CHAPTER XIV
LAID UP BY AN ACCIDENT
"Cale fell down!" shouted Stacy Brown.
Tad Butler sprang up and ran out where they had dressed the moose.
"What is the matter?" cried the lad. "Ah, you're hurt, Mr. Vaughn?"
The guide was sitting on the ground with both hands clasped about hisleft ankle. His face was drawn and pained.
"Did you turn the ankle?" asked Tad solicitously.
"Yes. If it isn't worse than that I shall be in great luck."
"How did it happen?"
"I slipped from a round stone that somebody had put in front of thestretcher there."
"Chunky, was that your work?"
The fat boy shamefacedly admitted it was.
"If you can't cause trouble in one way you are sure to in another,"rebuked Tad.
"He wasn't to blame. Don't blame him for everything," reproved Cale.
"Let me assist you to camp. We will see what is the trouble," saidTad, placing both hands under the arms of the suffering guide andraising him to his feet. "The left foot? All right, you put an armabout my neck on that side and we will have you in camp in no time."
Butler helped Vaughn along slowly and gently, though Cale now andthen grunted from the shooting pains in his ankle.
"You are very strong," said Cale. "No one would imagine you were somuscular to look at your slender figure."
"Oh, Professor," called Tad, "Mr. Vaughn has hurt his ankle. I thinkit is sprained."
Professor Zepplin was not a little disturbed at the announcement. Hehurried forward, offering his arm, but Tad waved him aside, saying hecould support the injured man alone perhaps better than two personscould do it. The boy guided his patient to the latter's tent wherehe placed the guide on a cot, then tenderly removed the boot from theinjured foot.
"Thank you, little pard," smiled Cale. "You're as gentle as awoman--and I'm as soft. I oughtn't to let a little thing like thisbother me."
"Professor, perhaps you had better examine it," suggested Tad.
Professor Zepplin did so gravely. He hurt the guide by pinching theankle here and there, while the boys stood about looking on. CharlieJohn alone of the party went on with his work about the camp,unmoved, undisturbed.
"I am of the opinion that some of the bones are broken," announcedthe Professor.
"Oh, that's too bad!" groaned the boys.
"I suspected as much," nodded Tad.
"How did it happen?" asked the Professor.
"He slipped on a stone," answered Butler, while Stacy gazed up intothe tree tops.
"A round stone," observed the fat boy solemnly.
"Yes, a round stone," nodded Tad, giving Stacy a quick look half ofamusement, half of reproof.
Professor Zepplin did the best he could with the injured member,bathing it in liniment, then bandaging it skilfully, while Tad lookedon with keen attention. He never lost an opportunity to learn, butin this instance, like the others of the party, Tad was grave, forthis accident might seriously interfere with their journey. Mr.Vaughn was made as comfortable as possible, but he suffered a greatdeal of pain during the rest of the day. He was not a good patient,insisting that he ought to be up and doing. Tad resolutely commandedthe guide to keep on his back and remain quiet. He devoted hisattention to Cale all the rest of the day and through the night,bathing the injured member frequently. Stacy Brown, on the otherhand, spent much of his waking hours out by the moose.
On the following morning just as they were about to sit down tobreakfast a loud halloo caused them to start up and rush down to thewater's edge. The smoke from their campfire had attracted theattention of some woodsman. They saw him making his way along theshore of the lake.
"Got a snack for a hungry man?" called a cheerful voice.
"All of them you want," answered Tad.
"You are just in time. We were sitting down to breakfast when youcalled."
"Hello, Patsey," called Cale as the man strode into camp and, with aquick, keen glance at the party, unslung his rifle and stood itagainst a tree.
"Hello, Cale. What's wrong?"
"Turned my ankle, that's all," growled the guide. He then introducedthe newcomer as Patsey O'Rell, a timber cruiser for a big lumbercompany. Patsey said he was on his way in. He had been out taking asurvey of some timber plots and had been out two weeks. He had beenliving, to a large extent, on what the woods could supply, carryinghis cooking utensils dangling from his belt. Patsey was especiallysolicitous over the condition of the guide. He demanded to see theankle, and getting down on his knees examined it carefully.
"Yes, there's something broken in there," he announced. "I reckonyou'd better be a leetle bit careful of that ankle."
