VIII

THE ENCAMPMENT

Before the snow had entirely gone, Arthur and some of the other village boys formed a plan of going up into the woods and making a camp. The time fixed for this expedition was Saturday afternoon. The reason for deciding on that particular day was because Beechnut was always at liberty at that time, and they wished to have him accompany them. Mr. Henley thought a boy of Beechnut's age ought not to be kept at work too constantly, and he accordingly allowed him Saturday afternoon as a regular holiday. Beechnut could then play, or go on excursions, or fish, or do anything that he pleased.

The village boys liked to have him with them, he was so ingenious in devising plans, and so good-natured and accommodating. He generally assumed the whole charge of the arrangements, and the boys submitted very readily to his rule.

One secret of his success in securing the obedience of the boys was his giving them all employment. He would create offices so as to furnish each of the boys, especially the more forward and active of them, with plenty to do.

There was a certain boy named Parker who was of a rather proud and independent spirit, and therefore not much disposed to submit to authority. Beechnut usually gave him some military command, and called him general. He would issue his orders to him in a very decided tone, like a king giving orders to the commander in chief of his armies, and Parker was pretty sure to obey very readily, feeling quite exalted in view of the dignity of the office which he held.

Beechnut also took care of the little boys, giving them something to do which pleased them, and made them feel as if they were of consequence, as well as larger boys. Thus all parties were contented and happy.

When the boys came, two or three together, to propose to Beechnut that they should go up into the woods and encamp the next Saturday afternoon, he said in reply, "Yes, I would like that very much. Give notice to all the boys who are going, to meet me here at one o'clock. They must bring their sleds, and every boy must bring as much as he will want to eat."

"What kinds of food shall they bring?" asked Arthur.

"Just what they please," replied Beechnut, "and it can be cooked or not cooked. If it is not cooked, we can cook it in the woods by our 'camp fire. Every boy must wrap up his ration in a piece of paper and write his name on the outside. I shall appoint a quartermaster to take care of the stores when you get here. Is Parker going?"

"Yes," answered Arthur.

"Well, tell him to get a company ready, and to have them all armed and equipped. He may take such boys as he chooses, but not more than four. Have you any flags?"

"I have two," said Arthur.

"And Frank has one," said Beechnut. "That will be enough. Bring your two flags and tell the boys to be sure to be here by one o'clock."

The next Saturday the boys began to assemble long before the time appointed, so deeply interested were they in the expedition. When all had arrived, Beechnut conducted them to the great gateway behind the house. This gateway gave entrance to the pasture road and was a convenient place for organizing the expedition.

He then proceeded to make the arrangements which he had previously determined on in his own mind. He appointed Parker commander in chief of the forces, and directed him to call out his men for a rear guard. Besides the rear guard, he said he must have a corps of pioneers; that is, men to go before and remove any obstructions which might hinder the progress of the expedition. He appointed Arthur to command the pioneer corps, and asked him to choose four good strong boys to go with him on this service.

"Now for the quartermaster's department," said Beechnut.

The name of the boy whom he fixed on for quartermaster, was Gilbert — a large and somewhat clumsy lad, but good-natured and accommodating. "You must take care of all the stores and provisions," said Beechnut, "and you can choose four good men for assistants."

Gilbert seemed much pleased with his appointment and at once chose his helpers. There were now three boys left — the three smallest. Frank was one. The names of the other two were James and Lawrence. "These three are the standard bearers," said Beechnut.

So he gave the flags to the three small boys and appointed them their stations. James was to march with the pioneers, and Frank with the rear guard. The third boy, Lawrence, was to march in the center of the column, directly before Beechnut himself.

Beechnut then directed the quartermaster to send two of his men with one of the sleds back to the barn to get some buffalo robes which he told him were hung up there. They were to take them down, fold them up carefully, and lash them on the sled with a cord, and then come back.

Gilbert selected two of his men for the service, and they went away toward the barn.

"Now," said Beechnut, addressing Gilbert again, "send another man into the yard near the house, and there, under the great apple tree, he will find a sled with a box fastened on it. Let him bring it here."

