CHAPTER XX
THE EXPLORING PARTY
Soon after breakfast was over, Paul began to make his arrangements. Likea wise general he wanted to have all the details arranged beforehand, sofar as he could do so.
"I hope you'll take the gun along, Paul," remarked Bobolink, when thosewho had been selected to accompany the leader were stowing some crackersand cheese in sundry pockets, so that they might have a little lunch, incase they were delayed longer than seemed probable.
"Yes, because we're more apt to find need for it than those who stay incamp," the scout master had replied; which fact seemed to give Bobolinkconsiderable satisfaction.
He had not liked the looks of that big fellow which Nuthin claimed tohave recognized as his old Lion. If they chanced to run across the beastagain, it might feel disposed to attack them; and nothing would pleaseBobolink more than to have Paul bowl the creature over with a singleshot. Any dog that did not have the sense to stay at home, and feed atthe hands of a kind master, deserved to get the limit, he thought.
"It isn't that alone," Bobolink had protested, when Paul took him totask for showing such a bloodthirsty spirit; "I've been hearing latelythat some of the farmers up this way are complainin' about dogs killin'their lambs this last spring. And chances are, this same Lion's been oneof the pack that did the mischief. Once they start in that way, nothin'can cure 'em but cold lead. My father said that right out at table. Soyou see, when dogs take to runnin' loose, they're just like boys, an'get into bad ways."
Paul thought this was a pretty good argument. He had himself made up hismind that should they ever meet that animal again, and he showed adisposition to attack any of the scouts, there was only one thing to do.
"How about getting into communication with you while you're gone?" askedJud, who was naturally feeling the new responsibilities of his positionmore or less, and wished to be posted.
"It might be found a good thing," replied the scoutmaster; "and we coulddo it easy enough by flags, if we managed to get to the top of that hillwhere the lone cedar grows. So all the time we're away, Jud, be sure andhave a scout posted in a tree, where he can watch that cedar, keeping hisflag handy to answer, if he gets the signal.
"Guess that can be fixed, all right," declared Jud.
"Have him keep his eye out for smoke at the same time," continued Paul."We might want to tell you something, even without getting up to thatcedar tree. And in case you felt like sending back an answer, you'dbetter have the boys collect a lot of that wood I showed you, that makesa black smoke. You know our smoke code, Jud; no danger of our failing tomake good while you're handling the other end of the line."
That made Jud smile, and feel like doing everything in his power tosatisfy the scout master. A few drops of oil prevents a vast amount offriction. Paul knew there are few boys who do not like to be appreciated;and they will do double the amount of work if they feel that they possessthe full confidence of the one who has been placed in command over them.
When the word was finally given for the little expedition to leave camp,and start into the unknown depths of the island, those who were toremain behind insisted on shaking hands all around, and wishing them thebest of luck. Bobolink pretended to make light of it, and to laugh atthe fellows.
"Great Scott! you'd think we were going away off to Hudson's Bay, not tocome back again for many moons, if ever!" he scoffed. "Talk aboutStanley's farewell to Livingstone in the African jungle, why it wasn'tin the same class as this. Don't you dare try to embrace me, Dan Tucker.What d'ye think I am, the pretty new girl that's come to town, and whodanced with you at our class spread? Hands off, now! And don't any ofyou cry when we're gone. I declare if you aren't turnin' into a lot ofold women."
So the seven scouts strode away from the hidden camp in the sink,plunging into the heavy growth of timber that covered most of the island.Once only did they turn, to wave a goodbye to their watching companions,who flourished their hats in response, but dared not give the cheer thatwas in their hearts, because Paul had enjoined the strictest silence.
Paul and Jack had more than once tried to figure out what Cedar Islandmust look like; but at the best it was only guess work. None of them hadever been here before, and so far they had only roamed over a smallportion of one end of the island, so that they could not tell even itsgeneral shape.
That was one of the reasons why Paul wanted to climb the little hill onwhich grew the cedar from which the island must have taken its name.Once they gained this point, he fancied they might be able to see allparts of the place, and in this manner get a comprehensive idea as whatit was like.
