CHAPTER VI
THE CAMP ON THE RIVER BANK
"Keep a-going, Buster; we're coming back for you!" shrilled Josh, not alittle alarmed on account of seeing such a tremendous splashing backwhere the stout chum was struggling in the river.
Being compelled to fight against the steady current, the boat could notmake such very rapid progress, especially when backing up. Still itseemed as though Buster might be swimming toward them. He was using onlyone hand, and churning the water like the paddle-wheel of a Mississippisteamboat.
"Whew!" they heard him say, after ejecting a stream of water from hismouth, which he persisted in keeping open; "a sockdolager, I tell you!Going to beat all the records this time. It must be a river horse, or aboss sturgeon, boys. I want to save him, you bet!"
Evidently, like a true fisherman, Buster's first, last and only thoughtconcerned the successful landing of the game he had struck. Andpresently the boat had come so close to the submerged boy that Jackstopped the engine lest the propeller do Buster some material damage.
Two of them leaned over the stern and with great difficulty managed todrag the water-soaked chum aboard.
"Sit there in the stern until you drain, Buster," ordered Jack. "If wetook all that water aboard we'd be in danger of foundering."
"What ails your left hand?" demanded Josh.
"Why, don't you see," explained George, "the silly went and wound theline about his wrist. Then when the fish took hold it was a case ofBuster going overboard or having his left arm pulled out of its socket.No wonder he lets it hang down like that now. I bet you it hurts likefun."
"But say, the bally old fish has quit pulling like mad!" exclaimedBuster, as though that circumstance troubled him much more than anybodily pain he might be enduring.
Josh leaned forward and took hold of the line. He even started to pullit in after the manner of a skillful fisherman, while Buster eyed himeagerly.
"Tell me you feel him pulling yet, Josh, can't you?" he pleaded. "Don'tbreak my heart by saying he's gone! After all my fight I deserve toland that monster."
Josh chuckled.
"I do feel something now, all right, Buster," he remarked. "Watch meyank him alongside in a hurry. You never could handle such a monsterwith one of your arms next to useless."
So Josh worked away, possibly putting on more or less, as though he werehaving the time of his life in trying to drag the captive alongside.Every little while he pretended to lose a foot or so of line, whereuponBuster would call out anxiously and beg him to keep a tight hold on theglorious prize.
"Talk to me about having fish for supper," the dripping sportsman criedas he watched for the first glimpse of his catch; "why, we could feed awhole village on such a dandy as this. And caught on a bare hook, too!Ain't I the lucky one for keeps? What d'ye know about that?"
"There he comes, Buster!" cried Josh, pantingly; "get ready now to helpme pull him up over the stern, all of you. My stars! but how he doesfight."
In another moment Josh drew alongside a small but broad-nosed _log_,which in floating with the current of the river had suddenly beensnagged by the bare hook. The impact, with the boat running as it was,had been severe enough to drag the fisherman into the water, for thestout line held, and he had foolishly wrapped one end of the same aroundhis left wrist.
Jack and George shouted with mirth, and Josh excelled them both. Busterlooked down at the now tamed "fish," felt ruefully of his lame arm, andthen grinned.
"You bit, all right, fellows!" he blandly told them; nor would he offerany further explanation, so that to the end of the chapter none of themreally knew whether Buster had been playing a trick on them or not bypretending to fight the object at the end of his line and showing suchtremendous solicitude while Josh was pulling in the same.
"What am I going to do about drying off?" asked Buster a little later,after he had succeeded in reeling in all his line without getting itvery much tangled--the log he allowed to float off on the current,having no use for it, though Josh did ask him if he had never heard of"planked fish."
"You're draining right along," George told him; "and as the weather isso nice and warm there's no danger of your taking cold, I guess."
"When we get ashore," Jack explained, "we can start a fire, and thatwill give you a chance to get dry. But I'm sorry about that arm, Buster.It may give you some trouble, because the jerk must have been fierce."
