The Banner Boy Scouts on a Tour Part 16

asked his chum, preparing to get up from the ground.

"Two ought to be enough. Yes, bring a glim along; we may need it, for that moon isn't very bright to-night, and the trees make considerable shadow."

Speaking in this fas.h.i.+on Paul left his position, and sauntered away.

Possibly a few of the jolly company noticed his action, but took it for granted that he was only intending to make the rounds, and see that the sentries were on post; for they had already stationed a couple of scouts to serve as guardians of the camp.

Paul walked over to where Dobbin was munching the tender gra.s.s, being secured against straying by a long rope.

A minute later Jack joined him, carrying a lantern. Together they walked to the road not far away, and turned back over the ground they had covered late in the afternoon.

"There's the bend," whispered Jack presently.

"I see it," replied his comrade; "and it must have been somewhere close to this spot I saw that wheel appear, and then vanish so suddenly."

"Which side of the road did he dive into?" queried Jack.

"On our left. We'll look there first, anyhow, though if we find no signs I'll turn the other way, for I might have been mistaken. Watch sharp, now, Jack."

The light of the lantern soon showed them what Paul had expected to find. The plain print of a pneumatic rubber tire was seen, turning abruptly off the road, and running into the scrub alongside.

"Here, what do you make of that?" he asked, a tinge of triumph in his voice.

"The mark of tires as sure as anything," replied Jack, bending down the better to examine the imprint. "From the way they show up you can see it was no ordinary bicycle that made the trail, but something heavier. Yes, it was Ward on his motorcycle. But you didn't hear the popping of the machine, did you?"

"For a good reason," returned Paul, immediately. "You see the road descends for some distance, and he had just got over a long coast when he turned this bend. The engine was shut off."

"But the machine isn't here now?" continued Jack.

"Of course not," Paul admitted. "But any one with half an eye can see where he rolled it along here back of the brush, returning to where he came from. If we followed it a little way, we'd be sure to find that he hurried back up the road, pus.h.i.+ng his machine, and in time stopped the rest of the bunch as they came along."

"Well, that proves one thing then; they know where we are in camp,"

observed Jack, with a serious expression on his face; for he understood Ted Slavin's tactics of old, and could easily guess what might follow.

"It proves more than one thing to me," declared Paul. "If they didn't mean to badger us in some way why should Ward hurry back to tell the rest, and keep them from showing up here?"

"Then we'll have to get ready for an attack. Do you think they would dare stone the camp, and try to smash our tents?" and Jack gritted his teeth at the bare idea.

"Would you put it past them?" Paul asked; "haven't they proved themselves ready to do any sort of mean trick in the past? All we can do is to keep constantly ready, and live up to our motto."

"But suppose they do jump in on us; must we turn the other cheek, and get it on both sides?" demanded Jack, with whom this was always a disputed point.

"Not by any means," declared his chum, positively. "Boys may go a certain distance in forgiving an enemy who is sorry, and asks to be let off; but they never will stand for milk and water stuff like that, and you know it, Jack. We seek no quarrel, and will go as far as the next one to avoid it; but," and Paul's face took on a look of grim determination while he was speaking, "if they push us too far, why we must just sail in and lick the whole bunch. Sometimes peace can only be had after fighting for it."

"Glad to hear you say so. Shall we go back to the camp now, Paul?" asked his chum.

"Might as well, I reckon," came the answer; "because we have no idea of following this trail back to where that crowd has camped. But I'm glad I happened to glimpse that fellow as he came around the bend. It gives us fair warning, and if we're caught napping, why we deserve to get the worst of the argument, that's all."

"Huh! I'm glad we brought our staves along then," observed Jack.

They turned to retrace their steps. Paul half fancied he had seen a flitting figure among the trees not far away; but the light was so uncertain, he could not say positively that it had not been a pa.s.sing shadow, cast by one of the boys near by, crossing in front of the big fire.

If Ted and his followers were in truth hovering around, it would not be advisable for himself and Jack to wander any further away, lest they be set upon, overpowered by superior numbers, and kidnapped.

That would be a sad beginning to the great tour, which was almost certain to cause it to prove a failure from the start. Perhaps those shrewd plotters meant that it should be so; and were laying all their plans to that effect.

Unconsciously, then, Paul quickened his footsteps, and cast more than one glance over his shoulder, not fancying being taken by surprise. Even his companion noticed his uneasiness, and commented on it.

"Oh!" laughed Paul, "I imagine the idea must have come to me that they'd like nothing better than to nab both of us, and carry us off. With no head, the boys would soon get sick of staying up here, and scatter for home."

"Well, then," declared Jack, positively, "they mustn't have a chance to get you, if we can help it. But here we are close to the camp. Do you mean to tell them now?"

"It might be just as well," answered the leader, seriously; "every fellow would be put on his mettle then, knowing what was hanging over his head. And the sentries will hardly dare go to sleep on post. I know they realize the nature of such an offense; but many of these fellows are only tenderfeet when it comes to actual service; and what would you expect of boys anyway?"

Jud was the first to see that something was wrong. As he jumped up and hurried over to confer, others took the alarm. Joking ceased, and a look of real concern might be noticed upon many a face that, but a brief time before, was wreathed in broad smiles.

Then Paul explained. The moment he mentioned the name of Ted Slavin angry looks were exchanged between numbers of the scouts. They knew only too well, whenever that bully was around, there was apt to be trouble.

"They're after our good grub, that's what!" suggested one, immediately.

"But they don't get it, if we know it," declared another, positively.

"We're for peace first, last and all the time, even if we have to fight for it," observed William, showing his white teeth with one of his famous grins.

"That's the ticket. We seek no quarrel with anybody; but we're like Paul Jones' flag of the Revolution, with a rattlesnake coiled, and the motto, 'don't tread on me!' Isn't that it, fellows?" exclaimed Wallace Carberry.

"Leave it to Paul here; he knows what to do," ventured Jack.

"Sure," called out Bobolink, l.u.s.tily; "whatever Paul says goes with us.

Think up a good one, please, Paul, and teach those pirates a lesson they'll remember. They've been wanting a good licking this long time back."

"After what we did to them only last night?" demanded Jack. "If your left leg was sore this morning, what d'ye think the other fellow's felt like?"

"Thirty cents, I reckon," replied William, promptly.

Paul soon had his plan of campaign practically arranged. As it was plainly the intention of the marauders to steal a portion or all of their supplies, these were taken from the wagon and stored in the duplicate mess tent. As this happened to be in the middle of the camp the chances of any hostile force being able to reach it without attracting attention from those on guard seemed too remote to cause anxiety.

Other arrangements were made. Fires were laid ready for instant kindling, so that in case of a midnight alarm the woods might be quickly illuminated, and the enemy readily discovered.

Paul went about certain preparations on his own account, nor did he take any one into his confidence, not even his chum.

"When does the moon set to-night, Wallace?" he asked, knowing that the sober Carberry Twin always kept informed concerning such matters.

"Eleven twenty-seven," came the immediate reply, just as if Wallace might be reading it from an almanac; and so he was, only it was figured out in his wise old brain, and not printed upon book paper.

"Then if there's going to be any sort of row, believe me it will hold off until after that time," remarked the patrol leader, positively.

"Yes, Ted is always copying after the Indians in those cheap library stories he buys for his nickels," Wallace made reply. "Those five-cent redmen never used to attack a camp until the moon had gone down.

Generally it was just before peep of day, because men, and boys too, seem to sleep sounder then."