Four Boy Hunters written by Captain Ralph Bonehill
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Captain Ralph Bonehill >> Four Boy Hunters
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11 FOUR BOY HUNTERS
or, The Outing of the Gun Club
by
CAPTAIN RALPH BONEHILL
CONTENTS
CHAPTERS
I. Target Shooting and a Plan
II. The Fire at the Saw Mill
III. Down the River
IV. The Disappearance of the Boat
V. Another Start
VI. A First Night in Camp
VII. Something About a Strange Animal
VIII. An Unwelcome Arrival
IX. A Night of Discomfort
X. Giant and the Maskalonge
XI. In a New Camp
XII. Shep and the Hollow Tree
XIII. Lost in the Woods
XIV. The Boys and the Wildcat
XV. The Cave in the Mountain
XVI. A Successful Deer Hunt
XVII. The Rival Campers
XVIII. A Mix-Up in Camp
XIX. Another Hunt After Dark
XX. In a Storm on the Lake
XXI. A Camp and a Prisoner
XXII. Rabbits, Nuts and a Snake
XXIII. After Mountain Brook Mink
XXIV. Ham Spink and the Skunk
XXV. Surrounded by Wolves
XXVI. Something About Trapping
XXVII. The Deserted Cottage
XVIII. The Boy Hunters and a Bear
XXIX. A Strange Meeting in the Forest
XXX. Words and a Blow
XXXI. The Forest Fire---Conclusion
PREFACE
My Dear Lads:
This tale of "_Four Boy Hunters_" is a complete story in itself, but
forms the first volume of a line to be called "_The Boy Hunters
Series_," taking the heroes through various adventures while searching
for big and little game in the woods and in the mountains.
The boys are bright, lively fellows of to-day, with a natural taste
for a life in the open, and a fondness for a gun and a rod. In the
present volume they organize their little club, and after a good
deal of talk obtain permission to go a number of miles from home
and establish a camp on the edge of a lake. From this spot they
are driven away by one who is their enemy, and then they go
elsewhere. They have fun and adventures in plenty, around the camp
and while out after both big and little game, and they help to bring
to justice two men who are hiding from the officers of the law.
To-day hunting in our country is not what it was some years ago.
Many of the best hunting localities have become settled, and it
is becoming harder and harder to catch a sight of a deer, or a
moose, or a bear, or, in fact, any wild animal of size. In the
far West the buffalo has been practically wiped out, and in the
East the deer and moose would also be gone were it not for the
protection of the law, which makes it illegal to shoot down such
game during the closed season.
With best wishes to all who love a gun and love good hunting,
I remain, Your sincere friend, Captain Ralph Bonehill.
CHAPTER I
TARGET SHOOTING AND A PLAN
Cling!
"A bull's-eye!"
Cling!
"Another bull's-eye, I declare!"
Cling!
"Three bull's-eyes, of all things! Snap, you are getting to be
a wonder with the rifle. Why, even old Jed Sanborn couldn't do
better than that."
Charley Dodge, a bright, manly boy of fifteen, laid down the rifle
on the counter in the shooting gallery and smiled quietly. "I
guess it was more luck than anything, Shep," he replied. "Perhaps
I couldn't do it again."
"Nonsense," came from Sheppard Reed, also a boy of fifteen. "You
have got it in you to shoot straight and that is all there is to
it. I only wish I could shoot as well."
"How did you fellows make out?" came from a third youth, as he
entered the gallery. He was sixteen years old but hardly as large
as the average lad of ten.
"Snap just made three bull's-eyes!" cried Shep Red. "Made them
as easily as pie, too."
"And what did you make?"
"Made one bull's-eye and two inner rings. Are you going to try your
luck, Giant?"
"Humph!---I don't think I can hit the back of the building unless
they move it up to me," answered Will Caslette. "But I'll take
a chance," he added, turning to the keeper of the gallery and
fishing five cents from his pocket. "Got to learn to shoot if
I'm going on a hunt, you know," he went on, to his chums.
"Then you can go with us?" questioned Charley Dodge, quickly.
"I think so---mother said she would tell me for certain to-morrow."
The small youth took the rifle handed to him and aiming carefully,
pulled the trigger.
"The outer ring," said Shep Reed. "That's not so bad but what
it might be worse, Giant."
"Oh, it might be worse!" answered the small youth, coolly. "I
might fire out of the window and kill somebody on the back street,
or hit a duck in Rackson's pond. Here goes again."
The second shot was a little better, and the third made the bell ring,
much to the small youth's delight.
