CHAPTER XXIII

ANOTHER NIGHT SCARE

Will Williams, the strange, new boy, whom Jack had last seen at Washington Hall, now so far away, rushed forward.

"Jack Ranger!" he gasped, as if he could not believe it.

"That's who I am," responded our hero. "But, Bill, what has happened? You look as if you were suffering."

"I am suffering," was the answer. "I'm almost starved!"

"Starved!" exclaimed Nat. "Wobble-sided watermelons! And our camp just filled with good things! Come on, Bill. We'll feed you up."

The two chums clasped Will successively by the hand. Then Jack asked:

"How did you get away out here? The last I heard of you was when I received a letter and a telegram from your guardian, asking me to send you home if I saw you."

"You--you're not going to--are you?" faltered Will.

"Am I?" Jack clasped his arm about the shrinking form of the unfortunate lad. "Well, I guess not! I'd like to have that guardian of yours here, for about five minutes!"

"Petrified pancakes! So would I!" exclaimed Nat. "I'd send him over where that bad-smelling spring is to spend the night. But, Bill, you haven't told us how you got here."

"I hardly know myself," was the answer. "I did run away, just as Mr. Gabel told you, Jack. I couldn't stand his mean ways any longer. He refused to let me go camping with you, and said I would have to go to work, while school was closed for repairs, to make up the money he said I stole. I decided I would come out West and try to find my uncle. He's out here somewhere, but where I haven't been able to learn. I had a few dollars saved up, that I had earned, and I came as far as they would bring me. Then I worked my way on from Chicago by jumping freights and by doing odd jobs whenever I got the chance. I heard, in a roundabout way, that my uncle was either in the southern part of Montana, or the northern part of Wyoming, and so I came on. I've been traveling around now for two weeks, trying to find him, and I've been living like a tramp, but I can't seem to locate him. I met some men who said they knew him, but they acted so mysterious that I could get no information from them. They didn't seem to want to tell me where he was. So I decided to keep on until I found him. I've been tramping all day, and when I heard you talking I thought maybe you were a party of hunters who would help me."

"And so we will," burst out Jack. "Come along to camp with us, Bill, and we'll fix you up. It's a shame, the way your guardian treats you. And your uncle can't be much better."

"Oh, he used to be kind to me," said the unfortunate lad, "but I don't believe he knows how things have gone with me. If I could find him I think he would take care of me."

"Well, maybe we can help find him for you," said Nat.

Little time was lost in getting back to the temporary camp, and there Will, who was weak and faint from hunger, was given a light meal. Then the whole party went on to the main camp, Will riding behind Jack, for the latter's horse would carry double.

"My, but you certainly are doing this up in style," remarked the ragged lad as he saw the fine tents and noted how comfortably Jack and his chums lived, in spite of the fact that they were far from civilization. His arrival created quite a sensation.

"Oh, when Jack Ranger does a thing, it's done good and proper," said Bony. "It's the first outing out of the gun club, and he wants to make a record, I guess."

"I want you all to have a good time, that's all I want," was Jack's reply.

Some better clothes were found for Will, and after a good meal some of the hopelessness faded from his face. He told of his wanderings in the mountains, and how he had worked his way from camp to camp, and from stage station to stage station.

"But you're done tramping around now," said Jack.

"Have you--have you got room for me here?" faltered Will.

"Have we? Well, I guess!" was Jack's hearty answer. "You can stay here as long as you like, or until you find your uncle. You've accepted my invitation to come camping, after all, and I guess your guardian would be surprised if he could see you now."

"I guess he would," remarked Will with a smile.

There was plenty of room in the big sleeping tent, and a bed was made up for the wanderer. It was the first good night's rest he had had in nearly a week, he said.

As they had plenty of fresh meat in camp they did not go hunting for several days, but Jack and his chums could not remain inactive, so they all, including Will, went on short jaunts about the camp. A gun was provided for the newcomer, and he proved that he was a good shot, at least on jack-rabbits, which abounded in that region.

About a week after Will had joined his former chums they went on an all-day hunt. The luck fell to Bony and Sam this trip, for each of them killed a fine mountain ram, the horns of which were equal in size to the one slain by Jack.

Nat killed a small deer, and Will was delighted when he also brought one down.

"Plenty much game," observed Long Gun. "No need hunt right 'way 'gin."

"I guess Long Gun is getting tired," observed Jack. "Well, of course we don't want to kill just for the sake of killing, so I think we will take a few days off."

The weather continued fine, being clear, and not too cold, while there was no deep snow to hamper the movements of the members of the gun club, though there were several light flurries. The lads went out on short trips, Will riding the horse assigned to Budge, for the latter was not a very enthusiastic sportsman, and would rather remain in camp, stretched on his back, chewing gum, than go after deer or mountain sheep.

"Well," remarked Jack one night, about a week after the last hunt, "I think we'll go out again to-morrow and try to fill up the cupboard again. Supplies of fresh meat are running low."

"Good idea," commented Nat. "Maybe you can get another ram with horns to match your first pair."

Jack was successful in this venture, for after a long day's jaunt he got a fine shot, just at sunset, bowling over a large ram. They took the head and horns back to camp, leaving the carcass to be brought in the next morning, having first taken the precaution, however, of tying the choicest portions high in a tree, out of the reach of marauding animals.

As they were all gathered about the camp fire that night, discussing the events of the day, Jack suddenly held up his hand to insure silence.

"Hark!" he exclaimed. "There's that queer sound again."

In the air over their heads was the rushing of great wings, while there was a throbbing as if some mighty beast was passing over the camp.

"Wow!" cried Long Gun, and he made a dive for the tent.

"That's it!" said Nat softly. "I wonder if we shall ever solve the mystery?"

The boys looked at each other in alarm. Will sprang to his feet.

"That sound!" he cried. "I heard it one night when I was camping in the woods."

"Where?" asked Jack.

"About ten miles from here. It's the same noise."

"We must solve this mystery!" exclaimed Jack. "I believe it must be----"

But he did not finish the sentence, for from the air above them sounded the call of a voice:

"To the left! To the left!" was the cry. "There's the camp fire we saw before."

They all sprang to their feet and looked up into the dark sky. Surely that was some vast shape hovering over them! And then the throbbing and the rush of wings died away.