CHAPTER IV.
THE SUDDEN AWAKENING.
"Oh! what do you suppose that was?" demanded Bandy-legs, his voicequivering.
"It might have been a wild-cat," suggested Owen, cautiously, as iftrying to recall just what he had read about the cries of these animals,when roaming the woods at night.
"Mebbe it was an owl!" remarked Toby, actually forgetting to stammer inhis new alarm.
"Max, whatever do you think?" asked Steve, turning on the boy headdressed; for if any one could know it ought to be Max.
"Well, to tell the honest truth, fellows, I'm nearly as much in the darkas the rest of you," admitted Max, looking perplexed.
"But then you've had experience, and ought to know what sort of racket abobcat makes when he's on the rampage?" insisted Steve, belligerently.
"On the rampage! My goodness!" echoed Bandy-legs, at the same timemaking sure to move still closer to the blaze; for he suddenlyrecollected that nearly all the really dangerous beasts of the wilds areafraid of fire.
"It came so suddenly, and lasted so short a time, that I didn't havemuch of a chance to make up my mind," Max went on; "but if you reallywant me to say what I suspect made it, I will."
"Go on," Steve said, encouragingly, "I guess we can stand it all right."
He had picked up the shotgun which Max had thought best to bring along,though not expecting to use it in shooting any game like rabbits,squirrels, partridges or quail, since summer was the off season for suchthings. And when Steve became excited he looked very warlike indeed.Why, Bandy-legs began to feel more confidence just by looking at theferocious expression Steve assumed. It was good to feel that you had a"fighting chum" nearby, in time of need.
"Yes, let's have it, Max; we're ready to hear the worst," Owen went on.
"It sounded more like a human voice than anything else I can think of!"was what Max immediately said, very calmly indeed.
"Just what I thought you'd give us!" cried Steve, making a move asthough ready to spring away into the surrounding darkness, gun in hand.
"Hold on," added Max, taking a firm hold on the coat of the impulsivechum; "we'd like to know why you try to run off, when I remarked that Ithought it mightn't be an animal at all, but a human being?"
"Why?" repeated the other, struggling a little as if wanting to breakaway, but finally giving up the effort, "because I just know who it is,that's what, and I'd give a heap to lay my hands on him, that's all."
"B-b-but, Steve, mebbe the r-r-rest of us'd l-l-like to know, too,"stammered Toby, eagerly.
"Yes, and sure you wouldn't be rushing off like a house afire, to leaveus here without the gun, while you lost yourself in all this tangledundergrowth," Owen suggested, reproachfully.
Steve looked a little conscience stricken.
"That's right, it would be mean of me, fellows," he admitted, as heglanced at the gun he had snatched up so eagerly. "And likewise silly inthe bargain, because in this pitch darkness I'd like as not only stub mytoe, and take a beastly header into some snake hole. I guess I'll simmerdown, and stay where I'm most needed."
"But, Steve," complained Bandy-legs, "you ain't told us yet who youbelieve it was made all that noise? And do you think he did it just togive us a scare?"
"Just what I do, Bandy-legs," replied the other, stoutly; "because thefeller I had in my mind was Ted Shafter."
"What's that; Ted Shafter!" echoed Bandy-legs, aghast.
"Or if not him, then Shack Beggs, or Amiel Toots!" went on Steve,doggedly nodding his stubborn head up and down, as though the idea hadsecured a firm footing in his mind, and would not easily be dislodged.
Owen turned to his cousin Max. Somehow, in moments of sudden need, itwas noticeable how they all seemed to place great dependence on Max.
"Could that be so, Max?" he asked. "Would you think that bunch offellows'd take the trouble to come all the way up here just to botherus?"
"Oh! so far as bothering us went, I believe they'd go to even moretrouble than that," was the reply Max made. "The only question in mymind is, whether they'd have the nerve to come over to this island atnight time, just to try and give us a little turn."
"Of course they knew all about what we expected to do?" suggested Owen.
"We can be sure of that," replied his cousin. "In the first place, ShackBeggs was in that mob that saw us get under way. Then again eitherShack, or some other boy in his crowd, must have managed to get into ourclubhouse last night after we left, and bored that hole through thebottom of the cedar canoe, thinking we wouldn't notice it."
"Wonder they didn't slash a knife through the canvas boats in thebargain," commented Touch-and-go Steve, gloomily; "it'd be just liketheir meanness."
"Well, that would have been so barefaced that of course the whole townwould have been up in arms, and somebody might tell on them, which'dmean that Ted would be sent away to the reform school for a time," Maxexplained.
By degrees the boys began to settle down again. Owen was the first todrop back into the comfortable position he had occupied at the time thatweird screech first shocked them, and brought about a sudden rising up.
Max managed to possess himself of his gun, and then Steve, quietingdown, followed the example of his campmates, by picking out a good placenear the crackling blaze, where he could hug his knees, and staregloomily into the fire.
For some little time the boys exhibited a degree of nervous tension. Itwas as though they half expected that awful cry to be repeated, or someother event come to pass. But as the minutes glided by without anythingunusual happening, by slow degrees their confidence returned, andfinally they were chatting at as lively a rate as before the alarm.
All sorts of speculations were indulged in concerning the possiblecharacter of the origin of the sound. Bandy-legs in particular wasforever springing questions on Max as to what he thought it could havebeen, if not one of that Shafter crowd.
"Do they have real panthers around here, Max?" he asked suddenly.
"Well, I don't think there's been one seen for a good many years,"replied the other, accommodatingly. "Time was, of course, when they needto roam all about this region; yes, and wolves and buffalo as well; butthose were in the old days when it was called the frontier."
