Part 20 (1/2)

What chance did they have of securing thein inducing that twirling stick to generate enough heat to throw off a spark that would catch in the dry tinder? None at all It was only a hollow ht be able to do the little trick; but up to now it had baffled the skill of Giraffe Why, even Thad had lost pretty , bu about the tall scout's labors was his persistence

So, shaking his head again dolefully, buure out a bill of fare that he would like to coood fortune to sit down at a table in a first-class restaurant It seeine the heaping platters that were being brought before hiination he could alet the delicious odors of the various dishes that had long been favorites with him; particularly the liver and bacon and fried onions Oh! how tantalizing to suddenly arouse hi scene of those lonely pine woods, and hear, instead of the waiter's cheery voice, only that continual grinding sound, as the boy with the never-give-up nature kept sawing aith hisback and forwards with a violent motion, in the socket that held one end

In the esti down from the sublime to the ridiculous He had little confidence in all this labor of Giraffe; though goodness knows, that if ever success would prove a boon to a couple of stranded hunters caught in the darkness of a wintry night, with not a match in their possession, it was then

CHAPTER XX

THE LONG VIGIL OF A SCOUT

It really looked to bu a tree, no matter how cold they found it on such a perch And as it would presently be dark, since night was rapidly co the proper kind of a tree, while there was enough light to see by

But before he started to look around hiht it worth while to ascertain how his coh to tell the truth buood news

”Ain't you gettin' anywhere yet, Giraffe?” he asked, as he rose clus felt very stiff after resting so long

The other gave a grunt as he replied:

”Oh! don't bother me with such silly questions, bumpus You make me think of that story of Blue Beard, where the old feller's a waitin' for his last wife to coet her head taken off; and she keeps callin' to her sister, who's in the lookout tower: 'Sister Ann, Sister Ann, don't you see anything coan bumpus, when the other interrupted hiet it But you keep away from me, bumpus Once before, you fell all overa spark If you knohat's good for you, keep clear of me now I'm desperately in earnest, I tell you So be warned, buood for hiive Giraffe a wide berth while he was struly described the fire outfit that continually refused to ”fire” even a little bit

”I'o, and cliood and hard,” Giraffe answered pettishly; ”but unless you want to get lost, don't you dare go out of sight of this place Call if you lose sight of me, bumpus, d'ye hear? I don't want Thad to say I didn't keep an eye on you; but this is a business thataway as if his very life depended upon bringing the ordeal to a successful terht it did

So buan to look around him

He realized that the tall pines were rather out of the question so far as affording them a chance to climb up; and that he must find some tree of a different type, with low branches

It was not hard to find such a retreat in the shape of a thick hehtful scent bumpus kneell, because on numerous occasions the scouts had plucked round feel easier where they slept

If they had to climb a tree as a last resort, this hees they wished Why, bumpus could even remember how Eli had told of an adventure that had befallen hi somewhat similar lines; and how in order not to fall from his perch in the crotch of a tree, he tied himself there by

burievously disappointed not to discover a hank of fishi+ng cord

”See that a feller's apt to hen he gets in a bad pickle like this,” he gruoin' to make it the point of ; and a line that would be strong enough to hold a feller, if I had to use it Hoould Jiun, and shot them wolves, like he told us, if so be he didn't tear his shi+rt into strips, an' made a rope, with a loop at the end, to slip over the end of his rifle lyin' on the ground Next tioin' to fix a nice clothes line, and wrap it around o out in the woods Never kno handy such thingswith his sawin'? But I don't dare say another word, or he'll be so ht break his silly old bow on my back”

He walked toward the spot where he could see the di low over at his labor

Again bu with the cold, he did not dare swing his arry he was