"Well, I should say it was," admitted the other, with a sigh. "I thoughtmy arm would come off sure. But then the excitement kept me up, you see.And I knew right well you'd stop the boat and come back after me. ButJack, later on I want you to rub my arm with that liniment you carrywith you. Chances are it'll be black and blue along the muscles. Ithurts like fun even now."
Jack considered that the sooner this was done the better, so he turnedthe wheel over to George, and bidding Buster bare his arm, proceeded togive it a good rubbing with the liniment he knew to be fine for thispurpose.
Buster was glad to find that as yet there were no signs of discoloration,as he had feared.
"It may last a few days," he cheerfully declared, "but that's the extentof the damage. I consider that I came off better than I deserved. Butthen, who'd think a bare hook would catch anything?"
"Well, Buster," warned George, "be sure you don't fasten your fishlineto your leg, or around your neck. You never can tell what's going tohappen; and after you're drowned it's no time to be sorry."
"I think we'd better go ashore below, where the trees come down to theedge of the bank," suggested Jack just then, showing that all this whilehe had been keeping a sharp lookout ahead.
"It makes me think of places where we've pulled up over along the oldMississippi," said Josh; "I wonder now do they have tramps over here,who prowl around looking for a chance to steal what they can lay handson."
"I don't believe they do," George told him; "for they regulate suchthings a lot better than we do over the big water. Tramps are a luxuryhere, while with us they flourish like the green bay tree; the woods arefull of them."
Jack took the boat in closer to the shore. On seeing the proposedlanding place at closer quarters all of them seemed to be of the sameopinion. It looked like just the camping ground they were looking for. Afire might be built for cooking purposes, and the district seemed lonelyenough to make it appear that they might not be disturbed during theirshort stay of a single night.
On the following morning they expected to be once more on the move downthe long and sinuous stream that covered hundreds of miles beforeemptying its clear water into the Black Sea.
As soon as the landing was effected Buster waddled clumsily ashore.
"I hope somebody will have the kindness now to get that blaze startedright away," he was saying; "I'd do it myself, but I'm afraid all thematches I had in my pocket must have been soaked, and they wouldn'tlight easy."
"I'll take care of the fire, and do the cooking tonight in the bargainif you want me to, Buster," Josh told him.
"That's kind of you, Josh, and I won't forget it in a hurry, either.Fact is this arm of mine pains a little too much for me to sling thepots and skillets around in my customary way. But fry me two eggs,remember, Josh; I'd say three if nobody kicked up any sort of a row."
"You shall have them, Buster," Josh told him; "because the chances arewe can pick up as many as we want as we go along."
"But no fish for supper tonight, how's that?" George demanded, trying tofrown at Buster.
"Oh, well, nobody really promised you any," the latter explained. "Butif there are any fat grubs in some of those rotten stumps around hereI'm meaning to have a line out with three hooks to-night, and mebbe,George, you can indulge in fresh fish for breakfast. Will that do?"
"Guess I'll have to make it; besides, ham and eggs suits my taste wellenough this time. I'll forgive you, Buster, only be careful not to getour mouths watering for fish again when it's only a floating log you'vecaught."
Josh was already busy with the fire. He had long since graduated
inthis department of woodcraft, and knew about all there was going inconnection with fires of every description.
Then, too, he could cook in a way to make the mouths of his chums fairlywater. Josh had a way of browning things so cleverly that they wereunusually attractive, where so many boys more careless would frequentlyburn whatever they had on the fire, and in a happy-go-lucky fashion dubit "pot-luck."
"One thing sure," said Jack, as they sat around waiting for the call tosupper, "we're a lucky set to have two such willing workers with thepots and pans as Buster and Josh here."
"That's right," declared George, agreeable for once; "it would be hardto find their match, search where you will. What one lacks the othermakes up for, and the opposite way around too. And we want them to knowwe appreciate their services, don't we, Jack?"
