The Wolf Patrol Part 29

The scouts now went down to the bank, where Chippy had marked a likely-looking pool between two big hawthorn-bushes. They moved very softly, according to his orders, and when they gained the bank the weighted minnow was swung out, dropped into the water without a splash, and then lowered and raised slowly--the 'sink-and-draw' motion.

For five minutes Chippy worked steadily, and then he felt a sharp tug.

In this style of fis.h.i.+ng one strikes at once. Chippy struck, and found he was fast in a fish. He could not play it, for he had no reel. Nor is it safe to play under bushes in the dark. It is a case of land or smash, though a practised hand will land where a novice is certain to smash. Chippy put a swift but even strain on the pliant rod, and swung his fish up and out. The line was strong, the gut was good, and the trout was well hooked. Out it came, turning and tumbling on the gra.s.s, and d.i.c.k pounced upon it, for its under sides showed gleams of silver in the faint light, and he could see it bounding. Chippy took it from him, unhooked it, slipped his forefinger into the trout's mouth, and broke its neck with a dexterous jerk of finger and thumb. Then he weighed it in his hand. 'Not a big un,' he whispered; 'about half a pound. There ought to be more on 'em in this pool.'

He examined the minnow, and found that by good luck the trout had done little or no damage to it, and it would serve another turn, so he went to work once more. Several minutes pa.s.sed, and then he had another bite, and again landed his fish, but it was a little smaller than the first.

'No big uns in this pool,' murmured Chippy. 'Theer's another good place about thirty yards up. We'll try that.'

The minnow had been badly torn by the teeth of the second trout, so by the light of a couple of wax matches, struck one after the other by d.i.c.k, Chippy fixed a fresh bait on the leaded hook. Then they went up to the second pool.

'S'pose yer have a try here,' whispered Chippy to d.i.c.k. 'It's as easy as can be. Ye must just let it down an' pull it up again, quiet an'

easy. Ye'll know soon enough when a fish lays hold on it. Then give a little jerk to fasten th' 'ook in. Next lug him right up, pullin'

smooth an' steady wi'out givin' an inch. If yer do, he'll get away, most likely.'

d.i.c.k took the rod and let the minnow down into the smooth dark pool where stars were reflected between the shadows of overhanging branches.

Down and up, down and up, down and up, he lowered and raised the bait, many, many times, but there was no sign that the pool held a fish. He was about to whisper to Chippy that it was useless to try longer, when there came a tremendous tug, which almost tore the hazel wand out of his grasp. He tightened his clutch convulsively, and in recovering the rod he struck the fish, for at the next moment the tug of a tightly hooked 'big un' shook him from head to foot. Then there was a terrific splash at his feet, which caused his heart to jump into his mouth. The trout had leaped clean out of the water.

'Pull up! Pull up!' yelled Chippy, and d.i.c.k pulled. The fish was so firmly hooked that he was still there, and now the rod bent and twisted in d.i.c.k's hands as if that, too, were alive and trying to free itself from his wild clutch. d.i.c.k raised the fish slowly, for it felt tremendously heavy, and when he had it on the surface it kicked and wallowed till you might have thought a dog was splas.h.i.+ng in the water.

'A good swing an' step back,' roared Chippy. d.i.c.k obeyed, and gave a big lift. He felt the hazel bend and tremble in his hands, then Chippy pounced on something, and the rod was still.

'Have we got it?' cried d.i.c.k breathlessly, for he had felt sure that the trout was too strong for their tackle.

'Got 'im,' snapped Chippy in triumph, 'an' a good un, too. They say it's allus the new hands as get the best luck. We've got plenty now, an' it ain't allowed to tek' more'n we can eat.'

This trout was far too big for Chippy to kill with finger and thumb, so he whipped off his jacket, rolled the fish in it, and the two scouts hurried back to the camp fire. Here Chippy despatched the trout by a sharp tap behind its head, delivered with the handle of the tomahawk, and the boys gloated over their prize. It was a fine, short, hog-backed trout, weighing well over three pounds, and in the pink of condition.

''Bout as much as anybody wants to lift out wi' a nut-stick,' commented Chippy, while d.i.c.k stared entranced at his glorious s.h.i.+ning prize.

