Part 12 (2/2)

So they adjourned to the rear of the little squatty structure. Everybody took great care to keep away from the one open window. Some of the boys had had little or no experience with the species of friendly animal now occupying their quarters. Still, it was strange how great a respect for his feelings they entertained. Why, no fellow seemed to want to even be _seen_ looking rudely in.

Max readily climbed upon the roof.

He purposely made considerable noise while so doing, and for good reasons. It was just as well that the inmate of Jim's cabin knew they were around and objected to his remaining there.

And then, again, Max had a little fear lest the skunk make a sudden appearance, popping out of the chimney before he could really get busy.

That event, should it take place, would likely enough upset all his well-planned calculations.

Max under such conditions would wisely seek safety in flight. Indeed, he had already picked out the very place where he could jump from the roof of the cabin and make sure of landing in a soft spot.

As soon as he reached the roof he hurried over to the chimney, intending to start operations by dropping something down.

”I ought to notify the little rascal that the flue is marked dangerous,”

Max was saying to himself, ”so that if he's started up he can just back down again.”

Fortunately nothing happened, and Max was not compelled to take that sudden flying leap.

The chimney, as is the case with all log cabins, was built on the outside. It was composed of slabs of wood, secured with a mortar made princ.i.p.ally of certain mud.

In process of time this became thoroughly baked, and the heat a.s.sisted in this transformation. It was now as hard as flint rock.

That the flue was a generous one we already know. Had that not been the case Bandy-legs could never have fallen down through it to land in the fireplace below.

Max had counted on this fact.

Having notified the intruder to keep away from the fireplace under penalty of getting hurt, and feeling that the way was now open to undertake the carrying out of his little scheme, Max returned to the point where he had reached the roof.

The others had seen to it that the balance of his dry stuff was placed where he could lay hands on the same. So Max by degrees dumped all this down after the first lot.

”Now to set it going,” he remarked.

”You seem to be having a bully old time up there all by your lonely,” said Steve, half enviously.

”Oh, I'm a cheerful worker,” Max replied.

He had arranged some of the best of the stuff so that after applying a match he could send it down upon the top of all that had gone before.

”How is it?” asked Trapper Jim, who was standing on something or other, so that his head came above the low, almost flat roof.

”It's burning all right; I can see it taking hold,” came the reply from Max, who had been cautiously peering down the gaping chimney.

”Then take this stuff and follow suit,” remarked the other, handing up the armful of weeds he had himself gathered.

”Hurry up about it, too, Max,” sang out Steve. ”We want the show to begin. It's cold down here, believe me.”

”Oh, it'll be warm enough,” declared the owner of the cabin, ”if that onary little beast turns this way after he crawls out of the window. And I'll advise you all to give him plenty of room.”

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