Under Boy Scout Colors Part 22

"By heck!" he exclaimed irately. "If you think this sort of thing is funny, Court Parker, it's about time somebody taught you--"

"Shut up, Bob!" cut in Ranny, curtly. His quick eye had taken in the streak of blood on Parker's cheek and noted a slight twitching at the corners of the boy's smiling mouth. "You're not hurt, are you, Court?" he added quickly.

Parker shook his head. "Not to speak of." He drew a long breath. "Well, we've found the mine," he went on in a voice which failed to be quite as matter of fact as he evidently tried to make it.

In an instant he was surrounded by the excited boys and fairly bombarded with questions: "Did you fall down the hole?" "What's it like down there?" "How did you get out?"

Court laughed a little shakily and sat down suddenly on a rock. "Give me a chance, can't you?" he begged. "I've only got one tongue, even though I can make that go pretty fast."

"Cut it out and quit worrying him, fellows," ordered Ranny. "Take your time, Court, and start at the beginning. How did you get down the hole?"

"Cinchiest thing you know!" grinned Parker. "I just stepped on the cover and went through. You see, when I went into that crack the hole didn't show at all; there were a lot of branches and stuff over it. One minute I was on solid ground, and the next I was flying through s.p.a.ce."

"Gee!" exclaimed Sanson. "How deep was it?"

"Seemed about a mile; but I guess it wasn't more than twenty feet.

Luckily there was a lot of leaves and stuff at the bottom, so I landed pretty soft. But when I tried to climb back I found it was too slippery.

Then I lost my voice yelling, but n.o.body came, so I started to look around a bit. It's just one long tunnel, running both ways and braced up by rotten old timbers and things. I had my flash-light in my pocket, so I wasn't afraid of being lost. I took the right-hand turn and--I say, fellows, there's a bear down there!"

"A bear?" chorused the astonished audience as one boy.

[Ill.u.s.tration: In an instant he was surrounded by excited boys]

"Well, it might be a wildcat or something like that. I only saw its eyes, but I tell you they held me up, all right. About three hundred feet from where I fell in there was another kind of a shaft thing, only not so big, sort of off to one side. It wasn't very deep, either, for when I looked down I saw those two big yellow eyes that didn't seem more than eight or ten feet down. Gee whiz! I was scared. I must have got turned around, too; because, when I came to, I found I was legging it away from the big hole instead of back toward it."

He paused and drew a long breath; his fascinated hearers sighed in sympathy. "Did you go back then?" one of them asked eagerly.

"I was thinking about it," resumed Court, "when my thumb slipped off the flash-key, and ahead of me, not so very far away, was a little spot of light--daylight, you know. You'd better believe I hustled for it.

The tunnel had been going up hill quite some, and now it began to get narrower and lower. Before very long I had to get down and crawl, and then I found the light was coming between two rocks through a crack that didn't look more than a foot or so wide. The bottom was pounded down hard in a regular path; I s'pose that was the way the bear got in to its den. Anyhow, there was just room for me to squeeze out, and even then I cut my face and tore these holes in my suit."

"Kind of small, then, for a full-grown bear, I should think," commented Ranny.

Court looked a trifle foolish. "I never thought of that," he confessed.

"Still, I bet a wildcat could do it."

"It might--only I haven't heard of any wild-cats being around here."

"What's the matter with our taking a look?" suggested Dale Tompkins.

"Going through the hole Court came out of?" asked Ranny, glancing at him.

"Sure! We've got some flash-lights, and very likely the beast is stuck down that shaft and can't get out. I vote we try it."

Two or three fellows backed him up, but the others showed no great enthusiasm in the venture. They were quite willing, however, to go as far as the outside of the hole, and started off without delay, only to meet Mr. Reed with Mr. Curtis and several scouts coming up at a brisk trot.

When Court's story had been told over again the scoutmasters decided that the investigation had better be made from the end that Court had stumbled into. They had brought the rope with them, and when one end of this was firmly fastened, Mr. Reed slid down into the old mine. He spent some time inspecting the ancient timbering, but finally decided that it was safe enough for those who wished to follow him. This meant the entire a.s.sembled crowd, and when all were gathered at the bottom, Court led the way.

The tunnel was fairly wide and over six feet high. It sloped gently upward and was quite dry, thus accounting for the preservation of the ma.s.sive oak beams that acted as supports. Here and there along the sides were the marks of tools, but scarcely a vestige of ore remained.

"Vein petered out, I suppose," remarked Mr. Curtis. "That's why it was abandoned, of course."