'Time to turn in now, I shouldn't wonder,' said the Raven, and the Wolf looked at his watch.

'Close upon ten,' said the latter.

'Well, we've just about 'ad a day of it,' said his comrade. 'I'll bet we'll be off to sleep like a shot.'

CHAPTER x.x.xII

TERRORS OF THE NIGHT

It was not until they lay down and waited for sleep that the boys felt the oddness and queerness of this first night in the open. Bustling round, making the fire, cooking, rigging up their camp, eating supper, fis.h.i.+ng--all those things had kept at bay the silence and loneliness which now seemed to settle down upon them like a pall. They were quite comfortable. Each was wrapped snugly in his blanket. The bed of larch-tips was dry and springy. The haversacks, stuffed with the smallest tips, formed capital pillows. Yet sleep did not come at once.

After a time d.i.c.k spoke.

'Listen to the river,' he said.

'Rum, ain't it?' replied Chippy. 'Daytime it didn't seem to mek' no noise at all. Now yer can't hear nothin' else.'

The river, as a river always does, had found its voice in the dark: it purred and plashed, while over a shallow some distance below, its waters ran with a shrill babbling, and a steady roar, unheard by day, came up from a distant point where it thundered over a weir.

'Good job we made a rattlin' fire afore we turned in,' remarked the Raven; 'seems like comp'ny, don't it?'

'Rather,' said d.i.c.k; and both boys lay for a time watching the dancing gleams, as the good beech logs blazed up and threw the light of their flames into the depths of the hanger which rose above the camp.

Sleep came to d.i.c.k without his knowing it, but his sleep had a rude awakening. He woke with the echo of a dreadful cry in his ears. For a moment he looked stupidly about, utterly at a loss to discover where he was. Then the cry came again--a horrible, screaming cry--and he sat up, with his heart going nineteen to the dozen.

'Chippy!' he cried, 'are you awake? What was that?'

'I dunno,' said the Raven, sitting up too. 'But worn't it awful?'

The cry came again, and the two boys, their heads still heavy with sleep, were filled with horror at its wild, wailing note.

'Sounds like some'dy bein' murdered,' gasped Chippy. 'An' the fire's gone. Ain't it dark?'

The fire had gone down, and was now no more than a heap of smouldering ashes. Heavy clouds had drawn across the sky, and the darkness under the hanger was thick enough to cut with a knife. The two boys crouched together side by side and quaked. This was pretty frightful, to be roused in the dead dark time of the small hours by this horrible outcry.

Suddenly d.i.c.k jumped.

'Chippy!' he whispered breathlessly, '_there's someone about. I hear them._'

Both boys listened with strained ears, and caught distinctly the sound of light footfalls near at hand.

'_Theer's more'n one,_' gasped Chippy.

The gentle, creeping footfalls came nearer and nearer in the darkness.

'G-g-gimme the chopper!' whispered the Raven, and his voice was shaking.

'I--I--I've got it,' replied d.i.c.k; and his fingers were clenched with the grasp of despair round the smooth handle of the tomahawk.

Chippy drew his jack-knife, opened it, and gripped it in his left hand like a dagger. In his right he had seized his strong patrol staff.

A sharp puff of wind blew along the foot of the slope. It fanned the embers of the dying fire, and a little flame ran up a twig, flickered for a moment, then died as suddenly as it had leapt up. But the boys were stiff with horror. It had shown them a strange dark form crouching within three or four yards of the opposite side of the heap of ashes.

'W-w-what is it?' said d.i.c.k.

'I--I--I dunno,' replied Chippy.

Another stronger puff of wind, and a little train of bright sparks shot into the air. Now the boys saw two great gleaming eyes, low down, within a foot of the ground, like some creature crouching to spring, and again the awful wild cry rang out some little distance away.

'Oh--oh--Chippy!' gasped d.i.c.k, 'I'm j-j-jolly frightened.'

'S-s-same 'ere,' returned the Raven.

'So I'm going b-b-bang at it, whatever it is.'

'S-s-same 'ere,' muttered the Raven, with chattering jaws.