The Rover Boys in the Jungle; Or, Stirring Adventures in Africa Read online

  CHAPTER V

  FUN AND AN EXPLOSION

  Several days slipped by, and the boys waited anxiously for somenews from the authorities. But none came, and they rightfullysurmised that, for the time being, Dan Baxter had made good hisescape.

  On account of the disastrous ending to the kite-flying match, manyhad supposed that the feast in Dormitory No. 6 was not to comeoff, but Sam, Tom, Frank, and several others got their headstogether and prepared for a "layout" for the following Wednesday,which would be Dick's birthday.

  "We'll give him a surprise," said Sam, and so it was agreed.Passing around the hat netted exactly three dollars and a quarter,and Tom, Sam, and Fred Garrison were delegated to purchase thecandies, cake, and ice cream which were to constitute the spread.

  "We'll do the thing up brown," said Sam.

  "We must strike higher than that feast we had, last year."

  "Right you are!" came from Tom, "Oh dear, do you remember how weserved Mumps that night!" and he set up a roar over theremembrance of the scene.

  Hans Mueller had become one of the occupants of the dormitory, andhe was as much, interested as anybody in the preparations for thespread. "Dot vill pe fine!" he said. "I like to have von feasttwist a veek, ha I ha!

  "He's a jolly dog," said Tom to Frank.

  "But, say, I've been thinking of having some fun with him beforethis spread comes off."

  "Let me in on the ground floor," pleaded Frank, who always wok agreat interest in Tom's jokes.

  "I will, on one condition, Frank."

  "And what is that?"

  "That you loan me that masquerade suit you have in your trunk.The one you used at that New Year's dance at home."

  "You mean that Indian rig?"

  "Yes."

  "Hullo, I reckon I smell a mouse!" laughed the senator's son. "Iheard you giving Hans that yarn about us training to fightIndians."'

  "Did you indeed."

  "I did indeed; and I heard Hans say that he wanted nothing to dowith the Indians."

  "Well, he's going to have something to do with at least oneIndian," grinned Tom. "What do you say I get the suit?"

  "Yes; if you'll fix it so that I can see the sport."

  "All of the crowd can see it, if they don't leak about it,"returned the fun-loving Rover.

  Tom soon had the masquerade suit in his possession and also, someface paints which Frank had saved from the New Year's dance mentioned.Shortly afterward Tom joined the crowd in the gymnasium, whereHans Mueller was trying to do some vaulting over the bars.

  "I dink I could chump dem sticks of I vos taller," the Germanyouth was saying.

  "Or the sticks were lower," replied Tom, with a wink at the crowd."That's right, Hans, you had better learn how to jump now, and torun, too."

  "The Indians have come," put in Frank.

  "Indians?" repeated Hans Mueller. "Vere is da?"

  "They say a band of them are in the woods around here," answeredTom. "If you go out you want to be careful or they may scalpyou."

  "Cracious, Rofer, ton't say dot!" cried Mueller in alarm. "Vot isdem Indians doing here annavay?"

  "They came in East to hunt up some buffalo that got away. Theyhad something like half a million in a corral, and about twothousand got away from them."

  This preposterous announcement was taken by Hans Mueller in allseriousness, and he asked Tom all sorts of ridiculous questionsabout the savage red men, whom he supposed as wild and wily asthose of generations ago.

  "No, I ton't vonts to meet any of dem," he said at last. "Da vosvon pad lot alretty!"

  "That's right, Hans, you give them a wide berth," said Tom, andwalked away.

  Later on Tom persuaded Dick to ask Hans if he would not walk downto Cedarville for him, to buy him a baseball. Eager to beaccommodating, the German youth received the necessary permissionto leave the academy acres and hurried off at the full speed ofhis sturdy legs.

  "Now for some fun!" cried Tom, and ran off for the Indian suit andthe face paints. These he took down to the bam and set to work totransform himself into a wild-looking red man.

  "You're a lively one!" grinned Peleg Snuggers, who stood watchinghim. "We never had such a lad as you before Master Thomas."

  "Thanks, Peleg, and perhaps you'll never have one like me again--andthen you'll be dreadfully sorry."

  "Or glad," murmured Peleg.

  "Mum's the word, old man."

  "Oh, I never say nuthin, Master Thomas; you know that," returnedthe man-of-all-work.

