CHAPTER IV

JUST ODDS AND ENDS

Captain Joe greeted Teddy Bear with delight. He circled around him snapping playfully at his legs and uttering short, joyous barks. Teddy dropped slowly down on all fours and gave Captain Joe a good-humored cuff that sent him clear to the other side of the cabin. This rebuke administered, he made his way over to where the sugar was kept in one of the kitchen lockers and tried hard to open it, but the boys had taken the precaution to add locks to all their lockers and his efforts were unavailing. At last he gave it up and made his way back into the main cabin and stood gazing at the boys reproachfully.

"You've got to stop your thieving, Teddy Bear," said Case with a grin. "Get over there in your old place in the corner and I'll get you a few lumps of sugar."

Teddy meekly obeyed and quickly received the reward for his obedience.

"Well, I finished the best part of my purchases," Clay remarked, "and I thought I had better come down and spell you for a while. I'll have time to finish up my list tomorrow, for there will be part of the time when it will take only two of us to work on the motors. I've had the dandiest luck in getting a new motor. It's a daisy and will burn either gasoline or kerosene. They promised to deliver it down here early this afternoon. I took Ike with me when I went to see about getting transportation, and let me tell you, that boy's some bargainer. I could never have got as cheap rates as he did out of the freight agent. We are to have a flat car for the _Rambler_ and live on board of her until we reach Seattle. But I am keeping you back. Hurry up and get your things before dark if you can."

Case was off like a shot and was soon uptown in the shopping district where he spent a happy afternoon making his purchases. With a grin at his own foolishness, he added to his list a large box of tallow candles. "Of course we will never have to eat such stuff, but they will bring back more than their value, I guess, trading with the Indians," he argued in justification. It was nearly dusk when he finished his list and arrived at the _Rambler_ to find that Alex had arrived only just ahead of him.

Alex was excitedly talking to Clay who was busily preparing their evening meal.

"What's all the fuss about?" Case demanded.

"Nothing much," Clay said, calmly. "Alex's just a little excited, that's all. We'll compare experiences while we're eating supper. Wash up and get ready. I've got fried fish and that's best when eaten piping hot."

It was not until the first pangs of his hunger was satisfied, that Alex gave vent to his grievance, and then it was in milder tones. "I guess I'm a little touchy," he confessed, "but it made me sore the way Ike jumped on me this morning, and for nothing too. Just about a little item that appeared in the morning paper about our trip. It took me a long time to convince him that none of us could have put it in, and, by the time I had done it, I was mad myself, while Ike seemed pretty well upset."

"He spoke about that item to me when I went to see him just before noon," Clay remarked, "but all he said was that he wondered who could have given it to the paper. All I could tell him about it was that there had been a couple of fellows prowling around our boat last night and they might have overheard part of our conversation, though why they should give it to the newspapers was more than I could figure out."

"Would you fellows like to own an interest in two rich gold mines?" Case asked when Clay had finished.

"Oh, no," retorted Alex. "We wouldn't take one as a gift. Money is the root of all evil and we don't want to get evil, do we?"

"It would not be exactly a gift," Case replied, ignoring the irony, and he proceeded to tell them of his morning visitor.

"What kind of looking fellow was he?" Clay inquired, eagerly, when he had finished.

"A big, heavy man, with long, thick whiskers. He was not a bad appearing man. His face was good humored but determined looking. He didn't impress me as a bad man."

"Did he have a red scar on his right cheek?" Clay demanded.

"He did," Case assented. "Looked to me like an old knife cut."

"Then he is one of those men I told you about last night," Clay remarked. "He's the best appearing of the two. The other one could be hung for his looks. Queer how so many little things keep coming up that we can't explain and which seem to have some connection with each other. First the first meeting between Ike and those men at the news stand, then Ike's constant suggestions to me all winter about this Yukon trip, then the second meeting at the stand when they had their quarrel, then Ike's wanting to go with us, then that queer notice in this morning's paper, and right on top of it, all these men applying for passage. Makes a queer chain, doesn't it?"

"Our little kitten of a mystery seems to be growing into quite a cub," observed Case, delighted to feel that his prophecy of trouble seemed to promise to bear fruit.

"Oh, cut it out!" exclaimed Alex. "Let's forget it all. Don't let's spoil our trip at the start by worrying over trifles that do not concern us anyway. Case, you make me tired. You're one of those guys that are always looking at the hole while the other chaps are watching the doughnut."

"I don't know but what you are right," Case replied shamefacedly. "I soon get rid of that habit when we get started on one of our trips, but the long, gloomy winter in the city seems to bring it back on me again. Just bear with me until we get started and I'll be all right. But just remember one thing, young man. You have used enough slang the last few days to entitle you to do all the dishwashing from here to the Yukon and back."

"We have all of us been using too much of it lately," Clay remarked. "We had ought to make a more determined effort to stop it. It's catchy, but the way we keep on adding new all the time it will not be so very long before our talk will sound like the chattering of a group of monkeys."

