CHAPTER VII
GETTING READY FOR CAMP
"Come on, fellows!" exclaimed Bart, as he stumbled on ahead. "We mustn'tlose sight of him again! There's some mystery about that man. I believehe stole the diamond bracelet."
Slipping, and almost tripping over sticks, fallen trees, stumps andstones, the chums hurried on. But the man had a number of advantages. Hehad a start of several hundred feet, darkness was coming on, and heevidently knew the paths through the woods better than did the boys, forwhen they caught occasional glimpses of him he appeared to be running atfull speed, whereas they had to go slowly, and pick their way.
At last they could see him no more, and, as it seemed to grow rapidlydarker, the boys were forced to give up the chase.
"Well, wouldn't that get on your nerves?" Bart demanded of his chums, asthey stopped for breath. "That's the third time we've seen that man, andthe second time he's gotten away."
"The next time he sees us he'll know enough to run without waiting totake a second look at us," observed Frank, grimly.
There was little use lingering longer in the woods, the chums decided,so, after a last look about, hoping for a sight of the mysteriousstranger, they once more started for home. It was quite dark as they gotout on the main highway, and to their great delight they saw approachingJed Sneed, a teamster whom they knew. He readily consented to give thema ride back to town.
As they were nearing the centre of Darewell Ned exclaimed:
"By jove, I believe it's snowing! I felt a flake on my face."
"You're right," added Bart, a moment later. "It _is_ snowing," and alittle flurry of white flakes confirmed his words.
"Yes, and I don't like to see it," remarked Jed, the teamster, as hecracked his whip, to hasten the pace of his horses.
"Why not?" asked Frank.
"Because it's a sign we're going to have a long, hard winter," went onthe man, who was rather an odd character, and a great believer in signsof various kinds. "It's a sure sign of a hard winter when it snows justbefore the new moon," Jed went on. "It'll be new moon to-night, andwe're going to have quite a storm. Besides it's down in my almanack thatwe're going to have a bad spell of weather about now. I shouldn't wonderbut what we'd have quite a fall before morning," and certainly it seemedso, for the flurry was increasing.
"Sandy and those fellows will have lots of fun hunting for us," remarkedNed with a chuckle. "They'll think we've been snowed under."
"I see Sandy Merton, and two or three lads in a wagon, just before I metyou chaps," observed Jed. "They asked me if I'd met you, but Ihadn't--up to then. What's up? Been playing jokes on each other?"
"They tried one on us, but I think it's on them," said Bart. "Well,here's where I get off, fellows. Come over to-night, and we'll have atalk," and Bart was about to descend from the wagon, as his street wasreached first.
"Hold on! Wait a minute! Don't get down on that side!" cried Jed,earnestly.
"What's the matter; is the step on this side broken?" asked Bart, insome alarm, as he hastily checked himself.
"No, but you started to get down with your left foot first," explainedthe teamster. "That's sure to bring the worst kind of bad luck on afellow. My team might run away before I get two blocks further. It's abad sign to get out with your left foot first. Don't do it."
"Oh, Jed, you're a regular old woman!" exclaimed Bart good-naturedly,for he and his chums were on familiar terms with the teamster.Nevertheless the lad did as requested, and changed his position, so asto leave the wagon in accordance with the superstitious notions of Jed.
"That's better," remarked the man, with an air of relief, as Bartdescended. "Yes," he added, as he drove on, "we're going to have quite astorm."
He was right, for that night the ground was covered with the whiteflakes, but the thermometer did not get down very low.
After supper Bart's three chums called on him, and, a little later theyreceived an unexpected visit from Sandy Merton and some of his friends.The latter were much worried when they had gone back to Oak Swamp, andhad failed to find a sign of the candidates whom they had initiated intothe "Shamma Shig" society.
"Say, that's a nice trick to play on a fellow," declared Sandy,indignantly, when he found that Bart and his friends were safe and snugat home. "We've been hunting all around that swamp in the dark for you,and we're all wet and muddy. Why didn't you stay there?"
"Didn't think it was healthy," observed Bart, with a chuckle. "You toldus you wouldn't be back for an hour, so we concluded to leave. Youshould tie your ropes better, Sandy."
"We weren't going to leave you there an hour," went on the president ofthe secret society. "That was only a joke on you."
"Well, our coming away was only a joke on you," declared Ned with agrin. "Are we full-fledged members now, Sandy?"
"I suppose so," was the somewhat ungracious answer. Then as Sandy'schums declared that the manner in which they had been outwitted by thefour chums was perfectly fair, it was agreed to call the incidentclosed, and consider the initiation finished.
"You're now regular members," declared Sandy, "and you can come to themeeting to-night, if you want to."
