The Banner Boy Scouts Snowbound Part 17

Jack was wise enough to know that they had better start for camp about three o'clock. It might not be quite so easy going back, as they would be tired, and the wind was against them.

They had skated for over half an hour, with their heavy packs on their backs, when again Tom called to his comrade to listen.

"And believe me it wasn't a fox that time, Jack!" he declared, "but, as sure as you live, it sounded like somebody calling weakly for help!"

CHAPTER XVIII

THE HELPING HAND OF A SCOUT

When Jack, listening, caught the same sound, he turned upon his companion with a serious expression on his face.

"Let's kick off our skates and hang our packs up in the crotch of this tree, Tom," he said.

"Then you expect to investigate, and find out what it means, do you?"

"We'd feel pretty mean if we went on our way like the Levite in the old story of the Good Samaritan," remarked Jack, busily disengaging his bundle of fish which Abe had done up in a piece of old bagging.

"I'm the last one to do such a thing," a.s.serted Tom, "only I chanced to remember that there are some tough boys up here somewhere--Hank and his crowd--and I was wondering if this could be a trick to get us to put our fingers in a trap."

Jack chuckled, and held up his gun.

"We ought to be able to take care of ourselves with this," he told his chum.

"Right you are, Jack! So let's be on the jump. There! that sounded like a big groan, didn't it? Somebody's in a peck of trouble. Maybe a wood-chopper has had a tree fall on him or cut his foot with his axe, and is bleeding badly."

"Just what I had in mind," remarked the other, as they started into the shrubbery.

The groans continued; therefore, the two scouts had no difficulty in going directly to the spot. In a few minutes Tom clutched his chum's sleeve and pointed directly ahead.

"Ginger! it looks like Sim Jeffreys," he whispered.

"No other," added Jack.

"But what's the matter with the fellow?" continued Tom. "See how he keeps tugging away at his right leg. I bet you he's gone and got it caught in a root, and can't work it free. I've been through just such an experience."

"We'll soon find out," remarked Jack, pushing forward.

"Be mighty careful, Jack," urged the other, not yet wholly convinced that the groans were really genuine, for he knew how tricky Sim Jeffreys had always been.

By this time the other had become aware of their presence. He turned an agonized face toward them, upon which broke a gleam of wild hope.

If Sim Jeffreys were playing a part then, Jack thought, he must be a clever actor.

"Oh, say! ain't I glad to see you boys," he called, holding both his hands out toward them. "Come, help me get free from this pesky old trap here!"

"Trap!" echoed Tom. "Just what do you mean by that, Sim?"

"I ain't tryin' to fool you, boys. Sure I ain't!" exclaimed the other, anxiously. "Seems to me like an old bear trap, though I never saw one before. I was out with my gun, lookin' for partridges, when all of a sudden it jumped up and grabbed me right by the leg."

Neither of the boys could believe this strange story until they had taken a look. Then they saw that it was just as Sim had declared. The trap was old and very rusty. Jack saw that it had lost much of its former fierce grip, which was lucky for poor Sim, for otherwise he might have had his leg badly injured.

Still the jaws retained enough force to hold the boy securely; though had Sim retained his presence of mind, instead of tugging wildly to break away, he might have found it possible to bear down on the weakened springs and set himself free.

Tom and Jack quickly did this service for the other, who was profuse in his expressions of grat.i.tude, though neither of the scouts believed in his sincerity, for Sim had a reputation for being slippery and double-faced.

"Why, I might have frozen to death here to-night," he told them. "Even if I had lived till to-morrow I'd have starved sure. The bears would have got me too, or the wildcats."

"Didn't you call when you first got caught?" asked Tom.

"I should say I did, till I could hardly whisper, but n.o.body seemed to hear me shout," came the reply, as Sim rubbed his swollen and painful leg. "Guess I'll have to limp all the way back to the hole in the rocks where the rest of the boys are campin'."

"How far away from here is it?" asked Jack, wondering whether they ought to do anything more for Sim or let him shift for himself.

"Oh, a mile and more, due west," the boy told them. "Where that hill starts up, see? We haven't got much grub along with us, b'cause, you see, we depended on shooting heaps of game. But so far I've knocked down only one bird."

"Do you think you can make it, Sim?" persisted Jack.

The fellow limped around a little before replying.

"I reckon I kin. Though I'll be pretty sore to-morrow like as not, after this silly thing grabbin' me the way it did. I know my way home, boys, never fear, and I'll turn up there sooner or later. Much obliged for your help."

With that Sim started off as though eager to get his hard work over with. And as there was nothing more to be done, the two chums returned to the creek, shouldered their heavy packs after resuming their skates, and went on their way.

It was just about dusk when they made the cabin on the bank of Snake Creek; and as the others discovered their burdens a shout of joy went up.

"The country's safe," said Jud, "since you've brought home a stack of fine pickerel. Let's see what they look like, fellows."

At sight of the big fish the boys were loud in their congratulations.

"Wouldn't mind having a try at that fun myself one of these days,"

a.s.serted Jud, enviously. "Paul, jot it down that I'm to be your side partner when you take a notion to go down to the lake."

"Some of you get busy here fixing the fish, if we mean to have them to-night," remarked Jack, who was too tired to think of doing it himself.

"Too late for that this evening. We've got supper all ready for you.

The fish will have to keep till to-morrow," announced Bobolink.

"What's this I smell in the air?" demanded Tom. "Don't tell me you've bagged a deer already?"

"Just what we have!" said Bobolink, his eyes glistening so, that it required little effort to decide who the lucky hunter was.

"Why, he wasn't away from camp an hour," a.s.serted Phil Towns, "when we heard him whooping, and in he came with a young buck on his back. I never thought Bobolink was strong enough to tote that load a mile and more."

"Huh! I'd have carried in an elephant if it had dropped to my gun, I felt that good!" declared the happy hunter.

"But all the adventures haven't fallen to you fellows who stayed here in camp or wandered about in the adjacent woods," announced Tom, mysteriously.