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THE OUTDOOR CHUMS IN THE FOREST
OR
Laying the Ghost of Oak Ridge
BY CAPTAIN QUINCY ALLEN
AUTHOR OF "THE OUTDOOR CHUMS," "THE OUTDOOR CHUMS ON THE LAKE," "THE OUTDOOR CHUMS AFTER BIG GAME," ETC.
_ILLUSTRATED_
NEW YORK GROSSET & DUNLAP PUBLISHERS
COPYRIGHT, 1911 BY GROSSET & DUNLAP
THE OUTDOOR CHUMS SERIES
BY CAPTAIN QUINCY ALLEN
THE OUTDOOR CHUMS Or The First Tour of the Rod, Gun and Camera Club
THE OUTDOOR CHUMS ON THE LAKE Or Lively Adventures on Wildcat Island
THE OUTDOOR CHUMS IN THE FOREST Or Laying the Ghost of Oak Ridge
THE OUTDOOR CHUMS ON THE GULF Or Rescuing the Lost Balloonists
THE OUTDOOR CHUMS AFTER BIG GAME Or Perilous Adventures in the Wilderness
"WOW! LOOK AT THE BUNCH, WILL YOU?"]
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I A QUESTION OF NERVE 1
II LAYING PLANS 12
III THE CAMP BY THE WAYSIDE 21
IV THINGS BEGIN TO HAPPEN 30
V JED, THE RUNAWAY BOUND BOY 38
VI FARMER DOBSON CHANGES HIS MIND 47
VII THE UNEXPECTED HAPPENS 57
VIII EVERYTHING SEEMS TO COME THEIR WAY 66
IX FRANK TRIES TO SOLVE THE RIDDLE 75
X THE "TOTE" ROAD IN THE FOREST 84
XI FARMER DOBSON AND HIS PRIZE BULL 93
XII THE NIGHT ALARM 101
XIII A CHANGE OF BASE 110
XIV FIGHTING THE QUICKSAND 121
XV JERRY MAKES A GUESS 129
XVI A TIME FOR QUICK ACTION 137
XVII THE NEWS ADOLPHUS BROUGHT 146
XVIII THE DEN OF VIPERS 155
XIX AN ORDER TO VACATE 164
XX A MORNING WITH THE BLACK BASS 172
XXI THE SHERIFF DIPS INTO FAIRY STORIES 183
XXII PADDLING ACROSS LAKE SURPRISE 192
XXIII DOCTOR WILL TO THE FRONT 200
XXIV THE PROOF OF THE NEGATIVE 208
XXV CONCLUSION 217
THE OUTDOOR CHUMS IN THE FOREST
CHAPTER I
A QUESTION OF NERVE
"That's a likely yarn, Sandy. I tell you I don't believe in ghosts."
"All right. You can say what you like, Bluff Masters, but Caleb declareshe saw it."
"Oh, shucks! He must have been dreaming."
"Guess you never had any experience with that sort of things."
"Only once, and that time it turned out to be a crazy man. Since thenI've got my opinion of any fellow who takes stock in ghost stories."
"Think you're mighty brave just because you've got that old gun of yoursalong--been having it at the locksmith's again, I reckon. Seems likeit's there half the time, getting some tinkering done. I dare you to goout to Oak Ridge and settle this ghost question once for all. There youare, and it's either take me up, or back down off that high horse."
"Vacation's set in, and my chums don't seem to know just where to go.Tell you what, I've got a good notion to put it up to the crowd rightaway."
"Talk is cheap, Bluff. I'll believe it when I hear of you fellows going.So long," and the speaker, a boy who attended the same school inCenterville that Bluff did, walked down the main street of the littletown that lay on Lake Camalot.
Bluff looked after him for a minute, as though he might be turning thedaring project over in his mind. Then he fondled the repeating shotgunhe was carrying, as if he resented the slur the other had cast upon itsgood qualities.
"Say, now, perhaps that would be a dandy idea, all right. Some peopletake considerable stock in that blooming old ghost story, and I reckonit would make a lot of silly ones sleep sounder if we went out andlearned that the thing was only a fake after all. Wonder what the restof the boys would say if I proposed it. And Will, he'd declare he wantedto take a snapshot of the ghost with his camera."
