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.I made a note, too, ofhow intently he listened to all they said."Look a-here, Bent," Sells was asking, "is there any danger of them cougarsgittin' loose?""Wal, sometimes they break a collar or chain.I lose probably one out of tenthet way.But I can't tie them up any tighter, for they'd choke themselves todeath.""Durn me if I like to sleep so close to cougars as this," went on Sells."Iallus wus scared of 'em; jest can't stand fer cats, any kind, nohow.""Nother am I powerful enraptured at the idee," remarked one of his companions."Then why did you throw up the tent so close to them?" demanded Sells."Nary danger, fellers," put in Hiram."My cougars won't hurt you onless yougit in their way.Then I reckon you'd git a swipe."We talked and smoked around the camp fire for an hour or more.Then the northwind rose, roaring in the pines, and the night air grew cold.Soon we allsought our blankets.I quickly dropped off to sleep.Sooner or later after that I was awakened by aterrible sound.Sitting up with a violent start I felt Ken's hands clasping melike a vise.I heard his voice hut could not distinguish what he said.For theuproar in the camp made hearing anything else impossible.Blood-curdlingshrieks, yells and curses mingled with sounds of conflict.They all came fromPage 31ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlthe rangers' tent.By the pale moonlight I saw the tent wavering and shaking.Then followed the shrill rending of canvas.Hiram emerged from the gloom andbounded forward.I jumped up eager to help, but ignorant of what to do, I heldback.Then bang, bang, bang, went a revolver, and bullets whistled about."Lay low!" roared Hiram, above the tumult in the tent.Promptly I pulled Ken with me behind a pine and peeped forth.To make the din worse all the hounds began to bark furiously.Suddenly therecame a violent shock from a heavy body plunging against the inside of thetent.It waved this way and that, then collapsed.From the agitated canvascame hoarse, smothered bellows.If I had not been so nonplussed I would havegiven up to laughter.But something was terribly wrong with the rangers.I sawa dark form roll from under the tent, rise and flee into the forest.Thenanother emerged from the other side.The yells ceased now, to be followed byloud cries of some one in pain.With this Hiram ran forward.I saw him bend over, and then was astounded tosee him straighten up and begin to haul away on something.But a gray,hounding object explained the mystery.Hiram was dragging one of the cougarsback from the demolished tent."By George! Ken, one of the lions got loose," I exclaimed, "and it must haverun right into the rangers' tent.""Great!" replied Ken Ward.I jumped up and ran to help Hiram, but he had the cougar tied when I got tohim.Even in the excitement I noticed that he was untying a lasso from the endof the chain.I looked at Hiram and he looked at me."Don't say nothin'," he whispered."Somebody tied this rope in the chain, thenpulled the cougar over to the rangers' tent.I found the lasso tied to thetent-stake.""Whew! What's come off?" I ejaculated."Who did it?""How on earth he did it I can't reckon, but I'll bet it was thet tarnal boy.""Hal?.Impossible, Hiram!""Wal, I reckon there ain't much thet's impossible fer Ken Ward'sbrother.Come on--somebody's hurt--we can figure it out afterward."Jim appeared, and then two men emerged from the dark shadow of pines.One wasSells.Little was said on the moment.We lifted the tent and underneath wefound the other ranger.If he had been as badly hurt as he was frightened Ithought surely we would presently have a dead ranger on our hands.It turnedout, however, that when we washed the blood from his face we found he had beenbadly scratched but not seriously injured.And as neither Sells nor the otherranger had been hurt the tension of the moment lessened, and Hiramparticularly appeared greatly relieved."I woke up," said Sells, "an' seen thet durned cougar jump right in the tent.He was quicker'n lightnin' an' he began to leap at me.I dodged him, an'yellin' like mad I tried to git out.But every time I got near the tent doorthe cougar made at me an' I hed to dodge.Then he got us all goin', an' therewas no chance to do anythin' but roll over an' jump an' duck.Pell throwed hisgun an' begin to shoot, an' if the tent hedn't fallen in he'd plugged one ofus.I jest knowed one of them cougars would rustle us last night."Plain it was that Sells had no suspicion of a trick.This relieved me.Iglanced round for Hal, but he was not in sight and I supposed he had notrolled out of his blankets.Presently all was quiet again in camp, except thatthe lions were restless and clanked their chains.Sells and his companions hadmoved away some distance under the pines.Before I went to sleep again I toldKen what Hiram had said about Hal, and Ken replied: "Oh yes! I knew whateverit was Hal did it!""But Jim must have had a hand in it," I declared."How could Hal drag thelion, even if he had the nerve?""Dick, that boy could drag a rhinoceros around if by it he could get even withsomebody who had mistreated him.You take my word--those rangers did somethingto Hal more than we know.""Well, whatever they did to him he's square with them.Did you ever hear suchPage 32ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlyelling? They were scared wild.""Reminds me of the time Greaser and Herky-Jerky got mixed up with my bear-cubin the old cabin on Penetier.Only this was worse."We soon slept again, and owing to the break in our slumbers did not awakenuntil rather late.Sells and his rangers had decided they did not care so muchafter all to see Hiram tie up a lion, and with the rising of the sun they haddeparted."Shore it's good riddance," declared Jim."Where's Hal?" asked Ken.His question acquainted me with the fact that Hal was missing.At once Kenappeared troubled."Don't worry, youngster," assured Hiram."Your brother will turn uppresently.""Have you seen him this morning?""Nary a hair of him," replied Hiram."Have you, Jim?""I shore hevn't.An' what's more he wasn't in bed when I got rustled out lastnight by thet infernal racket.An' he didn't come back.""Wal, now, thet's new on me," said Hiram, getting serious.Ken began to pace up and down before the camp-fire."If anything happens toHal how can I ever lace my lather again?""See hyar, youngster.I reckon your father is a sensible man," rejoined Hiram."He knowed things was goin' to happen to thet wild kid, an' thet's why he senthim with you.Hal will get his eye teeth cut out hyar.I calkilate it'll bewise fer you to jest stop worryin', an' let things happen.""Shore, shore," added Jim, earnestly."There's a good deal of sense in what Hiram says," I said."No doubt Hal ishiding somewhere.And he'll come in as soon as he finds out the rangers havegone.Jim, weren't you in that trick last night?""I shore wasn't," replied Jim, complacently.I knew then that it would beimpossible ever to find out whether or not he had really aided Hal."Hiram, would it have been possible for Hal to pull off that lion stunt all byhimself?" I inquired.The old hunter looked thoughtful."Wal, it does seem onreasonable.But I ain't doubtin' it.The youngster isstrong an' a daredevil.Then he has watched me handlin' the cougars.He's awonder on imitation, thet boy.It's a fact thet a young cougar, arter he'sbeen tied up fer a day or so, will be kinder sluggish fer a little on bein'dragged round agin.He'll hang back, an' not begin to jump an' pull an' fighttill he's waked up thoroughly.It's quite possible, I reckon, thet Hal sneakedup to the tree, loosed the chain an' tied a rope to it [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]