The chums went to a "hall" that had been fitted up over the barn ofSandy's uncle. It had all the features of a regular secret societymeeting room, with inner and outer sentinels, a hole cut in the door,through which doubtful visitors could be scrutinized; and once inside amore or less blood-curdling ritual was gone through with. But the boysenjoyed it, and, his good nature restored by presiding at the function,Sandy told how he and his friends had been much alarmed at finding Bartand his companions missing, and how they had searched in vain for them.
A thaw, a few days after the storm, removed most of the snow, but itremained long enough for some coasting, in which our heroes took part.Meanwhile they had made some guarded inquiries regarding the mysteriousman, but had learned nothing. No one else seemed to have observed him,or, if they had, they thought nothing of it.
Nor was any trace found of the missing diamond bracelet. The police hadpractically given up work on the case, but the boys had not. They feltthe stigma that still attached to them, and they resolved, if it was atall possible, to remove it. The parents of the lads were somewhatindignant that there should be even a suspicion against them, but thereseemed to be no help for it, and Mr. Long, thinking to better matters,offered a reward for the return of the property. But he had no answers.
"Well, Bart, what about camp?" asked Ned, one cold morning in December,when an overcast sky gave promise of more snow.
"I was just thinking it was time we got down to business about it," wasthe reply. "I'm ready to go, if you fellows are. I've spoken to myfolks, and they're willing I should take two weeks out of school,besides the regular Christmas holidays. There's not much doing the weekbefore that vacation, and not much the one after. That will give usnearly a month--the last half of December and the first half ofJanuary."
"Good idea," commented Frank. "I'm sure I can go. Dad is going west tovisit some relatives, and, as I don't care about making the trip, I'msure he'll let me go to a winter camp."
"I haven't asked yet, but I'm sure I can go," said Fenn, and Ned wasalso hopeful.
"Well, suppose we go down to my house after school, and look over ourcamping stuff," suggested Bart, for the tents, stoves and otherparaphernalia was kept in his barn. The boys had gone camping severaltimes before, both winter and summer, and had a very complete outfit, asis known to those who have perused the other volumes of this series.
Bart's idea met with favor and, when lessons for the day were over, thefour chums were overhauling cots, inspecting the big tent and seeing ifthe portable stove was in good condition. It was a dark, loweringafternoon, and, since morning, the promise of more snow had been addedto by several flurries of the white flakes.
"Well, everything seems to be in good shape," observed Bart at length."We've got about two more weeks of school, and then we'll cut it, andhike for the woods. We must look up a good place, and you an
d Stumpy hadbetter find out for sure if you can go, Ned."
"We will," they promised.
"All right, then come on out, and let's try a few shots," went on Bart."I've got some new cartridges, with smokeless powder, and I want to seehow they work."
A little later the four chums were ready to take turns with two riflesBart owned. The target was set up in the deserted orchard, and the funbegan.
Bart was easily the best shot of the four, and this was so soondemonstrated that he consented to take his aim in difficult positions,such as firing with his back to the target, using a mirror to sightwith. He did other "stunts" which, I have no doubt, some of my readershave seen done in "Wild West" shows, or on the stage.
"There's no use talking, Bart," observed Ned, "you can put it all overus when it comes to handling a rifle."
"Well, I've had more practice," said Bart modestly. "You fellows willdo as good when you've had more experience."
"I'm afraid not," spoke Fenn, with a sigh. "Here, see if I can hit thattin can on the fence post."
He raised the weapon, sighted it carefully, and pulled the trigger. Therewas no smoke, for the powder was of the self-consuming type, but a brightsliver of flame shot from the muzzle of the gun, plainly visible in thefast-gathering darkness. The can was not touched, but, an instant afterFenn fired, some one beyond the fence set up a great shouting.
"Great Caesar, Stumpy, you've shot some one!" gasped Bart.
Poor Fenn turned a sickly color, and the rifle fell from his nervelesshands. The shouts continued, and there was a commotion in the bushes.
A little later Alice Keene, with her hands full of bandages, andcarrying a small medicine chest, rushed from the house and past thegroup of terror-stricken lads toward the fence, whence the yellscontinued to come.
"Oh!" cried the girl. "I was afraid some one would get hurt when youboys used those horrid guns! You had better telephone for a doctor,Bart, while I go see if I can stop the bleeding! Who is hurt?"
"We--we don't know," faltered Fenn. "I was shooting at a can, but Imissed it. I didn't know anybody was in the bushes."
Bart hurried into the house to telephone for a physician, while Alice inthe role of a red-cross nurse, hurried on toward the fence. The shoutswere growing fainter now. The boys, with white faces, followed her.