CHAPTER XVI
AT THE FOOT OF RATTLESNAKE MOUNTAIN
"Who?" demanded William, as he caught the low-spoken words of JoeClausin.
"Yes, tell us about him, Joe," went on another of the scouts. "I neversaw the man before, and I shouldn't like to meet him on a dark nighteither. Ugh!"
But Joe turned suddenly red, and shook his head, trying to pass thething off with a laugh.
"Thought I knew the duck, fellers, but I reckon I must have beenmistaken, 'cause you see, the man I took him for is away off at theother side of the world right now," he said. But Paul's keen eyes sawthat Joe did not believe any such thing.
"Say, boys, Joe's taken to seeing double," jeered William; "the coffeemust have gone to his head. We'll have to remember next time, and makehim a cup of grandmother tea."
Paul had something to think over. In connection with the strange robberyof the feed-man's place, and the queer actions of Mr. Clausin then andsince, it was little wonder that the young scout leader connected thisnew event with the other.
He tried to figure it out, but all seemed a blank. No doubt, if he couldat some time coax Joe to confess who it was he believed this stranger tobe, who was in the vehicle, and who looked back so often as he whippedhis tired horse, the puzzle might not appear quite so dense.
But Joe was apparently in no mood just then for any confession. Heseemed to have set his teeth firmly together, as though determined thatnot one of his comrades must learn the slightest thing about histroubles.
Paul tried to picture the face of the man as he had caught it in thatone rapid glimpse. Had he ever known him? There _did_ seem to be somelittle familiar look about his expression; but try as he would he couldnot seem to place the other just then.
But Joe knew; Joe was not in a maze of doubt; and the knowledge did notseem to have given the Clausin boy any great pleasure either; which madethe enigma all the more like a tangle to Paul.
Again the Banner Boy Scouts set forth. After the rest, and a littleattention paid to their aching feet the cripples were able to keep upwith the rest for an hour or so. By degrees they would perhaps becomehardened to this sort of work. When a boy has never done much steadywalking it comes tough for a time. He may be used to playing all day,but that means a change of action. It is the steady grind, hour afterhour, that tells on his lower extremities, until they get hardened tothe test.
At three they came upon the river, and Paul understood that it would bemore or less of a companion to their march from that time on.
Every fellow greeted it with delight. It seemed like an old friend,because they had been accustomed to skating on its frozen surface, andbathing in its pellucid depths, year after year.
"Don't it look good to meet with a familiar friend, though?" criedBobolink taking off his hat, and making a most respectful bow in thedirection of the gurgling water.
"Listen, would you?" scoffed William, always ready to get in a sly digat his comrade; "to hear him talk you'd think we'd been away from home asolid month; when it was only yesterday we broke the apron strings, andsauntered forth, bent on adventure. What will he do when a whole longweek has crawled along. Oh! me, oh! my! I see his finish, poor oldBobolink!"
But despite his words, even William cast many a fond side look at thenoisy stream that was foaming among the rocks; for was it not headingtoward Stanhope, where the softest of beds lay unused, and all manner ofgood things to eat were doubtless going to waste during the absence oftwenty hungry boys?
Wilder still grew the country. Even Paul had had no idea it could be sorough within twenty miles of home. But as a rule the boys of Stanhopehad confined their tramps and wheeling trips to the other three sides ofthe town; since the roads were much better, and the country level; sothat no one knew anything about this region, save through hearsay.
"Oh! look, there it is!" ejaculated A. Cypher, who happened to be in thelead just as they came out of a woody tract, and turned a bend in therough road.
During the last hour Paul had abandoned all idea of holding the scoutsin any sort of regular formation, so that it had become, what Williamcalled, a "free-for-all," with khaki-clad lads stretched out along fiftyyards of space, usually in small squads, and a rear guard to round upstragglers.
Of course these words from Nuthin caused a great craning of necks. Thosewho at the time chanced to be in the rear hastened their steps, eager todiscover what it was attracted so much attention on the part of theirchums.
"Why, it's the mountain!" said Horace Poole, with a trace of wonder inhis voice.
"Sure it is, old Rattlesnake, at home," declared William, promptly.
"Wow! don't it look awful big, fellows?" remarked the awed Tom Betts.
"And d-d-dark as a c-c-cellar!" remarked Bluff, solemnly.
Paul looked with considerable interest at the great pile of rock andbrush that loomed up so close at hand.