The idea seemed to amuse the boy, for he laughed softly to himself ashe once more shouldered his gun, took a new grip on the package ofammunition he was carrying home, and again started along the main streetof the town.
It was a July morning. School was out, the Glorious Fourth was but amemory, and the boys were trying to make suitable plans for spendingtheir vacation in various little outings of a character to suit theirlove for the open.
There were an unusual number of people on the street that morning, Bluffnoticed. A circus was in town, and they had promised a street parade atsome time before noon, so that the boys and girls haunted the mainthoroughfare in large and constantly increasing numbers.
Now Bluff liked to see such an exhibition just as well as the next one,but he believed he had plenty of time to get home with his gun and comeback again.
A little further on he came face to face with a rough-looking fellowabout his own age, whose freckled countenance took on a sneer at sightof the gun which Bluff carried.
"See yuh been repairin' the little old shootin'-iron again, Bluff. Thinkyuh happen tuh be some punkins because once yuh held up some of my crowdwith that stick when we happened to be empty-handed. Sho! yuh can bebrave enough when it's all one-sided, but turn the tables around an' Ibet you'd run faster than we did over on Wildcat Island," said thisworthy, as he stopped in front of the other.
Bluff belonged to a club of four boys who had formed plans to spendtheir vacations in the open whenever possible. They called it the Rod,Gun and Camera Club, and when a convenient storm tore off the roof fromhalf the Academy, the previous October, necessitating a short session ofholidays, they had gone up into the woods to camp, as told in the firstvolume of this series, entitled "The Outdoor Chums; or, First Tour ofthe Rod, Gun and Camera Club."
Here they were constantly annoyed by a crowd of town idlers, under theleadership of one Andy Lasher, and the four chums passed through aseries of the most entertaining adventures, such as pleases all boys wholove excitement. These three comrades of Bluff were named Frank Langdon,Jerry Wallington and Will Milton, the latter being a camera crank of thefirst water, always ready to sacrifice his comfort and time if there wasany hope of securing a picture to commemorate the event.
During their outing, Jerry, being lost in the woods during a storm,succeeded in saving the life of Andy, who after that refused tocontinue his mean tactics of plaguing the chums, so that the leadershipof the opposition fell upon another fellow, the same Pet Peters who wasnow jeering Bluff.
When the
Easter week of holidays came, in early April, the chums haddecided to spend a portion of the time camping on a timber-coveredisland near the foot of the ten-mile lake, and which was seldom visitedby any one on account of the stories told about the vast number ofwildcats to be found there, as well as the wild man who had been seen atvarious times. A fire on the little steamboat plying the lake, and therobbery of a passenger, played an important part in the exciting eventsthat occurred while the chums were at Wildcat Island, all of which,including the solving of the mystery connected with the wild man, havebeen set down in the second volume of this series, called "The OutdoorChums on the Lake; or, Lively Adventures on Wildcat Island."
As can be seen from what Bluff said, the boys were a bit uncertain as towhere they should go during the early part of vacation time. Later onthey expected to separate, as Will was to accompany his widowed motherto the seashore, and two of the others also had plans after the samekind; but for a couple of weeks they wanted some little, delightfulcamping experience, not too far away.
Bluff secretly had a contempt for Pet Peters. Still, he knew the otherwas an antagonist not to be lightly esteemed, and that once he set hismind on a thing he could hardly be called off. The trouble was, as arule, his object proved to be a vindictive one, rather than worthy ofpraise.
"Oh, I don't pretend to be a hero," said Bluff, as he gave the other boylook for look, "and I'll put you wise to that right here. But when itcomes to a pinch, and some mighty mean fellows are trying to play trickson me and my chums, I can hold my own, all right. This gun may beunlucky about getting out of order too often, but she can scatter theshot, and is all to the good. You want to fight shy of her, Pet, that'sall."
"Say, they named yuh all right when they called yuh Bluff. Sometimesthese yer windbags they get punctured like. Take care that don't happento you. I reckon the parade must be comin', ter judge from all theracket along yonder. Better fall in front and let the people ofCenterville see the great hero, hey?"
Bluff had turned his head to look. If what the other said were true,then he would have no time to go home and leave his gun.
