“Why, yuh see, Giraffe, I’m ameanin’ tuh slip ’round back thar, an’ see now if I couldn’t git a squint at thet sneak. So-long, boys, an’ don’t take snap judgment on me, if yuh sees the bushes amovin’ when I kim back.”
He immediately bent to his paddle, and the rough boat started away at a furious pace, showing that Tom Smith was deeply in earnest in his desire to pay back the unseen marksman who had given warning of his hostile intentions by that shot over their heads.
They watched him for the space of about a minute, and then boat and paddler had vanished amidst the thick green screen of bushes.
“Whew! but didn’t he send her along like fun, though?” Bumpus wanted to know.
“Well, he’s been using the paddle for a good many years, and knows every little wrinkle of the business,” returned Thad.
“Yes,” added Allan, “I’m never through watching the way he manages that clumsy canoe of his. I’ve seen Penobscot Indians up in Maine who could do wonders with their boats, but they weren’t in the same class with him; because in the first place their canoes were either made of light birch-bark, or else canvas, painted and varnished until the sides were as smooth as glass; whereas, look at the tub he handles like a flash. He’s sure a wonder; and while I thought I could do a few stunts along the line of canoe work, I take off my hat to Tom Smith.”
“But what did he mean by saying like he did, that he hoped we wouldn’t take snap judgment on him?” Bumpus asked. “That sounded mighty funny to me, because of course we ain’t thinking of doing the least thing to annoy our own guide. Why, whatever could we do without him now, I wonder?”
Giraffe chuckled, as he often did in his aggravating way whenever Bumpus exposed his ignorance; but all the same, in spite of his affected superiority, the lanky scout was seen to pay particular attention when Thad started in to explain; just as though he might after all not be quite so sure himself what Tom Smith did mean by that expression.
“Why, it’s this way, Bumpus,” said the scoutmaster, always willing to enlighten the other, “he knows that we are more or less excited over this unexpected happening; and as boys are apt to act first, and think afterwards, Tom Smith wanted to kindly request us not to shoot at the moving of a branch, and look up the cause later on. The chances are that it would be him coming back, and he didn’t feel like being peppered by our fire.”
“Huh! he ought to have known that all scouts learn never to shoot until they’re good and sure of what they’re firing at,” grunted Step Hen.