tom wagstaff and jim mcgovern might well be puzzled at the sight which greeted them while picking their way through the wood.
a strong light seemed to be shining through a screen. at first it was stationary, its appearance preventing them from guessing its nature. while they stood silent, wondering and frightened, on the point of retreating, the shadow of a person glided in front of the light. it was grotesque and gigantic, and flitted across their field of vision, disappearing as quickly as it had come to view. the next moment some one was seen holding a lamp in his hand and peering out in the gloom.
then the whole explanation broke upon them. they had come upon a tent in the wood, the light shining through the canvas and producing the effect which first puzzled them. the person inside passed between them and the lamp, so that his shadow was flung on the screen in front. then he picked up the light, and pushing aside the flap, peered out in the gloom.
as he did so the glare from the lamp fell upon his face and showed his features so distinctly that both boys recognized him, and uttered an exclamation of astonishment and delight.
“bob budd, as i live! why, you’re the very fellow we’re looking for!” called out tom wagstaff, as he and his companion hurried forward and greeted their friend, whose amazement was equal to theirs when he held the light above his head and recognized them.
“where under the sun did you come from?” he asked, all three walking into the tent after shaking hands, and seating themselves, while the host set the light on a small stand at one side.
“i didn’t expect you for a week or two,” added bob, whose pleasure could not be concealed.
“well,” replied jim, with a laugh, “we set out to surprise you, and i guess we succeeded.”
“there’s no doubt of that,” said bob; “but tell me how you found the way to this spot.”
the visitors were not quite willing to give the whole truth, and tom ventured the explanation.
“we came most of the way in the cars,” said he, “but got off at a little station a few miles out to tramp across the country, thinking we might pick up some game on the way. we didn’t make out very well, and rode to black bear swamp in the stage. there we got out again and set out to find you.”
“how did you know where to look?”
“the driver told us you had a camp out this way somewhere, and we thought we might stumble over it.”
this narrative was so brief in the way of details that the boys ran some risk of having it overturned when the account of the driver and his passenger should be heard, but fortunately for them, durrell and lenman forebore any references to the unworthy part played by the youths, and bob budd remained ignorant of the real cause of the abrupt flight of his friends, and their taking to the shelter of black bear swamp.
“i’ve had the tent up for three days,” added the host, who was about the age of his guests, “and it’s so well stored with eatables and drinkables that i come out every night to take a look at it, so as to make sure no tramps or thieves are prowling around. i was about to go home when you hailed me. shall we go to the house or stay here till morning?”
“i don’t see that this can be improved on,” replied tom, looking admiringly about him; “we’re pretty well tuckered out, and i would as lief stay here till morning anyway.”
“those are my sentiments,” added jim, much pleased with the survey.
“then we’ll stay,” said bob; “i’m glad you’re suited. where are your trunks?”
“at the station at piketon.”
“i’ll send the checks over in the morning and have our man bring them here. i have my own gun and some things to bring from the house, and then we’ll be in shape for a good old time in the woods. i guess, boys, a little refreshment won’t hurt us.”
the liberality of bob budd’s uncle jim and aunt ruth, with whom he lived (he having no parents or other near relatives), enabled him to do about as he pleased, so far as his own pleasure and self-indulgence were concerned. he quickly set a substantial lunch before his guests, of which all partook. i am sorry to say that strong drink formed a large part of the repast, all indulging liberally, after which pipes and cigarettes were produced, and they discussed their plans of enjoyment.
wagstaff and mcgovern did not hesitate to admit that they had run away from home for the purpose of having this outing. the fact that their parents were sure to be distressed over their absence was a theme for jest instead of regret.
“they’ll learn to appreciate us when we go back,” said wagstaff, with a laugh, as he puffed his villainous decoction of tobacco and poison; “you see, if jim and i went home now they would be apt to scold; but they will be so glad at the end of a fortnight that they’ll kill the fatted calf and make us welcome.”
“a good idea,” commented bob, passing back the flask to mcgovern; “you see, my uncle and aunt love me so dearly that they don’t object to anything i do, though now and then aunt ruth holds up dick halliard as a model for me.”
“we saw that lovely young man while we were in the stage,” remarked wagstaff; “he went by us on his bicycle.”
“yes; he rides a wheel well, but it makes me mad to see him.”
“why so?”
“well, he’s younger than me, and i used to go to school with him; he’s one of those fellows who don’t like many things a wide-awake chap like me does, and he has a way of telling you of it to your face.”
“that’s better than doing it behind your back,” suggested jim.
“he has no right to do it at all; what business is it of his if i choose to smoke, take a drink now and then, and lay out the other boys when they get impudent?”
“it’s nothing to him, of course; we’ll settle his hash for him before we go back. i shouldn’t wonder,” added tom, with a wink, “if he should find that bicycle of his missing some day.”
“that would hit him harder than anything else,” remarked bob, pleased with the remark; “i’ve thought of the same thing, but haven’t had a good chance to spoil it. i say, boys, we’ll have just the jolliest times you ever heard of.”
“it won’t be our fault if we don’t,” assented jim, while his companion nodded his head as an indorsement of the same views.
“is there good hunting in these parts?”
“it, isn’t as good as up among the adirondacks or out west in the rocky mountains, but i think we can scare up some sport. i’ve a good hunting dog, and as soon as we get things in shape we’ll see what we can do. what sort of game do you prefer?”
“anything will suit me—elephants, tigers, rhinoceroses, and the like; or, if we can’t do better, i wouldn’t mind a bear or deer.”
“i daresn’t promise much, but we’ll have the fun anyway, and that’s what we all want more than anything else.”
the boys kept up their conversation until the night was well along, and all were in high spirits over the prospect. they smoked and drank until, when they lay down in slumber, they were in that plight that they did not waken till the sun was high in the heavens.
the day was so cloudy and overcast that, although it cleared up before noon, they decided to defer their hunting excursion until the following morning, or perhaps the one succeeding that. tom and jim accompanied bob to his uncle’s, where they were made welcome by his relatives, though it must be said that neither was specially pleased with their looks and conduct. they made themselves at home from the first, and their conversation was loud and coarse; but then they were friends of the petted nephew, and that was all sufficient.
the trunks were brought from the railway station by uncle jim’s coachman and taken to the camp of the piketon rangers. by that time the news of the attempt to rob the stage had spread, and caused great excitement in the town and neighborhood. tom and jim, finding no reference to them in the accounts, deemed it best to say nothing, since they might have found it hard to make it appear that they had acted bravely at a time when such a fine chance was offered to play the hero.
that afternoon the three fully established themselves in the tent of bob budd. the day had cleared up beautifully, but it was too late to start out on the great hunt they had fixed their hearts on, and toward night they separated to take a stroll through the surrounding country, with which they wished to become familiar. they believed this could be done better if they should part company, since each would be obliged to keep his senses about him, and to watch his footsteps more closely than if he had a guide in the person of bob budd, their friend and host.
