank not to take any unnecessary chances, no matter whatcame up.
At the same time, Bluff was a poor loser. By that it must not beunderstood that when fairly beaten he would try to find fault and callhis defeat an accident, for Bluff was always the first to congratulatea victor, even though he might be one of the victims. But he hated togive anything up.
So he looked first at the three men, who were now drawing very near;then he allowed his gaze to rest upon the form of the dead moose. Itwas, as Bluff himself afterward expressed it, "like drawing hiseyeteeth to let that bully moose slip out of his possession."
"Don't let's hurry too much," he told Jerry, as a sort of compromisedecision. "Perhaps, after all, they'll just give us a hauling over thecoals, and move on, leaving the game to us."
"I hope so," muttered Jerry rather disconsolately.
Then his face suddenly lighted up, as with the coming of an idea.Jerry was always a great hand for conceiving plans on the spur of themoment. Sometimes they had a germ of good in them, and again they onlyaroused the laughter of his comrades.
"Oh, Bluff, I've just thought of something!" he exclaimed, loweringhis voice a little, because he was afraid that one of the advancingsportsmen might overhear.
"Shucks! Is that so, Jerry," remarked the other, who as a rule did nothave a great deal of faith in anything Jerry conceived. "Then hurry upand let's hear what it is."
"They're three, and we only count two, all told," Jerry began.
"Tell me something new!" muttered the other impatiently.
"And maybe if Frank and Will were along they wouldn't feel so bossy,because the tables would be turned then, four against three."
"But our chums are a good many miles from here," interposed Bluff,with fine scorn.
"Yes; but you see the men don't know that!" said Jerry.
"Hey! Do you mean we might pull the wool over their eyes and make outwe had backing near by? Is that what you're aiming at?"
"No harm done in trying it, is there? It might work. Even if thatfire-eating Bill didn't show cold feet, his two friends would advisehim not to go too far. How about it, Bluff; don't you think it's agood scheme?"
Bluff grinned.
"Well," he hastened to say, "I don't think it will cut much of afigure. Chances are we're going to be cheated out of our prize; andthat'll make me sore, I tell you."
"But, Bluff, please remember what we promised Frank," urged Jerry, whohad a streak of caution in his make-up, though no one had ever thoughtto term him timid.
"Oh, I don't mean to stir him up so he'll tackle us," returned Bluff;"but there's one thing I never will stand for."
"Tell me what that is, won't you, Bluff?"
"We mustn't let him lay a hand on us," said the other grimly; "andunder no consideration, Jerry, allow them to take our guns away. Why,what would become of us if we found ourselves adrift in the Big Woodsafter a storm and without any way of defending ourselves or gettinggame?"
"You're right, Bluff; but what if they make a move to do it?"
"Cover 'em right away, and threaten to let fly; when they see we meanbusiness, I reckon they'll hold Bill back. Now stop talking, becausehere they come!"
Jerry drew a long breath, and waited for further developments. Theywould not be long in coming, for the three sportsmen had by this timealmost reached the spot where the boys stood, close to the fallenmoose.
Already the men could be heard expressing in loud tones theirastonishment at seeing what noble game had fallen to the guns of theoutdoor chums. This in itself was positive proof that they had not upto then been aware that the big moose was anywhere in the vicinity. Itproved to the boys the absurdity of the high-handed claim which lateron Bill Nackerson chose to make.
"Hey, look there, Bill, what they've downed!" the man who went by thename of Whalen was heard to exclaim. "I'll be hanged if it ain't thatgiant moose you cut loose at both years we were up here before!"
Nackerson's face was a study. He stared as though hardly able tobelieve his eyes. Besides the look of wonder, there crept across hisevil face one of growing chagrin and anger. Bluff could understand howthis might be, after hearing how Bill had on several occasions triedto down the wonderful moose, only to meet with dismal failure.
And no doubt while he continued to advance, staring, and breathingfast, the bold scheme was hatched in Bill Nackerson's brain which heproceeded to put into execution.
It was not a new idea. The same claim has often led to conflicts overfallen game, where rival hunters disputed its possession.
"So, it's just as we thought, fellows, and the old bull moose didn'trun many miles after I gave him that last shot! I told you if we kepton following his trail we'd run onto him sooner or later. But what doyou kids want here, hanging over my game? Tell me that!"
Jerry had to put out a hand to steady himself against a neighboringpine, he was so staggered by the audacity of this remark. Why, the manwas actually claiming that he had shot the big moose, after theirfollowing the animal so many miles through the snow forest! No wonderit took Jerry's breath away. He could not have uttered a single wordhad his life depended on it.
Bluff, however, was not quite so taken aback. Possibly he may evenhave suspected that something like this would be attempted; because onno other grounds could the rival hunters claim the spoils of the huntas their property. So Bluff allowed himself a little sneering laugh.
"Oh, it was _you_ who shot this moose, was it, Mr. Nackerson?" heremarked.
The man did not like the way these words were spoken, but he wasplaying a bold game, of which any honest hunter would have beenashamed, and felt that he must carry it through to the end.
"That's what it was, boy," he declared, with a black scowl. "If youlook, you can see where my bullet struck him in the body, just back ofwhere I aimed. A deer or moose will always run a long distance afterbeing hit between the ribs that way; ain't that so, Whalen?"
