CHAPTER II.

WHAT FRIGHTENED THE PACK MULES.

"Hold on to the rock, Davy! We'll get you out!" whooped Giraffe, greatly excited, so that Thad, believing the tall scout meditated jumping after the boy who was already at the mercy of that swift current, dropped a restraining hand on his arm.

"He must a hit his head when he fell; you c'n see he looks dazed!" cried Bumpus.

"Just what he did, I reckon!" added Bob White, as he clenched his hands, and stared at the figure out in the midst of that rushing, boiling water.

Davy looked far from nimble just then. He was clinging desperately to a slippery moss-covered rock that just projected above the foamy water. If he allowed his grip to slacken he would be instantly carried into a pocket that had all the appearance of a whirlpool; and once lost in that gap, where the water whirled around and around, Davy might never come out alive again.

Under ordinary conditions the agile lad might have had a fair chance to work out his own salvation, for he was a good swimmer; but just as Bumpus said, possibly he had struck his head when falling, and this dazed him. He could only hang on there, and look appealingly toward his comrades, high up on the bank.

Thad saw immediately that the task of rescuing their comrade would prove to be not a little one, even though Davy could hold on for a few minutes longer, which was uncertain, since the current was very strong, and seemed to drag at him with a dozen eager hands.

"A rope! We must have a rope!" he cried.

"Where's Bumpus? Take this rope!" came from Giraffe.

"That's so; here, get your coat off, Bumpus, in a big hurry!" exclaimed Thad, whirling upon the fat boy, who was even then starting to obey.

Strange to say, as soon as he had undone his loose coat, one of the reasons for his apparent great size through the body became apparent. Bumpus had a small but stout clothes-line wound around his body many times.

While up in Maine he had taken a fancy for having a rope close to his hand. On many occasions he had seen the great value of such a thing; and it had by degrees become almost a mania with Bumpus; who secured just such a rope as he thought best adapted for the purpose, and carefully wound it around his body every morning.

And as the possession of such a thing caused the scoffing scouts to call it a lariat, of course Bumpus was privately and publicly doing his level best to throw the rope, as he had once seen some cowboys connected with a traveling circus do; but with rather poor success thus far, for his build rather unfitted him for doing such strenuous work.

Bumpus was so clumsy about most things that it could not be expected that on the present occasion, when there was so much need of haste he could satisfy the nervous demands of his camp-mates.

He started to unwind the rope, but twice the end fell from his shaking fingers, when he heard Giraffe call out that Davy seemed to be about to let go his hold.

Unable to stand such dilly-dallying tactics, Allan and Giraffe presently took hold of the fat boy, and began to whirl him around as though he were a teetotum, while Thad pulled at the rope.

"Here, quit that!" roared Bumpus, throwing out his hands in an effort to catch hold of something, for he was rapidly growing very dizzy under this treatment; "what d'ye think I am, a top that wants spinning? Hi! ketch me somebody, I'm going to tumble over!" and as the last remnant of the clothes-line slipped from his rotating form, the fat scout did reel around like a drunken man, though quickly recovering from the dizzy sensation.

Meanwhile Thad was busy. Fortunately Bumpus always kept a nice noose at the end of the rope, with a running knot. Thad knew this, for he had many a time thrown the lariat with considerable skill, when showing the owner just how it should be done.

Hastily he gathered the coils of rope in his hand, and rushed again to the edge of the little bluff looking out on the rapids.

He drew a breath of relief when he saw that the unfortunate gymnast was still there, clinging desperately to that slippery rock, and yet apparently well-nigh exhausted.

"Look out for it, Davy, and grab the noose when it comes near! Here goes!"

With that the scoutmaster gave the rope several whirls about his head, and then launched it forward. The others watched the result, with hearts that seemed to actually stand still with suspense.

"Missed him!" cried Giraffe, in despair, as the rope struck the surface of the swift water about five feet or more above the imperiled scout.

"Thad wanted to send it there; see!" exclaimed Allan.

Just as the one who had thrown the rope expected, the noose was instantly seized by the foaming waters, and swept downward, straight at the clinging boy. Although Davy may have been partly dazed, he had known enough to hang on with might and main. And right then and there he seemed to understand what Thad meant to do; for as the rope was borne up against the partly submerged rock to which he clung, the boy made a quick snatch at it.

"He lost it!" shrieked Bumpus, who had recovered enough now to crawl near the edge in order to see what was going on; though not daring to trust his weight too near the brink, lest the earth crumble under him, and let him drop into the rapids where Davy was already fighting for his life.

"Not much he did!" echoed Giraffe; "he's got it all right! Good boy, Davy! Slip it under your arms, and we'll yank you out in a jiffy! That's the ticket! Hurrah!"

Davy seemed to understand what he must do. It was not enough that he gripped the noose at the end of the saving rope; for once in the power of the tossing current of the whirlpool he might lose his hold.

And so he managed to put his arm right through, after which he held on with might and main with that hand while he got the second one through the loop.

It was the last straw that broke the camel's back; Davy was so completely exhausted by this effort that he just had to let go, and trust to his comrades to do the rest.

Thad began to pull with all his strength, and others laid hold on the line, to add their mite to the work of rescue. Fortunately Bumpus had selected a splendid braided window-sash cord when he picked out his rope, capable of standing an enormous strain; and it held, despite the drag of the savage whirlpool, and the rush of the rapids.

Through the white foaming waters Davy was dragged in great style. One of them managed to get down the little bluff, and helped the almost drowned scout to clamber up. But hardly had Davy reached the camp than he fell in a faint, utterly exhausted. Excitement had more or less to do with it, perhaps fright as well; for he had really been facing death during those few minutes when he held on with such splendid grit.

