CHAPTER XI. ON THE WINGS OF THE NIGHT WIND.
"A bear!" shrieked Bumpus, struggling to his knees; "and he shoved mearound like I was a bundle of hay! Did you ever hear of such nerve?"
"Think what he did to me?" cried Step Hen entering through the partlyopen door; "I was just pokin' my nose out, to get a whiff of fresh air,for I couldn't hardly breathe in here; when he sent me a flyin', justlike you'd kick for goal on the gridiron. Guess I covered all of tenfeet, and landed in them bushes out there. Look here! See what I gotoff'n the old beast."
He opened his clenched hand, and exhibited a bunch of long black hairs.Undoubtedly Step Hen must have involuntarily clutched at the bear as theycame in contact, and had managed to hold on to these tokens of thecollision.
Thad was laughing and shaking all over, so were Eli and Jim; and Allanjoined in. Presently the whole of them began to see the ludicrous side ofthe adventure, and even Sebattis was noticed to be grinning. Nobody hadever known him to emit a genuine laugh.
"And just to think how near we came to having bear steak for breakfast,instead of that old tough moose meat," remarked Giraffe.
"Well, that's all right," Step Hen took occasion to say; "but if a fellerc'n judge from the way he kicked _me_, that bear was some tough too. My!I'd sure hate to put on the gloves with him in a bout. I just had time toturn and look around, when I heard that big bump; then he jumped me, andout we both went. Mebbe I ain't glad now I didn't keep right on going upthat ladder when I started. Just think what a time I'd had up there withhim!"
"Wow, and again I say, wow!" snapped Giraffe. "Things seem to behappening right thick and fast now, fellers. This sure is the big gamecountry, all right, and to the good."
They were all of one opinion with respect to that. To get one night alordly moose bull, and by the romantic way of calling, too; and then thevery next to run across a big burly bear, was as fine a piece of goodluck as any of them could wish for.
"Wonder what's coming along next in line?" remarked Bumpus, nervously, ashe made sure to get close to the fire, and away from the open door.
"Say, you don't think that old bear'd have the nerve to come back here onsecond thoughts, and try to clean out the whole bunch?" Step Hen queried;"because I've seen all I want of him. They say three times and out; but Ireckon it was only once with me; and I went, too."
"No, I wasn't thinking of him," Bumpus declared; "but then there might bea few elephants or rhinoceroses, or camels, or something else hangingaround these diggings, waiting to get acquainted. I don't like meetin' upwith 'em so sudden like. Whiff! bang! and then good-bye! Why, it ain'tdecent to treat a feller that way without bein' introduced first."
"And to think that the sly old critter was up there all the time we kepttalkin' and carryin' on down here?" said Davy Jones, who had come out ofthe affair with only a skinned knee, owing to striking up against somewood on the floor, when he threw himself wildly to one side at sight ofthe descending bear.
"What d'ye think ever started him movin'?" asked Bumpus.
"Smoke do it," replied Eli. "The ole bear, he lies quiet, not knowin'what to make o' us comin' in here, whar he's expectin' to take up hiswinter quarters. But purty soon thet smoke it begins to smart his eyes.Bears don't like smoke, any more'n any animile does. So gettin'frightened arter a while, he starts down the ladder, misses his grip, an'lands in a heap on the floor. If I'd be'n able tuh git hold o' a gun I'da guv him his pill; but I guess it'd be'n dangerous work shootin' inhere, with so many 'raound."
"Will we ever run across him again?" remarked Step Hen, as he felt allover his body, to ascertain how many scratches or bruises had resultedfrom the rather hurried way in which he took his recent departure. "Idon't mind being fired from a cannon," he continued, as several twingesof pain told him he had not come through the ordeal entirely unscathed;"but I draw the line at being made a football by a scared bear. Wonder hedidn't break every rib I have. As 'tis, I wouldn't be much s'prised if adozen or so were fractured."
"Well, we'll make you a strait jacket to-morrow, and keep you in aplaster cast the rest of the trip," declared Giraffe; chuckling in raregood humor, because, for once at least, he had not been caught up in thelittle whirl.
