Bluff came up spluttering.
“Help! help!” he shouted,
involuntarily, as well as a mouth half full of water
would permit.
But there was no one in sight.
Whoever had shoved him into the lake had mysteriously
vanished, though a movement in the bushes told the
direction of his flight.
Recovering from the shock, Bluff found
that he could clamber out without much difficulty,
and he hastened to do so.
His cries had been heard, however,
for presently the sound of some one running wildly
came to his ears, and Will burst into view.
At sight of the dripping fisherman he broke into a
shout.
“Caught a Tartar, did you, and
he pulled you in? Oh! what wouldn’t I have
just given to have been here? A snapshot of you
going over would have been the finest ever.”
“Shut up! It wasn’t
a fish at all that yanked me overboard. Somebody
gave me a shove!” snapped Bluff, beginning to
shiver, in spite of the fact that the air seemed unusually
warm, though the sun had disappeared behind dark clouds.
“What! you were pushed in?”
stammered Will; and he gathered up his camera in his
arms, casting a look of alarm around, as if afraid
lest some hideous form dart into view, bent on snatching
it away.
“That’s the truth.
I was just sitting here when I heard a step. Thought
it was you, and asked how you had got on. Then
the beggar laughed, gave me a shove, and over I went,
‘ker chunk.’ I let out a yell when
I came up, for you see I didn’t exactly know
what he might mean to do,” explained the dripping
one.
“And I don’t blame you
a bit. But didn’t you see him at all?”
“Never had a peep. He dodged
back so that when I got the water out of my eyes he
was gone. I saw those bushes over there moving,
and knew he ran off that way.”
Will walked over to the bushes, looking
cautiously about, but seeing no one.
“Sure you didn’t-er-go
to sleep out on that log, and dream somebody gave
you a push?” he queried, cautiously.
“Rats! I guess I ought
to know. But see here, perhaps you can prove it,”
declared Bluff, indignantly.
“How?” demanded the other.
“Look down at your feet and see if he left any
trail, that’s how.”
Will immediately did as he was told.
“Say, come here. There
are tracks all right. Perhaps you’re better
up in that sort of thing than I am. It was a
human being after all, and no dream,” he called.
Bluff hastened to join him.
“Why, of course, just as I said.
This is where he hurried away. You can see the
mark of his feet easy. And looky there, one shoe,
the right, has got a patch on it, a piece that runs
to a point. Oh! I’d know that skunk
any time from that. It’s a sure clue, I
tell you,” he exclaimed.
“But you’d better get
dried off as soon as you can. Why, you’re
shivering now.”
“Got any matches; mine are all
soaked?” said Bluff, his teeth rattling together.
“I always carry a few.
Yes, here they are. Let me make a quick fire,
while you jump around to warm up; and Bluff, please
keep your eye on my camera, won’t you?”
“Sure,” replied the other,
commencing to leap and frisk around, so as to get
his chilled blood in circulation again.
The fire was speedily made, and, taking
off his clothes, Bluff hugged close to the blaze while
Will busied himself in hanging up the wet garments,
though he had more or less difficulty in tearing his
eyes away from the spot where his camera lay close
by.
“Sometimes we get too much fire;
then again we want more and more,” remarked
Bluff, as he kept turning around like a roast on the
spit; for as fast as one side felt warm the other
grew chilled.
“And I guess that we’d
better be beating it back to camp as soon as your
duds are decently dry. I don’t like the
looks of that sky,” remarked Will.
“I think you are right.
There’s certainly a big storm coming. Why,
the air seems dead, just like it is in summer before
a gale of wind. And camp is nearly two miles
away from this place. Don’t you think I
could put them on now, Will?”
“They feel pretty dry.
Do as you please,” said the other, not willing
to commit himself, though anxious to be off, for the
black looks of the heavens began to appall him not
a little.
“Then here goes!”
Suiting the action to the words Bluff
hurriedly dressed. Then he secured his nice string
of fish, and, with his pole over his shoulder, announced
himself ready for the homeward tramp.
They made all reasonable haste, and
managed to reach the camp in due time.
