The Banner Boy Scouts Afloat Part 17

"Do you mean about skipping out, Paul?" Bobolink exclaimed. "Oh! I hope now, you won't do anything like that. I'd feel dreadfully mean to sneak away. Always did hate to see a cur dog do that, with his tail between his legs."

"Still, it might seem best to leave here by dark," said Paul.

Something in his manner gave Jack a clue as to the meaning back of these words. He knew the scout master better than did any other fellow in the troop, and was accustomed to reading his motives in his look or manner.

"I take it that means we might _pretend_ to clear out, and come back under cover of the night, to make another camp; eh, Paul?" Jack now remarked, insinuatingly.

"That was what I had in mind," admitted the other; "but of course it'll be up to the boys to settle such a question. I believe in every fellow having a voice in things that have to do with the general business of the camp. But majority rules when once the vote is taken--stay, or go for good."

"Glad to hear you say so," ventured Bobolink. "Because here's three votes that will be cast for sticking it out; and if I know anything about Jud and Nuthin and Bluff, together with several more, the majority will want to stick. But I mean to give them a hint that we think that way. Several weak-kneed brothers are always ready to vote the way the leaders do. When the scout master takes snuff they start to sneezing right away."

"And for that very reason, Bobolink, I don't want you to say a word in advance to any of the fellows. When we have a vote, it should be the free opinion of every scout, without his being influenced by another. But what do you think of the idea, Jack?"

"I think it's just great," answered his chum. "And by the way, if we should conclude to come back to the island again in the night, I know the finest kind of a place where we could hide the motorboats."

"Where is that?" asked the scout master, quickly.

"You haven't been around on the side of the island where the sh.o.r.e curves into a little bay, like. The trees grow so close that their branches overhang the water. If the boats were left in there, and some green stuff drawn around them, I don't believe they'd ever be noticed, unless some one was hunting every foot of the island over for them."

"Yes, I think I know where you mean," said Paul. "I wasn't down by the little inlet you speak of; but back on the sh.o.r.e there's a dandy place among the rocks and trees, where we could pitch a new camp, and keep pretty well hidden, unless we happened to make a lot of noise, which we won't do if we can help it But everything depends on how the boys look at it."

"Anyhow," said Bobolink, resolutely; "I feel that we ought to put it up to them that way; tell 'em how easy it will be to screen the boats, and have a hidden camp. You'll let me tell about that, Paul, I hope, even if I mustn't say you mean to vote to come back?"

"I suppose that would be fair enough, because we ought to hold up our side of the question," the scout master replied, as they drew near the place where the three tents stood, and several groups of chattering scouts could be seen, doubtless earnestly discussing this mysterious thing that had come about; for, of course, Tom Betts had already told all about the suspicious tracks of the four men who had carried a heavy burden into the brush.

They looked eagerly toward the advancing three, as though expecting that Paul would now take them fully into his confidence.

This he proceeded to do without further delay; and it was worth while observing the various shades of emotion that flitted across the faces of the listeners while the scout master was talking. Some seemed alarmed, others disposed to be provoked, while not a few, Bobolink noted with secret glee, allowed a frown to mark their foreheads, as though they were growing angry at being so summarily ordered off the island by these unknown men, who did not even have the decency to present their command of dismissal in person.

He knew these fellows could be counted on to vote the right way when the question came up as to what they should do.

When the entire thing had been explained, so that they all understood it, Paul asked for a vote as to whether they clear out altogether, or appear to do so, only to come back again.

And, just as the sanguine Bobolink had expected, it resulted in thirteen declaring it to be their idea that they should come back, and try to find out what all these queer goings-on meant. When the result of the vote was made known, even the five who had voted to go moved that it be made unanimous.

Perhaps they came to the conclusion that since a return was decided on it would be safer to be with the rest on the haunted island, than off by themselves in a lone tent on the distant sh.o.r.e, where no a.s.sistance could reach them.

"Well, we'd better have an early supper, then, and get away; or since it is getting dark now, perhaps we'll have to put off the eating part until later," Paul suggested.

"Any old time will do for that," declared Bobolink, carelessly, whereupon Old Dan Tucker gave him a look of dismay, and sadly shook his head, as though he did not indorse such a foolish theory at all.

