CHAPTER XIII.
THE FIRE CIRCLE.
"That's me, all right, Thad; I'll have a spark going the quickest ever,if that old wind only holds up a bit. Here's aplenty of loose stuff, tobegin with, that I can kick together. Wait till I stick my torch in thiscrotch of the tree. Just as well to have some light to work by," and ashe kept up this running fire of talk, Step Hen was busying himself rightswiftly.
For the moment he forgot all his aches and pains, and worked like aTrojan; indeed, no defender of ancient Troy ever had more urgent reasonfor getting things going than Step Hen thought he did just at thatminute.
He used his feet and hands to gather the loose pine needles in a heap;and when he thought he had things fixed to suit him, the next businessthat engaged his attention was getting the pile to take fire. After thatStep Hen said he would be "on Easy Street."
All this while the night wind had been moaning and whistling through thetops of the tall pines, making a mournful kind of music, calculated toadd to the uneasiness caused by the savage howls of the hungry wolvesfrom the north. But Step Hen had learned a lesson while lighting historch, and knew that the wind came in gusts, with short intervalsbetween. By waiting a few seconds after it had started to blow at quitea lively rate, he was able to find a lull; and making the most of hisopportunity, he hastily struck his match, and applied it to the drystuff he had made sure to keep underneath.
But after all he came very near spoiling it; for just at that verysecond there was a loud howl, so close at hand that Step Hen wasimpelled to look over his shoulder, under the impression that the wolfpack was even then about to overwhelm him while he bent down, almostdefenseless, above the pile of dry stuff.
"It's all right; don't worry!" exclaimed Thad, who was standing guard,with his faithful Marlin gripped tight in his hands; and any wolf thatattempted to try conclusions with that reliable little gun would surelyregret his temerity.
The flame managed to catch before the wind could come back again to blowit out; and once the connection had been made, the draught only servedto make the fire burn the better.
"There, that's done; and now what?" asked Step Hen, whirling around topick up his own weapon, under the belief that he would feel easier inhis mind if in a position to defend himself.
"We've got to extend the fire belt, and make several more like the oneyou've got going," replied Thad, laying his gun down, so that he mightbusy himself. "Here are plenty of branches, and all sorts of goodburning stuff. If only Giraffe were with us now, wouldn't he be in hisglory, though?"
"Well," said Step Hen, slowly; "he might; and again, perhaps Giraffedon't like wolves any better than I do. And he gets so rattled too,whenever he's nervous. I try to take things as cool as anything. What'sthe use getting excited, when it ain't agoin' to help a single bit. AndI know you'll say the same, eh, Thad?"
"You never spoke truer words, Step Hen," replied the scoutmaster,gravely; and yet secretly he was shaking with laughter, becauseeverybody knew that Step Hen was the worst offender in that line thepatrol boasted; so that it seemed almost as "good as a circus," Thadafterwards declared, to hear him talk in this way.
They worked diligently, and soon managed to not only extend the fire soas to take in three more points, and thus completely surround the spotwhere they had dumped the packs of venison; but to secure quite a supplyof fuel besides, with which to feed the flames from time to time.
"Now what?" again demanded Step Hen, when he saw that his companionmeant to call a halt upon these proceedings.
"Supper is the next thing on the programme," observed Thad. "I feel justlike enjoying some of that same venison. It will not only make us feelstronger, but considerably lighten our loads when we take a notion to goon again."
"Count me in on that deal; because, honest Injun now, I'm that empty mystomach feels like it wanted to shake hands with my backbone. Say, thismust be a real hunter's feast, Thad. I never went through such anexperience as this before. And just listen to the nerve of them rascals,ahowlin' themselves hoarse, just because we object to sharing our grubpile with 'em. D'ye suppose, now, we'll have to knock over a few of thepesky varmints, as old Eli calls 'em."
"I wouldn't be one bit surprised," replied Thad; and the other noticedthat he did not move in the least without making sure that his gun waswithin reach; from which it was evident that Thad had no intention ofbeing caught unprepared, should the hungry wolves make a sudden dash.
Of course Step Hen was next to totally ignorant as to how to cook meatwithout the frying-pan to which he had been accustomed. And he watchedjust how Thad did it, closely imitating him.
Taking a stout and fairly long sliver of wood, a small piece of the meatwas secured to one end, after which the other point was thrust into theground in such a position that the meat came pretty near a place wherethe embers burned red, and glowed invitingly. Presently the heat beganto make the meat sizzle, and then it slowly cooked, turning a delightfulbrown color, and sending out odors that made the boys fairly shiver witheagerness to start eating.
When one piece was considered done, it was quickly eaten by a hungryhunter, and its place taken with a fresh supply.