Whalen made no reply. Perhaps he was so astonished by the audacity ofBill's claim that he could not catch his breath.
"Well, now, that's queer," Bluff went on, determined to have some sayin the matter, even if finally cheated out of his just rights; "heremy chum and I have been thinking we were following that moose's trailall the way from our camp, a matter of as much as eight miles, more orless. And, say, we even believed we fired a double shot just now athim, while he was standing here browsing on that branch. Jerry, wesure must have been dreaming all that!"
"I guess you were, kid," the man continued, without allowing a flickerof a smile to cross his face, although both of his companions worewide grins. "You may have got up just in time to set eyes on my moosebefore he keeled over; but don't let me catch you trying to claim ahand in landing him; hear that?"
"If, as you say, Mr. Nackerson," Bluff went on doggedly, "you shot hima long ways back and he's just dropped here through exhaustion, why,of course you can show us marks of blood all along his trail."
"What's that you say, you young cub?" demanded the other angrily.
"When a deer's badly wounded, he leaves a trail of red on the snowthat even a half-blind man could see," Bluff told him boldly. "If youcan show us even one mark twenty feet away from here we'll never putin any claim for the killing."
It was a fair challenge; but of course, as Bill Nackerson's claim wasfounded on sand, he would never dream of accepting it. Bluff knew asmuch when he s
aid what he did, for he had sized the other up long agofor just what he was--a bully and an unfair sportsman, who did notcare how he secured his game so long as he got it.
"What do you take me for, to be forced to prove my word against acouple of impudent kids?" he roared; for when men realize that theyare in the wrong they often like to whip themselves into a passion.
"But if you look, you'll find there are _two_ bullets in thatmoose; and they'll turn out to be of the same pattern we use in ourguns," Bluff continued, meaning to rub it in as hard as he couldbefore being compelled to retreat, as he fully expected would be theultimate outcome of the encounter.
"That'll do for you, youngster," said the man, with a snarl. "I tellyou this moose belongs to me. I shot it, and we've been on the trailof the wounded animal for a long time. That goes, mind you! Notanother word, now, or I may take a notion to kick you out of here,minus your precious guns!"
He even advanced a step in a threatening manner. Instantly Bluffhalf-raised his gun, and the way he looked at Nackerson caused theother to hesitate. At the same instant the two men who were with himlaid hands on his arms.
"Hold on, Bill, leave the kids alone!" Whalen said soothingly, asthough startled at the possibility of a tragedy following thispiratical act on the part of their companion.
"Let 'em clear out, then, and in a big hurry!" growled Nackerson,making what seemed a violent effort to wrest his arms free, but whichdid not deceive Bluff, who knew that the other was not so anxious toshake off the grip of his companions as he pretended.
For one moment Bluff was even tempted to carry things to the point ofdemanding the departure of the three sportsmen, and thus leaving themoose to its lawful owners.
Before his mental vision came a glimpse of Frank's face, and heremembered the promise he had made not to be rash. The chances werethe three men would positively refuse to relinquish the moose, and itmight even come to a free-for-all fight, in which the boys were apt toget the worst of it.
So Bluff, though much against his will, made up his mind he would haveto bow to conditions, however unwelcome they might seem. It was ashame to have to yield those splendid horns to their rivals when thelatter had no right, other than that of might, to carry them off.
"Don't go to any bother about us, Mr. Nackerson," Bluff went on tosay, with as much sarcasm in his tones as he could summon. "We mightfeel like disputing your silly claim, only that would mean all sortsof trouble. But please change your mind about thinking of taking ourguns away, because no matter what we had to do we never would standfor that, you know."
The man twisted in the grip of his friends again. He acted as thoughwild to break away and fling himself on the boys, no matter if bothguns were half raised and covering him. But somehow he did not succeedin freeing himself; Bluff considered that it was simply wonderful howthose two wise friends managed to hold on to him.
"You'd better go, youngsters," said Whalen; "we mightn't be able tohold him back much longer, you see, he's getting that crazy. And thesight of you aggravates him considerable."
"Oh, is that so?" said Bluff jeeringly, though at the same time hetook one backward step. "Well, I hope for his sake you can hold on alittle while longer. I'd sure dislike to cripple any man, away up hereso far away from a doctor; but if he jumps at us he'll get hismedicine right fast. And that's straight goods, I'm telling you."
"Come on, Bluff," Jerry was saying, anxious to avoid trouble, yet notafraid; "perhaps we'd better be going, though I'll always say that wasour moose, and tell everybody what a thief did to us in the BigWoods."
"Get away with you," shouted Nackerson, "before I do you harm! I'dhate to lay a hand on a boy in anger; but you don't want to rile metoo much!"
"You didn't hold back when you struck that poor relation of yours,Teddy, in the face, did you, Mr. Nackerson?" said Bluff boldly. "Butwe're not afraid that you'll bother trying the same on us. It makesconsiderable difference when a boy's got a gun. If you ever laid ahand on me like you did Teddy, you'd live to be sorry for it."
"Go--go!" snapped the man, now furiously angry, so that the others hadto cling to him more tenaciously than ever for fear that he mightbreak away, regardless of consequences.
"And as a last word," added Bluff, "I want to tell you I've a hunchwe'll get that pair of moose horns yet, in spite of you," with whichhe backed away from the scene of their triumph and defeat.