The Boy Chums in the Forest

aintive call of a whip-poor-will. In a little clearing by the side of a faint bridle-path a huge fire of fat pine knots ro

e Florida ponies, tethered with rawhide rop

h-pommeled Mexican saddle, while the firelight gleamed on the pol

one side, and upon them rested a coffee-pot and large frying-pan from

e frame still gave evidence of great strength and endurance. There was about him an air of anxious expe

tered, as he removed the frying-pan from the coal

, the muffled distant thud of galloping hoofs. A few moments later a well-bu

leaped from the saddle and with a rush had the elde

ld!" he shouted

to see you, lad, glad to see you. M

But wait 'till I 'tend to my pony, a

addle, pack, and guns, and staked his pony out ne

while, judging from that mysterious letter of yours. What is the scheme? Why this secret meeting i

bowse your jib for a bit

eat a razorback, if I didn't have

big granite cup with fragrant coffee, for Charlie West, and from his saddle-bag

got my letter, Charley?" asked

of myself, Captain. Got into some mischief with a crowd of fellows at school. Of course, I got caught and had to bear the whole blame for the silly joke we had played. T

, "that would have been sneakish. But

u suggested. There's nothing left. The fellows tried to get me to stay and work in the city until the next school term opens, but I told them, no! that I was going back to the best friend a boy ever had, back to the man who had

" exclaimed the delighted captain, "y

the lad, stoutly. "But it is your turn

other member for our crew any time now, and

e camped out enough to know that a good camp-mate is about the scarcest article to be found. If we take in a stranger on this trip, wh

pipe as he inquired, "Now who would y

get them. One is Walter Hazard, the Ohio boy who chummed with us down here for so long. The other is that little Bahama darky, Chris, whom Walter in

afore I wrote to you," obs

't imagine he'll drop whatever he is doing and travel a thousand miles just

at way, an' if I ain't mistaken, them's his pony's hoofs comin'

eagerly peering into the darkness from which t

, he gave a shout of delight and with a rush dragged him from his saddle in an affectionate embrace, while the captain, his

e wind out of my body, and that is all there is in it now. Chris and I had to hus

joyfully, "and Chris, too, it seems almost too good to be true. But come over to the fire, an

d heaped it up with bacon and hardtack, rese

e commanded, and Walter lin

tain and the little negro, who was quickly h

arley plied them with questions which the h

at thar letter of mine reached you

up there to see them the morning the mortgage fell due. Their faces were sad, enough to have made you cry. Thirty years they had worked and lived on that farm, and I guess there is no spot on earth quite the same to them. When mother lifted up her plate and saw the canceled mortgage underneath, it was some time before she grasped its meaning, and then she just broke down and cried. There were tears of jo

he happen to come?

join you. They wouldn't give him a vacation, but they would not keep him in

he grinning ebony face, the very picture of h

widout Chris to look after you. Dey was powerful like real fits, anyway. I used to get berry sick, too, chewin' up

our turn now, Captain. We've all showed our colors, eve

noticed as how fish will bite at a good many kinds of bait, but if you want to make sar

down, lads. I ain't brought all of you so fer just for a joke. I just wanted to make sure of you and I

n. "Go on, Captain, come to the

loafin' around town one day about two weeks ago when I come across a Seminole, who, I reckon, had been sent

not bound for the Evergla

nterested me and I didn't lose no time in makin' friends. Lads, I couldn't have stuck no closer to that redskin if he had been my long lost brother. I kept him away from other folks, an' by an' by I tipped him into the waterin' trough, kinder accident-like. The water sorter sobe

our drunken Indian got to do with us?" d

hat Seminole was carryin' around on him over five hu

d the boys, hal

out by the Upper St. John's River, due west of here. He declared the birds were as thick as the stars a

g, now, and questions and answ

is it to

g days'

f birds bear

, and the pink

the plum

an ounce for

be just like

alked the entire night away, but the captai

row, lads. Get to bed now, for

ir saddles for pillows the little party were soon in the land of dreams, bliss