When Frank heard what had happened he was very angry.
“Some more of the mean work
of that crowd. I believe it must have been Andy
himself who pushed you in. A dirty trick.
How did he know whether you could swim or not?”
he said, after the tale was told.
“Oh, well, it wasn’t a
case of swimming, for the water wasn’t five feet
deep, and all I had to do was to crawl out again.
But it was wet, you see, and a fellow feels mighty
uncomfortable all soaked. Just wait, I’ll
get even with him some day for that trick. I’ve
got the rascal located all right. One of his
shoes had a patch on the sole I’d know again.”
“A clever idea,” admitted
the other, in admiration; “and I hope you find
him out, no matter who he may be. First they stone
our camp; after that they try to burn us out; and
now some busybody throws you into the lake. What
next, I wonder?”
“You forget the worst thing
of all-the stealing of my gun!” grumbled
Bluff.
“Well, I wish Jerry was back.
I hate to think of him wandering around in the woods
in the storm that’s coming, for it’s going
to be a corker,” remarked Frank, eying the darkening
sky with uneasiness.
“Perhaps the old trapper influenced
him to stay over with him till to-morrow?” suggested
Will, who was making his beloved camera secure against
rain by wrapping it in folds of waterproof material
brought along for the purpose.
“A bright idea; and I hope it’s
so. But you know, he said he meant to take in
a new locality for a hunt after seeing Jesse.
Well, Jerry is up to many things connected with woods
life, and at any rate he knows how to look out for
himself,” and as he spoke Frank stooped down
by the tent.
“What are you doing now?” asked the curious
Bluff.
“Driving these tent pegs in
deeper. There’s no telling what sort of
wind may be on us. Listen to that, will you?”
said Frank.
“Thunder, as sure as you live!
Pretty late in the year for that, ain’t it?”
“Oh, we sometimes hear it even
in winter. But, you see, the day has been unusually
close and muggy. I felt a storm in the air this
morning, and I’m not surprised. But I would
be glad to see Jerry show up,” continued the
other, as he tapped each pin a few times, to send
them in more securely.
The muttering in the distance increased
constantly in volume.
Frank, as an old campaigner, knew
what was to be done. Under his directions Toby
and the two boys made everything as snug as could be
expected. They also concealed some dry wood in
the hollow of a tree nearby, so that later on they
might be prepared for making a fire.
The storm came at last, with a furious
wind, and a heavy downpour of rain.
“Wow!” exclaimed Bluff,
as he looked out from the tent, “ain’t
I glad we got here before that came. One ducking
satisfies me; I’m not greedy.”
The afternoon waned, and night came
on, still there were no signs of Jerry. Frank
worried some, but stopped speaking of the matter, for
he saw that old Toby was beginning to shake with fear,
as the wind increased in fury, and the tents wobbled
about at a great rate.
“I hope they hold out,” said Frank to
himself.
He even donned a waterproof he had
brought along, and going outside, tapped the pegs
all around again. Everything seemed secure so
far as he could see. Still, he knew that if one
peg gave, the balance could not resist the additional
strain, and a catastrophe must result.
Old Toby was really too much alarmed
to retire to his fly; so Frank told him he could remain
with him when the other boys went to their tent.
None of them expected to obtain much
sleep. The wind came in fierce gusts, the trees
groaned and writhed, and once or twice Frank really
heard a crash in the forest that told of a rent in
the timber.
“I only hope nothing of that
kind happens around here; a falling tree might pin
us all under, and be our death,” he said to himself.
At length they concluded that it was
time to separate and try to get some sleep, though
both Bluff and Will declared they knew they would not
close their eyes so long as that howl kept up without,
and the canvas fluttered with each wild gust.
Just as they were about to make a
run for it, Frank caught them by the arms.
“Wait!” he shouted, for
there was a terrible crash close by, and the earth
seemed to tremble as a forest monarch was laid low.
At the same minute with a shriek the
wind descended upon the tent under which they were
crouching.
Frank heard a snap above the other
sounds, and like a flash the entire tent was blown
away, leaving the four campers exposed to the fury
of the storm.