"Come, now, no taffy, George," said Josh, though his eyes sparkled underpraise from such a source; "as they used to say in olden days, bewarethe Greeks who come bearing gifts. And when _you_ get to praisinganything there must be a deep motive back of it."
"There is," assented George frankly, "a very deep motive, for I'm hollowall the way down to my heels, seems like. Sure the grub must be done bynow, Josh. That's a good fellow, ring the bell for us to gather round."
Whenever these lads were sitting about the camp fire they always hadplenty of fun on tap. If "jabs" were given at times it was done withsuch good-natured chaff that no one could get provoked.
So they started to discuss the supper Josh had prepared. MeanwhileBuster had managed to dry himself after a fashion by turning around nearthe fire, presenting first one side and then another to the heat. Helikened himself to a roast fowl on the spit, and jokingly asked theothers how they would have him served.
"After I'm all through eating my share of the excellent mess Josh herehas provided for us," Buster remarked, when his mouth chanced to beempty, which was not often, by the way, "I know what I mean to do."
"Oh, anybody can guess that the first shot out of the locker," Georgeasserted; "that is if they know what a fellow you are for rememberingthings. Of course you mean to smash some of these rotten stumps, andfind out if they contain any grubs. Stumps are fine for holding thesame, I understand; at least over where we live; and I guess grubs aregrubs the world over."
"Yes, that's what I'm aiming to do," Buster admitted. "Just because Ihad the hard luck to be dragged overboard by a measly old log, don'tthink I'm the one to be scared off. If there are any fish in this DanubeRiver, and they like bait such as I can offer them, we're bound to havea mess for breakfast."
"Hurrah! That's the ticket!" cried Josh; "if at first you don't succeedtry, try again. I plainly perceive that my honors as boss fisherman aregoing to be put in peril if this thing keeps on. I'll sure have to getout a line myself, and run you a race, Buster."
"Wish you would," snapped the other, as though this just suited him.
"You remember," continued Josh, "we had some pretty tall rivalry in thatline once or twice before. Never mind who came out first best; that'sancient history, and pretty musty by now. You find enough worms andI'll get a rig ready, Buster."
George rubbed his hands as though the prospect looked pretty bright tohim. With two ardent anglers engaged in a warm contest to see who coulddo the better in the way of making captures, those who loved fresh fishmight expect to be well taken care of.
When the supper had been disposed of, and every one declared he felt"full to the brim," Buster secured the little camp hatchet they had beenwise enough to fetch along with them, and which had been a usefuladjunct on many past outings.
With this in hand he started to attack some of the old stumps that couldbe seen scattered around. Josh felt considerable interest in his labors,as from time to time he could be heard calling out, and asking what thescore was.
"Got three dandies in that stump," Buster presently made answer, "andhere's a whole nest of bigger ones than the others. Say, we're fixed allright, my friend, so far as plenty of attractive bait goes. I can see alovely time among the finny tribes when some of these fat boys get inthe drink. They'll actually fight among themselves for a chance to bite;especially if you spit on your hook after impaling the grub."
By the time he had placed a full dozen of the victims of his hunt in thelittle can that had contained sardines at one time, Buster pronouncedhimself ready to begin serious operations.
Josh had in the meantime managed to get his line ready just as Busterfinished his work; George told him it looked suspiciously as though hehad been "soldiering," and meant to let his rival do all the work; butgallant Buster, hearing all this talk, immediately came to the rescue.
"And why shouldn't Josh take it easy, after going to all the trouble toprepare that fine supper?" he demanded. "You've got a bad habit, George,of looking a gift horse in the mouth, and the sooner you break yourselfof it the better. Now, come along Josh, and let's find a good place forthrowing our lines out into the river."
"We're not going to be partial or play favorites," warned Jack,laughingly; "may the best man win; but please don't try to give us anymore _planked shad_, Buster, you hear!"