CHAPTER III
THE COPPERHEAD
Bright and early next morning Bert awoke to find the sunbeams playingall over his tent. He noticed lazily what funny spots they made on Tom'ssleeping face. Then, with a start, he remembered that Tom had grumbledthe night before because they would have to get up early to catch a messof fish for breakfast.
Thinking that he would wait a little while till Tom woke up, he rolledoff his cot on to the floor so that he could command a view of the brookthrough the open tent flap. He had just made himself comfortable when anirritable voice hailed him from the direction of Tom's cot:
"That you, Bert? What are you doing awake at this unearthly hour?"
"Same as yourself, I suppose," came the calm reply.
"Humph! Well, you're not going to rout me out at five o'clock in themorning."
"Don't be a bear, Tom. We've got to help the fellows catch that fish andyou know it, so the sooner we start the better. A couple of the fellowsare down there now."
"Oh, well, I suppose we've got to, then, worse luck. They probably willguy us unmercifully, too, about yesterday. It's a wonder they didn't,last night," which was all the credit the boys got for trying to savethe feelings of the reckless volunteers.
As the two comrades ran swiftly down to the water's edge, they noticedthat Shorty--Philip Strong had been nicknamed Shorty because of his verysmall figure--was tugging hard at his line.
"Got a bite, Shorty?" they shouted, when they came within hailingdistance.
"Bet your life, and it's pulling like a good fellow, too."
"Better let me help; I'm stronger than you," offered Bob, who wassitting a little distance down the bank and whose luck hadn't been ofthe best up to that time.
Now, a very sore point with Shorty was his lack of strength, and wheneveranybody referred to it, no matter with what good intentions, he alwaysbristled up as if at a personal insult. This morning that very touchinessproved to be his undoing, for, as he got to his feet, intending to informBob that he could do very well without any of his help, the fish gave asudden jerk to the line that made Shorty lose his balance and tumblehead-first into the water.
The boys, convulsed with laughter, fished him up, dripping and sheepish.Without thanking the boys for their help, Shorty zig-zagged up to thetent, making, it must be confessed, a rather sorry figure. When theyfinally had managed to get the line up they found that the cause ofShorty's undoing had escaped.
"Poor little Shorty, he's always getting into trouble," one of the boyssaid when he had breath enough.
Then, as the time was getting short, they all settled down in goodearnest to their task and, before the camp was awake at half-past six,had caught a "corking mess," as they expressed it.
As each tent poured forth its several occupants, the fishermen tooktheir mornings catch to the mess tent and went to report--some of themwith sinking hearts, it is to be feared--to Mr. Hollis.
However, the leader was very lenient with the offenders, merelyreprimanding their carelessness and cautioning them not again to forgetthat they had pledged their word of honor to render him the mostabsolute obedience in every particular.
Upon the boys eagerly promising that they wouldn't offend again and uponBert's asking to be allowed to have another chance to find the campsite, permission was given and they sauntered away, filled with thehappy anticipation of laurels still to be won.
Soon after breakfast the "Red Scout" was brought out and the originalvolunteers, their ranks swelled by three new recruits, Shorty amongthem, started off up the hill amid the cheers and good wishes of thefellows.
For an hour they rode steadily up hill and down dale until they saw faroff through the trees the faint gleam of water. Running the auto intothe woods for a short distance, they all jumped out and started toinvestigate.
The boys thought they had never seen the woods when they were asbeautiful as on that day. They had not gone very far before Bert, whowas in the lead, called back, "Come here, fellows and see this grove ofchestnut trees. Isn't it great?"
The boys all hurried forward and there, sure enough, was a regularcolony of chestnut trees, their huge branches giving promise of abundantharvest, when the frost came.
"Say, fellows, its a shame not to be able to get any good out of thesenuts that are sure to be so plentiful in the fall. Don't you suppose wemight arrange to stay until the frost comes?" Shorty asked.
"I should think we ought to be able to fix it up," said Frank. "We canask Mr. Hollis about it anyway."
Then they started again, on the lookout for other finds. All the wayalong they came across numbers of clear, cold springs and never failedto test each one. More than once they had to cross brooks on stones thatwere not over steady and, at one time, a very loose one nearly causedShorty another ducking.
At last they reached the border of the woods and looked out upon a sightthat held them spellbound. There before them was a smooth, grassy stretchof ground, dotted here and there with beautiful, spreading oak trees.Sloping gently down, it stopped at the edge of a clear, transparent lakethat reflected the radiant brightness of the sun. On the other side theground was level for a short distance and then rose forming a small hill,richly carpeted with low shrubs and gorgeously colored wild flowers.Branches of trees drooped low over the lake, as if trying to catch theirown reflections in its clear depths. Birds twittered and sang in thebranches, joyously mingling their bubbling notes with the music of arippling brook near by. It seemed as if the soft voice of Nature spoke tothem in the murmuring of the trees, sang to them in the song of thebirds, joyously called to them in the babble of the brook, smiled awelcome to them from the bright surface of the lake.
"Gee!" said Tom, drawing a long breath. "It sure is wonderful!"
"Wonderful!" Bert exclaimed. "It's by far the most beautiful place I'veever had the luck to locate! Come on, fellows, let's take a lookaround."