"Like fun you will," grumbled Step Hen, getting Bumpus to rub his backfor him, on promise of returning the favor in kind.
"But I think somebody ought to go up and look that loft over," suggestedDavy Jones. "How do we know but what it's just full of bears right now.'Tain't the nicest thing to think such a load's goin' to drop down onyour head any old time. He might upset my coffee when I get to drinkin',too."
So, to quiet the boys, Jim climbed up, taking the little electric torchalong with him. Upon his reporting that all was clear some of the othersalso ascended, to see where the bear had been sleeping at the time oftheir arrival.
"Now, if there was only a couple of nice jolly little cubs around, we'dhave heaps of fun playing with 'em," Bumpus suggested, as he too examinedthe loft, and saw where the bear had been making a soft sleeping placeout of dead leaves that must have drifted in through a hole at the end ofthe roof, but much too small to let the big beast go out that way.
"Cubs! listen to him, would you?" cried Step Hen. "Why, it ain't the timeof year for cubs; and if it was, I'd like to see _you_ playin' with any,while the old missus was alive, and hangin' around. She'd cub you with aclub, worse'n she did me; and don't you forget it, Bumpus. Cubs! Well,what queer things you do see when you haven't a gun," and the way helooked at the fat boy when saying this made Bumpus bristle upimmediately.
"Don't you call me a _thing_, Step Hen!" he admonished, severely; atwhich there was a shout from the other.
"He admits it all, fellers;" Davy Jones exclaimed; "he puts on the shoefirst thing. But then, Bumpus, we know you ain't up on natural history.It's a wonder you didn't say that was a hippopotamus, or a crocodile,instead of a bear. You're bound to know more about these things beforeyou get back to Cranford again. We'll let it go at that. How's thatsupper gettin' on, Giraffe? Anything more I c'n do to help?"
"Anything more?" echoed the cook, disdainfully; "I'd like to know thefirst thing you've done to help get it. Didn't he say he felt one of themfits acomin' on when we landed here, fellers; and then on top of that,you got so scared by that old bear dropping down on us, you couldn'thardly move. I just see you helpin', when you c'n crawl out of it. Theonly help you'll give will be when supper's ready for servin', and thenit'll be to make way with the stuff good and hearty. I notice you neverget one of them cramps right then, Davy; oh, no! They're right handythings to have in the house, ain't they. I'm goin' to borrow a fewsometime, see if I don't now."
In good time the supper was pronounced ready, Eli having assisted in itspreparation; for, with nine hungry voyagers to feed, the amount that hadto be prepared made the task no light one.
As usual, they made merry while disposing of the food that had beengotten ready. Some of the moose was cut up as small as possible, and madeinto a palatable stew. Then they had Boston baked beans; and some prettyfair biscuits, which Eli baked in the little portable oven that wascarried in one of the boats. Of course coffee made a part of the supper.At home possibly few of these lads ever drank coffee more than once aday, and at breakfast at that; but here in the woods the meal would seemrather tame without the warm cup that every one looked for.
"What do you say to stopping here a day or so, boys?" asked Thad. "I'vebeen talking it over with Eli, and he says we couldn't find a betterplace for game. Perhaps, now, one of the rest of you may run across amoose bigger even than mine; or Bumpus here stands a chance of meeting upwith his friend, the bear, who gave him that handshake in passing."
"Excuse me," Bumpus hastened to say; "that doesn't mean I object tohanging out at the Hotel Log Cabin as long as the rest of you see fit;but I don't hanker after meetin' up with that rude black pirate again. Hemay be a pretty fine kind of a bear, as bears go; but I object to thebreed."
"Count us a
ll as saying we'll be glad of a break in the journey, Thad,"Allan remarked, just then. "Besides, we must be somewhere near where thatMr. Carson is hunting, right now; and at any time we might run up againsthim."
Step Hen, Giraffe and Davy nodded their heads, as though to intimate thatAllan voiced the sentiments of all when he said that.
"There's one thing I've got in my mind, and it's this," Bumpus went on toremark. "Now's goin' to be the time for Allan here to keep his promise toshow me a bee tree. He told me that summer was the time to do it, whenthe bees were on the wing, and he could work his little game; but thathe'd try his best to 'commodate me any time, once we got up here inMaine."
"And so I will," replied the other, smiling at the earnestness with whichBumpus kept talking on that one subject. "Perhaps Jim, or Eli here, willhelp me find a tree. If the bees are hived up for winter, then the onlyway we can do it is to listen when the noonday sun is shining. Sometimes,before the weather gets too cold, the young bees come out of their hole,and buzz around, trying their wings. I've found a hive in the dead top ofa tree that way."
"And got a lovely stock of juicy honeycomb too, I guess?" said Giraffe,making a face to indicate that the subject certainly appealed to him fromthe standpoint of a sweet luxury, if from nothing else.
"Sure we did; and a lovely lot of stings thrown in," chuckled Allan.
"Well, they say bee stings are good for rheumatism, and I've sometimesthought I was getting a touch of that in my legs," Davy Jones observed,thoughtfully.
"There wasn't much rheumatism about you when that bear dropped down onus," said Giraffe, scornfully. "The way you scooted out of the way wouldhave made the best short distance sprinter turn green with envy.Rheumatism! Wow! that goes in line with cramps, I guess, now."
"What'll we put all the honey in?" asked Bumpus, just as though hecounted the finding of the bee tree an accomplished thing, because Allanhad agreed to do what he could to find one.
"I'll hold all I can," retorted Giraffe, complacently; "but then youmustn't expect me to keep on loading up, till I bust. I c'n stretchsometimes; but even that's no sign I'm made of injy rubber, is it?"
"Well, we won't cook our rabbit till we've got him," said Allan."Sometimes most of the honey in a bee tree is old, and candied. The newstuff is what counts. The other is dark colored and sickening sweet. Butwait and see, if so be we're lucky enough to strike one."
After supper was over they enjoyed sitting there before the fire, andlistening to Eli tell stories about the old cabin; which, according tohis accounts, must have seen many queer happenings at least equal to theone surprise to which they had been treated, on their first acquaintancewith it on this night.
Thad, being given a fair amount of imagination, found it easy to shut hiseyes, and believe he could see the old trapper who once lived here, asEli described him. Years upon years he had come and gone, as the winterspassed, always taking toll of the woods' folks; yet never trying to makesuch a deep inroad on their numbers but that there were plenty left forbreeding purposes. The wise old trapper looked forward to another year.Finally he had lost his life among the wild loggers of a Maine river;being unfortunate enough to get caught in a jam that he was trying tobreak.
When some of the boys, tired from the work of the day, and lack of reston the preceding night, stretched out their blankets, and disputed aboutwhere each should settle down later on. Thad and Eli stepped out to seewhat the night promised for the coming day. If it looked like snow theywould find good tracking weather; though for one Thad hoped this wouldstill keep off some little while, and allow them to do some huntingbefore winter closed on them.
The stars were shining brightly in the dark heavens. The young moon hadsunk to rest; but every night now they might expect it to grow in size,until in a week considerable light would come from this source. And thereis nothing more enjoyable when in the depths of the wilderness, than around, clear moon.
As the two stood there, speaking of these things, there came stealing onthe night air a strange sound that, although rising from a considerabledistance away from the cabin, still struck Thad as very weird, and alsoblood-curdling. He had heard watch dogs bay to the moon; but this wassomething far more thrilling.
"That's no wildcat; and I don't think it can be a panther, a bear or anyanimal I've ever struck in the woods. What do you make out of it, Eli?"he asked, turning to the old guide, whom he had heard emit a whistle, asof astonishment, at the time that queer howl was heard.
"It's be'n many a year now, Thad, since ever I heerd the like o' thethowl," the Maine guide observed. "Time was when they uster be here inplenty; but the bounty paid by the state, it just 'bout cleaned the hulllot out; er else they thort as how 'twar safer up yonder, acrost the linein Canada."
"What's that?" exclaimed Thad; "do you mean to tell me that was a wolf?"
"A real wolf, an' nothin' else," answered Eli; "an' let me tell ye, it dobring back the old days, fur me to listen to thet howl. This is likelivin' again."