Boy Scouts in Northern Wilds Part 27

"Doesn't that look like the moon coming up?" asked Sandy an hour later as they came to a slope which gradually led up to the hills.

"That's the moon, all right!" replied Thede. "But it won't do much good if we keep on walking under the trees. We ought to be home now."

"Does the moon rise in the south?" asked Sandy,

"There's no knowing what will take place in this part of the country," answered Thede. "Me for little old Chicago right soon!"

"I think it's about time we headed for Chicago," Sandy agreed.

"When a couple of Boy Scouts who are supposed to be in their right minds climb a tree to get away from bears who are so busy eating stolen fish that they don't know there is a boy within a hundred miles, I think it is about time they headed for civilization."

"What did you mean about the moon rising in the south?" asked Thede.

"Well," Sandy answered, "it looks to me as if there were two moons rising, one in the east and one in the south!"

There certainly was a light growing far up on the hills. In a moment the Indian came back to the boys and pointed out the strange illumination.

"Fire there!" he said.

"What do you think it means?" asked Thede.

"Heap campfire!" was the reply.

Oje held up three fingers to indicate that he saw three fires. His eyes were sharper than those of the boys, who at first saw only a blur of light. Before long, however, they caught sight of three points of flame lifting above the hills. As the boys looked the blazes seemed to die down, or to be obscured by additional material being thrown upon them. As the moon rose, sending a wintry light over the great slope, three gigantic columns of smoke stood where the flames had shown a minute before.

"What do you make of it?" asked Thede.

"Can you read the signal?" asked Sandy.

"Do you really think it is a signal?"

"Of course it's a signal!" cried Sandy. "That's the Boy Scout signal. Do you know what it says?"

"Three smoke columns mean 'Good News!' answered Thede.

"Do you suppose those crazy boys are still in the hills?" asked Sandy. "If they are, George will think we've all deserted him."

"Of course they're still in the hills!" declared Thede. "No one but Boy Scouts would be sending up those signals!"

"Aw, what good news would they have to communicate?" asked Sandy.

"Perhaps they've found the Little Bra.s.s G.o.d!" suggested Thede.

"Found your Little Bra.s.s Uncle!" cried Sandy.

"Well, it's good news anyhow!" insisted Thede. "If it wasn't the boys wouldn't be taking the pains to build three big fires in order to tell us about it."

The Indian appeared to be suspicious of the campfires ahead until the boys explained to him, with much difficulty, that the fires had undoubtedly been built by their friends, and that they conveyed the information that agreeable developments awaited them.

The slope of the hills was now bathed in moonlight, and the Indian hesitated about advancing over the many clear places from which the timber fell away. Urged on by the boys, however, he finally proceeded cautiously in the direction of the fires, keeping out of the moonlight as far as possible.

"Oje's afraid we'll bunt into something," Thede said, as they clambered up the slope. "I wonder what he'd think if he should be called out of his bed by a blooming magician from the East Indies."

The signal coming from the hills was farther to the east than the boys had ventured before. The fires seemed to have been built high up on a shelf of rock facing the north.

When the boys came closer they saw two figures moving about in front of the flames. Directly they bad no difficulty whatever in recognizing Will and Tommy, as they heaped great piles of green boughs on the coals in order to create dense smoke.

"The kids are in the center of the stage all right!" laughed Sandy.

"I don't see how they dare build fires out in that exposed place,"

Thede suggested. "There's no knowing who may be prowling around."

"Perhaps they know where the few enemies we have found in this section are keeping themselves!"

"Perhaps they've got 'em shut up in some of their own caverns!"

Thede suggested. "Anyway," he went on, "there's something doing, or they wouldn't be talking Boy Scout to us at this time of night."

As the boys drew still closer they heard the labored breathing of some one running, apparently only a short distance away.

Oje darted away in the direction of the sounds, but soon returned to where the boys waited and headed once more for the Boy Scout signal.

"What did you see, Oje?" Thede asked.

The Indian turned and pointed back over the snowy trail they had followed from the burning tree.

"Man from there!" he said.

"Antoine?" asked Sandy.

The Indian nodded and continued up the slope as if the matter were unworthy of further attention.

"Now, what do you suppose Antoine came here for?" asked Thede.

"Attracted by the fire, probably,"

"I don't understand what he's roaming about so much for," Thede continued. "What was he doing out at the burning tree?"

"From the appearance of things," Sandy answered, "I should say that he hot-footed it out there in order to get away from some one who was chasing him, though I can't understand why anyone should be chasing him."

"Anyway, he seems to be back here now," Thede said. "It's dollars to b.u.t.tons, though, that he doesn't go up to the fire where the boys are."

"Look here," Sandy said in a moment, '"I just believe that Antoine has the Little Bra.s.s G.o.d in his possession, and that the two men who came to the cabin that night are after it!"

"I hope they don't get it!"

"Of course they won't get it," Sandy answered. "Didn't we come away up here into this desolate land to get it ourselves?"

When a few yards from the blazing fires, Sandy paused long enough to give the Beaver call and hear the answer given. Then the lads trooped up to the circle of light and warmth.

"What's the idea?" Sandy asked after greetings had been exchanged.