So the good work went on. Both boys were ravenously hungry, and onlysmall bits could be cooked this way at a time, so that it was prettymuch a whole hour before they had fully satisfied their clamorousappetites. And although the meal had been eaten under the strangestconditions of any which he could remember, Step Hen was ready to declarehe had enjoyed it immensely.
"But they're gettin' madder and madder all the while, just because wedidn't send 'em an invite to our little feast!" declared Step Hen. "Justlisten to the critters yawp, would you, Thad? They're buttin' in closerand closer, a foot at a time. And honest now, I reckon there must be allthe way from half a dozen to ten thousand of 'em around us."
"That's a pretty good and safe range," laughed the patrol leader; "and Iguess you've covered the ground, all right. There are surely half adozen of 'em, and how many more I wouldn't like to say, because I don'tknow just how much noise one old wolf can kick up. But don't they singsweetly, though? Shall we be generous, and throw them out the balance ofthe venison, to show them how we like their song?"
"Well, I should say, not any," returned Step Hen, after giving hiscompanion a quick glance, as if to see whether he really meant it, orwas only joking. "We had too much hard work getting our supply to throwit to the dogs. Let the lazy curs run along, and find some forthemselves. Besides, it's too good to think of wasting it. I want therest of the fellers to taste _our_ venison. Mine went glimmering,and I hope it half choked that villainous crowd. Anyway you vowed it wasa whole lot tougher than this haunch; and there's that comfort."
But it was evident that if the hungry animals around heard this decisionthey refused to pay any attention to it; for instead of decreasing, thehowls actually became louder and more insistent, until finally Thadpicked up his gun.
"I begin to see that we're going to have a little target practice afterall, Step Hen," he remarked, quietly. "When things get so bad that youcan see the skulking beasts creeping about your camp, and even catch theglitter of their yellow eyes, it's nearly time to begin to bowl a few ofthem over, so as to inform the rest that we've got a dead line markedaround here."
"You don't say?" answered Step Hen, in an awed tone; "show me one, Thad,please. I'd just like to say I'd seen a wolf, really and truly, for oncein my life, outside of a menagerie or a circus."
"All right, then," replied the other; "just follow the line of myfinger, and I give you my word that skulking thing in the shadows is areal genuine, Canada wolf. I'm going to prove it to you in a minute ortwo, by taking a crack at him."
"Oh! now there's two of 'em, Thad, crossing each other's trail. And seethere, if that ain't a third, and even a fourth. Why, I believe thewoods are full of 'em!"
"You're about right," replied the patrol leader, more seriously thanbefore, the alarmed Step Hen thought. "Here, let's throw a few blazingbrands around, to scare 'em off so
me, while we lift the bundles up amongthe branches of this tree. Then, if anything should force us to takerefuge there, at any rate we wouldn't have to listen to the plagueythings chewing at our grub."
This was accordingly done. When the burning bits of wood were hurled outtoward them, the wolves temporarily retreated; but Thad knew full wellthey would soon crowd back, drawn by the scent of the fresh meat; andbesides, he did not like to take the chances of setting the woods afire;just after he, and the balance of the Silver Fox Patrol, had acceptedthis new test of their abilities in the line of doing a good act as firewardens.
The two packages of venison were easily hoisted into the tree, Step Henreadily climbing up himself in order to lift them still higher; so thatby no possibility could a leaping wolf manage to get his teeth in eitherbundle.
Step Hen came down again a little unwillingly, Thad saw. It must haveseemed good and safe up there, so far removed from the fangs of theencircling wolves; but after the fires had burned completely out, itwould prove a pretty cold perch; and for one the young scoutmaster didnot yearn to try it, unless every other resort failed them.
"Now watch what happens!" remarked Thad, as the other joined him again,gun in hand; "and remember, only shoot if you have to. I'll hold onebarrel in reserve all the time. After I shoot you'll see me get a newshell in the chamber as quick as I can work it. Be ready, now; and watchsharp!"
No need to tell Step Hen that. He was already keyed up to top-notchcondition by the excitement that caused his nerves to quiver, and hisbreath to come in gasps. And yet, if any one had accused the boy ofbeing afraid, he would have at once indignantly denied the imputation.Perhaps he was holding himself sternly in hand; Thad hoped as much; butthen some persons have a queer way of showing that they are cool andcollected. Step Hen was one, for instance; but if all of us couldrealize just how we look to our neighbors, we might not feel quite soproud.
Thad had his gun ready for quick work. He only waited until he couldglimpse one of those skulking, shadowy forms on the outside border ofthe light cast by the fire circle. Then he glanced along the barrels ofhis gun, though instinct enabled him to cover the target better than allthis aiming; after which his finger pressed the trigger.
The boom of the gun was instantly succeeded by a series of alarminghowls; and then Step Hen was heard shouting exultantly:
"You got him then, Thad! I saw him turn a back somersault. He's a deadone, all right, I tell you, whoop!"