CHAPTER XIII--THE WILD MAN DEVELOPS AN APPETITE
"Great smoke! what's that?"
"It's the wild man, fellers!"
"Run, afore he gits yuh!"
There was an immediate scramble among the adherents of Pet Peters. Whatthey had heard about the wild man of the island had kept them on edgethroughout the entire length of their short sojourn; and now, when thissudden object came rolling down the incline into their very camp theywere panic stricken.
Pet himself was just as frightened as any of his mates. He had beensitting by the fire, drying his back, having removed his coat andtrousers meanwhile. As the alarm sounded he tried to get to his feet soas to join in the hasty flight, but, as might be expected, his legsbecame twisted, and consequently he fell in a heap.
"Wow! keep off'n me, you! I ain't done nuthin'!" he yelled.
It was his customary plea when caught doing something wrong.
Frank had by this time reached the bottom of the incline, for which hewas not at all sorry. He had not been seriously hurt by his roughtumble, and, thinking only of keeping himself aloof from these uglyspirits, he managed to scramble to his feet after some fashion.
Through it all he had kept a firm grip on his gun, as though he knewwhat protection he could count on from that source.
There was another grand picture that escaped Will, and which he wouldnever cease to lament the loss of--Frank regaining his feet, thosefellows scampering away in several directions, and Pet on his knees,holding one arm up as if to ward off some evil blow which he expected todescend.
"Hey, it's only Langdon! Kim back here, yuh cowards!" bellowed Pet, assoon as his startled eyes could tell him the truth.
And the others, halted in the midst of their mad flight, looking back,saw that instead of the terrible hairy wild man of their dreams it wasindeed only a boy who stood there, and he the one they hated most ofall.
So they came straggling back, some looking sheepish over their recentscare, while others scowled as if in an ugly temper.
"Wot yuh want here, Langdon?" demanded Pet, bridling up as he saw thatmuch was expected of him by his followers.
It was unfortunate that this should happen so soon after he had beenmaking such enormous threats about what he was going to do to Frank whennext they met.
What could a fellow do anyway when he was minus his coat and trousers,as well as shoes?
Frank had recovered his lost breath by now.
"Well, I might have strolled over here just to ask whether you hadarrived safely after your swim; and to express a hope that you might nottake cold. It's pretty early in the season to go in, you know," he saidsmoothly.
The others looked at each other as if they hardly knew what to make ofit. Somehow this Langdon always did seem to have the advantage wheneverthey came face to face. In the canoe he was Pet's master, because hefelt quite at home there, while the other did not. Now, here ashore, heheld something in his hands which none of them liked the looks of--adouble-barreled shotgun.
"Aw, go chase yerself! 'Twan't that as fetched yuh here. Think wescooped sumpin, an' yuh come sneakin' round tryin' tuh see," snarled theshivering Pet.
"Come up to the fire and keep warm. It's your fire; I don't lay anyclaim to it. Perhaps you fellows think I slid down that toboggan trackon purpose? Well, you've got another guess coming, then. I have morerespect for my clothes than to try such things, as a rule."
Frank was talking for a purpose. He did not expect to enter the camp ofthe enemy when he parted from Will and Bluff; but now that circumstancesbeyond his control had caused such a move on his part, he meant to takefull advantage of it.
Before he left, he expected to know positively what they had in thattent. If Jerry was found there, a prisoner, he must be set free, nomatter what happened after such a move.
So, as he talked he kept moving a little at a time in the direction ofthe said tent. If the others noticed his action they could not give anysort of guess as to what he was after. Besides, he kept that gun alwayshalf raised, and moving back and forth, from side to side, so that itcovered the entire bunch.
"Jest yuh make tracks outen here, Langdon. Yuh ain't wanted, see? Thishere's our camp, an' yer intrudin'," chattered Pet, who was compelled tocreep closer to the fire, for he was shivering as though he had theague.