  A number of the other pupils had been let into the secret, and,led by Dick, they ran off to the woods lining the Cedarville road.Tom came after them, skulking along that nobody driving by mightcatch sight of him.

  Not quite an hour later Hans Mueller was heard coming back. TheGerman boy was humming to himself and at the same time throwing upthe new ball he had purchased for Dick.

  "Burra! Burra!" thundered out Tom, as he leaped from behind a bigtree. "Dutcha boy heap big scalp-me take um! Burra!" And hedanced up to Hans, flourishing a big tin knife as he did so. Themasquerade was a perfect one, and he looked like an Indian who hadjust stepped forth from some Wild West show.

  "Ach du!" screamed Hans, as he stopped short and grew white."It's dem Indians come to take mine hair! Oh, please, MisterIndian, ton't vos touch me!"

  "Dutcha boy heap nice hair," continued Tom, drawing nearer. "Makanice door-mat for Big Wolf. Burra!"

  "No, no; ton't vos touch mine hair-it vos all der hair I vos got!"howled Hans. "Please, Mister Indian mans, let me go!" And thenhe started to back away.

  "White bay stop or Big Wolf shoot!" bellowed Tom, drawing forth arusty pistol he had picked up in the barn. This rusty pistol haddone lots of duty at fun-making before.

  "No, no; ton't shoot!" screamed Hans. Then he fell on his kneesin despair.

  Tom could scarcely keep from laughing at the sight, and a snickeror two could be heard coming from where Frank, Dick, and theothers were concealed behind the bushes. But the German youth wastoo terrorized to notice anything but that awful red man beforehim, with his hideous war-paint of blue and yellow.

  "Dutcha boy dance for Big Wolf," went on Tom. "Dance! Dance orBig Wolf shoot!" And the fun-loving Rover set the pace in a mad,caper that would have done credit to a Zulu.

  "I can't vos dance!" faltered Hans, and then, thinking he mightappease the wrath of his unexpected enemy he began to caper aboutin a clumsy fashion which was comical in the extreme.

  "Hoopla! keep it up!" roared Tom. "Dutcha boy take the cake forflingin' hees boots. Faster, faster, or Big Wolf shoot, bang!"

  "No, no; I vos dance so hard as I can!" panted Hans, and renewedhis exertions until Tom could keep in no longer, and set up such alaugh as had not been heard around the Hall for many a day. It isneedless to add that the other boys joined in, still, however,keeping out of sight.

  "You're a corker, Hans!" cried Tom in his natural voice. "Youought to join the buck-and-wing dancers in a minstrel company."

  "Vot--vot--?" began the German boy in bewilderment. "Ain'tyou no Indian?"

  "To be sure I am; I'm Big Wolf, the Head Dancing Master of theTuscaroras, Hans, dear boy. Don't you think I'm a stunner."

  "You vos Tom Rofer, made up," growled Hans in sudden and deepdisgust. "Vot for you vos blay me such a drick as dis, hey?"

  "Just to wake you up, Hans."

  "I ton't vos been asleep, not me!"

  "I mean to stir up your ideas--put something new into yourhead."

  "Mine head vos all right, Tom."

  "To be sure it is."

  "Den vot you say you vos put somedings new py him, hey?"

  "I mean to make you sharper-put you on your mettle."

  "I ton't understand," stammered the German youth hopelessly.

  "That's so, and you won't in a thousand years, Hans. But you arethe right sort, any way."

  "I dink I blay me Indian mineselluf some tay," mused Hans. "Dotvos lots of fun to make me tance, vosn't it? Vere you
got dotbistol?"

  "Down in the barn. Look out, or it may go off," added Tom, as heheld out the weapons, thinking Hans would draw back in alarm.

  Instead, however, the German boy took the pistol and of a suddenpointed it at Tom's head.

  "Now you tance!" he cried abruptly. "Tance, or I vos shoot youfull of holes!"

  "Hi, Tom; he's got the best of you now!" cried Frank from behindthe bushes.

  "You can't make me dance, Hans," returned Tom. "That old rustyiron hasn't been loaded for years."

  "It ton't vos no goot? No. Maybe you vos only fool me."

  "Pull the trigger and see," answered Tom coolly.

  He had scarcely spoken when Hans Mueller did as advised. Atremendous report followed, and when the smoke cleared away theboys in the bushes were horrified to see that the rusty pistol hadbeen shattered into a thousand pieces and that both Tom and Hanslay on their backs in the road, their faces covered with blood.