With that the boys saluted, and with eager haste went into the lodge to get their things ready for the hike.
“Come on, Tom! Come on, Don!” Jack shouted a minute later as he led the way through the woods. “Let’s see how quickly we can get to the lumber camp. Sure, we’ll break the record. Ouch!” he exclaimed after a minute, turning to look frowningly at the plant that had pricked him.
“What do you suppose that is, Jack?” he asked. “I don’t remember ever studying a plant like that.”
“Guess you don’t! That’s one of the plants that grow near a bog—I forget the name of it now. We’d better look out, though, if we’re anywhere near a bog. I’m not over-anxious to take a mud bath,” Jack replied.
“We’d be mighty lucky if we got off with nothing worse than a mud bath. If we once got mired in one of those swamps, the chances would be two to one that we would never get out alive,” said Tom, and then added suddenly: “Where’s Don?”
“Blessed if I know!” said Jack, while his face began to take on a worried expression. “He can’t be very far off, though. He was here just a minute ago. Here, Don; here, Don—where are you, old fellow?” he called, but no joyous bark answered the well-known voice.
Then Tom put two fingers between his teeth and sent forth a shrill whistle that echoed and re-echoed through the trees. This time, to their great relief, they were answered, and in a moment more Don himself came bounding up to them. His relief showed in his voice as Jack patted his favorite on the head and said, “We thought you might be stuck in the swamp, Don. Don’t go away like that again, will you, old fellow?” And Don readily promised.
They started on again, this time with much greater caution than before. Whenever they came to ground that looked the least bit suspicious, they skirted it very carefully. Don had kept close to his master’s side as he had promised, although at times it was very hard for him to keep from chasing the squirrels and rabbits that looked at him in such an aggravating way. Finally one reckless little chipmunk scurried along almost under Don’s nose, and it was more than dog nature could stand. With a bound he was off after the little fellow, who, frightened by the sudden onslaught, fairly flew to the shelter of his hole and left Don to bark away his vexation.
Suddenly he stopped barking and trotted forward a few paces, then, with ears bent forward and front paw raised, seemed to be listening intently. Suddenly he burst into a chorus of wild barks and then crouched down, growling savagely, with his eyes fixed on a clump of bushes.
The boys, who were just rounding a rock and could not see Don on ahead, started forward eagerly to find the cause of his uneasiness, but stopped abruptly as two men armed with heavy clubs sprang out from the shelter of the bushes with the evident intention of doing for the dog then and there. In a flash it came to Jack that these were the two men whose plot they had overheard. Suppose they had seen the Scouts the day before and, taking it for granted they would warn Flannigan, had lain in wait for them here in this lonely spot?