Part 10 (1/2)
”You're correct, Giraffe,” replied the other; ”but I hope b.u.mpus lands his prize, all right, because fresh fish would taste fine to-morrow morn.”
It was a little struggle in the mind of Giraffe as to whether the sportsman spirit, or the love of good feeding would prevail; but at last he also cried out: ”I hope he gets it, too, sure I do! Good for you, Giraffe!” exclaimed Thad, perhaps purposely mistaking this for a spirit of fairness that would do the tall scout credit as a true sportsman.
Meanwhile all of them watched b.u.mpus tugging at his line. The fish was full of fight, and evidently objected to furnis.h.i.+ng a breakfast for a party of Boy Scouts off on a vacation cruise; but by sheer strength, and not a little good luck in the bargain rather than fisherman's skill, b.u.mpus finally man aged to haul his struggling prize aboard.
”It's a trout, as sure as pop!” exclaimed Step Hen, as they all bent over the wiggling and flapping captive, and Giraffe struck a match, the better to see its nature.
”Whee! let me tell you he pulled to beat the band too!” the proud angler vowed, as he rubbed his arms; and then bent lower to admire the spotted sides of the big trout, that probably looked prettier to b.u.mpus than anything he had ever before seen.
”He's a jim dandy, and that's a fact, b.u.mpus!” said Giraffe, swallowing his bitter chagrin because fortune had cheated him out of being the first in the contest to bring in such a prize; at the same time he was no doubt thinking what a tasty morsel that splendid fish would afford the lot for breakfast and wondering if there were not several of them who had confessed that they did not care for fish which would allow a larger portion to those who did.
However, all thoughts of this nature were doomed to be forgotten, because just then Davy had to go and throw a bombsh.e.l.l into the camp by remarking in a low and trembling voice:
”Thad, oh Thad! I saw a fellow poke his head up above that pile of rocks just then, give you my word of honor I did!”
”Be prepared!” said the skipper, quickly; and every scout reached out for the weapon he had decided to rely upon in case of dire necessity.
CHAPTER X
THE QUEER WAYS OF b.u.mPUS
”There ain't a thing moving up there, Davy; and I reckon, now, you're only just afooling us,” complained Step Hen, after they had stared as hard as anything at the crown of the rocks, which was sharply outlined against the dark heavens.
As the others had met with like poor success in trying to locate the object the scout in question claimed to have seen, they naturally turned on Davy, to demand further explanations.
It could easily be seen, however, from his excited condition, that the boy actually believed what he said.
When Giraffe and b.u.mpus, and even Allan, urged him to repeat his a.s.sertion, he not only did so, but added still more to what he had said before.
”Guess I ought to know what a man's head looks like, hadn't I?” Davy went on to remark, indignantly; ”cause I've seen a few in my day. It was there as plain as--as, well, the nose on my face, and you'll say that's right smart in evidence, I know you will, Giraffe. Looky up yonder--see the little peak that seems to stick up above all the rest of the old rock pile? Well, it was alongside that it showed up; and right while I was asaying it, the thing disappeared like smoke. But you believe me, I saw something, and it was a man's head too, no matter if there was a bear or a panther at the other end of the same.”
Strange to say no one chuckled at these queer remarks of Davy. They saw that he was in deadly earnest; and the possibility of a strange man spying on them seemed too serious a matter to arouse a laugh.
”Well,” said Step Hen, presently, when they had strained their eyes to the utmost without any result whatever, ”seems like he saw you at the same time, and lit out in a big hurry.”
Giraffe began to recover from the first shock caused by the alarm; and when he was feeling himself the tall scout could nearly always think of something quaint to say.
”That reminds me of the old baby book rhyme we all used to say; p'raps you'll remember, fellows. It's been a long time since I repeated it, but I think it runs about like this: 'I Saw Esau kissing Kate; and the fact is, we all three saw. I saw Esau, he saw me; and Kate saw I saw Esau.' How's that?”
No one answered, and for a pretty good reason; for hardly had Giraffe uttered his question when, without the slightest warning, a dazzling ray of white light suddenly fell upon the group of scouts crouching there on the after-deck of the little hunting cabin cruiser, causing every one to gasp, and fall to quivering almost as much as though a flash of lightning had darted toward them.
”Oh!” cried some one; and while the tones of the voice could hardly be distinguished on account of the vibration caused by the speaker's alarm, no one had the least doubt but that it was b.u.mpus who thus betrayed his agitated feelings.
Thad and Allan, and perhaps several of the other scouts, knew instantly that the strong glow was caused by one of those handy little electric torches, for they happened to have just such an alliance along with them, and had made great use of it on numberless occasions.
This told them that after all Davy had spoken truly when he declared so vehemently that he had seen a man's head up there on the rocks.
n.o.body moved, only crouched there, staring at that dazzling light, and mentally figuring what was going to happen next.