CHAPTER XXI
MAKING THINGS WARM
"Well, what are we going to do next, Jack?" asked Josh, pretendingnot to hear those irritating words spoken by George; and evidentlydetermined to keep himself "in the swim" if anything was going on.
"The question is whether we'd better try to force their hand now, orwait a while," the one spoken to remarked.
"Why should we wait?" queried George, impatiently.
"First of all, there's some sort of chance that Herb may be along prettysoon, with his Comfort, and that would give us three more fellows," Jackobserved.
"Huh! such as they are, yes," the skipper of the speed-boat admitted.
"Three would make good showing, anyhow," Josh broke in to say, seeinghis opportunity to agree with Jack, and in this way put George on theother side. "And how'd they know, tell me, that Buster, Herb and ournew friend, Algernon, ain't much on the scrap? Numbers look big,sometimes."
"Then again," Jack continued, "as we float down the river we're apt tosight the lights of some town or city. And then George could go ashoreto tell the police what a great chance was passing their doors. I'm notgreedy about it, and willing enough to let the proper authorities do thefighting, and get what there is in the game. And yet, it kind of goesagainst my grain to just lie around here, doing nothing all the time."
"Yes," said George, eagerly, "and just think if we happen to driftanywhere near the bank these fellows are apt to give us the laugh andjump overboard, to swim ashore. Before we could get a boat started tochase after 'em they'd land, and snap their fingers at the lot. I sayget a move on, and find some way to make 'em surrender. Let's scare thepair half to death. We c'n do it by setting the cabin on fire, andpaying for the damage done!"
"Whew! that's just like George!" Josh was heard to say, breathlessly.
Jack glanced toward the two loggers.
"Is that sort of a thing possible; could the shanty be burned if wetried?" he asked them.
"Don't think it kin, son," came the reply. "Course we never seen ittried; but them logs are kinder green yet, and the spray's jumped upover the cabin sometimes when we had a headwind. They ain't no winder inthe shack, jest a openin' like round on the back. I cud crawl up and trythe fire game, if so yuh stand ready tuh pony up fur any damage tuh thelogs."
Jack was thinking again.
"Well, it might pay us to make the try," he said, presently.
"No harm done," said George, giving Josh a triumphant look, as though hewould have him take notice that when really smart fellows started to dothings, they meant business every time.
Josh shrugged his shoulders, as much as to say that he was ready to beconvinced. Meanwhile Jack was talking with the two loggers, trying tofind out what their ideas might be with regard to getting a supply ofkindling ready. One of them strode off, and presently returned with anax. The other had picked up several strips of wood that seemed to befairly dry; and as soon as the sharp-edged tool came he started to cutthis into long splinters.
"By the way," said George, "I've got some cotton waste aboard my boatthat's just soaked with oil, and would burn like fun. I'll get it."
"And if you go aboard my boat, too, you'll find a lot more close by theengine, that I was going to throw overboard, because it was getting sosticky," Jack went on to tell the other, as he was hurrying off.
It really began to look like business, at any rate. Josh found himselfinterested in spite of himself. No matter whose plan it might be, if itwon out he must show a spirit of fairness, and render all the aid hecould. Josh was not a small minded fellow, though he did love to teasepoor Buster on occasion; and often went out of his way to get a sly digat the good-natured fat boy.
The strips of wood having been reduced to kindling, and George comingback with the cotton waste, saturated with oil that would burn, even ifit was not explosive, it began to look as though the thing was now up tothe logger who had offered to make the attempt.
"Here's a little bottle, and it's full of gasoline too," remarkedGeorge, as he handed the article over. "When you're ready to set fire tothe pile, just scatter that stuff over it, and take care of youreyebrows, for she goes off with a whoop."
"Say, they're on to us," announced Josh just then.
Looking toward the cabin, Jack could detect a head thrust around thecorner; and from this he knew that one of the men had issued forth,wishing to learn what the forces arrayed against himself and his partnermight be doing all this while.
So Jack made suggestive motions with his gun, as though tempted toshoot; and the head was withdrawn immediately.
"Is there any opening on the back of the shack?" he asked the men.
"Nope, not that yuh cud notice, son," came the reply.
"Course, they might dodge out and run around to blaze away at our firekindler, and then get back under cover again," suggested George.
"I was thinking if I could work it so as to keep them quiet," said Jack."Let's all move around so as to cover the side where the open door is.Then they'll be liable to think we're all there in a bunch. And if wesee either man trying to sneak out, I'll give him a scare, all right."
