The Boy Scouts of Bob's Hill Part 4

We ran to different parts of the woods where we knew there were dead branches lying on the ground, trying to see which would get a fire going first. Then, just as Bill and I met at the stone, with arms full of sticks, and the others close behind, we heard a terrible cawing over in the woods, only it didn't sound so much like a crow as it did like Skinny.

We looked at one another, wondering what it all meant, for the Scout business was new to us. Besides it sounded as if something had happened.

"'Tention, Scouts," said Bill, in a hurry to get in his work as corporal while Skinny was away. "Everybody caw!"

We made a great racket. In a moment there came an answering caw from the woods; then Skinny stepped out into the clearing in plain sight and motioned for us to come.

We knew something was the matter and started for the woods on a jump, the corporal in the lead.

"It's gone!" shouted Skinny, when we had come near. "Some guy has stolen our dinner."

"Great snakes!" groaned Bill. "And I'm starving to death."

We all gathered around the place where we had hidden the things under some bushes. Skinny was right; they were gone. I tell you he was mad.

"I don't know whether we are Scouts or bandits or Injuns," said he, "and I don't care, but I'd like to get hold of the critter that stole our dinner. We wouldn't do a thing to him. Oh, no. Maybe not."

"Everybody scatter," he shouted. "Look for signs and tracks. We'll follow him to the ends of the earth."

CHAPTER III

TRACKING THE ROBBERS

WE didn't have any idea who took our things and there didn't seem to be any way of finding out. The ground in the woods was carpeted with pine needles, which left no trace of footprints.

We thought that maybe those girls that we had chased had taken our dinner to get even, and it might have been the Summer Street boys, or maybe the Gingham Ground Gang.

We scattered, like Skinny told us, and gradually worked out from the center, crawling on our hands and knees, and watching every inch of the ground and the bushes.

We didn't get any trace at all until I found a potato. Then Skinny, who was a little ahead of me and at one side, gave a groan and yelled:

"Here's my wishbone. They've eaten all my fried chicken."

It always makes Skinny mad to have somebody eat his fried chicken.

Farther on we found pieces of eggsh.e.l.l and then more, as if somebody had peeled an egg while walking and thrown the sh.e.l.ls on the ground.

We knew then that there was no chance of getting our dinners back, but we followed the trail, just the same.

After a time we came to the queerest looking tracks, where somebody had stepped on a soft piece of ground. Benny found them first.

"The spoor!" he yelled. "The spoor! I've found the spoor."

"Well, don't tell the whole town about it," said Skinny. "Keep quiet and we'll surround 'em."

"But the chicken and eggs are gone," he added, after a moment. "I was going to give you some of that chicken, Bill."

We stopped and had a long look at the tracks. There were four footprints and a hole, which looked as if it had been made with a stick, or cane.

Three of the prints were like those which any man would make in walking and one was the print of a bare foot, only it had a queer look that we couldn't understand.

"We've got 'em," whispered Skinny. "We'll know that footprint again anywhere we find it. Forward, and mum's the word!"

Twice after that we found the same queer footprint; once in the dust of a road that runs along the south side of Plunkett's woods, and again on the edge of a brook which comes down from the mountain somewhere.

Then we lost the trail and didn't know where to go. Just because we didn't know what else to do, we followed the brook up, until we came to a gully out of sight from the road.

Skinny was ahead, aiming with his stick and saying what he would do if he should catch the fellow that stole his chicken. All of a sudden we saw him drop behind a bush and lie still. We dropped, too. We didn't know what for, but I've noticed that it is 'most always a good thing to drop first and find out why afterward. Then we crawled slowly up to him to see what had happened.

There, sitting on the ground in a gra.s.sy ravine, near the brook, were two men, and they were eating what remained of our lunch. One of them had his left shoe off and his foot done up in a bandage. That was what had made the track look so queer.

Now that we had caught them we didn't know what to do with them, for they were too big for us to tackle.

"I believe we could get away with the lame one," whispered Skinny, "only they have about eaten it all up; so what's the use? Besides, the other one looks as big as a house."

"If we only had a rope, Skinny," said Benny, "you could creep up behind and la.s.so them, the same as you did the robber out near Starved Rock."

"Bet your life I could," he replied, "but we haven't got one. Fellers, don't you ever go out again without a rope. You can't ever tell when you will need it."

"Great snakes!" said Bill, thinking of the chicken Skinny had been going to give him. "I'm starving to death. Let's heave some rocks at 'em, anyhow, and then run."

He picked up a big stone as he spoke and was going to throw it, when Hank caught his arm.

"Wait," said he. "I know a trick worth two of that. I'm going to shoot 'em."

"Shoot them?" I gasped in surprise. "What with?"

"With my camera. You fellows stay here out of sight and caw like a crow if they make any move before I am ready for them. If I can only get behind that clump of bushes back of them without their seeing me, I'll take their picture."

"Aw, cut it out," said Bill.

But Hank was gone, and after a little we could see him running through a field out of sight of the men, so as to come into the ravine from the other end. Pretty soon we saw him crawling in, creeping from bush to bush, in sight only for a second at a time.

There was not a sound except the voices of the men, who were talking about something, and the ground might have opened and swallowed Hank for all we could see of him.

We waited a long time and began to get nervous, not knowing what had happened, and I saw Bill feeling around for another stone.

Then all of a sudden Hank stood up above the bushes he had told us about. He looked toward where he knew we were hiding and put one finger to his lips. Then he tossed a stone toward the men and dropped down out of sight again before it could fall.

"Great snakes!" whispered Bill. "If he's goin' to throw, why don't he do it, and not give a baby toss like that?"

Skinny held up one hand warningly as the pebble fell into the brook right back of the men, making a little splash and gurgle, as if a frog, or maybe a trout, had leaped out after a fly.

When they heard it both men jumped up and stood there in the sunshine, looking toward the sound. We couldn't see Hank, but knew that he was somewhere in the bushes taking their picture.