So, when the others were carrying things to the boats, and showing considerable nervousness while doing it, Old Dan managed to fill his pockets with crackers, which he hoped might stave off starvation for a little while at least.

Acting on the suggestion of Jack, the scouts gave all sorts of exhibitions of alarm as they busied themselves taking down the tents, and loading their traps aboard the two motorboats. Every now and then one of them would point somewhere up or down the sh.o.r.e, as though he thought he saw signs of the enemy coming, whereupon a knot of the boys would gather, and stare, and then scatter, to work more feverishly than ever.

They really enjoyed acting the part, too. It seemed to appeal to their fondness for a joke. And the best of it was, they always fancied that somewhere or other at least one pair of hostile eyes must be observing these signs of panic with satisfaction.

Just as darkness began to creep over water and island, clouds shutting out the moonlight again, all was p.r.o.nounced ready. And then the cheery "chug" of the motors sounded, for the boys purposely made all the noise they could, under the impression that it might seem to add to the appearance of a hasty flight.

In this manner did the troop of scouts break camp before they had been on Cedar Island more than twenty-four hours; and, so far as appearances went, deserted the place of the evil name for good and all.

CHAPTER XVI

UNDER COVER OF DARKNESS

Paul had settled it all in his mind as to what their course should be. He drew a mental map of the island, and its surroundings; and also remembered certain conclusions he had previously entertained connected with the depth of water on all sides, between their late camp and the mainland.

So the _Comfort_ set the pace, which was not very fast; for they wanted darkness to settle fully over the lake, in order that they might move around without being seen from the island.

"Tell me when the island is out of sight, Jud," remarked Paul; for some of the time the two boats were side by side, and nothing interfered with a clear view in the rear.

"Why, it's swallowed up already in the night mist; I can just make out that old cedar that stands on top of the little hill," came Jud's reply.

"Good. Then we'll have an easy time slipping back, I reckon," said Paul.

"Going all the way over to the sh.o.r.e; are you?" asked the other.

"Might as well; though we'll have to feel our way. Pretty shallow; ain't it, Jud?" for the scout master had set the other to work sounding with one of the setting poles, by dropping it over every little while.

"Touch bottom every time but seems to be plenty of water. Guess this lake ain't near so deep as that other one up by Rattlesnake Mountain,"

Jud remarked.

"Oh! it's many times deeper on the other side of the island," observed Paul. "I picked out this way across for a good reason."

"I suppose you did," Jud said, with a sublime confidence that was refres.h.i.+ng.

"Because, you see," added Paul, "when we start back again, we'll have to do without the help of our motors, for, m.u.f.fle them as we might, they'd make enough noise to betray us."

"Oh! I see now," declared Jud, chuckling. "In place of the motor business we'll use good hard muscle with these setting poles. And so long as we can touch bottom right along, it ain't going to be a very hard job getting back to the island. You don't think it's more'n half a mile; do you, Paul?"

"Not much more, and we can take our time, Jud. The one thing above all others we've got to keep in mind is silence. n.o.body ought to knock a pole against the side of a boat under penalty of being given black marks.

And as for talking, it'll have to be in whispers, when at all."

"S-s-sounds g-g-good to m-m-me," said Bluff, who somehow seemed to have gone back to his old stuttering ways; though it might be the excitement that caused the lapse.

Nothing more was said on the way over, though doubtless the boys kept up considerable thinking. They were tremendously worked up over the situation. This scheme proposed by the scout leader seemed to appeal to the spirit of adventure which nearly every boy who has red blood in his veins feels to be a part of his nature.

There was one among them, however, who was silent because of another reason; for Old Dan Tucker always declared it a very bad and injurious plan to try and converse when one's mouth was crammed full; and crackers, too, being apt to get in the wind-pipe, may do all manner of choking stunts. So he said never a word.

They presently could see the other sh.o.r.e looming up, though it was getting very dark, just as though a storm might be threatening to again demoralize them.

"Getting more shoal, Paul," warned the pole heaver.

"How much water have you now?" demanded the leader, ready to give the signal for bringing both motorboats to a stop, when it seemed necessary.