Tad suggested that they sit down to breakfast, which suggestionPatsey accepted gratefully. There was moose steak for breakfast.When a heaping dish of it was passed to the timber cruiser he sniffedit, then tasted it, after which he gazed up with a twinkle in hiseyes.
"Something familiar about this meat, eh?" he grinned. "Pretty goodpiece of cow meat--"
"It isn't cow meat," exclaimed Stacy, unable to contain himselflonger.
"No?"
"No, sir. That's moose."
"Moose?"
"Yes, sir, and I killed him myself."
The cat was out of the bag. All the warning looks from the rest ofthe party went unheeded by the fat boy. Once started there was nostopping him.
"You killed him?"
"With my own hands, I did, and he was a big fellow. Why, you oughtto have seen him."
"That's curious. You shot him?"
"No, I didn't, I stuck him with my knife."
"And what was the moose doing all this time?" laughed the visitor.
"He was fighting. He fought me all over the place. Would youbelieve it, sir, he charged me. I sidestepped just like this,"explained Stacy, jumping up from the table and hopping about. "As hepassed me I struck him on the jaw just like this." Stacy made aswing that turned him half way around.
"Hm-m-m! Did he feel it?"
"Did he feel it?" scoffed the fat boy pompously. "Why, sir, I knockedhim down. He dropped right down on his front legs."
"I'd hate to have you hit me a punch with that fist of yours, youngman," declared Patsey with a slow shake of the head.
"As I was saying, we had it hammer and tongs all over the place. Ihit him on his big nose until it was sore. Did you ever see a moosewith a nose-bleed?"
Patsey shook his head.
"Then you ought to have seen this fellow. I had him groggy after awhile. I just played with him; then, when I got him where I wantedhim, I let him have it."
"With your fist?"
"No, with my knife. I just cut him. I nearly cut his head off thefirst swish of the knife. He's out there now if you want to look athim."
A moment of silence followed Stacy's pompous announcement, the facesof the party wearing solemn expressions.
"I reckon you'd better come along to town with me, Cale," saidPatsey, by way of changing the subject.
"That is my idea, too," agreed Butler. "He will be much better off."
Cale shook his head with emphasis.
"That will spoil your trip."
"What's the matter with the Indian?" demanded O'Rell.
"Does he know the woods sufficiently well to be able to guide us?"asked Professor Zepplin.
"Yes. Trust an Indian for knowing the woods. You couldn't loseCharlie for long at a time, if at all."
"I agree with you then, Mr. O'Rell. Mr. Vaughn can join us againwhen he gets well. We can agree on some point of meeting, leavingVaughn to settle that. An excellent idea. By all means take himin with you."
Cale protested, but the others added their voices to the proposal ofthe timber cruiser until Cale ceased his protests.
"I don't like to be a baby," he objected.
"I should think it would be much better to be a baby, as you call it,than to take the chance of having a stiff
ankle for the rest of yourlife. That would be serious in your calling."
"I reckon you are right," reflected the guide.
"Then it is settled. You go in with me. Can you let him have ahorse? I see you have your nags with you," said O'Rell.
"Mr. Vaughn has his own pony here, too," answered Tad.
"That's good. With luck I'll have him home and in the hands of oldSaw Bones before midnight."
After breakfast Tad packed the guide's kit, while Cale was givingCharlie John explicit instructions regarding the care of the party,where they were to be taken and where they were to go into camp andwait for him some ten days to two weeks later.
The guide told the Professor that, in case they got short ofprovisions, they could send the Indian in to any of the towns forfresh stores. A night and a half day should suffice to them to atown almost anywhere in that time, and Charlie could be trusted tocarry out his orders faithfully so long as those orders were in blackand white.
All preparations were made for the journey by Tad. He placed his ownsaddle on Mr. Vaughn's pony, because it was a more comfortable saddlethan that owned by the guide. Finally all was ready. The boyspicked up the injured man and lifted him bodily into his saddle,Patsey O'Rell regarding the proceeding with something of wonder inhis eyes, for the boys did not look as if they possessed so muchstrength. With final instructions to Charlie, Cale rode away, O'Rellstriding along by his side, leaving the Pony Rider Boys a little blueand unusually silent.
"We will cut up some of that meat, then bury the rest of the carcassbefore some other visitors come to camp," ordered Tad. "Youshouldn't have said anything about the moose, Chunky."
"I guess I've got a right to talk about myself if I want to,"retorted the fat boy.