CHAPTER XXIV. BEAR'S CLAWS — THE TURKEY TRAIN ...221

W

HEN the boys awoke in the morning they found the Woodranger already astir. In fact, he had not only brought the wood and re-kindled the fire, but he had some fine fish broiling and had completed the other preparations for breakfast.

"Why didn't you speak to us," said Norman, "and we would have helped you?"

" Nay, lad, that would have been childish in me. You will find afore night that you have needed every bit o' rest you have got. You have a goodish walk afore you to-day."

"I think you said we should reach Pawtuckaway Mountain to-day ? "

" I trust we shall be 'lowed to reach there by sundown, though we shall have no water-courses to help us out. But you have none too much time in which to wash for breakfast. This fish to be at its best needs to be eaten smoking hot. That is the great secret o' the flavour o' all food. Nothing is so good that has been 'lowed to lose the flavour o' its cooking."

During the meal, at Bitlock's request, the Woodranger concluded to let Norman and Rob take him across the pond in the canoe, in order that he might return home. Before they started, Johnny Stark went in quest of the firearm, which the frightened man had thrown away the previous night.

The journey across the pond and back proving uneventful, upon the return of Norman and Rob the Woodranger carefully concealed his canoe, so they might have it on their way back, after which they "broke camp" at the Devil's Den.

Their course now lay through a wilderness of vegetation. At first they advanced quite rapidly through the pine forest, but upon reaching the expanses of smaller hard woods, such as gray birches, hazels, dogwoods, alders, sumachs, iron-woods, water-bushes, grapes, apple shrubs, and running hemlocks, which grew almost everywhere in the swamp and along the margins of the streams, they often found it difficult to get along. Here the Woodranger showed the advantage of his training by the greater ease and speed with which he picked his way.

" It comes very much o' practice," he said, as Billy Stark for the twentieth time was sent flying headlong to the ground by getting caught in a network of vines. " If you had brought your foot around with a swinging stride, and not tried to step so boldly over it, lad, you ne'er would have got caught as you did. But, alack a man, a lad like you ne'er minds a tumble like that. I do believe you enj'y it. It does you good. Look hyur, lads!"

The Woodranger's speech had taken a sudden turn, and ended with an earnestness which caused the boys to hasten to his side with what speed they could. He had stopped near the bank of a small stream, and, as they joined him, pointed to some freshly made tracks in the soft earth near the water's edge. The imprint was as wide as that made by the forester's moccasin, though shorter, so as to give it a more round shape. Rob Rogers was the first to recognise it, and he exclaimed, with some excitement:

" A bear's track, Woodranger ! "

" B'ar sign sure, lad. And the creatur' has been here inside an hour. See how it has trod its way to its drinking-place."

The boys had already seen a beaten path leading to the place, and at once they said :

" Shall we follow him up, Woodranger ?"

The forester shook his head.

" We have no use for him just now. Mebbe when we come back we'll try a hand with him. But you remember it is buck or moose that we are the most detarmined to find. Until we have satisfied our peace o' mind in that direction other game must wait."

Half an hour's advance was then made in comparative silence, when again the Woodranger stopped, and, with a smile on his lips, pointed to the ground, saying :

" Can you read that sign, Robby ?"

The boy ranger and his young companions quickly reached the spot, to see a smaller imprint than that made by the bear, but which bore some resemblance to it.

" Wildcat! " was Rob's prompt reply.

" How do you know but it's a cub's track ?" asked the forester.

" In the bear's tracks there were traces of the claws, but here there are none to be seen. Besides, the track is not so round."

" Good for you, lad. It is a wildcat, and a big one, jedging by its foot. How long since it was here ? "

" Less than an hour. The earth is scarcely dry here where the sun does not fall."

" Good jedgment, lad. But I reckon we have as leetle use for cat as we have for b'ar at this time. We'll let the varmint go his way, while we go ours. In the hollow o'er that ridge, if I mistake not, we shall find something for our dinner. Hark ! hear that ?"

The loud, piercing scream of a hawk had broken the silence of the forest, and looking up through a rift in the forest canopy they discovered the lone bird circling in the air, as it kept up its cries of alarm.

