CHAPTER VII
A BADLY FRIGHTENED BOY
"I told 'em so. I told 'em something would happen. I warned those boysthey'd get into trouble if they didn't quit gettin' so gay. Hal isn't agay one, but he can easy be a victim of a trick of one o' thosecareless, dare-devil kids."
Mr. Frankland and Mr. Porter both heard Pepper mutter thus to himself asthey followed the doctor toward the waterfall whence the scream of ahuman voice seemed to come, but they paid little attention to his words,for they knew his peculiarities and attached little importance to hisgrumbling. Nevertheless, Pepper believed all he said, and more. Only afew days earlier he had observed some of the boys engaged in tying thelong grass across the path that led from the stables to the westtimberland on Lakefarm. Then he lectured them, promising that they wouldcome to no happy end.
"You boys will be the death of somebody one o' these fine days, and thenyou'll begin to do some thinkin'," he declared, as he strode along,breaking with a strong kick each of the "trips" that the mischievousyoungsters had prepared. "And you, Frank Bowler, are well nicknamed'Bad.' If you don't end on the gallows, I'm dreamin'."
Frank seemed to be the leader in this escapade. He would have liked tohave made a smart reply to this direful prophecy, but for once in hislife he thought twice.
This was only one of many occasions of which the old Englishman tookadvantage to hand out his advice. He was really a good-hearted andwell-intending fellow, and no doubt did some of the boys considerablegood. But there were a few of the latter who couldn't "go the oldgeezer," and Frank Bowler was one of them.
Why it was, he could never tell; but Mr. Humphrey had a "feeling in hisbones" that one of the mischief makers of the school was connected withthe disappearance of Hal Kenyon. And this was what he meant when hemuttered the words overheard by Mr. Frankland and Mr. Porter. Althoughhe was the one who called particular attention to the strange sound thatseemed to issue from the waterfall, he did not regard it as seriously asdid the others. He was thinking more of certain boys back at the schoolthan of the mystery close at hand. True, his wonder was aroused at thesound issuing from the cataract, but his reason would not permit him toconnect that with the disappearance of Hal. He was wishing that he werenow back at Lakefarm closeted with "some of those bad boys and sweatingthe truth out o' them."
"I'd get it out o' them, I'd get it out o' them," he told himself overand over again after the first thrill of awe at the shrill sound fromthe waterfall. "Whether there's anything serious happened to Hal or not,I believe some o' those boys know something about it. Wait tillto-morrow morning, and I'll find out."
Pepper nodded his head and shook his fist determinedly as he spoke. Hewas talking vehemently now, articulating his words without reserve, forthey had approached so near the noisy falls that he could not hearhimself speak.
But he was interrupted by another scream from the cataract. This was nolouder than the last preceding, but it was more thrilling, for they werecloser. Every member of the searching party would have declared thatonly a human throat could send forth such a sound.
They approached close to the cataract and gazed helplessly into thewater. What could they do? It was a most astonishing and unfathomablemystery. All they could do was stand and look and listen.
Presently Dr. Byrd pulled a sleeve of each of his companions andmotioned them to follow him.
They started down the stream again, but soon they were haltedinvoluntarily by another wailing cry from the same source. Dr. Byrd didnot turn back, however, but went on after a moment's hesitation. Theothers followed.
Beyond the reach of the deafening noise of the waterfall, the doctorstopped and began to discuss the affair with trembling, hollow voice,his face showing white in the rays of the lanterns. He was notfrightened, but the circumstances were unusual enough to unstring hisnerves.
The rest were similarly affected, even Pepper experiencing a weakeningof his knees as a result of the last two screams.
"What in the world does that mean?" gasped the doctor. "There it goesagain," as another scream, somewhat fainter than the last two, reachedtheir ears. "Can't one of you offer a possible explanation?"
"Maybe it's a mountain lion or a lynx," suggested Pepper. "You knowthere's said to be a few in the mountains around here."
"That's a brilliant idea," exclaimed Dr. Byrd enthusiastically, "orrather, it's a commonsense explanation that ought to have occurred toany blockhead. Hence, what are the rest of us? I feel better all of asudden. But no! If it is a panther--"
He hesitated.
"What then?" inquired Mr. Frankland.
"It may explain, may it not, what became of Hal?" replied the doctorslowly.
