CHAPTER XXIV
THE SIGNAL SMOKE
There was silence in the camp until the last of the fish haddisappeared down the throats of the hungry boys. After breakfast Tadordered Stacy to clear away the things and set the camp to rightswhile he went out to look for the ponies.
He was extremely careful to blaze his trail so that there could be nomistake in following it back. At the same time Tad had learned tolook about him to make sure that no other blazes cut into his trail.To be side-tracked into a strange trail now would be a tragedy,indeed. He trailed the ponies unerringly, and found them much soonerthan he had hoped. The little animals were grazing in a dell about amile from camp.
Tad secured them without difficulty and started back to camp withthem. Stacy was in a worry over his companion's long absence. Thefat boy, without the resourceful Tad, would have been helpless, andit is probable that in such circumstances Chunky would have starvedto death, to him the most terrible death a human being could have.
"Now, Chunky," asked Butler, "do you see that mountain yonder?"
"Yes. It's a high one, isn't it?"
"Yes. I am going up there."
"What for?"
"To spend the day signaling. The question is, do you want to stayhere and watch the camp, or do you--"
"What! Stay here alone? I guess not. No, sir!"
"I was in hopes you would be willing to do that. You don't want tospend the rest of your life up here, do you?"
"I should think not."
"Then you must try to do your share. I am not saying that you havenot; you have done the best you knew how."
"Yes, I got myself arrested," nodded the fat boy. "What do you wantme to do?"
"I want you, if you will take this matter seriously, to stay here incamp and look after it."
"Take it seriously? Pshaw! You think I think this is a kind ofpicnic. I guess not. It hasn't been like any other picnic I everattended. All right; I'll stay here. But why are you making up yourmind to go up to the top of that mountain now?"
"I'll tell you. We have been away from our party for some time. Theywill begin to get worried about our long absence about this time.That means that Mr. Vaughn will get busy. Understand?"
Stacy nodded thoughtfully.
"That is why."
"Go ahead. I will defend this camp with my very life. I'll shoot onsight the first time I see anything moving."
"I guess I had better take you along," observed Tad dryly.
Butler had reasoned out the situation rightly. There was a greatdisturbance in the main camp of the Pony Rider Boys. This was due tothe hasty return of Charlie John who had been sent back toMatungamook as fast as a horse could carry him to learn what hadbecome of the boys. He brought back the word that they had leftabout a week before that.
"Break camp instantly!" commanded the guide. "We must look for them.They are lost."
"That's what we get for letting Stacy Brown go with Tad. Stacy wouldhoodoo the best organized force in the world," declared Ned.
"Cache all the stuff we do not need. Take enough to last for a week.We shall find them by that time," said the guide.
"Do--do you think--" began the Professor hesitatingly.
"I think they are lost. I know they are," answered Cale. "But I havetoo much confidence in Master Tad to think for a moment that he isn'ttaking care of himself and his companion. Of course other things mayhave happened. John, did you see any place where they might haveleft the trail?"
"Me see where fat boy go other way," was the surprising reply.
"I thought so. Nothing escapes the eyes of an Indian, even if he isa half-breed Kanuck," snapped the guide.
There was no laughter on the faces of the Pony Rider Boys now. Theywere deeply concerned over the fate of their two companions, theProfessor more troubled than any of the others, because he had notbeen in favor of permitting the two lads to make their way alone backto the camp.
The party was under way within an hour after the return of CharlieJohn from town. Night found them still plodding along, a silentprocession, led by the Indian, Vaughn to the rear of him watching thetrail with keen, observant eyes.
Nor did they stop until morning. Then only for breakfast and to restthe stock. They reached the branching of the trail late that day.A brief examination told the guide that what the Indian had said wastrue. The lads had gotten on the wrong trail. No time was lost byCale in getting on it, but this trail was not so easy to follow atnight as had been the other. As a result they did not make muchheadway that night.
The next morning they found the place where the boys had made a stop.Both the white guide and the Indian studied the surroundings,learning some things that they did not tell their companions.
The third day found them at the lake first discovered by Tad andStacy. In the trail they read the story of the two boys missing thelake and landing on the shore of the second lake. Then suddenly thetrail was lost. Vaughn could not understand it. Somehow he hadstrayed, as had the two boys who had gone before them.
"I want you people to make camp right here and to remain here until Icome back," said Vaughn.
"Oh, please don't make us sit here idle," begged Rector. "Don't yousee we have got to do something?"
"Come along then," answered the guide, after a brief reflection. "Butwhen we make wide detours, you will remain as a sort of center or hubto the wheel we shall be making. In that way I think we shall not bedetained very much. Minutes may be precious, you know."
An hour's faithful work on the part of the Indian and the guidefailed to reveal any trace of the missing lads. Later in the dayVaughn came to the spot where Tad and Stacy had halted, intending tomake camp. He found Tad's four blazes on the big pine. Anexamination told him that the blazes had been placed there recently.The guide uttered a shout.