"Hullo, you fellows!" came from the doorway, a lively boy of fourteen
came in, curly hair dying and a cap set far back on his head.
"Been looking for you all over town for about sixteen hours.
Been shooting, eh? I'll bet a can of buttermilk against a shoestring
that you all made outer rings."
"Hullo, Whopper!" called the others. "Come in and try your luck."
"Can't---I'm dead broke this morning," answered Frank Dawson.
"I've got to wait a year or two till my next allowance comes in."
"Here's the money," answered Charley Dodge, producing five cents.
"Now, Whopper, don't make more than three bull's-eyes."
"I'm going to make twenty-'leven," answered the boy called Whopper.
"Don't you know that I once went into a gallery in the city and
made one hundred bull's-eyes in succession? The proprietor fainted
and didn't get over it for two months."
"Phew! That's the biggest whopper yet!" ejaculated Giant. "Nothing
like living up to your reputation."
The boy who could tell big stories on all occasions took up the
rifle and shot three times with care, and as a result placed three
inner rings to his credit.
"That isn't bad," said Shep Reed. "But Snap is the boss rifleman
of this crowd."
"Then we must make him the leader of our gun club," put in Giant.
"What do you say, fellows?"
"That's it!" cried the others.
"Have you fellows got a gun club?" came from the man who kept the
shooting gallery, curiously.
"We've got something of that sort," answered the newly declared
leader. "You see, we expect to go out on a hunting tour this
fall and so we got together and called ourselves a gun club."
"The Fairview Gun Club," corrected Whopper. "Nothing like giving
a title that looks like something, as the French Count said when
he called himself a duke."
"Where is your club going?"
"Oh, just up in the mountains, back of Lake Cameron," answered
Snap.
"Is the hunting good there?"
"Pretty fair---so old Jed Sanborn says."
"Well, I wish you luck. You boys are good enough shots to bring
down almost anything," said the shooting gallery keeper.
"Come on up to our orchard and talk things over," said Snap, as
he led the way from the gallery, and in a moment more the boys
were on the Street and making their way to Mr. Dodge's apple orchard,
a quarter of a mile from the center of the town. The other boys
knew as well as Snap that there were some fine fall pippins in
the orchard, and, like all growing lads, each loved a good apple.
The town of Fairview was not a large one. There was one main
street and a side street running to the little depot, at which
eight trains stopped daily. There were fifteen shops and stores,
a hotel and three churches. The houses numbered less than a hundred
in the town proper, although many others were located in the rich
farming district close by. Fairview was situated on the Rocky
River, which, ten miles below, flowed into a beautiful sheet of
water called Lake Cameron. The town was noted for its natural
beauty, and in the summertime not a few tourists stopped there.
One of the principal men of the community was Mr. Dodge, Charley's
father. He was rich, but preferred to live on his farm instead
of moving to the town or the city. He was a school trustee and
also held an interest in the summer hotel and in one of the big
saw mills on the river.
Sheppard Reed was the only son of a local physician, who, during
the past twenty years, had built up a substantial practice in
and around Fairview. Shep and Snap, as they were always called,
were close chums, and once in a while their own folks would refer
to them as the Twins.
Frank Dawson had moved to Fairview only two years before, but
had become a general favorite among the boys. He had a habit
of exaggerating most woefully, and this had gained for him the
nickname of Whopper. From this it must not be inferred that Frank
could not tell the truth, for, when it came to the pinch the lad
was as truthful as anybody. His "whoppers" were always so big
that everybody recognized them as such instantly.
Will Caslette, always called Billy or Giant, was the son of a
French widow lady who had come to Fairview on the death of her
husband, seven years before. The widow had just enough to live
on comfortably, and she took a great pride in her offspring, even
though he was so small in stature. But though Billy was small
he was "all there," as the other boys said, and promised to become
a man, every inch of him.
Arriving at the orchard, the four boys walked to one of the best
of the apple trees and with a stick brought down a dozen of the
finest apples. Then they selected a warm spot in the sunshine,
threw themselves on the sward, and began to eat and discuss their
plans at the same time.
"It's a regular windfall for us that the old schoolhouse is going
to be shut up next Wednesday," said Snap. "Just think of two
months of loafing."
"Bless the storm that ripped off part of the roof," came from Shep.
"And bless the fact that they can't get it mended right away,"
was Will's comment. "I don't believe they'll open again until
after the holidays."
