CHAPTER XXIII
AN EXCITING QUEST
A new crashing in the bushes off to the right of them caused Tad toswing about in that direction, peering apprehensively, not knowingwhat to expect.
"Ugh-ugh-ugh, oo-oo-ooo--o-o-o-o!"
Stacy Brown uttered a yell, for it seemed to him that the ground hadshaken under his feet with that terrible roar. Stacy bolted.
"Don't run! You'll get lost!" shouted Tad.
There was no stopping the fat boy now. Fortunately Chunky did notget far. The plunging ponies sent him off in another direction, thelittle animals in their fear settling back on their haunches untilthey broke their tethers, after which they plunged away into theforest.
Tad did not have much time to think. A bellowing roar sounded almostunder foot, it seemed, then suddenly a great hulk came into view. Itwas then that Tad understood. It was a giant moose that had beencalling for its mates.
The instant the animal set eyes on the Pony Rider Boy its angerseemed to be aroused. With a bellow the animal started for him. Tadfired from the hip. He had no time to take careful aim. As it was,his bullet nearly put an end to the moose, for the leaden missilebored a hole through one of the big ears. The boy fired again, buthe was too late. The moose charged into the camp with a terrifyingroar. Tad leaped aside as the beast cleared the camp-fire and wentcrashing into the lean-to, and, as he leaped, Butler's rifle wasknocked from his hands.
Springing as far up a small tree as he could the Pony Rider Boyclimbed as he had never climbed before. He was breathing hard,though holding himself under perfect control.
In the meantime the moose was working havoc with the camp below. Thelean-to was razed to the ground in a twinkling. The great antlerswere driving in here and there; browse beds went up into the air,while the beast stamped and raged, now and again uttering its weird"Ugh, ugh, ugh!"
Tad Butler had never experienced anything quite so terrifying. Yethe found himself wondering how long he would be able to cling to thetree in case the animal decided to stay in the camp. But the moosesoon solved this problem for him. The beast, after threshing andtearing about until it had vented its rage, suddenly bounded awaytoward the beach. Tad heard the huge beast leap into the lake with amighty splash.
The boy slid to the ground and ran to the water's edge, first havingpicked up his rifle, and sent a volley of shots after the moose, buthe did not know whether or not any of them reached the mark. Tad'sthoughts turned to his companion.
"Oh, Stacy!" he called.
"Hello," answered a voice that seemed to come from the air overhead.
Tad looked up. He saw the scared face of his companion peering downat him from a low tree.
"Come down. The fun is all over."
Stacy clambered part of the way down, then paused.
"Has he gone, sure?"
"Yes, he is on the other side of the lake by this time. Look at thiscamp," said Tad, surveying the remains ruefully.
"It isn't a camp; it's a hodge-podge."
"I agree with you. Let's get the fire going the first thing we do.I am afraid we shan't get much sleep tonight. By the way, you hadbetter look to those ponies," advised Butler.
"I--I don't want to."
"Why not?"
"I guess I'm afraid."
"Pooh!"
"They're gone!" yelled the fat boy a couple of minutes later. "Theyhave broken away."
Tad was at first startled at this announcement, but he took tighthold of himself, steadied himself, and after a moment or so had hisemotions well in hand.
"Help me set the camp to rights," he said calmly.
"You aren't going to stay here, are you?"
"Of course. Where else should we go?"
"But the big, big moose may come back," protested Stacy, his teethchattering.
"He is just as likely to call at some other place. I hardly think hewill pay us another visit."
"Say, Tad."
"What?"
"It just occurs to me. What a lucky thing for you it is that youdidn't kill that--that fellow."
"Why?"
"Old Halliday would have sent you to jail for life if you had."
"I am not worrying about what the squire might do to me," laughedButler. "I have more important matters to occupy my mind just now.Come, Chunky, get busy."
"What are you going to do about those ponies?"
"Nothing. At least, not now. We can do nothing until daylight, andperhaps not then. Do you see what has occurred?"
"I see a lot that has occurred," answered Stacy.
"Our dishes are gone, smashed so we shan't be able to use them again."
Stacy groaned.
"I knew something would come along to put the finishing touches on.Now what are we going to do?" he demanded.
"I don't know. I shall plan out something if we are let alone longenough."
The boys got to work at once. They toiled with a will, chopping inthe light of the campfire, dragging logs, saplings and browse intothe camp, making every move count, Stacy doing his part manfully.