" Let me get a shot at it! " cried Billy, excitedly.

" A wanton waste o' powder, lad," said the Woodranger. " Instead o' firing away your ammunition, let's watch the bird a bit. I opine it is pretty well frightened."

"What can have frightened it ? "

" A man and a white one at that. Just wait a minute and see if I'm not right."

" How can you know it is a white man ?"

" Because a red is too often seen to raise all that rumpus for, and ha ! just as I expected. And the fool has burned his powder for nothing."

The report of a gun had been heard in the midst of the forester's speech, immediately following which, with a louder scream, the hawk flew to a greater height.

" Who can it be?" asked Norman.

" Not one you would he hankering to meet, if my ol' ears don't deceive me," replied the Woodranger, resuming his advance.

" You don't mean Gunwad?"

" I do. None but sich a varmint would be wasting his ammunition on a hawk. No truer saying than ' birds o' feather flock together' was e'er spoken ; and it is equally true that birds o' feather war on each other."

" But how could you tell this was Gunwad ? You must have had another reason for being so sure."

" Exactly, lad. I knowed it was the deer reeve by the peculiar sound o' his gun. If you want the proof o' sight we'll perambulate that way."

" No — no ! But can you tell any one by the report of his gun ? "

" Ginerally, lad, alter a fair trial. I find it is a handy knack."

After this, little was said for half an hour. Norman was thinking of the near presence of Gunwad, and was wondering if his having come into that region meant anything to him. In one respect he was relieved to know the unprincipled deer reeve was near ; he could not be troubling those at home. This fear had made him loath to leave them. In the midst of his speculations he found that the Woodranger had again stopped, and the boys had imitated his example. As the little group waited in silence, the younger members of the party wondering what this sudden halt signified, a tremulous, guttural cry, repeated three times in rapid succession, reached their ears,

"There's our dinner," said the forester, in a low tone, " and I will warrant you he is a fat old gobbler. Mind you how husky his voice is. To save running after him I will ask him to come and deliver himself up."

When the Woodranger had finished speaking, he placed his left hand to his lips, and half closing it, he gave expression to a cry so like that of the wild turkey that even Rob Rogers looked surprised. Giving this sound three times in quick succession, he stopped and listened with his companions.

They didn't have to wait long before the answer was sounded, louder and clearer than the notes before. Again the Woodranger gave forth his challenge, and again he received his reply. When these calls and replies had been made alternately half a dozen times, it was evident the turkey was near at hand. Each time the answering cry grew nearer and clearer, until the forester, parting the shrubbery with one hand, and pointing into the forest ahead with the other, said, in a whisper :

"See the old fellow and his brood! I s'pose you air anxious to try yum hands, lads, and you'll have no fairer chance. Take your pick, and fire when I give the word."

It was a beautiful sight that greeted the eyes of the boys, as their companion ceased speaking, and one that must have stirred the heart of any sportsman. Marching through the forest, with head held high, with the air of one leading a victorious legion, strutted the largest turkey gobbler any of them had ever seen. Close behind him came the hen, and at her heels, following in single file, like a war-party of red men going to battle, were the family brood of ten, the young nearly as large as the parent turkeys.

Notwithstanding his great weight, the leader stepped noiselessly over the leaf-strewn pathway, while he was continually looking upward or sidewise, on the alert for the least suspicion of danger. He stopped abruptly in full view, his head bent slightly over and his small, clear eye looking sharply ahead. So suddenly had this been done, as if he had in some unknown manner been warned of peril, that one foot remained raised. In a moment every member of the turkey train was motionless.

The old chief of the feathered legion seemed about to give expression to another cry, and the Woodranger raised his hand as a signal for the boys to fire. Norman had chosen a fine bronze gobbler of good size, and his young companions had each selected a victim, but before they had time to aim and fire, a dark, lissom form was seen to spring from behind a huge boulder upon the leader of the troop. The hen gave a quick, sharp cry of alarm, and in the twinkling of an eye disappeared with her brood.