The messenger was dispatched, and as soon as he returned with the sled, Beechnut directed all the boys to carry the parcels containing their provisions to Gilbert, in order that he might pack them all safely in the box. Gilbert performed the duty of receiving and stowing these parcels with great zeal, and by the time this work was completed the other boys came with the sled and buffalo robes.

Then Beechnut stationed the pioneers along the road with their captain at the head and the standard bearer in the middle. Next came Beechnut with his standard bearer. Behind them was the quartermaster's department with the loaded sleds. Each sled was drawn by two men. Gilbert marched at the head of them, and was to assist in going up steep ascents, or in surmounting any other difficulties which might occur on the way. After the quartermaster and the train of baggage came the rear guard with Parker at the head.

All was ready, and Beechnut took out a small brass hunting horn from his pocket, saying, "This is my trumpet. Whenever I blow one short blast, it is a signal for you to stop. If I blow two blasts, it means that you must march on. If I blow one long blast, it means you must come together to my standard, wherever that is. I shall have occasion to blow the long blast when you are scattered about in the woods after we get to our camping place. If I blow a great many short blasts, it means that you must retreat. If I blow three blasts very quick and short, it means that the enemy is close on us, and you must run for your lives."

He put the trumpet to his lips and blew the signal for marching, which consisted of two short sounds, and immediately the column started. On they went up the pasture road. Several times Beechnut blew his trumpet to stop the column on one pretext or another, and then, after a pause to let the men rest, he would blow the signal for an advance. He stopped frequently at points where there was something remarkable in the spot itself, or in the scenery around, and giving the place some distinguished name which the boys were familiar with in their geographies, he would call for three cheers. These cheers the boys would give with great energy, waving their caps in the air and making the woods and hills around ring with their shouts. Thus he kept the company in a state of continual animation all the way.

When they reached the woods, Beechnut chose a place for the camp in the margin of a grove of trees where there was a small opening looking toward the south and west. The sun shone into this opening very pleasantly. Beechnut began at once to make preparations for building a fire, and set the boys at work collecting sticks and fragments of decayed stumps and roots. This was a somewhat difficult task, as the sticks were often partly buried in snow and frozen down; yet nearly all the boys engaged in the work with great alacrity.

Parker, however, did not seem inclined to do his share. He walked away very independently and took his seat on a rock that was near. Another boy, named Thomas, whose temperament was somewhat similar to Parker's, joined him, and there they sat quite at their ease.

"Parker," said Gilbert at length, "why don't you come and help us get some wood? Do you think that all the rest of us are going to work for you?"

"Attend to your own business," Parker retorted, "and I will attend to mine."

Gilbert then went to Beechnut and complained of Parker's "laziness," as he termed it, and called on Beechnut to make him do his share of the work.

"No," said Beechnut, "if he is not willing to do his part, never mind. We can build a fire big enough for ourselves and for him, too."

Parker perceived plainly that the boys were dissatisfied with him, and that they were expressing unfavorable opinions of his conduct, and this made him begin to cherish unfriendly feelings against them. "I'll let them know," said he to his companion, Thomas, "that I will do as I have a mind to."

So saying, he rose from where he had been sitting and walked very deliberately toward the fire; for while these things had been taking place the boys had collected quite a pile of fuel, and the quartermaster had kindled a blaze under one side of it. Parker went to the fire, and taking the sled which had the buffalo robes on it, he drew it to the best place before the fire and sat down on the robes, which made a very soft and comfortable seat. Thomas, who had followed him, stood by his side.

Gilbert looked toward Parker and exclaimed gruffly, " Get off that sled, and let me have those buffalo robes. I'm quartermaster."

Parker made no reply and took no notice of Gilbert whatever. By this time a general feeling of excitement and indignation was beginning to manifest itself among the whole party. Beechnut perceiving that the case was becoming serious, went to the fire, followed by the other boys.

"Parker," said he, " we brought those buffalo robes up here to spread on the snow around our fire to sit on. We want them, and yon ought to get up and give them to us."

"Well," responded Parker, "I will, by and by, when I have done warming my feet."