"Of course they won't," said Whopper. "They can't do it. They've
got to put on a new roof, mend the water pipes, reset the steps,
paint the place, and do sixteen hundred and one things."
"The best thing we can do is to make all arrangements for going
on our tour bright and early Monday morning," went on Snap. "We
will have from now on to get ready in. That will be plenty of
time."
"Humph! I could get ready in an hour," murmured Whopper. "What's
there to do anyway? Pick up our guns, pack up some grub, take
along a tent and some fishing tackle, and there you are. Easy
as sliding off a banana peel."
"Is it?" came from Snap. "That's all you know about it. In the
first place, you must remember that this is no outing for a day
or two, or even a week. We have got to take supplies for at least
a month, if not two months. And I don't want to live in a tent
when it gets good and cold. We've got to build a shack of some
sort. There will be a hundred and one things to do before we
are ready to start. And it is going to cost something, too."
"How much?" asked Giant, anxiously. "Please don't make the amount
too high, or I won't be able to stand for my share."
"We'll figure it out," said Snap, producing a note-book and a
pencil. "I suppose when it comes to such things as flour, sugar,
salt, coffee and the like, we can get them from our homes. But
there are other things that we will have to buy. For instance,
we will need plenty of powder and shot, and we'll want to take
medicines and plasters along, in case of accidents-----"
"I can get those from my father," interrupted Shep. "He has an
emergency case that will be just the thing."
"How about-----" began Giant, when he stopped short, to gaze at
a man who was running down the road at top speed. "Hullo, Mr.
Harrison!" he called. "Where are you going in such a hurry?"
"Goin' to the fire!" was the puffed-out answer.
"Fire?" ejaculated all of the boys, leaping to their feet. "Where?"
"Down the river. Reckon it's the Barnaby mill," and the man went
on his way.
The boys gazed down the river and saw a thick volume of smoke
rolling skyward. Men and boys were running toward it from every
direction.
"It's the mill, as sure as fate!" cried Snap. "Come on, I'm going
to the fire, fellows!" And away he started.
"Isn't that the mill in which your father owns an interest?" asked
Whopper.
"Yes; he owns a third share," answered Snap.
CHAPTER II
THE FIRE AT THE SAW MILL
It was indeed the Barnaby place that was going up in flames, and
already the fire had gained much headway. The place was composed
of the saw mill proper and half a dozen sheds used for the storage
of cut lumber. The plant was valued at thirty thousand dollars,
so if it was swept away the loss would be a heavy one.
The mill was a good half mile from the orchard, but the boys were
all good runners and covered the distance in a few minutes, Shep
and Snap arriving there first and little Giant bringing up the
rear, with a face as red as a beet.
A dozen men and boys were on hand, besides the mill workers, and
a bucket brigade had been formed to throw buckets of water taken
from the river on the flames. Some men were bringing out a line
of hose, which was presently attached to the engine of the mill
itself.
"I am going to help here!" cried Snap, throwing off his coat,
and he went to work with a will and the other lads did the same.
The buckets of water came along swiftly, but for a long time
it looked as if the whole plant was doomed to destruction. The
fire was in a shed next to the saw mill itself, a place one end
of which was used as an office by the mill company. The wind
was blowing the sparks directly to the mill proper.
"Phew! but this is hot work!" cried one of the men. "Can't stand
this much longer."
"Don't give up!" pleaded the master of the mill. "Perhaps the
wind will change."
It certainly was warm work, as all of the boys found out. The
sparks and brands were dropping over them, and once Snap's shirt
sleeve caught fire, while Shep had a spark blister his neck and
cause him to let out a yell like an Indian.
In the midst of the excitement, Mr. Dodge arrived, and a moment
later the local fire engine, an old-fashioned affair purchased
from a neighboring city. The stream of water, however, did good
service, and the fire was kept largely to the shed in which it
had started. The mill itself caught a dozen times, but the flames
were extinguished before they did material damage. Finally the
wind veered around, blowing the sparks toward a cleared spot in
the woods, and then all saw that the worst of the affair was over.
But men and boys kept at their labors, and did not stop until
every spark of the conflagration had been extinguished.
"Now it is over, I am going down to the river and wash up," said
Snap to Shep, and they walked to the edge of the stream, followed
by Whopper and Giant. "I feel dirty from head to foot."
"Your father can be thankful that the mill didn't go," said Whopper.
"Gosh, what a blaze! I thought the whole county was going to burn
up. I got burnt in about 'leventeen hundred spots."
"And I let a bucket of water drop on my foot," put in Giant.