They kept pretty well together as they pushed through the brush andtimber. Paul instructed them to watch constantly on all sides, so thatnothing might escape their scrutiny; and as the little band of scoutspushed deeper into the unknown depths of the mysterious island, they feltmore than ever a sense of the responsibility that rested upon theirshoulders.
As one of the boys had remarked before, this was good training. Theycould look back to other occasions when they had roamed the woods, oncein search of a little chap who had been lost; but somehow these incidentslacked the flavor of mystery that surrounded them now.
If these men should turn out to be what they already suspected, lawlesscounterfeiters, would they not be apt to show a revengeful spirit if thepersistent boys interfered with their business to any extent?
Just how far he would be justified in leading his companions on, whenthere was this element of danger in the affair, was a serious question,which Paul had as yet not settled in his mind. He was waiting untilsomething more definite turned up, and when that occurred he expected tobe governed by circumstances to a great extent.
Of course they had frequent little shocks. These came when some smallanimals rustled the bushes in fleeing before them, or a bird started outof the thick branches of a tree.
The boys were keyed up to such a pitch that their nerves were on edge.When a crow, that had been watching their coming with suspicious eye,gave a series of harsh caws, and flapping his wings, took flight, Andycaught hold of Bluff's sleeve, and gave it a tug.
"Q-q-quit t-t-that!" exclaimed Bluff, in a shrill whisper. "G-g-guess I'mk-k-keyed up enough, without m-m-akin' me j-j-jump out of my s-s-skin!"
"Arrah but I thought it was that ould dog a-goin' to lape at us, so Idid!" muttered the Irish lad, shaking his head, and grasping his cudgelmore firmly.
All of them had been wise enough to arm themselves in some way beforestarting out. And when seven fairly muscular boys wield that many clubs,that have been tried and found true, they ought to be capable of doingconsiderable execution. But in truth there were but six of the cudgels,for Paul carried his gun only.
They had by now cleared quite considerable ground, even though theirprogress was in anything but a direct line. On account of dense patchesof thorn bushes Paul found it necessary to make various detours; but thenthis did not matter to any great extent; for while it added to the lengthof their journey, at the same time it promised to reveal more of theisland to their search.
One thing surprised Paul. They found the trees so dense that most ofthe time it was possible to obtain only glimpses of the sky above.Fortunately the sun continued to shine. He thought it must be prettydingy here on a cloudy day. And the more he saw of Cedar Island theless he wondered that some of the ignorant country people believed itto be haunted.
Bobolink must have been allowing his mind to run in a similar groove, forpresently pushing up alongside Paul, he remarked in a whisper:
"Gee! did you ever see a more spooky place than this is, Paul? Now, if afellow _did_ believe in ghosts, which of course I don't, here's wherehe'd expect to run across some of them. Look at that hollow over yonder,would you? There goes a woodchuck dodging back into his hole in the bank.Ain't it queer how all these animals ever got across from the mainland tothis island? Why, seemed like all of half a mile to me."
"Wait till we get on top of that hill, and perhaps the thing won't seems
o queer, after all," replied Paul. "I was thinking the same way; andthen it struck me that the land might be a whole lot closer to the islandon the northern side. Why, how do we know but what it's only a narrowstrait there?"
"I wonder, now," mused Bobolink, who always found much food for thoughtin what information he extracted from the scout master.
They kept on for some five minutes longer, under about the sameconditions. Paul, however, began to believe that they must by now bedrawing somewhere near the foot of the little hill that arose near thecenter of the island, as closely as they could figure from their camp atthe southern end.
The result of their watchfulness was made apparent when Tom Bettssuddenly declared that he had seen something that looked like ablacksmith's forge just beyond a screen of bushes ahead of them.
Cautiously advancing, the seven scouts presently found themselves lookingupon the exact object Tom had mentioned, which proved that his powers ofobservation were good. It was a forge of some sort, with a bellowsattached, and a wind screen, but no shelter over the top; which factwould seem to indicate that it must be in the nature of a field smithy,used for certain purposes to heat or melt metal.
There being no sign of life around, Paul and his six followers swarmedout of the brush, and surrounded the forge, which was about as unlikely athing to be run across, away in this forsaken quarter of the country, asanything they could imagine.
And as Paul examined the portable forge closer he made an interestingdiscovery.