"You mean that the beast killed him?" inquired Mr. Porter.
"Yes."
"No, no, that would have been impossible. Such a tragedy could not haveescaped the notice of some of us. Moreover, there'd have been sometraces left--blood, broken bushes, and maybe torn-up sod."
"Yes, that's true," admitted the doctor. "But what's become of the boy?I'd face a hundred panthers to get Hal back safe. My! there's thatscream again. It doesn't sound like a wild animal. It's almost human."
"If it's a panther or a lynx, where do you suppose it is?" inquired Mr.Frankland, addressing Pepper.
"In the rocks near the waterfall somewhere," replied Pepper.
"I should think we'd have seen him or have been able to locate him whenwe were up close," reasoned the doctor.
"It's too dark up there--the fall's right in the shadow of the mountain.And the noise o' the water confuses things so you can't tell just wherethe scream comes from."
"I can't believe any wild animal makes that noise, and I'm in favor ofmaking further investigation," said Dr. Byrd.
"I'm with you on that," Mr. Frankland announced; "but before we proceed,I propose we arm ourselves against a possible encounter."
"How?" Mr. Porter asked.
"With clubs. Four of us ought to beat off a panther with good strongheavy sticks."
"It's a wise precaution," the doctor approved. "Let's get busy."
They proceeded to a near-by thicket and there found a number of youngtrees that suited their purpose admirably. Like the Boy Scouts, they toowere supplied with large sharp jackknives, and in ten minutes each wasarmed with a club that seemed formidable enough to break the skull of alion.
Then they turned again toward the cataract, advancing close to it andflashing their lanterns over the big tumble of water and the adjoiningpiles of rocks. But they discovered nothing that suggested anexplanation of the mystery. The screams continued to come, seeminglyfrom the fall, but it was ridiculous to believe that any living being,human or beast, could exist in that flood and, with clear, strong lungs,emit such wailing sounds of distress.
For fifteen minutes they watched and listened, while the cries continuedto come at intervals of a minute or two. Finally, since the examinationof the fall and the rocks near it produced no result, Dr. Byrd began togive all his attention to the cries themselves.
After close and careful listening he was certain he could distinguish afeature in the cries that had not attracted his notice before. Hestrained every nerve in order to catch the sounds more distinctly.Observing his attitude as he leaned forward and put his hand cup-shapedbehind his ear, the other men followed his example and soon they toowere certain they could make out a single word uttered by a human voice.
"Help!"
It seemed to come more clearly now and was repeated several times inrapid succession. The eager listeners turned to each other and noddedtheir heads significantly; then they listened again as the call wasrepeated. But only the one word could they make out.
"Where are you, Hal?"
Dr. Byrd shouted this answer to the appeal, but his voice was heavy,attuned almost to the noise of the waterfall, and could hardly have beenheard by the person in distress. Then Mr. Frankland and Pepper measuredthe strength of their vocal organs against the no
ise of the cataractwith little better result. But Mr. Porter had a high, shrill voice, andwhen he sang out with all his strength "Oh, Hal, where are you?" therewas a general feeling among them that the boy must have heard it. Thenthey listened again.
A reply was surely coming. It was not a single word, but several thatissued from the waterfall this time. They seemed to come in the form ofa sentence, but only one was heard distinctly enough to be recognized.That word was understood by all. It was "behind."
"Behind what?" was the question that naturally came to the minds of thelisteners. But before they could conjecture an answer, there came astartling interruption that drove all thought of the mystery of thecataract momentarily from their minds.
Happening to turn his face away from the waterfall, the doctor beheldthe dim outlines of a small human figure twenty feet away. Believing itto be Hal, he ran joyfully toward the boy and was followed by the othermen. The object of their interest did not move. In a moment they wereclose to him and holding their lanterns before his face.
But the boy was not Hal. It was Frank Bowler, supposed to be back atLakefarm and fast asleep in the dormitory. And his countenance couldhardly have been whiter if it had been coated with white enamel.Moreover, he was trembling as if he had seen a ghost.
"Frank, Frank, what is the matter? What does this mean?" cried Dr. Byrd;but he forgot that he was too near the cataract to carry on aconversation, and the boy did not understand him.
Just then there came another scream out of the roar of the waterfall,and Frank, the boastful, fell on his knees, shaking with terror.