"Buffalo!" echoed Bandy-legs, in amazement; "why, Max, I always thoughtbuffalo were only found away out West on the plains, where they used tobe seen in great big droves, before Buffalo Bill cleaned them out,supplying meat for the workers building the first railroad across thecontinent."
"Well, that's where you were away off," answered the other, "because inall the accounts in history about Daniel Boone and the early settlersalong the Ohio and in Kentucky you can read of them hunting buffalo.Seems they went in pairs or small droves at that time. Why, they used toget them for meat in the mountains of Pennsylvania when on the wayacross to the valleys on the other side. And at that time there weremore panthers around here than you could shake a stick at."
"You'd never ketch me doing that same thing, if it was a panther,"admitted Bandy-legs, frankly. "I'm afraid of cats of all kinds the worstever. Why, I always said I'd rather face six lions than one tiger, anyday."
"Sure, who wouldn't?" remarked Steve, dryly. "They'd make way with afeller all the sooner, and end the agony. But Max says he don't believeit could have been a panther, so make your mind easy, Bandy-legs."
They managed to talk of other things in between, but the boy with theshort legs would every little while think up some new question inconnection with that shriek, which he would fire at Max, and demand ananswer. When Steve tried to make fun of him for harping on that oldstring so long, the other immediately took up arms in his own defense.
"Huh! it's easy enough for you to act like that, Steve," he remarkedonce, when the other gave him a jeering laugh; "because if we had tomake a bolt for it, you've got running legs, and could put out at awhoopin' lick; but how about poor me? Wouldn't I get left behind, andthat'd mean make a meal for the big woods cat? Guess I've got more atstake than any of the r
est."
But taking it all in all, that first evening spent around the camp fireon Catamount Island was rather enjoyable. Old recollections of otherdays came cropping up from time to time, and were mentioned, to becommented on. And never before had a blazing fire seemed more delightfulthan just then. It is always so with those who go out into thewilderness to get close to Nature; the new experience has charms that noother could quite possess.
After a time, however, some of the boys began to yawn at a great rate,as though getting sleepy. None of them had slept any too well on thepreceding night, simply because of the excitement they were laboringover, with a week of outing before them.
"Move we get ready to turn in!" suggested Max, finally, when he began tofear lest Bandy-legs in particular would dislocate his jaws, and bringdown a new catastrophe on their heads.
"When we drew lots for tents, it turned out that Steve, Bandy-legs andmyself were to bunk in this big tent, while Max and Toby, taking a lotof the stuff along, had to sleep in the other, wasn't that it?" remarkedOwen, as he got on his feet, and stretched himself, as though a littlecramped from sitting so long in one position.
"J-j-just w-w-what it was," Toby replied.
"That makes three of us in our tent, don't it?" said Bandy-legs, as ifrelieved to know that he would have a companion on either side, for atsuch times there is safety in numbers.
"Yes, and if that panther does come, he'll have some trouble picking youout in the crowd," jeered Steve.
"That's mean, Steve," declared Max, who saw that Bandy-legs was reallyconcerned, and also remembered that in times gone by the other hadspoken more than once of the strange fear he from childhood hadentertained for cats of all kinds, while accustomed to playing withevery species of dog known to lads.
"Oh! I take it back," quickly responded Steve, who could say sharpthings, and then be sorry the minute afterwards.
Of course, having had considerable experience by now, all the boys knewjust how to go to work in order to make themselves comfortable, withonly a thick camping blanket to serve as a bed.
Max had long ago showed the greenhorns how to fold this, so that whileone part lay between their bodies and the ground, they would haveseveral thicknesses over them, to be pulled up as the night grew cooler.Besides, each boy had a rubber poncho in which the blanket could bewrapped during the day, to keep it from getting wet while in the canoes.This was always first of all laid down on the ground, so as to keep thedampness from giving them rheumatism, for even boys may be taken withthis ailment, if careless in times when the ground is far from dry.
Everybody else being disposed of, and ready to go to sleep, Max fixedtheir fire after the manner of a woodsman, so that it would burn forhours, yet never threaten to get away into the woods, should a heavywind arise.
"All ready, boys?" he asked, feeling his own eyes getting heavy.
A couple of sleepy replies came from the tent where the three chums lay;evidently Toby and Bandy-legs were already far gone in the Land of Nod.
So Max crawled into his snug retreat, and settled himself down tosecuring some of the refreshing slumber he so much needed.
He had left a flap of the tent up, so that as he lay there he could seeout, but as the fire did not come within the range of his vision, he wasnot annoyed by its flickering. Now and then the flames would spring up,and the vicinity be brightly illuminated; then they would gradually diedown again, and things become more indistinct.
Max remained there awake, for some little time; because, as oftenhappens, his sleepiness seemed to desert him after he lay down. Manypleasant things flitted through his mind, for the most part connectedwith past events in which he had figured, and in quite a number of themhaving been enjoyed in the company of these four good chums of camp fireand trail.
Then Max went to sleep. He had wondered whether they would be left topass the night in peace, or be suddenly aroused by some clamor, such ashad possibly given Herb and his crowd their scare. Hence, being on thewatch for some such alarm, Max was not altogether astonished when hefound himself suddenly aroused by a whoop, and heard Bandy-legs shoutingout at the top of his voice:
"Help! help! something grabbed me by the leg, and was pulling me out ofthe tent. I'd have been a goner only I grabbed Steve here, and held on.Get a light, fellers. Where are you all! Hurry up, or it'll come backagain after me!"