Home > Authors Index > H. Irving Hancock > Grammar School Boys of Gridley > This page
The Grammar School Boys of Gridley, a fiction by H. Irving Hancock |
||
Chapter 11. Dan Sees Bears--In His Mind |
||
| < Previous |
Table of content |
Next > |
|
________________________________________________
_ CHAPTER XI. DAN SEES BEARS--IN HIS MIND In twenty minutes, studying the ground harder than any one of the five had ever scanned a problem in arithmetic, the Grammar School boys had advanced some three hundred feet. Their course had taken them into the woods on the further side of the bridle path. "I don't see any footprints around here," half grumbled Tom Reade. "No," Dick replied, "because the ground is hard and stony here. This isn't the place to look for prints. But we may find some other sign at any----" "Stop right where you are!" ordered Dave excitedly. All halted at once, gazing up the hillside, where Dave pointed. "Fellows, there's a big rock cropping up, and do you see that hole leading into it?" "Looks like a bear's hole," suggested Dan, with another grin. "Cheer up!" advised Dick, smiling. "There haven't been any bears in this part of the country in a century. But come on, fellows! That place is worth looking into." Willingly enough all trotted up the slope to the hole in the rock, though, truth to tell, all the boys were rather footsore by this time. The hole in the wall of rock proved to be some three feet in diameter. Dick struck a match and peered in. "This tunnel seems to go in as far as I can see with the help of the match," young Prescott announced. "Fellows, some of us will have to crawl in here and see what we can find." "Better not," advised Dan. "Greg isn't in there. And if that hole isn't the home of a bear then it's snakes. Ugh!" "I'll go in with you, Dick," agreed Dave. "As for Dan, you stay out--'fraidcat'!" "No more afraid than you are!" retorted Dalzell, stung into sudden spirit. "If you rascals are going to crawl in there, then I'm going with you. Can't take 'no' for an answer." "If Dalzell finds any wild animals in that hole he'll feel like Daniel in the lions' den," chuckled Reade. "I wish we had something to make a torch of," grumbled Dick. "It's slow work and a lot of nuisance to be lighting two or three matches every minute." "Do I get a chance to go in there with you?" demanded Dan. "I don't know whether you do or not," grimaced Dick. "You're such a scared-cat that----" "Say that again, and you don't get--this," grinned Dalzell, hauling an object out into daylight. It proved to be a pocket electric lamp. "Oh, you jewel!" glowed Dick. "Am I a scared-cat?" insisted Dan, returning the lamp to his pocket. "Nothing of the sort!" Dick declared readily. "How about you, Dave?" demanded Dan, wheeling upon his other tormentor. "I never admired any one's courage as much as I do yours, Danny boy," laughed Darrin. "All right, then. You can use the lamp," conceded Dalzell, bringing it forth from his pocket and handing it over to Dick. "Let's all hurry and get in there," proposed Tom Reade. "Nothing like it!" rejoined Dick. "Wouldn't it be fine if we all crawled in there and Dexter and Driggs really happened to be in the neighborhood? They might come along and pen us all in there! Tom, you and Harry will have to stay outside on guard--and keep your eyes wide open." "Hazelton can keep his ears wide open," suggested Reade. "His ears are the generous, wide-open kind, anyway." Dick had already thrown himself on his knees, and, holding the lamp ahead of him, he crawled in as fast as he could over the rough, rocky floor of the tunnel. Dave Darrin was right behind the leader. Third in line came Dan Dalzell, who comforted himself with the thought that, if Dick and Dave encountered anything dangerous, he (Dan) would have loads of time to crawl out again before the danger could assail him. For more than a dozen feet the tunnel ran irregularly into the rock. Suddenly Dick uttered an excited shout. "Whh-a-at's the matter?" almost chattered Dalzell. "What's hit you?" "There's a regular cave here," Dick called back. "A fine, big place!" At this moment Dave, too, straightened up as he stepped into the cave proper. "What's going on in there?" Tom Reade called in through the tunnel. "Stay where you are," Dalzell called back, "and don't let us get bagged in here by any one." Then Dan straightened up on his feet and took several curious looks about him while Dick flashed the light. "Say, this is bigger'n a barn in here, only not so high!" gasped Dan. "I wonder why nobody ever knew of this dandy place before?" mused Dave. "And the air's good in here, too." "The air's good enough," Dick assented hurriedly. "But what we came here for was to see whether we can find Greg. Come on, fellows--be quick." "This leads to nothing, after all," sighed Dave Darrin at last. "There may be other parts to the cave that we haven't found yet," advanced young Prescott. "Now, halt, everyone! Quiet! Greg?" Dick's voice echoed in the place. Away off in one corner something seemed to be stirring. "What's that?" asked Dick quickly. "Time to beat it!" muttered Dan. "We've disturbed some animal that lives here." "Sh!" ordered Prescott, holding up one hand. "Greg!" Against their ear-drums came again, rather faintly, the sound of something moving. "If you're Greg, you keep on making the noise until I locate you," urged Dick. "Fellows, you stay right where you are. Don't move." Once more that sound of something moving came to the boys, and Dick, on tip-toe, moving softly, ranged toward the direction from which he believed the noise had come. As Dick moved away from them with the light, Dave and Dan found themselves in comparative darkness. "If that's you, Greg, keep on making all the noise you can," directed young Prescott, as he neared one of the jutting ledges of rock. A distant snort came as though in answer. "If that's you, Greg, you can do it again," cried Dick in a low, eager voice. "If it's you, do it just four times." Then Dick halted, realizing in the stillness that he could hear his own heart beating rapidly. Again came the snort--one, two, three--four times. Then it stopped. "Dave! Dan!" quivered Dick's voice. "Come running! It's Greg." There was a sound of running feet--then a thump. Dave Darrin was still coming, but Dan had tripped over some little obstacle and had fallen flat. "Hold on, there, you two!" howled Dan. "I've hurt my knee. Wait until I reach you." But Dave and Dick paid no heed. Once more they had heard the snorts, and had made a dash for a low ledge of rock, from behind which they believed the sounds to have come. Then both young leaders of the Grammar School boys gave a joyous whoop, mingled with dismay. _ |
||