“It’s him, is it, Jim?” called out Thad; for the canoes were some thirty feet apart at the time.
“Yep,” came the answer, accompanied by an affirmative nod of Jim’s head.
“You know him, even at that distance, then?” continued the patrol leader.
“He’s workin’ the paddle right now,” replied the other. “Yuh cain’t mistake his way o’ swingin’ ther spruce blade. Ole Cale hain’t gut his ekal at thet in all the State o’ Maine.”
It was plain to be seen, then, that the giant poacher was on the trail of his detested son-in-law, possibly bent on carrying out his terrible threat; though Thad hoped such might not prove to be the case.
He knew that often these rough men of the woods could appreciate true bravery; and that there might be a chance, however slight, that Old Cale was lost in admiration for the recklessnes that could induce Jim to brave his wrath. What if he had been consumed by a sudden deep curiosity to know what really caused the other to take the risk and come up here? Could he suspect that Little Lina had sent a message to him?
All these things gave Thad occasion for considerable thinking. At the same time he did not mean to lose sight of the main reason for their having come so far from their homes, in order to get some hunting, and camping experience, that would prove valuable to his fellow scouts, anxious to learn all that they could at first hands, of wood-craft.
“I’m glad we were as particular as we were about putting out the very last spark of fire this morning,” Thad remarked, as the canoes moved along close to one another.
“Why?” demanded Giraffe, a little suspiciously; for every time that magical word was used he chose to think all eyes must be turned in his direction; just as though he should be placed in the same class with fire.
“Oh! because the wind came up like great guns shortly after we left camp,” Thad went on, always ready to point a lesson to those under him; “and from the river, too. Now, if we’d left any fire there, the chances are it would have been picked up, and thrown into the woods. As there was a lot of dry stuff around, you can see how easy a fire starts up here. And when it once gets going, I reckon it can burn some, eh, Allan?”