CHAPTER XXIV
A NOTABLE CAPTURE
"We've got him! We've got him!" shouted Snap, and his heart gave a wild bound of pleasure.
"Don't be too sure," cautioned the doctor's son. "Wait—-keep your gun ready for use."
"That's it—-he may get out of the pit," came from Giant. "Don't take any risks. He could kill a fellow in a minute, if he got the chance!"
They waited, each with his gun ready. Down in the pit they heard the lion growling and slashing around. Evidently he was doing his best to get out of the hole.
"I'll bet he's mad," said Snap.
"One of the dead wildcats is with him," said Snap. "That will give him something to eat."
"He'll not think of eating just now," answered the doctor's son.
"He knows he is in a bad fix."
They waited a minute longer and then the lion became quiet. At last the three boy hunters ventured into the clearing and Shep, with his gun raised, walked slowly to the edge of the pit.
Suddenly a fearful roar rent the air, echoing far and wide across the mountains. The lion had discovered the doctor's son. His mane bristled and he showed his cruel teeth to the full.
"Can he—-do you think he can get out?" asked Snap.
"Hardly, or he'd be out already," answered Shep. "Let us pull those branches away. They might give him some sort of a foothold."
All three of the boys came up and gazed down on the captured beast. They hauled the tree branches away and threw the second dead wildcat into the pit. Snap did this, and it seemed to cause the lion some surprise. He shut his mouth, his eyes began to blink, and presently he bent down and commenced to feed on one of the carcasses.
"He knows he is a prisoner," cried Snap. "See, he's acting just as if he was in the circus." For the monarch of the forest had laid down, with the meat between his heavy fore paws.
"I've got an idea," said Shep, looking around. "There are a great number of flat stones on the mountain side. Let us shove them down here and pile up a sort of wall around the top of the pit. That will surely keep the lion in."
This was considered a good suggestion, and all the lads set to work without delay. Some of the stones were so large it took two to lift them. They made an excellent wall, and inside of an hour the boys had a barrier around the top of the pit three feet high.
"I don't think he'll get out in a hurry," said Shep. "But to make sure we can cut some poles and lay them over the stones and pile more stones on top."
"Humph! Why didn't you mention the poles first?" said Snap.
"I didn't think of it, Snap."
The saplings were cut and placed in a row over the top of the pit and then some stones were put on top of these. Evidently the lion did not like to have his light and air cut off, and he commenced to roar again. But this the boys did not mind, for they now knew they had him fast.
It goes without saying that all the boys were delighted over their catch.
"We'll have to get word to the circus folks as quickly as possible," said Snap. "But where the show is now I don't know."
"Probably Tommy knows the route the circus was to take," answered the doctor's son.
"He does, for he spoke to me about it," put Giant. "But I have forgotten the towns and dates."
"Do you know what I'd like to do before going on to that lonely cabin?" went on Snap.
"What?"
"Go after that bear."
"Oh, he is probably miles away by this time," said the doctor's son. "He was too scared to stay around here."
"Well, let us go after him, anyway. He went in the direction of the cabin—-that is, partly."
"Well, we'll see in the morning," said Shep.
The three boy hunters went into camp not very far away from the pit holding the lion. Once or twice they went up to view their precious prize, and noted that after eating one of the wildcats the lion stretched out and went to sleep.
"Guess he thinks he's back in the menagerie," said Giant. "Well, let him, if only he'll keep quiet until the circus people take him away."
It was such a warm night they did not bother with a camp fire, but eating some of the food brought along, soon retired and went sound asleep. Once Giant awoke with a start and imagined that the lion was after him, but he soon went to sleep again.
I'm the morning they found the captured lion still resting quietly on the bottom of the pit. He had not touched the second wildcat.
"He'll have plenty of food," said Snap. "But how about water?"
"I was thinking of that," answered the doctor's son. "We'll have to bring some from a spring and lower it to him."
They took the kettle they had brought along and filled it at a spring they had found and lowered this into the pit by means of a piece of fishingline Grant carried. At first the lion roared in rage, but when he saw the water he drank eagerly. They had to fill the kettle three times before he was satisfied. Then they took more water and poured it in a hollow on one side of the pit bottom.
"Now he won't go thirsty for a long time," said Shep.
They cooked themselves a good breakfast and a little later set off across the hills in the direction of the end of Firefly Lake. It was their purpose to get to the lake by noon if possible, and then strike out along the rocky watercourse leading to Lake Cameron.
"We'll have to be careful how we tackle that hermit," said the doctor's son. "He may be the craziest kind of a lunatic."
"I've got an idea," said Snap. "Wouldn't it be a good idea to wait until night and then crawl up to the cabin while he is asleep?"
"It may be—-if he didn't take us for robbers and act worse than ever."
"Why not try him in the daytime first, and then, if you can't get the watch, go back at night?" said Giant.
"He may prowl around at night," suggested Shep. "And, remember, he may not have the watch at all—-it's all guesswork."
It was an exceedingly warm day, and when it was near noon all three of the young hunters were glad enough to lie down in the shade and rest. Game appeared to be as scarce as the day before and all they shot were some rabbits and one squirrel.
"We've got to do better than this before we go home," said Shep.
"If we only knew what had become of that bear!" sighed Snap.
"Yes, if we only did!" murmured Giant.
It was so pleasant in the shade that none of the boys could get up ambition enough to go on until they had taken a nap. Then they went up a hill slowly, carrying their coats over their shoulders.
"If it's hot here, what must it be in town?" said the doctor's son.
"About ninety in the shade!" cried Snap.
At the top of the hill they took another rest. Here there was a little breeze, for which they were thankful.
"There is the lake!" cried Giant, pointing to a sheet of water below them. "One good thing, it will be easier going downhill than it was coming up."
"I vote we go in for a good swim when we reach the lake," said Snap.
"What do you say, Shep?"
"I'd rather get to that cabin, before it is too late. But I'll take a ten-minutes' dip, if you wish."
So it was agreed, and the boys hurried through the woods to the lake shore in a pleasant frame of mind.
"Listen!" cried Snap presently. "What's that—-a dog?"
All listened and heard a loud barking, coming from the neighborhood of the water.
"I think it's a fox!" cried Giant. "You'll remember, they bark just like that!"
"Let's try to get a photo and a shot!" answered the doctor's son.
"Nothing like getting pictures of everything," he added.
They increased their speed, and soon found themselves within a hundred yards of the shore of Firefly Lake. The barking had now ceased, and they stood still, not knowing in which direction to turn.
"Something moving over yonder," whispered Giant presently, and nodded with his head down the lake shore.
Making no noise, they went forward again. They had to pass some bushes and rocks, and then came to a point where a spur of land jutted far out into Firefly Lake. It was a rocky and sandy spur, with scarcely any brushwood on it.
"There you are!" said Snap, and pointed to the extreme end of the spur. There, on the rocks, were two large foxes, their noses well in the air, gazing down the lake attentively.
"We've got them," murmured the doctor's son. "Come on, we'll take pictures first and then shoot them!"
He brought around his camera and the others did likewise. They had just snapped the shutters when the foxes turned, saw them, and set up a loud and angry barking and showed their teeth.
"They are coming for us!" yelled Giant, and he was right. Without hesitation, the foxes made several big leaps and came directly for the young hunters!