There did seem to be considerable excitement just at the bend in thestreet, and it was growing greater with the passage of every second. Menwere running, shouting, and making for the sidewalks. Some caught upsmall children in their arms. Every one appeared tremendously stirred,as though an event far out of the common were about to occur.
Bluff laughed.
"Seems like people get crazier every year over the old circus. Iunderstand this is a bum one, anyway. Look at 'em scoot! They couldn'tact more like a lot of loons if the elephant had broken loose and was onthe warpath. I don't hear the band playing, do you, Pet?" he said.
"No, I don't. And I reckon there's somethin' gone wrong around that bendin the street. Them fellers wouldn't act that way, else. See that fatwoman tumble over, will yuh! Now she rolls like a barrel to thepavement. She's nigh about scairt to death, I tell yuh! What kin it be?"exclaimed Pet.
By this time Bluff was aroused. He realized that all this tremendousexcitement could not have been caused by the near approach of the circusparade. There was the sedate head of the Academy footing it for theshelter of a shoeshop as if he had entered for a hundred-yard dash.Heads were appearing at all the windows, and now shrieks began to beadded to the clamor.
Bluff wondered if he were dreaming. Had all Centerville gone crazy?There was an asylum over at Merrick, but since when had its inmatesbroken loose and taken up quarters in Centerville?
If he had not been gripping his gun and that package of shells, Bluffmight have rubbed his eyes to find out if he were really and trulyawake.
"Run! run!"
It sounded as though a dozen people were shouting that word. Why shouldthey want to get others to run? Had the lion broken out of his cage, andwas he coming down the street, looking for victims?
Some boys were climbing trees with mad haste. Perhaps they did not asyet fully understand the need of such a retreat, but in time of dangerit seems natural for the ordinary boy to find refuge in a tree, asthough he were, in truth, descended from monkey ancestors.
Now for the first time they caught other words that were being shoutedby the panic-stricken people along the street, as they rushed hither andthither, anxious to find shelter somewhere.
"Mad dog! Mad dog!"
Pet Peters gave a howl of fear. He was greatly afraid of all dogs, andthe very idea of a mad cur caused him to turn white and show his cravenblood.
He made a wild rush for the nearest tree, and clambered into the lowerbranches with a speed that would have won a medal in a race.
Bluff wanted to follow after him. He felt his nerves quivering withfright, and as he started to run his knees showed an inclination toknock together.
There was the choirmaster, Mr. Melod, chasing across the street, andheading for the milliner's establishment opposite. He was usually a verydignified man, but just then, with his hat fallen off, and fear writtenupon his face, he startled Bluff not a little.
"Run, Richard! Come this way, my boy!" he called, beckoning wildly; forBluff had come to a sudden pause in the middle of the road as a suddenterrible thought flashed into his mind.
He had a gun in his hands, and ammunition in plenty. Pet Peters had justcalled him next door to a coward, who could only show valor wheneverything was on his side. Who was to stop this mad dog in his career?There were many little children around the next bend, awaiting thecoming of the circus parade. What if some of them were bitten by thebeast, and he with a gun in his hands?
Bluff turned as white as a ghost. His hands were shaking furiously as hebroke open the package he carried. The shells fell in a heap to theroad, and eagerly the boy stooped down to pick up one and push it intothe magazine of the gun. Then he took up a second and a third.
There was no time for more. He would not need them. If he could notfinish the mad beast with three shots it was bound to be all over withhim. What that boy suffered as he crouched there, staring at theterrible brute that came around the curve in the street, no one wouldever know.
He heard a clamor of voices. Some applauded his act, while others,frightened lest he fall a prey to the fury of the mad dog, cried to himto run while there was yet time. Even Pet Peters, perched securely on alimb of the tree, nearly above Bluff, shouted to him to get behind thetrunk of the same.
Bluff heard this confusion as in a dream. He only saw that advancingbeast, and to his eyes the yellow hound looked almost as big as a lionjust then. Indeed, the brute did present a terrible aspect, withbloodshot eyes, and foam dripping from his square jaws.
Bluff could hardly raise the gun to his shoulder, in order to glancealong the single barrel, but strange to say, just then it seemed asthough a miracle had been wrought, for his nerves became like steel, andthe gun no longer wavered.