CHAPTER XIV

A STIRRING NIGHT AHEAD

“I’m afraid we’re in for trouble about Perk, Elmer,” the tall chum observed, his freckled face set in a frown.

“Nothing serious, so far,” he was told, for Elmer did not believe in “conjuring up ghosts” as he termed Wee Willie’s habit of anticipating calamities that might never come to pass. “Plenty of time still for Perk to come in before we start getting supper; and besides the storm hasn’t shown a sign so far.”

“But we know how easy it always has been for Perk to lose his bearings in the woods,” persisted the other camper. “Many a time before now we’ve had to go out and locate him. Seems as if Perk never will learn how to take care of himself.”

“He’s just waking up,” remarked Elmer; “and may surprise some of us yet, once he gets started. Still, it wouldn’t do any harm to give an occasional shout. If he hasn’t got beyond earshot it might help him locate the camp again.”

“I second the motion; and here goes for a starter.”

With that Wee Willie lifted up his strong voice, and gave a shrill yell that could doubtless have carried a mile away. Amos came hurrying out of the cabin as if wondering what was going on. He seemed relieved to find his two chums standing there.

“Why, you did give me such a start!” he declared. “I even thought that lunatic might have hopped in, and tackled Wee Willie. What’s all the shouting for?”

“Perk’s wandered off again, and we thought he might stray away, so we’re meaning to take turns in letting out a bazoo whoop to guide him this way,” explained Wee Willie, with a grin. “If he was within a mile I reckon he heard that clarion call of mine, eh, Amos?”

“Yes, and it ought to tell him which way the cabin lies,” returned the other, confidently. “But we must keep it up, for Perk, even if he started right, would be apt to swing to the left, like most fellows do in the woods when they haven’t learned the trick of keeping a direct line.”

“Every three minutes by the watch one of us must shout,” decided Elmer.

This program was kept up for half an hour. Several times they would fancy there was a more or less feeble response, so that the shouting was quickly resumed; but after straining their hearing to the utmost they finally felt compelled to admit that this must have been only a vivid imagination.

“I sure heard something answer that last yell,” Wee Willie affirmed, stubbornly; “but then it may only have been an owl up in some old dead treetop; or a cawing crow some distance away.”

“How long ought we keep this thing up, Elmer?” inquired Amos.

“Not more than another half hour,” came the reply.

“And if nothing happens then?”

“We’ll have to start out and try to locate Perk,” he was told.

“I saw him leave camp, and he went that way,” with which Amos pointed to a certain quarter; at which Wee Willie nodded, and hastened to add:

“Yes, I was telling Elmer here I saw him walk away, and he went in the direction of the east, which wasn’t toward the river at all. I don’t know how it came I seemed to take it for granted Perk was going fishing; must have had something on my mind at the time, and didn’t notice that he hadn’t his rod along. What makes things worse is that storm!”

“Storm!” echoed Amos, staring around; “why, it’s as blue as indigo overhead right now; where’s your storm, Wee Willie?”

“We seem to feel one coming in our bones,” explained the other. “Sometimes, you know you can tell that one’s due by certain signs. And if you look sharp you’ll see clouds gathering over in the southwest; which is the quarter most of our big summer storms spring from.”

Amos did look, and then shook his head as if dismayed at the prospect.

“I’m sorry for Perk, that’s all,” he remarked.

“Oh there isn’t so much chance of anything serious overtaking him,” Elmer hastily assured him. “To be sure he’s likely to get well drenched, and perhaps the thunder and lightning, as well as falling trees around him, may make it unpleasant for Perk; but that’s really the extent of it. If he wanders far he’s apt to get out of the timber belt, and run on some farm-house where he could get shelter, food and ditto a bed.”

“Yes, no one could ever refuse him anything he asked for, what with that winning smile of his,” said Amos.

They continued shouting at more frequent intervals, until all of them began to get quite hoarse; but there was no perceptible result. The second half hour thus began to draw toward a close.

“All useless, seems like!” admitted Wee Willie in disgust.

“Yes,” Elmer observed, “we’re wasting time doing this, when we’d have shown better judgment in starting out a while ago. Knowing Perk’s failing as we do, we ought to have made up our minds that sooner or later we’d have to go out after him.”

He had seen to it that the single lantern they carried with them to the woods was well filled with oil from the extra bottle.

“Who’s going along?” Wee Willie now asked.

“I thought at first two of us would be enough,” said Elmer, “but changed my mind, and so we’ll go in a bunch”; at which information Amos looked pleased, for he had feared they would figure him out of the game.

“I’ll fix my camera so it can’t possibly get wet, if the storm comes, and the old roof drips in spite of all our fixing,” he hurriedly called out, darting inside the cabin.

“Not afraid about leaving our things unguarded, are you?” asked Wee Willie. “It would be a joke on us if that lunatic happened around, and cleaned us out of everything.”

“We’ll have to take chances on that,” Elmer decided, “but I reckon there isn’t much danger. We can close the door, and wedge it fast, so that any one’d believe it was barred inside, and that some of us were at home.”

“You said it, Elmer,” chuckled the other, “takes you to think up clever little schemes right along. I suppose we can expect to get a good ducking before we’re through this job.”

“Oh! well, we’re not made of sugar or salt, Wee Willie; and we’d stand much more than that for Perk!”

“I should think we would!” quickly declared the tall chum, energetically, as though anxious to put himself on record. “Why, I’d go through fire and water for him, and think little of it. I’m only worrying for fear something might happen to Perk, something serious you know.”

“Yes, such as a tree falling on him in the storm,” Elmer added, “or his breaking a leg by tripping over a trailing vine as he ran headlong, trying to find some sort of shelter. But let’s hope nothing like that will happen.”

“I’ve put a cake of chocolate in my pocket, Elmer, in case we don’t get back to camp to-night, and feel hungry; you fellows had better do the same. Wonderful lot of nourishment in chocolate you know. Think I’ll get another, for Perk, when we find him.”

“Now that’s a good idea,” agreed Elmer, “and I’ll see that Amos follows suit.”

“You didn’t want him to stay alone here while we were gone, I noticed, Elmer. What was the big idea?”

“In the first place, three might be better in scouring the woods than two. Then again I was afraid Amos would feel it terribly if left all alone in a storm, and as nervous as he is just now, worrying over his father. He was pleased when he heard me say all of us were to go.”

“Of course, we ought to try to follow up Perk’s trail as long as it’s light enough, eh, Elmer?”

“I expect to, and even afterwards by the help of our lantern, Wee Willie. If he’s kept turning to the left, as I suppose will be the case, and we continued along due east, we’d soon be leaving him further and further away. As it is we can cover several miles before we’re forced to quit, and a burst of shouts might reach him.”