The interest of the scouts, however, was less on the mine than on Court's "wildcat." As they approached the shaft some hurried forward while others kept prudently in the rear.

"He's there yet!" announced Parker, peering over the edge. "See his eyes!

I wonder if--"

He did not finish. Mr. Reed flashed the light from his battery into the hole, and Trexler, close beside him, gave an exclamation of surprise.

"Why, it's a c.o.o.n!"

And so it was; an uncommonly large specimen, to be sure, but still exceedingly harmless and inoffensive. In fact, at the flashes of light and the sight of so many faces peering down on it, the frightened creature shrank close to the side of the pit as if trying to escape.

"It's fallen down and can't get out!" exclaimed Trexler. "Can't I go down and get it, Mr. Reed?"

The hole was barely four feet across and not more than twice as deep--a trial shaft, Mr. Curtis suggested, probably sunk in the search for another vein. Receiving permission, Paul simply hung by his hands and dropped, and the interested spectators saw him lift up the c.o.o.n.

"The poor thing's half starved," he said. "Let down a couple of coats, fellows, and pull him up. He'll make a dandy camp mascot."

The idea was hailed with delight. There was little trouble in hoisting the creature to the surface and pulling Trexler after him. Then the entire crowd turned back to the entrance shaft, their interest diverted to this new pet.

Back on the surface the a.s.sembly whistle was blown, and the two scoutmasters made themselves comfortable while waiting the arrival of the throng they knew would be eager to inspect the mine. The members of Tent Three, however, did not linger. Obtaining permission to return at once to camp, they hustled off, carrying the c.o.o.n with them, and for the brief remainder of the day they were exceedingly busy.

Pete, as the mascot was christened, had to be fed and housed and cared for, and it took some time to build a crate strong enough to keep him from escaping. At first he threatened to be killed by kindness, but finally Trexler was voted his special guardian, and in a surprisingly short time the animal became noticeably docile and friendly. He had an inordinate curiosity and was as full of mischief as any monkey. But though the cook frowned on him, his popularity with the scouts increased with every day.

CHAPTER XXVI

THE WISH OF HIS HEART

And how swiftly those remaining days pa.s.sed with their mingling of work and play! There were more fis.h.i.+ng excursions and athletic meets. One afternoon was devoted to an exciting treasure-hunt; another saw a sham battle in which part of the boys in boats attacked one of the islands defended by the remainder. At regular intervals, too, Captain Chalmers gave scout examinations in headquarters tent, and an encouraging number of fellows increased their standing or obtained merit badges.

Dale Tompkins thoroughly enjoyed each minute of his stay. He entered with keen zest into every game and compet.i.tion, and took his share of the various ch.o.r.es--even the hated dish-was.h.i.+ng--without a grumble. It was all so fresh and wonderful that the simplicity and freedom of the life, with the nightly council-fire under the stars and the intimate companions.h.i.+p with so many "dandy" fellows, appealed to him intensely even without considering the added interest of each day's activities.

Best of all, perhaps, was his feeling of growing comfort in the att.i.tude of Ranny Phelps. There had been nothing in the nature of a formal reconciliation. On the contrary, the blond lad's manner toward Tompkins still showed traces of embarra.s.sment. But one does not always need the spoken word to realize the truth, and deep down in his heart Dale knew that, though they might not yet be close friends, at least no shadow of coldness or enmity remained between them.

When the last day came, as last days have an unpleasant way of doing, Dale tried to think of the wonderful time he had had instead of regretting that it was almost over. More than once, too, his mind dwelt with grat.i.tude on the unknown customer whose need for bird-houses had made it all possible.

"Maybe some day I'll find out who it was and be able to thank him," he said to himself during the course of the morning.

A final trip in the motor-boat had been planned for the afternoon, but after dinner Captain Chalmers announced that Mr. Thornton would inspect the camp at about five o'clock, and stay for supper and the council-fire afterward.

"So I think we'd better put in a few hours making things spick and span and working up a specially good program for to-night," he concluded.

"You fellows all know how keen I am to give him an extra good impression of scouting, and you've kept things in corking good shape these two weeks. But let's see if we can't give him a regular knock-out blow when he comes."

One and all the scouts took up the idea enthusiastically and worked to such purpose that when the banker appeared he found a camp which would have done credit to the West Point cadets. He was a little stiff at first, but during supper in the big tent he thawed considerably, and later, at the council-fire, he applauded the various stunts with the enjoyment and simple abandon, almost, of a boy. When these were over he rose to his feet, and the firelight gleaming on his face showed it softened into lines of genial good-fellows.h.i.+p.