"Say, but didn't the edge of the bucket feel nice on my little
toe!" and he limped along to the water's edge.
Having washed up, the boys returned to the scene of the fire.
They found the mill master, Tom Neefus, in earnest conversation
with Mr. Dodge.
"You saw the rascal do it?" asked Snap's father.
"I certainly did," replied Tom Neefus. "I started to catch him,
but then I came back to put out the blaze. I made up my mind
it would be better to stop the fire than catch the man, even though
he was such a villain."
"Who's a villain, father?" asked Shep.
"The man who started this fire."
"Did a man start it?" asked the boy, while several others drew
closer to listen.
"So Mr. Neefus says. He caught the fellow at the office desk.
In a corner the fellow had thrown a pile of shavings and saturated
it with oil. As he ran away he threw a handful of lighted matches
into the shavings and they caught instantly."
"I suppose he did that so that he could get away. He knew the
men around here would try to save the property instead of going
after him."
"Exactly, Charley. He must have been a cold-blooded villain to
do such a thing, for it might have been the means of burning down
everything," continued Mr. Dodge.
"What was he doing at the desk, Mr. Dodge?" asked Shep.
"He was evidently looking for money or something of value."
"Did he get anything?"
"Nothing, so far as Mr. Neefus knows. The safe was locked up,
I believe."
The strong-box mentioned stood in a corner of the office, and
the fire had swept all around it. It was quite hot, but after
some more water had been poured over it the master of the mill
threw it open.
"The books are all right---the fire wasn't hot enough to touch
them," said Tom Neefus. "I don't think---Ha!"
He stopped short, gazing into a small compartment of the safe.
Then his brow contracted.
"What have you discovered?" questioned Mr. Dodge, quickly.
"The money is gone---and also those papers to that tract of land
at Spur Road!"
"The money? How much money?"
"Three hundred and fifty dollars."
"But I thought you said you had the safe locked," went on Mr.
Dodge.
"I did have it locked. He must have opened it and then shut it
up again before he went at the desk."
The announcement by the master of the mill created something of
a sensation, and soon all the men and boys in the vicinity gathered
to learn the particulars of the robbery. It was learned that
the man who had perpetrated the deed was a tall, slim individual
who limped with his left foot when he ran. He had disappeared
into the forest bordering the river, and that was the last seen
of him. He had red hair and a stubby red moustache.
That very evening a reward of one hundred dollars was offered
by the mill company for the capture of the thief, and men and
boys for miles around went on the hunt, but without success.
Mr. Dodge and the other men of the concern were very much worried,
but could do nothing further. The county authorities appeared
to be helpless, although the sheriff and two deputies spent two
days in trying to get some trace of the criminal. It was as if
the earth had opened and swallowed him up.
The loss of the money was bad enough, but it was learned by Snap
that this was not the worst of the affair by any means. For a
long time the mill company had had a dispute with another lumber
concern over the right to cut timber in a locality known as the
Spur Road. The Barnaby Company had certain papers for this
right---getting them after much trouble. Now these papers were gone,
and the dispute about the Spur Road tract might be again opened.
"I wish I had those papers back," said Mr. Dodge. "If I had them
I shouldn't mind the loss of the money so much, although three
hundred and fifty dollars is not an amount to be sneezed at."
"Can the thief sell the papers to the Felps Lumber Company, father?"
asked Snap.
"He might do that---if they were mean enough to buy them. But
I rather think the Felps folks would be above that---although
they are very, very bitter against us. They can't get any more
timber to cut around here, and they don't want to move their plant.
The Spur Road tract will keep our mill busy for at least three
years."
The excitement of the mill fire and the search after the thief
kept the four boys from speaking of the proposed outing for several
days. But as soon as the school closed they met at Snap's house
to complete their arrangements.
It had been no easy matter for the four to obtain permission to
leave home on such an extended trip. Mr. Dodge and Dr. Reed were
willing enough, for they had gone out in a similar fashion when
boys, and thought it would do their sons good, but with Frank's
folks it was different, and Giant's mother shook her head decidedly,
and only gave in after a long consultation with the doctor, who
had become her physician.
"They will be safe enough, do not fear," said Dr. Reed. "Boys
have to become self-reliant, Mrs. Caslette, and the time to start
is when they are young." After that the widow said no more, and
so it was settled, so far as Giant was concerned. Then the three
boys talked the matter over with Whopper's folks, and at last
they gave in also, and then the boys danced a regular war-dance
in Whopper's back yard, which made even Mrs. Dawson laugh.