To do this they had to go some little distance from the three tied-upmotor boats; but Jack knew they could reach them long before thefugitives might, should they conceive the wild idea of making a dashthat way. Besides, as a last resort, did he not have his gun, and werethere not two trusty shells in its barrels?
Having taken up their position they gave the man who had remained behindthe signal that he should get busy. And he started to advance toward therear of the cabin on the raft.
When he had gone perhaps half way, a figure was seen to push out of theopening. Jack immediately called out:
"Get back there, or I'll fill you full of shot!" at the same timebrandishing his gun in a very threatening manner; which warning appearedto have an influence upon the fellow, since he slipped back again.
But no doubt he had discovered the logger who was advancing toward therear of the shack, his arms filled with fuel; and it would have to be avery dull person who could not guess what his object must be.
Then there sounded a sudden report. One of the men in the shack hadfound some small chink between the logs, through which he was firing hisrevolver. Perhaps he had shot at the logger; and then again it mighthave been done just to alarm him, and thus cause the scheme for firingthe cabin to be given up.
When the man seemed to drop, Jack's heart was in his throat, for hethought he was looking on a tragedy; but the other logger chuckled, ashe remarked:
"Don't be skeered 'bout Fritz; he ain't teched a whiff; but jest drappedso's to crawl out'n range. See him gittin' over ground right smart now,and notice thet he ain't let go any o' the stuff, be he?"
"You're right, Hanky," said Josh, promptly enough.
"Bully for Fritz!" burst out the gratified George, whose heart had nodoubt taken just as quick a jump as had Jack's, when that report soundedin a half muffled way, from being inside the cabin.
Another shot followed. But the marksman was evidently shooting atrandom, and without having a target. At any rate, the logger kept righton creeping toward the shack, and it began to look as though he werebound to get there, too.
But would he be successful in getting the logs to burn?
Jack was rather inclined to doubt it, though of course much depended onwhether they were fairly dry, or wet with the spray that may havedashed up over the raft when the wind, being up-river, had made a choppysea.
"What if the whole blooming raft goes up in smoke?" was the awfulsuggestion which Josh put forward.
George laughed out loud, it seemed to strike him as so absurd.
"Yes, and worse still, Josh, whatever will we do if we set the river onfire? They'll certainly have it in for us, believe me. But one thingsure, no danger of you ever setting the river afire with any scheme youthink up."
"Shucks! I don't believe it'll work a cent," remarked Josh. "'Cording tomy calculations it'd take more'n that kindlin' to set logs
a-goin'."
"Don't forget the oiled rags, Josh," said George, tauntingly; "yes, andthe little bottle of gasolene I let our friend have. Seems to me allthat's going to build up some fire. And as for the rest we'll have totrust to luck. Perhaps it'll catch fire, and again she may kick andbalk."
"Like some engines we know about, f'r instance," Josh wound up with.
"You never saw a motor do better than mine did coming down river, andyou know it. I have had a lot of trouble with the thing in the past;but that's all over now; and I'm on Easy Street with my dandy Wireless.Oh! you can laugh all you want to, Josh, but wait and see."
"Proof of the puddin' lies in the eatin' of the same, George," saidJosh, "and I know you too well to believe you'll ever be satisfied torun along like Jack and Herb do. But see there, our fire kindler's gotup to the shack, all serene. And now he's bending down to fix hiskindlin' right. We'll soon know, George, and if she goes, since it'syour scheme, I'm willing to say you done it with your little hatch-it."
Just as Josh said, the logger had managed to gain the shelter of theback wall of the shack. Now, in order to keep out the rain withoutbothering with a door, the cabin had been made with its only opening onthe side up-river; so that what the boys had been calling its back wasreally the front side.
And with the movement of the raft always down-stream; and the night airbeing from the south just then, if the fire were ever properly started,it would be fanned constantly, and helped along by this process.
Jack kept watch on the dark opening that stood for the entrance, andmeans of exit. He meant to shoot, if any figure was seen to appearoutside this; not with the idea of doing bodily injury, but in theexpectation of frightening the man back, before he could make use of hisweapon upon the fire-kindler.
So the seconds crept along, until several minutes had passed.
"Gee! why don't he get a move on?" remarked George, to whom the timehung as if it were weighed down with lead.
"Let him be," said the other logger, named Hanky. "Fritz is sum slow,but then he gits there in the end. Watch his smoke, son, an' see!"