So look around they did and found that every thing about this ideal spotwas all they could possibly ask for--and more. After examining everythingin sight they found that they were just about starved, so they sat downunder one of the trees near the lake and spread out the contents of thelunch basket. After a feast of chicken, canned salmon, cornbread, maplesyrup, and sweetened lemon juice, which, when mixed with cold springwater made a very tempting drink, they started off with the empty lunchbasket, the latter being, as one of the boys remarked, "a heap sightlighter than it was when we started."
"That's all right," said Frank, "but I feel a heap sight heavier."
"You shouldn't have eaten so much," Shorty reproved him.
"If I'd eaten as much as you have, Philip Strong," Frank retorted, "Iwouldn't be able to walk."
"Speaking of eating," said Shorty, sniffing the air inquiringly, "do anyof you fellows smell cucumbers?"
"What's the matter, Shorty? Has the little ducking you indulged in thismorning addled your brains? Whoever heard of cucumbers in the woods?"said Frank contemptuously.
"I know it sounds foolish but it's the truth just the same," and Shortystood his ground stoutly.
"Shorty's right, boys: I noticed the cucumber smell quite a while agoand it seems to grow stronger the farther we go," said Bert.
"By George, that's so! I smell it myself, now." "I do, too." "So do I."and various other exclamations of the same sort showed that Shorty wasright.
The boys scattered all over trying to locate the odor, which was verystrong at this time. Tom was the first to discover the cause of it. Athis low, imperative, "Come here quick, fellows, but don't make a noise,"they all ran to see what was the matter.
Excitedly he pointed to a long, copper-colored snake, that seemed to bewatching a bird's nest built low in one of the bushes. The mother birdwas hovering distractedly over her nest, uttering shrill, excited criesthat brought her mate to her side. Just then the snake coiled ready tostrike and the boys looked around desperately for stones but Bert hadgotten ahead of them. As soon as he had seen what was happening he hadslipped noiselessly away t
o a brook they had just passed and, snatchingup a heavy stone, had hurried back to the scene of the tragedy. So, assoon as the snake had its head in a position to strike he hurled thestone directly at it. Slowly and convulsively the snake untwined andfinally lay still.
"It's strange I didn't think of that cucumber smell being caused by acopperhead," said Bert; "I used to kill them every once in a while whenI was at my uncle's farm."
Just then, Tom called their attention to the mother bird. "Doesn't italmost seem as if she were thanking us?" And it really did seem so. Thelittle bird had settled back on her nest with her black eyes fixedgratefully on her rescuers and making little, low, gurgling noises waydown in her throat. Nearby on a low branch the father bird was swayingback and forth, pouring out his musical notes straight from a littleheart bursting with gratitude and joy.
Leaving the happy family to its own devices, the boys took up the trailagain. In high spirits, they chased each other over fallen logs andthrough the dense foliage, peered into squirrels' holes and rabbits'burrows, commented upon the appearance and habits of the sly littlechipmunk and other interesting, woodland creatures.
Before they realized it they had come upon the "Red Scout" standing justas they had left it in its leafy garage.
While they were on the way home they examined the snake skin. It was abeauty of its kind. It was about a yard long and the sixteen copper-red,moccasin-shaped stripes were very clearly defined.
As soon as they reached camp they gave in their report to Mr. Hollis.The boys all crowded around, eager to hear about the snake and campsite. The heroes of the day were deluged with questions. "How did youget it?" "Have you found a good place for camp?" "Where is it?" "Whatdoes it look like?" "Tell us all about it."
Finally, Mr. Hollis, seeing how tired and hungry they were, came totheir rescue, proposing that they eat their supper first and save thetale of adventure until the camp council. At first they agreed ratherhesitatingly but, as an appetizing smell issued forth from the messtent, they found that they couldn't get there fast enough.
After supper the boys made a roaring fire and squatted around it,waiting for the roll-call. Then Mr. Hollis called the roll, beginningwith Adams and ending with Taylor. As everybody was there, the reportswere called for. Every boy reported his adventures and experiencesduring the day; all of which would have been intensely interesting tothe boys as a rule, but they were so anxious to hear Bert's report thatthey passed over the others rapidly.
When at last Bert's turn came, they all crowded forward with eagerinterest, and they were not disappointed. Bert told his story simplyand well, and was not once interrupted.
When the tale was finished the boys fairly exploded. Cries of "Isn't itgreat?" "Everything is sure going our way this year," mingled with "Howdid you manage to get the stone without the snake hearing you?" "Whatare you going to do with the skin now that you've got it?" And to allBert gave a satisfactory answer.
It was a long time before the boys could quiet down and even then theyfelt like hearing something exciting.
"Who can tell a good ghost story?" Bob asked.
"Dave's the boy. Come on, Dave, put on your thinking cap."
Dave Ferris had been elected official story teller at the beginning,because he always had a stock on hand, and they were generally thrillingtales of adventure or weird ghost stories, the kind that boys alwaysrevel in.
Dave was silent, thinking for a little while. Then he said, "All rightboys, here goes. Are you ready?"
To a chorus of "Sure thing, fire away, and break the speed limit," theyall gathered closer together around the fire and Dave began his story.