It must have been all of half-past eleven when Dick heard the sound of hasty footsteps in the woods near by. Then several figures burst into sight, hurrying toward the camp, and making extravagant gestures as they stumbled along. At the same time they cast frightened looks over their shoulders, and Dick heard Nat Silmore cry:
“This here island’s no place for our camp, fellers. There’s a terrible wild man loose on the same, and he roared at us something fierce. We’d better get away from here while the going’s good, I tell you! Wow! I’m nearly all in.”
CHAPTER XVI
WAS IT A WILD MAN OF THE WOODS?
“What’s all this you are telling us, Nat?” asked Mr. Bartlett, with a show of interest, while the boys of the camp crowded around the trio of newcomers, and Mr. Holwell and Mr. Rowland stood listening not far to one side.
Dit and Alonzo seemed pretty well exhausted. They sank down on a log, panting as if they could hardly catch their breath. Despite the color in their flushed faces they looked alarmed, as well as sheepish on account of having given way to their fears.
“Why, we certain sure did see something, Mr. Bartlett!” urged Nat, with emphasis. “The woods happened to be kind o’ gloomy right there, so we couldn’t be dead sure what it was, but he made a horrible drumming sound, and waved his arms above his head. Ugh! did we run? Well, to say we tore along’d be hitting it closer.”
“And I reckon the wild man chased after us for a little, too,” Dit Hennesy managed to say between his gasps. “Leastwise I could hear something comin’ back of us, and it made me smash into a tree, I was that worried.”
He put a hand up to his forehead, where they could see that a lump had made its appearance. This at least was evidence that the boys were not trying to play one of Nat’s customary practical jokes. Bumps like that have a way of telling a story of their own. Bumps seldom lie.
“What makes you think it was a wild man?” asked Harry Bartlett, trying to get all the information possible from the boys.
“Oh! well,” replied Nat, slowly, “he just seemed to act wild, I reckon. When we glimpsed him he was squatting down, and as soon as Dit here let out a whoop he commenced growling at us something fierce.”