CHAPTER XXIV. WHAT WOODCRAFT DOES.
After leaving the spot where they had drawn the three canoes into therushes, the little party started through the woods. Bumpus was very muchgrieved to see the balance of the scouts go off without him. He did notsay anything; but his rosy fat face was eloquent enough, as he nodded inturn to each one of his chums.
"Poor old Bumpus," said Giraffe, to Davy, in a whisper, "he feels badlycut up at not gettin' a chance to earn that reward he's had on his mindso long. And you mark me, the first opening Bumpus gets, he'll be buyinga gun, all right. He doesn't like to be left out of the fun."
As a rule they were supposed to keep absolute silence, and Giraffe knewthis, as did Davy. Hence the other only nodded in reply, and taking hiscue from this, the long-legged scout relapsed into quiet again.
But Giraffe was wide-awake. He meant to observe every little thing thattook place around him. With two such veteran guides as old Eli, and theIndian, doubtless there would be more or less woodcraft displayed thatmust be well worth treasuring up; because a Boy Scout cannot learn toomuch along these lines.
And the first thing Giraffe noticed was the confident way in which theleader started out. Why, he never seemed to bother his head in the leastas to what direction the cabin lay in. Giraffe marveled at this verymuch. He realized that if the task had been left to him, he would havehad to cudgel his poor brains to remember all he had been told by Allan,as to the various methods whereby woodsmen know what is north, when inthe dense forest, with the sun hidden from sight, and no compass along.
So Giraffe amused himself while he strode along as carefully as he knewhow. He attempted to picture himself in the role of guide to just such anexpedition, starting out to get to the cabin as quickly as possible, bytaking a short cut through the woods, rather than by following thewindings of the river.
What would he do first? Oh! yes, there was the bark of the tree to beobserved, and the fine green moss that grew only on one side, never allthe way around. He remembered that this moss was said to be almostuniversally upon the north side of the tree, and that if it varied atall, it leaned toward the northwest; because it was from that quartermost of the severe wintry gales came.
But trees differ; and to his surprise Giraffe failed to find this moss inthe quantities he had expected. Evidently then pine trees are in a classby themselves, he concluded.
But there were other ways of finding this out. How about the generalslant of the trees? Didn't his instructor assure him that it only neededone glance around, for an old traveler through the forests to tell wherenorth was? He would notice the slant of the trees, and if there were anylying on the ground, observe the way they had fallen, when overturned bythe fierce wind. Why, that ought to be the easiest thing in the world;and Giraffe was beginning to feel quite proud of the knowledge hepossessed when suddenly a very disquieting thought flashed through hishead.
He knew which was north, east, west and south all right; but how was thatto tell him where the old cabin lay? He might guess that in allprobability it was somewhere off to the southeast; but that was a prettybig region, and the chances of his finding it might be set down as tenagainst one.
Evidently, then, something else was needed besides the ability to tellwhere the north lay. In fact, Giraffe was beginning to realize that agood scout must keep a mental map of the country in his head. He may notneed a compass one-half so much as he has a use for constant wakefulness,and the power of observation.
He should be able under such conditions as these to put a finger on acertain point of the rude chart he draws, and say: "here's where I amright now, and there lies the cabin, exactly sou-south east of me; and Ican tell where that quarter is as easy as falling off a log."
The more Giraffe got to thinking about this subject the more he feltenthusiastic over it. Why, he had really never understood how intenselyinteresting it was. And then and there the boy determined that he wouldfind out all about it. Allan knew, and Allan was only too willing toinstruct his fellow scouts in the arts pertaining to woodcraft.
Practical demonstration is worth many times over what a fellow mightlearn from books. Take that Indian picture writing, for instance; a boymight read about it, and think it rather interesting; but when takingpart in the game himself, puzzling his head over the meaning of the plainpictures of men, animals, camp-fire smoke, canoes, tracks in the dirt,and all such things, he would discover that is was intensely exciting,and liable to beat any game of fox and geese he had ever indulged in.
All this while they were making fair progress on their way.
Sebattis never seemed to swerve once, except to avoid some obstacle. Why,he was evidently as positive about his course as Giraffe might be whenwalking along a street in Cranford. And doubtless, the trails of thegreat pine woods were just as familiar to this dusky son of thewilderness as those streets could be to one who had been born and broughtup among them.
Giraffe figured that they must be about half-way to the cabin by now,though of course it had to be mere guess work on his part, since he hadno means of knowing the facts.