"We are on their track now. We've found the trail. Clever boy, Tad!Clever boy. Trust him to do the right thing at the right time."
The Indian who had gone on ahead called back that the trail lay inthe direction of the lake. The party hastened on after him. Theyreached the camp of Tad and Stacy, but the camp was deserted. Caleplaced a hand on the dead campfire.
"They haven't been here in more than twenty-four hours," he announced.
Walter and Ned groaned. The perspiration was standing out in greatbeads on the forehead of Professor Zepplin.
"Heap big smoke," grunted the Indian, loping into camp. He hadfollowed the shore of the lake to the westward around a bend.
"Eh?" demanded Cale.
"Heap big smoke."
"Where? Where?"
The Indian pointed, then started down the shore again, followed bythe entire party. They halted some distance from the camp, andagain Charlie pointed. The boys and the men gazed at the peak ofthe high mountain which Tad had pointed out to his companion two daysbefore that. As the Indian pointed a cloud of grayish smoke rosefrom the forest crowning the mountain. An interval of a minute, thencame another, then still another.
"It's a signal!" cried Vaughn. "Wait!"
Ten minutes later the three-cloud smoke signal was made again. Therecould be no mistake about it. Someone was making an Indian smokesignal. Vaughn gave the rifle signal in acknowledgment. There wasno reply. He gave it again. For the third time did he give it, thenfrom the distance came a rifle shot.
A pause followed, then three more shots.
"We've got 'em!" cried Cale Vaughn triumphantly.
"Boys make good Indians," grunted Charlie John.
Ned and Walter set up a yell.
"Build a smudge, Charlie," commanded the guide. "I am going out tomeet whoever it is. Send your smoke up as high as you can, Charlie."
"Me smoke um."
"Not one of you must leave the camp," wound up the guide.
Regardless of his still lame foot, Cale Vaughn started off at a run,and was lost to view in a moment. Then the boys, the Professor andthe Indian took account of their surroundings. Th
e results of TadButler's ingenuity were apparent on all sides. The Professor proudlypointed out what Tad had accomplished as an object lesson that theywould do well to remember. They were shortly interrupted by threesignal shots, but did not know whether these had been fired by theguide or by the persons who had made the smudge. They decided toanswer the shots, but Charlie John shook his head.
"No shoot. Fool guide, fool boys if do," he said.
It was late in the afternoon, in fact near dark, when a yell startledthe campers. Then came another yell, and a shot, and Tad Butler,followed by the howling Stacy, came tearing into camp on theirponies, leaping logs, roots, stumps and rocks.
A moment more and the boys were hugging each other delightedly. Sucha cheer as the four set up together startled the birds that hadsought their roosting perches for the night. Then came anotherstartling sound.
"Ugh, ugh, ugh, oo-oo-oo!" Stacy's eyes widened.
"There--there's that moose fellow that put our camp out of businessthe other night. Take to the trees, fellows! He'll be here in aminute."
"Never mind. Don't be frightened," answered the guide. "That isn'tthe fellow who bothered your camp. That one lies dead some fivemiles to the north of here with several of your bullets in his body,"added Cale with a twinkle in his eyes.
"How did you know about that?" demanded Tad, wheeling on him sharply.
"Never mind how I knew. I usually use my eyes when I am in the woods.And I want to say, right here, that you two boys have fulfilled allmy expectations. You went astray as many a better man will go, as Ihave gone myself, but you have shown more pure woodcraft thanninety-nine men out of any hundred would have shown. I am proud ofyou. I take off my hat to you."
"Yes," answered Stacy pompously. "I always was an expert at findingmy way about in the woods."
That evening the party sat long about the campfire, listening to thestory of the experiences of the two lost boys. The story of thecharge of the moose and the wrecking of the camp caused Ned Rectorand Walter Perkins to open their eyes very wide.
"Young man," remarked Cale Vaughn, addressing Chunky, "you will dowell if you don't let your tongue get away from you and rush on totell everyone about Tad shooting at the moose that wrecked your camp.If you do, you'll by and by get the story around to where you,instead of Tad, shot the animal, and how the animal dropped dead onthe spot."
"It would make a fine and dandy story," remarked Chunky, as he chewedreflectively at a blade of grass.
"It would," admitted Cale, "and all stories of that kind travel tothe ears of Squire Halliday very quickly. Don't forget that thesquire is still doing business in his little old office six days aweek. More than that, just keep well in mind the fact that thesquire would probably send you to jail next time. Brown, I've beenin quite a bit of the world outside of Maine; I was a scout in theworld war and did my bit for my country, and I've always kept my eyesopen. A fellow had to over there. So I've noticed that nearly allthe trouble a fellow gets into is trouble that his tongue gets himinto."
The boys nodded their heads in agreement.