"Well, boys will be boys," she said. "But I do hope they don't
run into a bear or shoot themselves."
"They are all good shots and know how to handle their guns," answered
Mr. Dawson. "They ought to be able to get along. Mr. Dodge told
me privately he was going to have old Jed Sanborn keep an eye
on them, and Sanborn is one of the most reliable hunters and guides
in this district."
As soon as it was settled, the boys began to get their stores
ready. It was decided to go down the river as far as Lake Cameron
in a rowboat belonging to the Dodges, and from there "tote" their
outfit to wherever they decided to camp. If one spot did not
suit after stopping there they would move on to some other point.
The outfit was no light one, when it was all gotten together.
For clothing, each youth had an extra set of underwear and some
socks. Each carried a pair of shoes and wore boots, and also
had a coat that would do for both rain and warmth.
Their stores consisted principally of flour, beans, bacon, coffee,
sugar, salt, pepper, condensed milk, and a few vegetables, some
fresh and others canned. For cooking purposes they had a "nest"
of pots and pans, of the lightest ware obtainable, and for eating
carried tin plates and tin cups, and also knives, forks and spoons.
Each boy wanted to take along his shotgun, and in addition they
took a rifle belonging to Mr. Dodge and a pistol loaned to them
by Dr. Reed. Each youth also carried a serviceable pocket-knife
and a waterproof match-safe.
"I think we've got about all we need now," said Snap, after looking
at the collection. "Now all we want is those rubber blankets
and the flannel ones, and then we shall be about ready to start."
"Will the rowboat hold the load?" questioned Whopper. "It seems
to me there is about two thousand times too much stuff."
"The boat has got to hold it," came from Giant. "But what I am
thinking of is, what a job we'll have carrying the load after we
leave the boat."
"Well, if it's too heavy we can make two trips instead of one,"
said Shep, and so it was agreed.
CHAPTER III
DOWN THE RIVER
When Snap awoke on Sunday morning, he was very much discouraged,
for the sky was overcast, and by church-time it was raining steadily.
"This will make it beastly for a start," he grumbled, while on
his way to church in the family carriage.
"Never mind," answered his father. "You can start Tuesday as
well as Monday."
"I'd rather start on time," answered the impatient boy. His mind
was so taken up by the proposed outing he could scarcely bring
himself to listen to the sermon; and what was true of Snap was
also largely true of the others.
By nightfall the rain cleared away, and when Snap went to bed
the moon was shining brightly. The boy could hardly go to sleep,
and when he slumbered, dreamed of being in camp, with wolves and
bears and deer on all sides of him. Then he dreamed that it began
to hail, louder and louder, and he awoke to hear some pebbles
being thrown against the window-pane. He sprang up, rushed to
the window and saw Giant standing in the yard, fully ready for
a start.
"Hullo, you! How long are you going to snooze?" demanded the
small youth. "I've been ready for an hour. Don't you know that
this is the all-important day?"
"I do!" cried Snap. "What time is it?"
"Half-past six. I wanted to start by six."
"We're to start at eight o'clock," answered Snap, and hurried
into his clothing with all possible speed.
By seven o'clock all of the boys had had a good breakfast and
then they bid their folks good-by and hurried down to the river.
It was a glorious morning, as clear as crystal after the rain,
and with just the faintest breeze blowing.
The stores had been packed away on Saturday in a boathouse nearby,
and it was an easy matter to transfer them to the rowboat. The
craft was rather crowded with goods and boys, but the lads made
the best of it. Only two could use the oars, so they took turns
at rowing, Snap and Whopper taking the blades at first, with Giant
in the bow and Shep in the stern, steering.
Nearly everybody in the town had heard about the outing, and many
came to see them off.
"They'll be back in a week," said one big boy, with a laugh.
"Just wait till they catch a rainy spell."
"You're only mad because you can't go along, Ham Spink!" cried Snap.
"Bah! I wouldn't go with you!" retorted Ham Spink. "When I go
out I'll do it in first-class style and with an A1 guide. No
little two-cent trip for me."
Hamilton Spink was the son of a very aristocratic man who had
come to Fairview a year before. Ham, as all the boys called him,
was very much of a dude and always thought himself superior to
the regular town boys. He smoked cigarettes and played pool and
golf and rode horseback, and did as much "showing off" as he possibly
could. As a consequence the majority of the boys detested him.
"This isn't a two-cent trip!" cried Shep. "I don't thank you to
call it such."
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