WHAT WOODCRAFT TOLD
"There it is again, Paul!"
"As sure as you live we're being followed, boys!" and Wallace allowed his voice to rise just above a hoarse whisper when he made this energetic remark.
The three were crouching in the bushes.
As yet Paul had not caught a glimpse of the object which seemed to disturb both of his friends; but he was looking sharply now.
"Why, yes, I do believe you are right, fellows," he said, calmly.
"Well, you take it mighty cool, I must say," declared Jack.
"Because I see no reason to get flurried over such a little thing, boys," was what the leader replied.
"Little thing, when you know Ted Slavin and a bunch of his toadies came up here to get all the glory they could out of this business! Don't you understand, Paul, that if they thought they could down us, they'd just as lief waylay us in the woods, and put an end to all our expectations?"
This was a very unusual way of talking for Wallace, but it only went to show how the boy was worked up over the situation, and made nervous by the continuous strain.
"But how do you know those moving figures are Ted and Ward, or even any of that crowd?" demanded Paul.
The others hesitated, and finally Jack remarked:
"Well, for a fact we don't know; but you remember we saw signs that even you declared proved what I'm saying—that some of those fellows have wandered as far as this."
"Yes, that's a fact. I'm not apt to forget it. Now, how many figures have you seen dodging along back there, just as if they didn't care to be seen—yet?"
"How about it, Wallace?" queried Jack, doubtfully.
"Two, anyhow; I'm sure of that," came the hesitating reply.
"Yes, at least two, Paul," the other echoed.
"And we are three. That's one reason why I don't see any reason for getting nervous over the discovery," observed the leader, his voice now apparently showing a trace of humor that was bubbling up near the surface.
"But where there are two there may be more, Paul?" objected Jack.
"Yes, possibly eight or ten more," went on the calm leader.
"Goodness! and you say there is no need of our worrying?" exclaimed Wallace.
"Yes, explain what you mean, old fellow. Eight or ten would give us a warm time don't you think?" demanded Wallace, gripping Paul's arm fiercely.
"Hardly, if they were all sound asleep around a dying campfire, dead to the world," quoth Paul, chuckling now.
But the others uttered low but vehement exclamations.
"Don't you see what he means, Wallace?" asked Jack.
"Sure. What a couple of fools you and I were," came the scathing reply.
"We've been followed by two of our own boys. They must have watched us crawl out of camp, and not wanting us to have all the fun, here they come creeping after us. What shall we do, Paul?" Jack queried in the other's ear; for the flitting figures were now very near.
"Open our arms and welcome the recruits. If they're just bound to join forces with us, why should we make any kick. I'm glad of it."
Then raising his voice a little, Paul continued:
"Hey! there!"
They could hear the murmur of voices. Evidently the two shadows were talking it over, and must have arrived at some quick conclusion, for presently same a hail.
"Hello! Paul, Jack!"
"It's Bobolink, for one," muttered Jack, immediately.
"Then it's a sure thing William is tagging along," said Wallace.
"Come on, both of you fellows. No danger!" called Paul, softly.
After that assurance the shadows boldly advanced, and quickly joined the three who stood under the spreading oak.
It proved just as Jack and Wallace had predicted, for the newcomers turned out to be William and Bobolink. They were chuckling, as though considering it a good joke.
"Thought you'd give us the quiet sneak, and gobble all the glory yourselves, hey?" said the latter, as they bustled up; "but William and myself had it all fixed. We were on to your curves, all right."
"Yes," broke in William, just there; "didn't we see you with your heads together a lot, and wasn't we wise to what was in the wind. Bobolink was awake, and it was my turn to snooze. He gave me a kick in the seventh rib that made me think a comet had dropped on me. But we showed up game. Now, what's doing, fellows; and do we get a grab at the scout?"
"If you both feel like trotting around a whole lot more, why you're just as welcome as a shower in spring," asserted Paul, promptly.
"I should say, yes," declared Jack; "and if the whole bunch could stand the racket we wouldn't have crept away like we did. But most of the poor fellows are all in, and dead tired, and we thought it would be a shame to invite them to hike some more."
"Did you bring your glim along?" asked Paul.
"Our lanterns? Well, William didn't want to, but I insisted. I knew that if we missed you fellows, and lost ourselves in the bush, they'd come in mighty fine for company," returned Bobolink.
"Then let's light up. After that we'll spread out, and try to find the trail," with which remark Paul set the example.
Presently five lanterns glowed like giant fireflies.
"Think it lies in this direction, Paul?" asked William.
"I'm sure of it. After that man's track came alongside the print of the little chap's shoe, there was no more wandering about; but it struck straight ahead. That told me the trail was heading for a house," came the ready reply.
"A house. Say, is there any other place up here but the old farm alongside the mill pond? I don't seem to remember any," remarked Bobolink.
"And that's just where I expect we'll bring up sooner or later," observed Paul.
"Then why not put for the old place at full speed right away?" suggested William, always impetuous.
"To do that we'd have to drop the trail again. And besides, what does an hour, or even two of them, matter in the end? Slow but sure is the successful scout's motto, boys. Hello I look here, what's this?"
Paul thrust his lantern down close to the ground. Bending over to look, the others could see the plain impression of a child's little shoe. It was heading due north, just as many similar tracks had been of late.
"Now if you look at this you'll see it's nearly crushed out by the big print of a man's foot; while just beyond the child has stepped into the impression made by the man. That can mean only one thing; the two were going on in company, and for a minute he let go the little one's hand, so that first the child was in front, and then behind."
"I guess you're right, Paul. But see here, what does this mean? The small track has dropped out altogether," remarked William.
"That is where the big fellow picks the boy up in his arms, and is carrying him," said Wallace, before Paul could answer.
"Right you are, that is just what happened. To tell the truth I don't know why he didn't do that before. He must have been toting some bundle along, and couldn't well carry the boy too. Come back a bit. I want to look around," and Paul retraced his steps until he had reached the spot where a confusion of tracks met his gaze.
He followed the man's trail a few paces, and found himself under a tree. Raising his lantern he carefully examined the bark of the trunk, and finding several fresh scratches, pursued his investigations still higher.
One accommodating limb grew rather low. In fact a man could, by reaching up his arms, clasp it easily; and that was what Paul believed had been done.
"Give me a push, somebody; and then hand up my lantern," he said, clasping his arms about the tree as well as he was able.
Ten seconds later William was handing him up the light; after which Paul began to ascend slowly, looking about him as though constantly on the watch for signs that would tell another had preceded him.
"All right; it's here. I'm coming down, fellows," he soon called out.
Reaching that friendly lower limb he held something in view.
"Take hold of this, Bobolink, and handle it carefully, because we don't know what's in the package. It might be dynamite!" he remarked.
"Oh! I hope not!" exclaimed the one in whose arms the bundle reposed; and he did not look any too happy at the prospect ahead.
"Don't be silly," said Paul, as he dropped beside them. "But whatever it may be, we might as well hide it in a new place. Then if the fellow should come back here to get it, he's going to meet with a disappointment, that's all."
"But what d'ye think it is?" argued the one who clasped the large package in his arms, though with evident reluctance.
"That is none of our business just now. It may be honest enough, and we'd get into a peck of trouble if we peeked. So let's just chuck it in some hollow stump as we go along, and muffle our trail behind us so he can't find where we put it. Later on I think I know some one who will be glad to look into what it contains."
"Perhaps I do too," remarked Jack; and the two chums looked at each other, with mutual astonishment marked on their faces.
"Oh!" remarked Paul, "are you on, too? