The Ranger Boys Outwit the Timber Thieves Part 5

The ringmaster made a short speech, telling a lot of stuff about d.i.c.k that made the chums grin.

"Guess one has to be a blood relation of Ananias to be a ringmaster,"

laughed Garry. "The only diving d.i.c.k has ever done before the crowned heads of Europe was before they were crowned."

After the laudatory speech, d.i.c.k climbed up the high ladder and stood perched on the little square platform at the top. As he had been told to do outside the big top, he dropped a handkerchief which slowly fluttered down to the ground below. This is an old trick of high divers and is done merely to accentuate the distance.

Then the drummer started a long ruffle, and casting one downward look, d.i.c.k tipped off the platform. Both Phil and Garry were just a trifle nervous as he leaped, although they were well aware of his ability.

But d.i.c.k hit the water as clean as a knife, and it was only a matter of seconds before he appeared on the surface of the water and climbed out dripping. A mighty round of applause was given not only for the fact that he had made a fine dive, but his youth made him popular with the audience.

The acts went on, and in a little while d.i.c.k came wandering into the tent. The boys hailed him as he neared the place where they were sitting, and in a trice he had climbed up the rattling board seats to a place beside his chums.

"Well, I got my twenty-five, and we'll have a party with it some time.

Also, I received an offer to stay with the circus, which, naturally, I turned down. So you see, Phil, you are not the only one to have jobs offered them." He alluded to the time that a big league baseball scout had offered a contract to Phil after seeing him pitch one game at Commencement time at high school in his home town. The music stopped and the ringmaster made his customary speech about the next act, which was the lion taming act.

The music had just started again, when there was a piercing shriek from a woman, and then some one screamed:

"The lion is loose!"

CHAPTER V

EXTRA ENEMIES

Hundreds of people joined in the shrieking, and a stampede from the seats started. Scores were trampled. The music had stopped for an instant until the leader, true to tradition, called the men to order, and the musicians swung into a stirring march. Circus hands, aided by the performers who were on the platforms and in the rings, ran to the sides of the tracks and endeavored to keep the people in their seats.

The three chums were aghast for a minute, then Phil and d.i.c.k instinctively turned to Garry to see what he would do. Garry had taken one look and saw the beast at the far end of the tent, lashing his tail and surveying the crowd, as though making up its mind as to what course to pursue.

The boys saw that Garry was hastily slipping his la.s.so from his shoulder, and in a moment they had understood what he was going to attempt, and followed suit.

"Now fellows, let's try it. We may save a lot of lives. I'll try for his head, and you two try for a foot each. I think we can catch him all right. Let's go!" and Garry led the way.

Calling to everyone to sit still as they ran, and swinging their lariats over their heads, they struggled to the ground. Several people seeing them make their way there, thought that it was perhaps a part of the circus, and began to shout to each other that it was a feature of the program. The sight of the three boys making their way fearlessly toward the beast did more than anything else to quiet the people. Many sat back in their seats, although others were escaping under the canvas wall of the tent.

It was to Phil, however, that the greatest honor was to come. As he ran, swinging one arm, his hand hit against a pocket in his coat, and he felt a hard lump within. In an instant he remembered that he bought pepper the day before to replenish the condiment can that he generally carried in his knapsack, but had not thought to take it out and transfer the contents from the package to the can. He reached into his pocket and brought out the can. Hastily opening the top, he kept on his way toward the lion, holding the package out in front of him. The chums approached within a few feet of the lion, who was showing signs of springing suddenly at them. The effect of the boys' advance on him was to make him forget the crowds and center all his attention on those that were nearest him-the chums.

The boys stopped short and were swinging their lariats, when suddenly Phil darted ahead almost up to the lion, and, with a well directed aim, emptied the contents of the pepper package straight on the eyes of the lion.

The infuriated beast gave a roar of pain and sprang, then fell to earth and stuck a great paw into his eyes, as though to rub away the torturing stuff that was blinding him.

Garry, quick-witted, divined what Phil had done, and at the same moment that the lion struck the ground, ran forward and threw the noose of the lariat over the animal's head.

The animal was nearly helpless, owing to its inability to see, and in another moment the boys had the rest of their lariats noosed about his feet.

By this time the trainer and a number of the circus helpers had arrived on the scene, and, dashing in, they tied the lariats securely about the animal's feet.

The crowd seeing that the animal was securely fastened and helpless, first breathed a sigh of relief and then became suddenly quiet. Many still thought it was a part of the program, but a majority felt sure that it was a striking piece of bravery that they had just witnessed.

Then cheer on cheer rolled through the tent, as the audience applauded the brave trio of chums. All the foregoing had taken much less time than the minutes necessary to describe it. In a moment the owner came puffing on the scene, and when he saw who had accomplished the capture, he was speechless for the moment.