Thomas laughed a little when Parker said this. The other boys looked perfectly grave. Beechnut hesitated a moment, and then he turned around to go away, saying, "Boys, come with me."

The boys all followed him except Thomas and Parker. Beechnut led them to a spot where they could consult together out of Parker's hearing. The boys gathered around him and he said, "We have got into a difficulty. What do you think we had better do?"

The boys did not answer.

"We have a right to our own buffalo robes," said Beechnut, "so we might go and pull them away and tumble Parker on the ground."

"Yes," said several of the boys, "let us do that."

"Another plan," continued Beechnut, "is to resolve that we will not speak a word to either Parker or Thomas all the afternoon. We can go back to the fire and keep on with our business and not answer their questions or speak to them, or pay any attention to them whatever.

"There is one other plan, which is to overlook the thing entirely. We can return to the fire and treat Parker and Thomas just as if they were both doing right; that is, we can get some hemlock branches to spread down on the snow, and leave Parker and Thomas to sit on the robes as long as they please. In the meantime we can talk to them, so far as there is occasion, exactly as if nothing had happened."

Some of the boys preferred one plan, and some another. At last they asked Beechnut which he thought was best.

"I think they are all good plans," replied Beechnut; "but I think the last is the best. At any rate that is the one which we will adopt. Let us go back to the fire and see who will be most good-natured."

While the boys had been holding this consultation, Parker, from his seat on the buffalo robes had been watching them with great curiosity. He knew very well that they were consulting about him, and wondered what measures Beechnut would decide to adopt. He felt self-condemned for his conduct, and was half inclined to get up and go away, leaving the property which he had seized, to its rightful owners.

The boys came to the vicinity of the fire, and without taking any special notice of Parker and Thomas, and, on the other hand, without exhibiting any desire to avoid them, went to work breaking off the small branches from the hemlock trees around and strewing them on the ground and snow on the windward side of the fire. Parker watched this operation a minute or two until he saw what the boys were doing. He inferred that they had decided to leave him to himself, and he felt that he had been placed in a foolish and ridiculous position.

He was greatly perplexed to know what to do. To continue to sit where he was seemed very awkward. To get up and help the boys strew hemlock branches appeared more absurd still. While he was puzzling over these perplexities Beechnut looked round on the carpet of boughs which the boys had made and said in a tone of satisfaction, "There, that will do very well. Now, quartermaster, go to the baggage train and get out the rations, and let your assistants distribute them to the men."

The paper parcels were accordingly taken out of the box, and by dint of a great deal of going to and fro and calling of different names were delivered to their owners. In the midst of the distribution Gilbert came toward the fire with Parker's parcel in his hand. Thomas had gone to the box and procured his.

"Here is your ration, Parker," said Gilbert. Receiving his ration under these circumstances made Parker feel worse instead of better. The boys gathered around the fire and began to open their parcels. Some took out apples and set them down before the fire to roast. Others made holes in the embers and put in potatoes which they had brought and then covered them with ashes.

Parker felt ill at ease, and presently, when he thought the boys were not observing him particularly he rose from his seat, assuming as careless and unconcerned an air as possible, and sauntered away. After a time he came back to the fire from another direction and sat down among the boys. They answered him when he spoke, and spoke to him themselves occasionally, acting toward him as if nothing had happened. He had a great mind to tell them that they might have their buffalo robes, but he was a little ashamed to speak of the subject. He hoped that when they saw he had abandoned them they would take them of their own accord.

In a few minutes Beechnut said, "Parker, have you done with those robes?"

"Yes," replied Parker.

"Well, boys," said Beechnut, "then we will take them and spread them on these boughs to make softer seats for us."

But the boys said that the seats were soft enough, and they decided that they would make a throne for Beechnut with the robes. So they went to the box in which the provisions had been brought up, took it off the sled and placed it on its side against a small tree near the fire. They spread the buffalo robes on this seat and insisted that Beechnut should have it for a throne.

Things being arranged thus the boys went on with the work of preparing their dinners or warming their feet by the fire, while Beechnut sat on his throne and amused them by relating various entertaining stories. The trees sheltered them from the wind, and yet, as the place was open toward the south, the sun shone in, making the encampment very warm and pleasant, independent of the influence of the fire.