In another hour they had made a second camp. Of course, it was notas complete as the first camp had been, but it proved to be anexcellent piece of woodcraft by the time they decided to stop workfor the night. Tad induced Stacy to turn in while he himself sat upto be ready in case of a return of their visitor.
The problem over which the Pony Rider Boy was now working was how toreplace their ruined cooking outfit. He could get along very wellwith everything except boiling his water. Tad pondered and ponderedover this, trying to recall something he had learned from Mr. Vaughn.After a time it came to him.
"I've got it!" exclaimed the boy. Grabbing up his hatchet he dartedout towards the lake front.
Finding a birch tree, of which he was in search, Butler peeled off along, thin sheet of bark, free from either knots or "eyes." Fromthis he constructed a trough-shaped bucket after several clumsyattempts, in which he nearly ruined his material. The folds of thisbucket were pinned together with green twigs, below what was to bethe water line. This simple affair being completed Tad raked a bedof coals from the fire, placing the bucket on them after he had takenit down to the lake and filled it with water.
The Pony Rider Boy sat squatting in front of the bucket observing iteagerly. His patience was rewarded within five minutes. The waterin the bucket began to boil.
"I guess we will have our coffee in the morning," he chuckledtriumphantly. "But I forgot; we have no coffee pot. I don't see whyI can't make one in the same way." Tad did. It was not a handsomepot, but it was almost worth its weight in gold to the two boys.
Stacy, on getting up that morning, saw the water boiling merrily on abed of hot coals. He eyed the contrivance curiously.
"What do you call that thing?" he demanded.
"That, sir, is my patent water boiler."
"Oh!"
"What did you think it was?"
"I thought it was a steam engine. I didn't know but you were goingto start a sawmill out here. Good place for one, isn't it?"
"There is plenty of material here," nodded Tad.
"Say, what are you doing?" demanded the fat boy, peering, craning hisneck at Tad who was busily engaged with his back turned towards hiscompanion.
"I am getting breakfast."
"Yes, but your motions are suspicious. That's the way my aunt actswhen she is cleaning fish."
"I am cleaning fish."
"_What?_"
"Look!"
Tad held up for the inspection of the fat boy a handsome speckledtrout, fully twelve inches long. Stacy threw a hand to his eyes.
"Don't! Don't! I can't stand it to be tortured this way!"
"What's the matter with you?" demanded Tad sharply.
"Don't torture me by playing such ghastly jokes on my appetite,"begged Chunky.
"You must be crazy. This is a trout that I caught this morning fromthe lake, with a rig I made. There are two apiece. If two of thesefat
fellows don't satisfy your appetite I don't know what will."
"Yeow!" howled Chunky.
"Stop your nonsense. Go get two nice hard-wood sticks about two feetlong, and a half inch thick. Peel them and give them to me."
"What are you going to do?"
"Oh, don't ask so many questions, unless you don't care aboutbreakfast."
"Don't care about breakfast?" fairly shrieked the fat boy. "I'd sellmy shirt for a full meal right now."
"I will let you off cheaper than that," laughed Butler. "Dump somecoffee into the coffee pot. You know how much to put in. What aboutthose sticks?"
Stacy having brought the sticks, Tad sharpened them; then, spitting atrout on each, held the fish over the glowing bed of coals that hehad massed for the purpose. The red and blue of the trout beganslowly turning to a rich brown, and a savory odor, almost maddeningto the hungry Stacy Brown, filled the air.
"You will have to get along without salt this morning. I'm going tomake some as soon as I can get to it," promised Tad.
"Never mind the salt. Hurry! How are you going to make salt?"
"Mr. Vaughn says that the Indians use the ashes of hickory bark as asubstitute for salt, and that it is fine. To obtain the ash he saysthe stem and leaves are first rolled up into balls while green, and,after being carefully dried, are placed on a very small fire on arock and burned."
"Huh! I am mighty glad you aren't going to stop to make salt beforebreakfast," answered Chunky. "Give me that trout."
"It isn't done yet."
"I can't help that. Give it to me."
"Oh, if you want to be a wild animal, why dip in."
Chunky did. He devoured the fish, bones and all, though he diddecide not to eat the head. He ate the other end, though. WhileStacy was thus enjoying himself, Butler cooked the other fish. Bythat time the coffee was ready and the two lost boys sat down totheir breakfast, while the forest resounded with the shrill "ah,te-te, te-te, te" of the white-throated sparrow, the songs of thechickadee and blue-jay, the thrumming of the pigeon woodpecker, thecries of the whistler-duck and the scream of the fish-hawk and theeagle.