"Well," Alex grinned, "we had better stop our chattering right now and get to work. We have got a lot to do before we go to bed."

Most of their stores had been brought down to the wharf during the afternoon and lay piled in a big heap beside the _Rambler_. As soon as the boys had hurried through the cleaning up, they turned on the prow light and lighting a couple of lanterns went at the task of stowing their cargo. Boxes and packages were carried below, broken open and their contents stowed in the lockers, while the emptied packages were thrown overboard. As each box was opened it was checked off their lists so as to make certain that they received every thing they had ordered. Although they worked hard and with zest, it was midnight when they got all the stuff, but their new motor, safely stored.

"I don't know what we had better do about that motor," Clay said, looking at it doubtfully. "I hate to put it down in our freshly-painted cabin because there is always such a lot of oil and grease on even a new engine, but we can't risk leaving it up here all night."

Case tried to lift up one side of it and failed. "I guess there is not much danger of any one running away with it," he grinned. "It must weigh five hundred pounds."

"Oh, they couldn't get away with the engine very easily, but there's a whole lot of brass and copper fittings which they could unscrew or wrench off."

"I'll tell you what to do," Alex suggested. "Put a rope on Teddy Bear and tie him up to the engine. There will be no one bother it while he's around. He has grown so big and strong that he's got a punch like a prize fighter."

But Teddy did not take kindly to the idea when they tried to lead him up out of the warm cozy cabin. Alex had to fill a big can with sugar and lead the way with it extended invitingly to induce him to leave the boat. While Clay tied him to the engine, Alex scattered the sugar all around in little piles so that it would take Teddy Bear some time to find and lap it all up.

This last job done the tired but happy boys turned in, agreeing to be up early in the morning.

It seemed as if they had only just fallen asleep when they were suddenly awakened by loud snarling and scuffling on the wharf, followed by a harsh yell.

"Wake up and hustle, you fellows," shouted Clay, as he pulled on his pants and seized his automatic. "Teddy Bear is in trouble." His two companions were beside him when he gained the dock and the three rushed for the place where Teddy had been tied. Alex had switched on the prow light before leaving the cabin and its rays lit up a circle around the engine where they could see Teddy Bear sitting close to the engine holding up his paws and whining pitifully. The boys looked and listened but could see or hear no one near.

"Whoever it was has had plenty of time to get off the dock since we first heard the noise," Clay declared. "Let's see what's the matter with Teddy. I hope he has not been hurt badly."

Teddy extended his left paw with a little whine and Case examined it gently. "Why, he's been stabbed clear through the fleshy part," he exclaimed. "Run down into the cabin, Alex, and get that bottle of peroxide, some cloth for bandages, and the box of salve. Now cheer up, Teddy, this isn't going to hurt you much. It will heal up in a hurry. You don't use tobacco or drink liquor, and you chew your food well, so your blood is just as pure and clean as blood can be. In a week you will not know you ever were hurt."

Teddy put his head sideways and looked at him with a doubtful grin as though trying to understand what was said to him.

"I wish I knew what brute gave him that cut. I'd feel tempted to use my automatic on him," declared Alex, wrathfully, as he watched Clay, assisted by Case, apply the peroxide until it stopped foaming, follow it up with a liberal application of the healing salve, and then bind up the paw with long strips of white cloth.

"What's the matter with his other arm?" Case asked. "Look how he keeps it doubled up all the time. I believe he's holding something in it. I can see a bit of black."

"So there is," Alex agreed. "Hold out your other arm, Teddy, and let's see what you have got."

But Teddy was reluctant to part with his treasure and it was only after repeated commands that he obeyed.

Alex seized the object and bore it down into the brighter light of the cabin, his companions following. He laid the object on the table and all three boys burst into laughter.

It was an old battered felt hat and across its top were several long rents where the bear's claws had raked over; to one of the rents clung a generous patch of skin covered on the outside by long, coarse black hair.

"I guess Teddy Bear's more than evened up things," grinned Alex. "I am going to bring him down into the cabin and give it to him. It belongs to him. He earned it. That fellow will not prowl in the dark much for awhile."

So Teddy was led below, and received the return of the hat and scalp lock with much satisfaction.

"It is near day-break so there is not much use of our going to bed again," Clay said. "I'll cook breakfast and we will get to work early. I don't know what we are going to do about Teddy Bear," he continued. "He is getting too strong for a pet. We can't control him and he's liable to hurt some of us even in play. Get out of here!" he ordered, as Teddy slowly worked his way up to the sugar locker. He raised the knife with which he was slicing bacon and pointed it at the bear to emphasize his command.

Teddy fled to the far end of the cabin, whining in fear.

"There's your answer," laughed Alex. "We have never punished Teddy like we ought, but he has learned by experience himself that knives hurt. I guess a little punishment now and then when he has done wrong will keep him under control. We began his education wrong, we should have started with discipline first."

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