Young Hunters of the Lake/Chapter 2
CHAPTER II
SWIMMING, AND WHAT FOLLOWED
Lane's Cove was situated almost a mile from Fairview, but the four boys did not think anything of walking that distance. All were good pedestrians, for their numerous outings had hardened their muscles and given them good lung power. Even little Giant trudged along as swiftly as the rest and even suggested a race when they came in sight of the spot selected by Snap for the afternoon's fun.
"No, don't run—you'll get overheated," said Whopper. "When I run I sweat like a house afire."
"Sweating like a house afire is good!" murmured Giant, with a grin. "Now if you had only said sweat like a stone, or a piece of iron, all of us would have known what you meant. As it is—" And then he stopped and ducked, to escape the piece of dried mud Whopper playfully shied at him.
The cove reached, the boys speedily found a spot that suited them. It was at a point where some overhanging bushes and trees sheltered a strip of sandy shore. At one point a rock ran out into the river, making an excellent place from which to dive.
The lads hustled into the bushes and in a very few minutes Snap appeared in his bathing outfit and was followed by Shep.
"Beat you in!" cried the doctor's son, but hardly had he spoken when Snap made a leap and landed into the river with a loud splash. Shep came after him, and both disappeared under the surface, to come up a second later, thrashing around wildly.
"Whew! it isn't so warm as I thought!" ejaculated Shep. "No Turkish bath about this!" And he gave a slight shiver.
"You'll soon get used to it," replied Snap. "It's always the first plunge that takes the breath out of a fellow."
Giant came in next, diving from the rock. Whopper followed more slowly, putting in first one foot and then the other.
"Moses in the bulrushes!" he gasped. "Say, this water is about half ice, isn't it?" And he drew back again.
"Whopper, you know better than to go in that way," remonstrated Snap. "Wet your face and then go in head first—it's the only right way. If you go in by Inches you'll gasp fit to turn your liver over."
Very gingerly Whopper wet his face. As the water ran down his backbone he let out another yell.
"Don't know as I'll go in," he observed. "I thought it would be much warmer."
"Oh, yes, come in," urged Snap.
In the meantime Shep had come to shore and crawled out, behind some bushes. Softly he crept up behind Whopper. Then came a sudden shove, and over went Frank with a loud yell and a splash that sent the spray in all directions. Before he came up Shep was out of sight behind a tree.
"Say, wh—who—" spluttered Whopper, as he came up and gazed around half angrily. Then he caught sight of a shoulder back of the tree. "Come out of that, and let me give you something to remember me by!" And he struck out for shore.
But Shep had no intention of being caught, and as Whopper came out he sprang in. Then Frank came after him, and a race ensued. In which Snap and Giant joined. The rapid swimming warmed all the boys, and then they declared the water "just O. K.," as Snap expressed it. Whopper watched his chance to get even with Shep, and when the other was not looking, dove down and caught the doctor's son by the foot. Shep was just shouting to Giant and had his mouth wide open, and as a consequence swallowed a lot of water. When he and Whopper came up they indulged in a splashing contest lasting several minutes.
"What's the matter with swimming across the river?" suggested Snap, presently.
"It's a pretty good distance," answered Giant. "And you must remember the current is rather swift."
"I'll go, Snap," said Shep, who was always ready to follow his "twin."
"I don't think I'll try it to-day," put in Whopper. "I'll stay on this side with Giant. If you find anything good to eat over there bring it along," he added.
"Might find some berries," said Snap.
At this point the river, from the outer edge of the cove, was about a hundred yards wide. The boys had frequently swum across, so Snap's proposal to go over was nothing unusual. Side by side the boys started cut and took their time. They did not attempt to stem the current but allowed it to carry them down the river for several hundred feet. They landed where there was an old orchard, backed up by a large strawberry patch.
"No apples ripe around here," said Snap, as he and his chum walked up the river bank, to a point opposite where they had left Giant and Whopper.
"Let us go over to the strawberry patch," suggested Shep. "We may find some strawberries worth eating."
As nobody was in sight, the proposition was readily accepted, and the boys picked their way carefully along, for they had no desire to hurt their bare feet. Reaching the patch, they began a hunt and soon discovered a corner where the berries were thick and sweet.
"Say, this is prime!" observed the doctor's son, smacking his lips. "This would suit Giant and Whopper to a T!"
"Wonder if we can carry any over to them, Shep?"
"I don't see why not. A little water won't hurt them. In fact they ought to be washed, they are that full of sand."
"Who owns this patch?"
"Old Tom Ashenbury."
"Well, we had better keep out of his sight, or he'll be after us with his gun. Don't you remember how he chased us once, when we were walking through his peach orchard?"
"Indeed I do. But we are doing little harm here. In a few days all these berries will be rotten. I guess he has given up picking them."
In moving around the boys had found a couple of old berry baskets, and these they now proceeded to fill. The task was about half completed when Snap suddenly straightened up.
"What was that?" he asked.
"What?" demanded his chum.
"I thought I heard a cry from across the river."
Both listened, but nothing came to their ears.
"You must have been mistaken," said the doctor's son, and resumed his work of picking strawberries.
"No use of picking more," said Snap, a few minutes later. "We'll be lucky to get over with these. Perhaps we'll drop half of them, trying to swim."
"Hi, look there!" shouted his companion, and pointed across the field in the direction of the river.
A flock of sheep had suddenly appeared, some fifteen or twenty in number. At the head was a large ram, who gazed in wonder at the two boys in their bathing outfits.
"Say, that ram means business!" ejaculated Snap, an instant later. "We had better clear out of here."
"Come on, I'm willing," responded the doctor's son, and started for the stream, carrying the basket of strawberries in one hand.
"Let us go up the stream," went on Snap. "No use of getting too close to him. I don't like his looks."
Both boys had good cause to feel alarmed, for the ram was coming toward them on a trot. Once or twice he stopped and pawed the ground, but then he came on, and they could see he meant to attack them.
"He's coming for us!"
"Can we reach the river!"
"We must reach it!"
Then the two boys broke into a run, giving no further heed to the fact that the ground was uneven and that their feet were bare. They had heard stories of vicious rams many times, and knew that only the year before a girl had been almost mauled to death by such an animal.
They had still fifty yards to cover when Snap went into a hole and pitched headlong. Shep was directly behind him, and over he went on top of his chum, crushing one of the baskets of strawberries between them. The other basket was scattered in all directions over the ground.
"There go our berries," grumbled Snap. "Too bad!"
"Get up!" roared Shep, scrambling to his feet. "Here comes the ram, and he's as wild as they make 'em!"
He caught his chum by the arm, and both tried to go on. But Snap's ankle had received a bad wrench and he was forced to limp.
The boys had to pass a low shed, used occasionally for the storage of fruit and baskets. As they reached this the ram came up and lowered his head.
"Jump for the shed!" yelled Shep, and caught hold of the roof of the structure. He scrambled to the top and gave his chum a hand. Then on came the ram and hit the side of the frail building a resounding whack with his head. Snap escaped by less than a foot; and then both boys stood upright on the top of the shed wondering what they had best do next.