CHAPTER VII
A MIDNIGHT VISITOR
"Help! Get a boat! Help me out! Blub! Splub! Come on!" stammered andyelled Jack, as he went down under the water, and came up again,somewhat entangled in his fishing tackle.
"Don't let the fish get away!" cried Tom.
"Grab him by the tail!" advised Dick.
"Hold him, no matter if you do get wet," was Bert's contribution."You've had all the luck!"
"Luck! Luck!" retorted Jack. "If you call it luck to fall in the lakeI----"
He was interrupted by a flurry of the big fish, that had not yet gottenoff the hook, and, as Jack had instinctively kept hold of the rod, thefinny prize was still a captive.
"It's luck to get a fish like that," declared Tom. "If I had him Iwouldn't let go," and he started across the rocks to the aid of hischum. Dick and Bert had also laid aside their rods and were hurrying tothe immersed one.
By this time Jack had managed to swim ashore, as he was only a few feetfrom it, and he was clambering up the rocky bank, keeping hold of hisrod and line as best he could.
"Is he off?" asked Tom anxiously, as he joined his comrade. "Have yougot the big fish yet?"
"Say, you care more about the fish than you do about me!" objected Jack.
"Why shouldn't I?" asked our hero, with a laugh. "This is the firstfish any of us caught. Reel in now. Never mind about yourself, you'lldry, but we want that fish!"
Jack did have enough sporting blood to forget his own condition, andsoon he was reeling in the fish, which was still on the hook. But mostof the fight was gone from him, and it did not take much of an effortto land him. The prize proved to be a large bass.
"That will be great when Dick cooks it!" exclaimed Bert, as he held upJack's catch.
"Me cook it!" cried the village lad. "Say, I thought everyone had tocook his own catch."
"Not much!" exclaimed Tom. "You're cook for this week, and you have toserve up all the fish and game we bring in. I'm thinking of bringing ina bear soon."
"And I've got an idea where I can get a lot of frogs' legs," added Bert.
"I'll manage to furnish a mock turtle, and we can make more soup,"added Jack. "Or, if you like, I'll keep on with the fish."
"Say!" cried Dick. "You fellows can cook your own game. I'll managethe canned stuff and----"
"Yes, and I suppose you'll fricassee the baked beans if we don't watchyou," put in Tom with a laugh.
"Oh, get out!" ejaculated the exasperated cook.
"Well, I got the fish, anyhow," said Jack as, dripping water from everypoint, he held up his prize. "It's a beaut, too."
"It nearly got you," commented Tom. "But say, there must be greatfishing in this lake when they come right up to shore and take the baitthat way."
"Oh, we've struck a good place all right," declared Jack. "As soon aswe get straightened out we'll go out in the middle, and pull in some ofthe big ones."
"I think I can get another like yours right here at shore," said Tom,and he threw in. Shortly he had a bite, and almost duplicated Jack'scatch.
Meanwhile Jack was cleaning and scaling his prize, and drying himselfout. The other boys had fair luck with rod and line, and then it was upto Dick to cook the fish, which he did, frying them in bacon and cornmeal.
"Oh, say, maybe they don't smell good!" cried Tom, as the savory odorwas spread about the camp.
"They'll taste better," was Jack's comment.
The evening meal was a great success and they all voted that Dick was amuch better cook than he had given himself credit for.
"How are you on pies?" asked Tom, as they sat around the campfire thatevening, after everything was ready for bed. "Think you can tacklethem, Dick? We've got prepared flour, and you can use some jam, orcanned apples, for filling."
"I'll try it," agreed the amateur cook. "We'll have pie to-morrow."
They did not sleep very well that night, as the beds were rather hard,not having been properly made, and they were all rather excited overthe events of the day.
Breakfast, however, with coffee, and bacon and eggs which they hadbrought from Wilden, put them all in good humor, and they made a merrymeal.
"Now for some fishing!" exclaimed Tom, as he went down to look abouthis motorboat.
"And I'm going to take a gun and see if I can get anything in the lineof game," put in Jack. "It's out of season for most things, but I mayget something in the bird line."
"And Dick is going to make pie," said Bert. "Make four, old man, sothere'll be one apiece."
"All right," agreed the young cook good naturedly. "I won't guaranteeresults, but I'll do my best."
Tom started out in the boat with Bert to do some fishing, while Jackwandered off in the woods with his shotgun. Dick did up the dishes andthen began rummaging around in the supplies. Soon he was whistling awayand, as Tom and Bert could see, from where they were in the boat, hewas kept quite busy over something.
"Well, did you get 'em made?" asked Tom, when they had all assembledfor dinner. "How about the pies, Dick?"
"There they are," was the retort, and Dick pointed to the pastry.
"Hum! They smell good!" exclaimed Jack, as he whiffed an odor from thepies.
"They look good," commented Tom.
"Let's see if they taste good," suggested Bert.
The pies were served as dessert, and at the first mouthful Tom let outa howl.
"For the love of tripe!" he cried. "What did you put in these pies,Dick?"
"Apples, of course," replied the injured cook. "What did you suppose itwas?"
"Well, if those are apples then they're flavored with something funny,"declared Tom. "Where's the can you used?"
Dick brought two empty tin cans up to the table, which was made frompacking boxes.
"The paper labels soaked off," he explained, "but there were cans ofapples on top and below these so I thought it was all right. Isn't it?"
Tom took a smell, and cried out:
"Say, fellows, he dumped a can of quinces in the apple pie stuff andbaked that all together and then used baking soda for powdered sugar!Oh wow! What a taste!"
There was a general laugh, and Dick replied with:
"Well, if you fellows think you can do any better you can have my job.I'm sick of being cook."
"Tut, tut! It's all right," said Tom hastily. "We were only fooling.You're doing fine, Dick, only, after this, smell of a can if it hasn'tgot a label pasted on it, and taste the powdered sugar."
But if the pies were a failure, the rest of the dinner was good, andlater on Dick proved that he could make good pastry when he used theright ingredients.
They had more fish that day, as luck was good, but the game was scarce,as might have been expected at that season of the year.
After dinner, the rest of the day was spent in getting the camp intobetter shape, and making the beds more comfortable. The boys were inthe habit of making up a camp fire early in the evening, and sittingin the glow of it to talk. They did this on their second night, andwhen it had about died down Tom tossed on some heavy sticks of wood andremarked:
"Well, I'm going to turn in. I'm tired and I want some sleep. To-morrowwe'll take a long boat ride."
"When are we going to the old mill?" asked Jack.
"Oh, maybe we can try that soon if we like," said Tom.
It was nearly midnight, as Tom ascertained by looking at his watch,when he was suddenly awakened by hearing something moving about nearthe sleeping tent. At first he thought it was one of his chums, and hecalled out:
"Who's that? You, Jack?"
There was no answer, and, looking across to the other cots, our herosaw the forms of his companions under the covers. They were all quiet.
"There's some one out there," he murmured.
Rising cautiously he stepped to the flap of the canvas shelter andpeered out. In the dying glow of the camp fire he saw an old mansilently walking toward the tents.
"For gracious sake!" breathed Tom to himself. "If that isn't the oldhermit of the mi
ll I'm a lobster! I wonder what he's doing here?"
With anxious eyes he watched, and as the moon came out from behind acloud, to add to the glow of the campfire, Tom saw the light glint on agun.
"He's looking for us!" whispered Tom. "I wonder what I'd better do?"