"Don't talk too much," continued the guide, "not at any time, andwhen you do talk always tell the truth. You've seen a great deal oftrouble, haven't you?"
"Yes," admitted Stacy Brown, assuming the air of a man of the world."I've had so much trouble that I've grown old in it."
Then, as the other boys began to laugh, Stacy saw the drift of theguide's remarks.
"But not trouble that my tongue got me into," he made haste to add."I'm a silent, thoughtful sort of fellow. If you haven't seen enoughof me to know that, then just ask these fellows."
"Yes, Cale," cried Ned. "Chunky's deaf and dumb when he's asleep oreating."
Cale nodded and smiled.
"Young man, the next time you get into difficulties, just hold anhonest, searching experience meeting with yourself," suggested Caledryly, "and see if you can't find the mean part your tongue hasplayed in your affairs. That's all."
"I'm sorry we missed the bull moose incident," sighed Ned Rector. "Iknew that if Stacy stayed behind something surely would happen, but Inever dreamed that it would be anything that I'd hate to miss."
"It wasn't much fun at the time--take my word for that," Tad utteredgrimly.
"No, but it is going to be a great event one of these days,"suggested Ned innocently, stealing a glance at the fat boy.
"When?" Walter wanted to know.
"When we see Chunky's version of the affair in the home paper. Afterthat paper comes out, though, I am going to teach Chunky a lesson."
"What kind of a lesson?" demanded Stacy suspiciously.
"After your story comes out in home print," laughed Ned, "I'm goingto take all the wind out of your sails by telling everybody in townthe real version of the affair."
"You just dare," flared Chunky.
"Why?" queried Walter mildly. "Do you mean, Stacy, that you wouldknowingly give a false version to the home paper, and that you'dresent having Ned tell the people the straight account of the matter?"
"I mean," sputtered Chunky. "I mean--Well, I mean that I won't haveanybody else mixing up in my business and trying to make me lookridiculous. That's what I mean, and I mean it."
"No fellow looks half so ridiculous," put in Tad quietly, "as thefellow who tells yarns about his achievements that no one in the hometown would think of believing. Remember your lion story, Chunky, asprinted in the Chillicothe paper?"
"Yes. And it was a mighty good story, too," declared young Brown."The editor told me so."
"What do you suppose no less than three persons at home asked me?"Tad went on. "They wanted to know how it was that you never didanything at home to amount to a hill of beans, yet, as soon as yougot a few hundred miles away, you invariably began to prove yourselfa wonder. You see people are beginning to size your stories up."
"Who asked you that?" demanded Chunky heatedly.
Tad shook his head smiling, declining to give names.
But Chunky was growing wrathful. A look of suspicion in his eyes, hebegan to glare around at the other boys. Even staid old ProfessorZepplin he regarded with considerable disfavor.
"The trouble with you fellows," broke in Chunky, after two fullminutes of actual silence, "is that you can't recognize genius andgreatness when you mix up with them. You're always picking on me,you fellows. You--"
Choking with indignation, Stacy rose and began to walk away, hisfists clenched. But Tad Butler, with a laugh, leaped up and dartedafter the offended boy.
"Stacy, old fellow, why be so touchy? What on earth would we do onour trips if we didn't have you along? Who would supply the fun andthe jokes for us?"
Tad forced open the boy's right fist, then shook hands with him,smiling the while.
"I'm never going out with you fellows on another trip," Stacydeclared stubbornly.
"How are your folks going to stop you?" Tad wanted to know. "Arethey going to tie you hand and foot, and lash you down to rings inthe floor of the Brown mansion. Oh, pshaw! Forget it!"
"They won't have to," growled Stacy. "I don't want to go anywherewith you fellows any more."
"You come right back and shake hands with Walter and Ned," Tadcommanded. "Then you may tell them about your new resolve."
Despite the fat boy's resistance, Tad led him back to the circle.There, Stacy reluctantly shook hands all around, and inside of fiveminutes he was chatting away with his usual good humor.
For a few days more the Pony Riders roved through the woods. Then,most regretfully--on both sides--the boys and their tutor parted fromCale Vaughn. At Bangor they found a pile of home letters awaitingthem. Best of all were the letters that Tad received from his mother.She had regained her health, she wrote, and was putting on flesh at arate that would soon be cause for alarm and--fasting.
It was some months before Cale Vaughn settled, to his satisfaction,the score against Squire Halliday and the game warden. Cale had awide and valuable acquaintance throughout the state, and i
n time hesecured the removal from office of Squire Halliday, who didn't needthe justice's fees anyway. Jed, too, "walked the plank" in favor ofa new game warden for that section.
As for the Pony Rider Boys, they were already planning a trip to theSouth, from which they would not return until late in the fall. Thestory of these most interesting of all adventures that they hadexperienced will be told in a following volume entitled, "THE PONYRIDER BOYS IN LOUISIANA; or, Following the Game Trails in theCanebrake."
THE END
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