He did notice that Sebattis was growing a little more cautious. And alsothat Thad, looking around just then as if to see how the others werecoming along, and catching the eye of Step Hen, put his finger on hislips, as if in that way he would warn the greenhorn scouts to exerciseadditional care.
It was certainly getting mighty exciting. Giraffe felt hot and cold byturns; but he would not allow himself for one moment to believe that thissensation had anything to do with the quality called fear.
He gritted his teeth, and put on a severe look. He would show them, ifthe case came to a point where there must ensue a rough and tumble fight,that because he had subscribed to the peace-loving rules of the scouts,he could at the same time rise to a special occasion, when valor wasneeded.
Why, this feeling was something the same as that which had attacked himwhen about to fire his first shot at the big black bear. Allan haddescribed it to him once, when telling him how he must overcome the "buckague" upon getting his first chance to shoot a deer. And Giraffe wasdetermined to conquer himself now, so that he might not later on feel atinge of shame when speaking of the way they returned to the cabin, benton capturing the lawless hoboes.
Why, there was Sebattis bending low now, and advancing with redoubledcaution. They must surely be close upon the cabin; perhaps it was even insight, if one cared to raise his head above the tops of the bushes thattogether with brushwood and dead treetops lay in the way.
No one could equal Giraffe in such a maneuver as this. Nature had givenhim the advantage over his fellows when endowing him with that extra longneck. And doubtless the shorter Davy, with his thick neck, enviedGiraffe, when he saw how easily the other surmounted difficulties in theway of taking an observation, which were bound to prove a barrier to him.
Sure enough. Giraffe caught a fugitive glimpse of something that lookedlike the back wall of the old cabin, for he saw neither door nor window.How wonderful that the sagacious Penobscot brave could have taken themdirectly there; and so far as he, Giraffe, had noticed, without oncefeeling of the bark of the trees, or even sweeping one glance toward theheavens.
Now that the Indian and Thad had dropped on their knees. Of course theothers were expected to do the same, and quickly did they follow suit. Itmust be a part of the game; indeed, Giraffe would have been sorelydisappointed had they failed to go through this same experience. In allthe books he had read of forest trailing, and advancing upon an enemy'scamp, it was absolutely necessary to go the last part of the journey onhands and knees. And besides, it added vastly to the interest of thething, Giraffe thought.
So they crept along, getting gradually nearer and nearer to the cabin. Sofar as could be seen, all was quiet around that place, just as they hadleft it, in fact. If the hoboes had already arrived they certainly gaveno sign of their presence.
Perhaps Sebattis, with his wonderfully trained ear, was able to c
atchslight sounds that would not reach some of the rest of them, bunglers atbest in the science of woodcraft. He seemed to be advancing with perfectconfidence; and yet at the same time Giraffe could not but notice thatthe dusky-skinned Maine guide always kept his gun in a position forinstant use.
It made Giraffe remember what he had once read about the early Virginiaand New England settlers, pious men, all of them, to be sure; butrealizing that each was expected to do his part in taking care of homeand family. Giraffe had often repeated the words of their motto tohimself, and figured out just what it meant to say "trust in the Lord;but keep your powder dry." Sebattis felt perfect confidence in hisability to reach the wall of the cabin unobserved; but at the same timehe was always ready for _accidents_.
But they were now about the end of the little creeping journey, for thegrim back wall of the trapper's old weather-beaten cabin was at hand. Oneby one the crawlers arrived, and ranged themselves as close as theycould, following the example of the two who had reached the goal first.
Giraffe was immediately conscious of some sort of movement within. It wasas if a party might be laboring at something that rather tried hismuscle; for besides the heavy breathing, there came a rustling noise, andthen mutterings.
"Gimme that piece of wood over there, Kimball," a voice suddenly growled."This stone sure beats my time, the way she sticks. I never thort she washalf as heavy. Throw it acrost to me, if you don't want to git up. Thet'sthe ticket. Now, will you be good, consarn you?"
It gave Giraffe a thrill. He seemed to guess that the speaker must beworking at the hearthstone, under which the scouts had found all thatwonderful plunder. What would happen when he discovered how the packageleft there was only a false "dummy," and that the bank loot had beencarried off? Before Giraffe could settle this at all in his mind, heheard the man inside give a little shout.
"It's all right, Kimball, I tell you! The stuff is here, under the stone,and jest like we left it a year ago. They never once suspected, theinnocents, jest how near they was to a fortune. Things is atakin' anotherturn, and I reckon our hard luck's skipped out. This knocks a big loadoff my shoulders, believe me, Kimball!"