An hour pa.s.sed thus. Then b.u.mpus, who was just losing himself, in spite of his determination to remain on duty, felt his chum give him a shake.

"Oh! I'm awake, all right, Giraffe; no need to scare me that way!"

grumbled the fat scout, stirring himself, and looking around.

"They're coming, just like I said," said Giraffe. "Looky over yonder, and you c'n see the lantern; and I reckon now, it's old Eli that's followerin' our trail. But we don't want to be fooled a second time, b.u.mpus, so get your gun ready for boarders."

"Boarders!" muttered the fat boy; "now I like that, when they ain't a blessed bit of grub in the pantry. Better skip this boarding-house, and go on further. But Giraffe, that sure _is_ Eli; I c'n tell the way he swings along from here. Whoever is it with him, d'ye think; why, see, there are two of 'em, and men, not boys of the Silver Fox Patrol?"

Three minutes later, and Old Eli, grinning his pleasure, stalked into camp, to say:

"Huh! glad tuh find ye so well taken keer of, boys. An' so yeou hed a wisit frum Si an' Ed, did yeou; an' wall, what d'ye think o' thet, gents, here's yer birds all triced up, ready tew be transported to jail.

This here is the game warden o' this deestrict, boys, lookin' for them critters. Say as heow he don't calkerlate ter bother with Old Cale yet awhile; but hearin' as he's be'n an' contracted with a fox breedin'

company, they'll wait an' see heow it pans eout. Kinder guess they will.

An' we'll jest stay by this fire till mornin', when we kin start back tew camp. Thad knowed as heow yeou'd come out all right, Giraffe; but he thort along abeout noon I'd better take up the trail; and I met these gents a few miles back, wonderin' if ther birds had made this here fire, so we stalked it!"

And b.u.mpus felt like venting his delight in one long loud yell of thanksgiving as he realized that their troubles were now at an end.

CHAPTER XXIV.

TO BEARD THE TIGER IN HIS DEN.

"Sure you can go, Jim; and what's more, I'd like to take the tramp with you, if it's agreeable to you!"

Jim Hasty, the guide, swallowed something in his throat, when he heard Thad say these words, for he was plainly much affected.

He had come in a hesitating way to ask as a favor that, since the scouts were now settled for a few days in camp on the lake sh.o.r.e, could he be spared to make the run through the pine forests to where the well remembered cabin of Old Cale Martin stood, from which he had carried Little Lina away, after her father had positively refused to even hear of their marriage.

"It's mighty kind o' yeou tew say thet, an' I feel it, I swan," he finally stammered, as he managed to thrust out his brown hand, and take that of the boy which had been so impulsively offered to him.

"Why," Thad went on, heartily, "you know, Jim, I'm as much interested in this matter between you and Cale Martin as can be. And I'm just bound to see you through. I heard what one of those men told you about Cale going off to his cabin, so's to try and keep away from temptation, while Jim Hasty was around the neighborhood. He'd sworn to pin your ears to a tree, and feared that he'd up and do it, if he had the chance. Something better inside Old Cale was a tuggin' away at his hard old heart; and Jim; you and I know what it is."

The short guide nodded his head violently, while his eyes glittered.

"Pore ole dad, he wants tew see his leetle gal ther wust kind, an' it's jest his consarned pride as keeps him frum knucklin' right down, an'

ownin' he war wrong. Thet's what I sez in ther fust place. I jest knowed he da.s.sen't raise a hand tew hurt me, as he threatened, 'cause Lina keers fur even ther leetle finger o' my hand; an' she war ther apple o'

his eye. An' sh.o.r.e I feels as it's agoin' tew be awl right, ef so be I kin on'y git a few words wid ther ole man, face tew face."

"And you shall, if I can help you out, Jim," declared the boy, with emphasis. "Perhaps some day, I might even see the Little Lina that all this fuss has been about. I'd sure like to, the worst kind. But about when do you think we'd better hike out across country for the Martin cabin, Jim?"

"I'd like tew start inside o' an hour," returned the other, quickly, as his eye instinctively turned upwards toward the heavens, with the idea of gauging what the weather might have in store for the State of Maine during the next twenty-four hours.

"I see, you're afraid of a heavy snowfall, that would make the going and coming a hard job; is that it, Jim?"

"It sh.o.r.e is, Thad," replied the guide, promptly. "Yew see, it's long past due. The woods is as dry as tinder, and we need a big fall o' snow er rain ther wust kind. D'ye think we mout git away by thet time?"

"I don't see why not," answered the young scoutmaster "I'm feeling in apple pie condition this morning, myself; and you're just wild to make the venture. So we'll call it a go in an hour, Jim. By that time breakfast will be done with, and the boys have their plans arranged for the day. Eli will take charge with Allan; and there ought to be no trouble. Both b.u.mpus and Giraffe are too tired after what they went through with the day before yesterday, to want to wander; the game warden is well on his way with his two prisoners; and everything looks just fixed to carry out your little plan."

