The Boy Scouts of Bob's Hill Part 31

"All right, boys," he told us. "I want you to have the time of your lives on this trip and I know that even a view like this will not long satisfy a boy. But don't go far and remember your Scout training. You will usually find moss on the north side of tree trunks."

"We know that," said Skinny. "We tried it once on Greylock, when we were lost, and it worked all right."

"You can't get lost. I believe I could hear William call anywhere on the mountain. The sun is shining and your shadows will point east. Come back in time for supper. I'll be cook to-night, but after this you boys will have to take turns."

"We'll get back in time, never fear," Skinny told him. "We are hungry enough now to gnaw the bark off the trees."

Then he grabbed a bag which was stuffed with hay, put an ear of corn in his pocket, and started.

"Give me ten minutes," he said.

It was a game which we had read about in the book. The stuffed bag was the deer and the corn was for the trail. The game was for Skinny to scatter corn along, making a crooked trail for us to follow, and then to hide the deer somewhere for us to find.

After Skinny had made a good start, we scattered, looking for the trail--corn, footprints, and other signs.

It was great fun and not easy for beginners like we were. Sometimes we lost the trail altogether. Then one of us would pick it up again, where Skinny maybe had doubled back toward the camp.

Finally Bill caught sight of the bag in some bushes and yelled:

"Deer!"

Hank hurried up and called, "Second!" I saw it third and all the boys soon after except Benny. He had lost the trail and was beating around in the woods somewhere, out of sight and hearing.

It was Bill's first shot and he had to stand where he was when he first saw the deer. He took out an arrow, aimed carefully, and fired. The arrow went so fast that I believe it almost would have killed a real deer if it had hit him, but he aimed too high and it went over.

Then Hank stepped five paces toward the deer and shot. He missed. I stepped up five paces more and I missed. Harry went five paces closer and was the first to hit it. After that we all shot from where he had stood, until we all had hit it.

Skinny had come up and I was just asking him if he had seen Benny, when we heard a great crashing through the bushes and in a minute he came in sight, running like sixty.

He was almost tuckered out when he reached us and had only breath enough left to say:

"Run! It's a bear!"

We ran, all right, but after a little I looked back and could see that there was nothing following.

"Hold up--a minute," I panted. "It--ain't a-comin'."

"Where was it, Benny?" I asked, when they had come back. "Where did you see it?"

"I didn't see it. I only heard it. It was stepping around in the bushes and I heard it grunt. I didn't wait to see it."

"I wish I had my rope," said Skinny. "I left it in the wagon. Come on, anyhow. We'll surround the critter and shoot him."

Skinny scared us when he said that. I could feel cold chills chasing up and down my back bone, when I thought of surrounding a live bear.

"Great snakes!" said Bill. "I hope it's a big one, so Skinny can hit it.

He couldn't hit a little one."

"I couldn't, couldn't I?" said he. "I'll show you whether I can hit it or not. Come on. I'll dare you to."

That settled it. We weren't going to take a dare, but I was hoping all the time that the bear had run away. So, with Benny keeping close to me and pointing the way, we crept through the woods, not making any noise, and each boy held his bow and arrow ready to shoot.

It was scary but it was fun. Finally, with an excited pinch of my arm, Benny stopped and pointed.

My heart throbbed like a trip-hammer, and I hardly could hold my arrow on the cord, for, looking through some bushes, I caught sight of something black and heard the bear tramping around.

I heard Skinny muttering something about a rope; then he whispered:

"Get ready, and run as soon as you shoot."

"Aim."

We stood there, trembling, wanting to run first and shoot afterward, but too proud to. Each boy pointed his arrow toward where we could see the bear standing still behind some bushes and only a part, of him showing.

[Ill.u.s.tration: AS WE RAN, WE HEARD A YELL OF PAIN, OR FRIGHT, AND IT WAS NOT A BEAR'S VOICE AT ALL.]

"Fire!"

I don't know when I fired. I only knew that my arrow was gone and I was running for the camp like the wind, with the other Scouts chasing after me.

As we ran, we heard a yell of pain, or fright, and it was not a bear's voice at all. It was a woman's! Then we heard the voice say:

"For the love of Mike! The woods is full of Injuns and I've got an arrow in the pit of my stummick."

CHAPTER XVIII

SCOUTING THROUGH A WILDERNESS

"FELLERS," said Skinny, panting and wetting his lips with his tongue.

"We've done it this time. We've killed somebody."

"Killed nothin'!" Bill told him. "Didn't you hear her holler?"

"She's running, too," said Benny. "Killed folks don't run, especially girls."

We could hear a crashing through the bushes beyond, and knew that what Benny said was true.

"Let's sneak back and get our arrows, anyhow," said Skinny, when the noise had stopped.

So we crept back again, ready to run if any one should come, but there was n.o.body in sight. One arrow was lying on the ground where the girl had been standing when we took her for a bear. It was Skinny's; we could tell by the way it was painted.

It made him real chesty, after he had found out that we had not killed anybody.

"Didn't I tell you, Bill," said he, "that I'd show you whether I could hit a bear or not? It must have struck a b.u.t.ton or something, or whoever it was would have bit the dust, and don't you forget it."