"Oh! I'm going right away, boys. I assure you I haven't the leastintention of staying and putting you to any inconvenience. Just a littlesocial call, you understand, Pet. I couldn't bear the thought thatpossibly you were still floundering around out there on the lake. Gladto know you arrived," Frank continued, now close to the flap of thetent.
The others had unconsciously followed him, so that with the exception ofPet the whole of the camp's inmates were clustered just in front of theintruder.
As he uttered the last word, Frank suddenly stooped. He had seen hischance, and meant to investigate the interior of that tent.
To his dismay it was far from light inside. He could just make outobjects dimly. There might be a prostrate figure on some of the dirtyblankets strewing the ground, for all he could say.
Determined to make sure, he immediately darted inside the tent. A chorusof excited exclamations arose from the half circle of roughs outside.
"He's a-goin' ter steal our blankets, that's what!" shouted one.
"Don't let him, fellers!" whooped Pet, dancing from one bare foot to theother in his excitement, but not offering to lend a hand in corrallingthe intruder.
"Hey, you, wot yer want in there?" howled another, looking around for acudgel that might come in handy.
Then Frank emerged. He still kept his handy gun in evidence, seeingwhich the others backed away again, not being quite so eager as theyimagined to come to hand-grips with this determined boy.
Frank was disappointed. He had failed to find the slightest trace of hismissing chum in the tent of the Peters crowd. This seemed to prove thatthey knew nothing about the kidnapping of Jerry.
Under the circumstances he thought it might be just as well to explainhis queer move a little. The knowledge might hasten the departure ofthese rowdy fellows, and purge the island of their presence.
"I'll tell you what I was looking for. One of my chums has strangelydisappeared, and we thought that perhaps you had him here. That's all.But I find you haven't; which makes me believe he's fallen into thehands of that wild man, or else the two hobo thieves who robbed the manon the steamboat; because we happen to know they're here on thisisland."
"Wot's that?" demanded Pet, anxiously.
"Why, you heard about the two tramps on the _Eastern Star_, didn't you?"
"Yuh mean the fellers as collared the roll o' Mister Pemberton?" askedPet, forgetting to even shiver, in his new excitement.
"Yes, and they're here on this island right now, hungry and desperate,"continued Frank, thinking it good policy to rub it in good and hardwhile he was about it.
"Here on this yer island--them desperadoes are?" gasped one.
"That's easy to say, Langdon; but how d'ye know?" demanded Pet.
"Well, we've seen them, for one thing. Then they robbed us of a kettlewith our supper last night. Let a cord down from the top of the cliff,and caught the bale of the kettle with a hook. First thing we knew, oursupper was sailing up, and that was the last we ever saw of it," repliedFrank, now beginning to edge toward the beach, as he had suddenlydecided to return by an easier path than the one he had taken in coming.
Then the boys looked at each other uneasily.
"A wild man loose here; an' now them two desperate critters huntin'round fur anythin' loose. Say, fellers, it's up ter us ter git outenthis in the mornin'," said Pet, shaking his head with determination.
And not one of his mates lifted his voice, even in a whisper,contrarywise. Indeed, to tell the truth, they looked as though the hoursthat must elapse ere they departed hence would fairly drag along.
Frank, believing that he had reached a point where he could boldly makehis exit from the hostile camp, was just in the
act of backing away whenhe saw something that gave him a shock.
"Say, look yonder, you fellows, what's happening to your provisionbasket!" he exclaimed, pointing with his gun.
Every boy whirled around, and as he did so a concerted howl went up,partly of rage, though terror could be plainly detected in the chorus.There was a swiftly moving figure carrying off the big basket in whichall the balance of their supplies happened to be gathered. And such afigure--whether a wild man or a gigantic ape--it would be impossible tosay, for in the quick glimpse which Frank had of it ere the Thingvanished among the bushes he could only positively say that it seemed tobe covered with hair, and when its face was turned it looked a crossbetween that of a demented human being and a great ape!