The boys enjoyed themselves very much, and the difficulty with Parker was gradually forgotten, until he joined by degrees in the conversation.

At length the time came for setting out on the return home. The boys were somewhat dispersed, many of them having gone into the woods in the neighborhood of the encampment, and Beechnut blew a long blast of his horn to call them back to the camp. When they were all together he gave the necessary orders for packing the baggage and preparing to march.

"And now," he said in conclusion, "I must appoint a new captain of the guard; for my old captain has rebelled and deserted."

"No," said Parker, "I have not deserted."

"Why, suppose an officer refuses to obey orders and leaves the ranks," said Beechnut, "don't you think he is a deserter, even though he does not go away, but remains loitering about the company?"

"I don't know," replied Parker, hesitatingly.

"Are you willing to be tried?" asked Beechnut. "If you are willing to be tried we'll have a court-martial."

"Yes, yes," said all the boys, "let us have a court-martial."

"No," said Parker moodily, "I am not going to be tried."

"Very well," responded Beechnut, "then you are dismissed. You cannot join any of our parties again till you have been tried by a court-martial for this rebellion."

In returning home, the boys took a different course from the one by which they had ascended to the woods, and on their way they came to a brook which was pretty broad, and quite deep, with steep banks on either hand. They expected to cross this brook on the ice, but they found water along the margin on each side and other indications that the ice was not strong.

Beechnut tried the ice with a pole. So did Parker. Beechnut said he thought it was strong enough, but he was not sure, and he thought they had better make a bridge. Parker said he knew it was strong enough, and only cowards would be afraid to go over it.

Beechnut made no reply to this taunt; but selecting two trees which grew near the bank, he began to cut into the stem of one of them near the ground, intending to fell it across the stream. He used an ax he had brought lashed to one of the sleds. As the work of felling the tree proceeded, all the boys except Parker took part in the labor, each in his turn. Parker sat on a log near by, making sarcastic remarks to ridicule what he called the folly of having the boys work so hard to build an unnecessary bridge.

The boys, however, went on patiently with their task. The trees were felled across the stream and rolled together, and the whole company, with the exception of Parker, passed over on the bridge which they had prepared.

Parker, with a careless and unconcerned air, then stepped out on the ice. It settled a little, but seemed strong enough to bear him. "There," said he, "I told you there was no need of making a bridge."

Beechnut and the other boys stood looking on from the opposite bank. "See," said Parker, stepping along toward the middle of the stream, "it would bear a loaded team."

He took a few steps more till he had nearly reached the bank, and began to spring up and down on the ice to show how strong it was.

"Look out!" said Beechnut.

The caution came too late. The ice, though it perhaps would have borne Parker if he had walked gently over it, suddenly gave way, and down he went all over into the cold water. Beechnut ran to the edge of the bank. "Boys," said he, "catch hold of my arms; quick!"

So saying, he lay down with his face toward the ground, reached out his arms, and the boys grasped them. He crept backward in this position till his legs reached to the hole broken in the ice. Parker had come strangling and struggling to the surface, and when Beechnut's heels came within reach he gripped one of them convulsively with all his strength.

"Now pull away, boys!" cried Beechnut. "Pull away! All together!"

The boys obeyed and dragged him and Parker out on the snow on the bank. Both scrambled to their feet, Parker nearly choked with the water he had taken in.

"Here you are," said Beechnut, "half a mile from home, and drenched with ice water. You must keep yourself warm or you will catch cold and perhaps be sick. You have got to run for your life, but we will keep you company. Run, boys!" he continued, setting out at the same time himself, "run for your lives. The enemy is after us. Quartermaster, hold on to the baggage and run!"

The boys at once began running along the bank of the brook, and Beechnut every now and then raised the horn to his lips and blew a succession of short and quick blasts, the signal for retreat. Parker took the nearest road which led to the village. The rest of the company went down to Mr. Henley's barn, where they put the sleds and tools and buffalo robes all carefully away, and then went home.