The Boy Scouts on Sturgeon Island | Page 6

Thad can dodge right smart if the old thing does come
whooping out at him!" was the way Davy put it; at which the eyes of
Bumpus grew rounder and rounder, and he began to quietly edge away
from under the tree, an inch at a time; for he hoped none of his chums
would notice his timidity, because Bumpus was proud of having done
certain things in the line of bagging big game, on the occasion of their
trip to the Far West.
"There," remarked Step Hen, "he's getting up pretty far now, and I
reckon must be close by the place where you saw your old panther,
Davy."
"Yes," added Giraffe, "and you notice that Thad's marking time, so to
speak, for he's hanging out there, and trying to see what's above him."
"A scout should always use a certain amount of caution," interposed
Allan; "there are times when a fellow might take chances, if it's a case
of necessity, and quick action is necessary in order to save life; but
right now Thad's only carrying out the rule he's always laid down for
the rest of us.
"Be prepared, you know, is the slogan of every scout, and that's what
he's doing. He wants to be sure of his ground before he jumps."
"Hub!" grunted Davy, "if I'd stopped to count ten before I slid down, I
wonder now what would have happened to me. Some fellers act from
impulse every time, and you can't change the spots of the leopard, they
say. What's dyed in the wool can't be washed out, as took as Bumpus
here with his carroty hair."
"You leave my hair alone, Davy Jones, and pay attention to your own
business," complained the stout scout, aggressively. "You just know
you're a going to get it when Thad makes his report, and you're trying

to draw attention somewhere else. Make me think of what I read about
the pearl divers when they see an old hungry man-eating shark waiting
above 'em; they stir up the sand with the sharp-pointed stick they carry;
and when the water gets foggy they swim away without the fish being
able to see 'em. And you're atrying right now to befog the real case,
which is, did you really see anything, or get scared at your own
shadow."
"Hear! Hear!" crowed Giraffe, who always liked to see Bumpus
aroused, and when this occurred he often made out to back him up with
approval, just as some boys would sick one dog on another, or tempt
rival roosters to come to a "scrap."
"You fellow's let up, and watch what Thad's agoin' to do," Step Hen
advised them at that juncture; and so for the time being Davy and
Bumpus forgot their complaint and riveted their eyes on the boy who
was up in the tree.
"I can't hardly see him any more, the branches are so thick,"
complained Bumpus ducking his head this way and that.
"That's because he's gone on again," argued Giraffe; "seems like he
didn't find any signs of a real panther when he took that survey."
"Hold your horses!" was all Davy allowed himself to say, though no
doubt he himself had commenced to have serious doubts by now.
Half a minute later and there broke out a series of strange sounds from
up above their heads.
"Listen to that, now, would you?" cried Davy, bristling with importance
again. "Don't that sound like Thad might a hit up against something big?
Hear him talking, will you? Didn't you catch what he said right
then--no, you don't grab me, you rascal; I'm afraid I'll have to knock
you on the head yet! Say, don't that sound like Thad had found my
panther, and was keeping him off with that club he took up with him.
Oh! what's that?"

Something came crashing down as Davy uttered this last exclamation.
The boys were horrified at, first, because they imagined it might bit
Thad and the panther, that, meeting in midair, had lost their grip, and
were falling to the ground, fully forty feet below.
"Why, it's only his club" cried Giraffe, quickly.
"Then he must have let it get knocked out of his hand!" ejaculated
Bumpus. "Oh! poor Thad. He'll be in a bad fix without a single thing to
fight that animal with!"
"That's where you're mistaken, because I can see him now, and he's
acoming down the tree right smart!" Step Hen announced; which
intelligence allowed Bumpus to breathe freely again, for his face was
getting fiery red with the suspense that had gripped him.
"That's so!" echoed Giraffe, "and I'm looking to see if there's any signs
of a big cat trailing after him, but so far nothing ain't come in sight."
The five scouts on the