"It does thet," returned the other, eagerly. "Seems like things happened jest tew suit me. I calls it 'Little Lina luck,' fur they nigh allers turn thetaways when I'm tryin' tew please her. I worried a heap over them tew critters, Si Kedge an' Ed Harkness; thinkin' thet w'ile I mout convince dad, they was apt tew give me a lot o' trouble. An' see haow they was kerried off tew jail tew clar ther field fur me! Oh! sumpin'

tells me hit's goin' tew be awl rite yit."

"Is there anything we ought to take along with us besides our guns, and some grub, enough for several meals, because we won't have any time for hunting?" asked Thad.

"Nawthin' as I knows on; I'm makin' sure to kerry ther life preserver,"

and as he said these mysterious words, Jim pressed his hand against his breast, where in an inner pocket _something_ undoubtedly snuggled unseen; but somehow Thad never once dreamed that the guide could refer to a pocket flask, because he happened to know Jim did not drink.

However, Thad did not bother about trying to fathom Jim's little secret.

He fancied that it would all be made plain shortly; certainly when they happened upon the stern old man who was day after day cheating himself out of happiness, by refusing to let bygones be bygones, and accept things as they were.

Of course the balance of the Silver Fox Patrol showed great interest when they heard what was the plan. Thad could read a trace of disappointment on more faces than one when he announced that he meant to go alone with Jim. A larger detachment would do more harm than good, since Old Cale might be angry at having his solitude invaded by a party that Jim was piloting through the piney woods. And besides, Allan was needed to take charge of the camp while the leader was away, Step Hen had had his outing in the company of Thad, himself; b.u.mpus and Giraffe were fairly saturated with adventure, and still feeling the effects of their experience; while Davy was needed in camp, and complaining of a lame foot besides.

So within the hour that had been set for the start, Thad and Jim left camp, with many hearty wishes for their success.

"Be sure and tell us all about it when you get back!" called b.u.mpus; for some of the boys scented a little romance back of Jim's queer actions, and knew more or less about his relations with the giant father of his little wife.

"And look sharp for forest fires, because, seems to me I smelled smoke in the air a little while ago!" were the last words from Allan, who, being a Maine boy, knew what such a thing meant.

Thad glanced sharply at Jim.

"Do you imagine we'll stack up against anything like that, Jim?" he asked.

"Thet's hard tew say," replied the guide. "At this time o' year, an'

with ther woods as dry as they be, anything is possible, I'd say. I don't smell smoke right naow, but then ther wind mout a changed sense Allan sez he did."

"Well, I hardly know whether I want to run up against a real woods'

fire, or not," Thad declared. "Of course, I've always wanted to see what one looked like, because I've heard so much about them; we're on a new test now, for the Silver Fox Patrol; being a.s.sistant fire wardens of the state of Maine; and as such none of us should wish a fire to occur. So I'll just forget all about it. If one happens to come along, I guess there's no harm in my looking at it."

Jim laughed at this quaint philosophy.

"I jest reckons naow, yeou'll be doin' a heap more'n jest lookin' at hit," he took occasion to remark, with a sage shake of his head.

Thad laughed outright.

"I can guess what you mean, Jim," he remarked. "You think that about that time the fire will take to chasing after me, and I'll have all I want to do in skipping out. Well, let's forget all about that, now, and talk of something else. For one thing, this is a splendid crisp fall morning. I saw pretty good ice on the edge of the lake. And say, I'd like to be up here a month or two from now. I warrant you there's some mighty fine skating on that sheet of water."

"Thet they be, sumtimes," replied the other, with a nod. "I've seen hit jest as slick as a big pane o' gla.s.s fur miles an' miles. With ther wind ablowin' great guns I've jest opened my coat, an' been blown like a thistle-down from one end tew t'other, in less time than yew cud think.

My dad, which is long gone, onct had an adventure with a pack o' wolves on thet same smooth ice, I kin remember him tellin' 'bout."

"I'd like to hear it, Jim," said the scout, eagerly.

"Wall, I'm a pore hand at tellin' a story," the guide admitted. "Seems like he war askatin' home, arter killin' a deer, an' hed sum o' ther meat on his back, when ther wolves took arter him. They chased him right fast, and ther on'y way dad he cud 'scape ther fangs war by making a sharp turn every time they gut too clost. Yer see ther critters cudn't swerve fast enuff, an'd slide a long ways on ther ice 'cause it war so smooth. An' in that way he kept goin' till he gut nigh home; when sum o'

ther neighbors, they kim out, an' knocked spots outen ther wolves."

"Whew! I can just imagine it," declared Thad, "and I wager, now, it must have been some exciting while it lasted."

Chatting in this way they tramped on through the pine woods, heading in a direct line for the distant cabin of Cale Martin, whose wife had long since been dead, so that with Little Lina also gone, the old woodsman had lived alone for more than a year, always nursing his grievance against Jim Hasty.