“There may be a way,” Thad said, quietly, just as though he might be running things over in that clever mind of his, and trying to decide whether it would pay to try the plan he had in view.
“Tell us?” urged Giraffe.
“Then listen, and if any of you think it’s too risky, just say so, and we’ll try something else.”
When Thad said this, the others imagined he was about to propose an advance on the enemy from all sides. Confused by having four enemies approaching from as many quarters, perhaps the panther might think discretion the better part of valor, and turn tail and run.
So Giraffe and Step Hen drew in long breaths, and shut their teeth together in a firm, determined way; doubtless resolving to do their duty, as scouts always should, no matter what the risk.
But they were very much surprised when Thad’s explanation turned out to be something of an entirely different nature.
“Just by chance,” he went on to say, while all of them kept watching those glowing balls of yellow fire so close by, “I’ve got with me one of those new patent little flashlights Davy has been using to take pictures with at night time. All you have to do is to hold it out, and pull the thing off. If that suddenly dazzled the eyes of the panther, I’ve got a good notion he’d move along. How about it, Allan?”
“I guess you’re right, Thad,” chuckled the Maine boy. “All the cat tribe seem to be dreadfully afraid of fire. Yes, that would sure fetch him.”
Neither Giraffe nor Step Hen gave utterance to a single word, one way or the other. They were, as the former would have expressed it, “just tickled to death” by this bright suggestion on the part of the scout leader. And doubtless neither scout ever would believe, deep down in his admiring heart, that Thad simply “chanced” to have the explosive cartridge in his possession. Rather were they positive that he must have foreseen this very difficulty, and prepared for it.
“The only trouble is this,” Thad continued, even while he handed his gun over to Step Hen, and seemed to be fumbling with both hands, as though getting the little new-fangled flashlight cartridge in readiness for action; “do you think the sudden illumination will be seen at the camp yonder; and if so what do you expect Hank and Pierre will believe?”