Then he said to the chums, as they stood watching the animal being loaded into its cage:

"This is twice today that you boys have done me a good turn, but this second time far outmatches the first. Will you please come back to the ticket wagon with me." Then to the menagerie head, who had joined them: "I'd like you to come, too, please, Jones."

The little group made its way to the ticket office, where the owner first asked for an account of how the beast had made its escape.

"The only man who can tell you that is the roustabout who cleans the animal's cage. He was gashed by the lion evidently as its escape was being made, and that and very likely a heart stroke killed him quickly.

I think perhaps he thought it was near time for the transfer to the arena cage to be made and had unlocked the cage door, and the lion pushed its way out, sir," said Jones.

The manager was silent for a moment. Then he said:

"No one can know how sorry I am that the man lost his life, but I am thankful that the lion did no other damage, either by starting a great panic or by attacking some one of the audience. As for you boys, I propose to make you a substantial reward."

"I a.s.sure you, sir," began Garry, "we have no thought of any reward for doing what we did. It was luck on our part that enabled us to la.s.so him, and we get our satisfaction in knowing that we perhaps saved a great many lives."

"I hope you will accept something as a recompense for your services. Had the lion done great damage, I would have had to pay out many thousands of dollars," insisted the owner.

"Let us ask you one question first. Was the workman that was killed a family man?" asked Garry.

"I can tell you that in a minute." Turning to the ticket seller, he told him to look the man up. A record of all the workers with their home addresses was kept in a card index and in a moment the ticket seller had ascertained that the dead man had a wife living in a small town in New York State.

"Of course we will take care of the widow, as we have every worker insured, and then the management always adds to the insurance," said the head of the circus.

"Then I wish that you would just take whatever you had thought of offering us in the way of a reward and add to the amount. I think my chums agree with me that this is the best thing that could be done. Is that right?" and Garry turned to his friends. Both d.i.c.k and Phil were emphatic in their agreement.

"Well, if that is the way you boys feel about it, I will do so, but I will find some way to show you that I appreciate the great service that you have done me."

The owner asked them several other questions and took their names and addresses, and again he offered to take the boys along with them on the tour. Of course they refused, explaining that they were of the Ranger Service of the State and were only on detached duty at the time.

They remained for supper at the cook tent, and watched the circus torn down and loaded in the teams preparatory to travelling to the next stop.

After a hearty goodbye from the manager and owner they took their leave, and hiking beyond the town spread their blankets for the night.

They woke with the rising of the sun, and building a fire soon had coffee, spider bread and bacon going, and made a hearty breakfast.

"According to my reckoning we are about ten miles from the camp, and the woods will begin in about a mile or two, so we had better get going. It is now six o'clock and with three hours of easy hiking we will make our destination," said Garry. "Now I think we ought to hold a council of war as to how we shall conduct ourselves when we get to the camp. I think it best that we just go to the manager and tell him we are going to camp there for awhile, either right at the lumber camp, or a short distance in the woods. Of course we shall give no inkling of the nature of our visit, not even to the manager, at least until we have sized him up. To my mind, everyone will be under suspicion until he has proven that the suspicion is unfounded. We can go all over the camp and keep our eyes open, getting all the information we can. When we ask questions we should ask them simply as though it were from idle curiosity. I figure that in a short time we ought to be able to tell who is acting suspiciously and then bend all our efforts to watch them and frustrate any mischief that they may be up to. We shall, of course, get a lot of help from Howells when he arrives, but even then I think we ought to do everything possible ourselves to find out what is the trouble at the camp."

They walked steadily but easily, and true to their reckoning arrived at the camp a little after nine o'clock. The boys looked about them curiously. There were only three buildings, built of logs. One, the smallest, was evidently the officers' bunkhouse and offices; the other was apparently the cookhouse, for the boys could see a youth sitting on an upturned tub in front of the door peeling potatoes, and a thin wisp of smoke issued from the chimney. Since it was mid-summer and hot, there would be no need for a stove in any place but the kitchen. The third house was a long, low log affair, bigger by far than either of the others. This they decided was the bunk house, where the lumberjacks lived.

They made their way to the office and inquired for the manager. On hearing the word "manager," a thin, sharpfaced man approached them, and giving them a hasty glance, said in a sharp tone:

"If you're here to ask for permission to camp on this tract you're out of luck. This is a lumber operation and not a free camp site for every fool from the city."

"Just a minute, please. Hadn't you better find out our business before you make up your mind as to what you will or won't do?" asked Garry, as an angry red flush overspread his face. Garry was an extremely civil boy, and expected others to be the same, and when he received uncourteous attention was apt to resent it deeply.