Many a time during the past two years he had planned to make a run uphere, with the idea of seeing for himself if all the strange stories hehad heard about grim old Rattlesnake Mountain could be true. They hadalways been broken up, either through his intended companion backingdown, or else some family flitting that took one of the boys away fromStanhope during the holidays.
But now the long anticipated day had come at last. He was looking up atthe big mountain, only a short distance away; and while the scouts couldhardly expect to climb its rocky side that day, possibly camp might bemade at the base.
Even the cripples seemed to mend under the promise of reaching the footof the mountain that afternoon. They walked briskly for half an hour atleast, and then fell back into the same old limp, though proving gamefor the finish.
"No signs of wheels around here, are there, Paul?" asked Jack, as hesought the side of his chum at the head of the straggling procession.
"Now that's queer, but d'ye know I was just thinking about that samething," the scout leader remarked. "To tell you the truth I wasexamining the ground as I went along. Perhaps you noticed me, and that'swhy you spoke?"
"Yes, that gave me an idea," admitted Jack, readily enough. "I wonderedwhether those fellows could have gone past us last night while we werein camp, and are even now perched somewhere on the mountain, watching uscrawl along down here."
"Well, that's just what they've done. See here, you can notice the marksof the bicycle tires in the road. Little travel away up here, and alongthe side where it's smoothest they've gone single file, following themotorcycle of Ward, I guess."
"Why didn't we see that before, then?" demanded Jack, frowning as heeyed the tell-tale marks.
"I have looked a number of times," Paul went on; "but couldn't seeanything. So you can understand it gave me something of a shock just nowto discover the tracks."
"Have you reasoned it out?" asked his chum; knowing full well that Paulwould never allow such a problem to remain unsolved long.
"There's only one explanation Jack, that I can see. Perhaps youremember noticing a little side road that joined with this one about aquarter of a mile back?"
"Of course, I remember it. Then you think----"
"They must have come out of that road ahead of us," Paul went on."That's the way they got in their licks. Somebody knew about how itturned around, and joined on to the main stem again. What do you say,Jack?"
"Why, of course. And now I remember hearing Scissors boast that he hadthe only map ever made of the Rattlesnake Mountain country--a loggercharted it one winter, hoping to get his governor interested in sometimber cutting scheme he had in mind, which fell through though."
"That settles it. They're on the ground first; but what do we care aboutthat, if they only leave us alone?" Paul remarked, seriously.
"There's a call for you, Paul, from some of the fellows in the rear,"observed Jack, just then. "I think they want to snap off a view of oldRattlesnake, with the troop stretched out along the road here. The sunis dropping lower all the while, and if we're going to get a picturewe'll all want to keep, it ought to be right now."
r /> "A good idea, and I'll do everything I can to help out," laughed theleader.
The command was ordered to fall in, so as to present an orderlyappearance in the picture that was to be taken from the rear.
"We don't want to look like a bunch of hoboes trailing along," declaredJud.
"And every fellow quit limping, or you'll just spoil the wholebusiness," pleaded the one who was delegated to use the camera, he beingthe best expert the troop boasted in this line, and winner in thecompetition of the preceding Autumn.
The picture taken, they once more broke ranks, and pushed forward.
At five o'clock they found themselves at what seemed to be the base ofthe high and forbidding mountain over which the road wound.
"Oh! please say Alabama, here we rest!" called one of the limpingpilgrims.
Paul had been closely observing the ground, and as if in reply he made agesture that Bobolink readily understood. Immediately the bugle sounded,and a cheer broke forth, since every member of the troop felt more orless jaded with the long day's walk, and ready to call it off.
Immediately a scene of bustle ensued. The wagon was emptied of its load,and tents confiscated by the various patrols. Good-natured disputes andchaffing accompanied each tent raising; but the boys had by this timebecome more or less accustomed to the various duties connected withmaking camp, as well as breaking up, and so in what seemed a very shorttime all the canvas was in place.
After that fireplaces were scooped out, just as on the previousafternoon; only now they called it an old story. Every boy was learningthings he had never known by actual experience before. Reading of suchwoodcraft in books is very good, but it does not compare with thepersonal trial. Once these things are actually _done_ by an observantlad, and he will never in all his life forget the lesson.
Long before dusk began to set in, the supper was under way; and hungryfellows walked to and fro trying to stand the intense agony of waitingfor the summons.