Thad soon brought him to; and upon examining the boy's head he did discover a pretty good-sized lump, showing that what they suspected must have taken place; and that Davy had struck against a rock in falling.

Davy was unusually quiet for the rest of the afternoon, and pretty serious for one of his animal spirits. He realized that he had had a close call; and never more would he make fun of poor Bumpus for such a silly fad as carrying a rope around with him wherever he went. Only for that Davy might have had a much more serious time of it, even if he were rescued at all.

They were having an early supper for many reasons. The tramp had been rather tiresome on this day; and besides, that location on the side of the noisy mountain stream had taken their fancy.

When the meal was ready Bumpus made a bugle of his hands, and blew the "assembly" in fairly good style. But none of the hungry scouts waited for him to get through; for they were hard at it as soon as he started. Indeed, Bumpus himself cut his "call" short, as he saw the tremendous inroads being made on the visible supply of food; and hastened to take his place, fearful lest he be left mourning, with a scant ration.

Had Davy been half drowned by his submersion in the water, the scoutmaster knew just what to do in order to restore him. He would have placed the boy on his stomach, with his arms elevated; and while two of the others worked these back and forth like pump handles, Thad would have knelt astride Davy, pressing regularly downward with his hands or knees; the idea being to produce an artificial respiration, and encourage the heart to take up its suspended functions.

It still lacked half an hour of sunset when they finished supper; and Bob White was even thinking of getting out some fishing tackle, in order to see if he could coax a few trout from the stream, at the foot of the rapids below.

The two mules, Mike and Molly, had been staked out at the end of their ropes, and were cropping the green grass that grew abundantly near by.

"Don't things look just fine and dandy around here, though?" remarked Step Hen, as they lay there, feeling too full of supper to do anything.

"Yes; and so far we haven't missed those two guides who gave us the cold shake," Giraffe added. "One of 'em had to go and get sick; and the other broke his contract, and went off with those two Eastern sportsmen who came out here to shoot mountain sheep, just like they do chamois over in Switzerland. But we're going to get on all right without 'em; though I hope we manage to run across that Toby Smathers they told us about, and who's up here somewhere on his own hook doin' something, nobody seemed to know just what."

"Yes," remarked Thad, "they told us he was just the right kind of a guide to get. He's been through the whole mill--lumber-jack, trapper, hunter, timber cruiser; and forest ranger employed to look out for fires, and watch some of those thieves of timber pirates sent in here by the big lumber concerns to steal millions of millions of feet of valuable lumber every winter."

"Hello! now Mike's gone and caught it!" cried Giraffe.

This caused all of them to sit up, and take notice that one of the mules was dancing at a lively clip at the end of his rope. He would stand up on his hind legs, and strain at his stake; then turning, he would kick as far as he could; and carry on in a most remarkable manner.

"What in the dickens ails the beast?" asked Step Hen. "Has a bumble bee stung him on the nose?"

"Why, don't you see, it's catching," retorted Giraffe, grinning. "He saw the way Davy here was walking around on his hands, with his feet in the air; and Mike wants us to see if he can do better than that. I reckon he'll stand on one foot after a bit, and show Davy stunts he dassent try to follow."

"Now, there goes Molly trying the same dodge," shouted Bumpus.

"Well, I declare, if that don't beat the Dutch!" ejaculated Giraffe. "As sure as I live, fellers, they mean to make it a double harness affair, a team of educated mule gymnasts. Go it, Mike! Hey, show us what you can do, Molly! I'm believing she c'n beat her pardner all hollow. Look at that jump, would you? Say, they must a been eating some of that loco weed we heard about, fellers!"

"They're frightened, that's what!" exclaimed Thad, as he started to cast his eyes around in search of any unusual object, but failing to discover such; from which fact he judged that the mules depended on their sense of smell to tell them there was danger near by.

"Frightened; what at?" echoed Davy Jones.

"I don't know; but if ever I saw a scared mule, that Mike is one," Thad went on.

"Look at him jerk, would you?" cried Giraffe. "Unless that stake gives way soon, he'll sure break his old stubborn neck. Whoa! there, you silly; nothing's going to hurt you. Wow! there he goes awhoopin', Thad! The stake did give way, before he dislocated his spine. And there's Molly bound to follow after him, whoop! see her tear, would you?"

"She's broke away too, and is trailing the rope after her!" cried Step Hen.

"And now, won't we just have a dandy old time hunting our pack mules again; unless by some accident that stake and rope get caught in the rocks, and holds 'em up; which I'm hoping will be the case," remarked Giraffe, looking blankly after the two disappearing animals, that, when last seen, were still acting in the most remarkable manner, and giving every evidence of a severe fright.

"Now, what d'ye suppose, scared the fools that way?" demanded Bob White.

"P'raps they just felt frisky, and wanted to show us their heels. I told you they'd be mad, if you didn't include them on the roll call," Giraffe remarked; though in truth, he was feeling anything but funny just then, as he contemplated the possibility of their being stranded away out there under the shadow of the great Rockies, without a single pack animal to "tote" their camp luggage either way.

"Look around, and see if you can spy anything moving," advised the scoutmaster, making use of his own sharp eyes at the same moment.

Immediately Bumpus called out:

"What's that lumbering along over yonder, Thad? Looks to me like an old, cinnamon-colored cow."

Thad took one look.

"You're away off there, Bumpus," he remarked, in a thrilling tone; "because those two wise mules knew what was coming. That is anything but a cow or even a bull. It's a bear!"

"A bear!" almost shrieked Bumpus, making a dive for the nearest tent, in which lay his nice ten-bore Marlin, loaded with buckshot shells.

"Yes," Thad went on, "and a great big grizzly bear at that. Let's hope he'll give us the go-by, and walk on about his own business!"