“Skin ’em—onny take back pelts,” said Omney.
“We want to have them stuffed, Hominy, so we need the heads and feet, too,” said Julie.
Tally looked at Omney and spoke in his native language. Then he turned to the scouts and interpreted what he said.
“I say, Omney skin animals wid head an’ feet on—us go on an’ help Omney on way back. Him done skin den.”
As no new adventure befell them that day, they retraced their steps and stopped for Omney and the pelts. That night the story was told to the three men, and it lost none of its coloring by having five scouts tell it, turn and turn about.
Scrub did not return to camp that night, and Mr. Lewis told Omney to start immediately after breakfast in the morning and see if any untoward accident had happened to the dog. Tally and the scouts would not remain behind, for they were very fond of the pet and worried lest he had been killed by a wild beast.
They chose the trail they had seen Scrub take the two previous days, and after climbing the mountain for a time, Tally and Omney argued over following a faint trail through a jungle. Tally pointed to a paw-track in the soft earth, but Omney declared it was not a dog’s track.
Yet Tally won his way, and started into the dense thicket. He had not gone more than a few yards before he exclaimed jubilantly and pointed to a wisp of Scrub’s hair that had been caught on a briar. Then Omney meekly admitted that Tally must be right in his intuitions.
After following the faint trail for a short time, Julie called out, “I’m sure I heard a dog bark just now.”
“Let’s shout. Maybe Scrub’s lost and is calling to us,” explained Betty, anxiously.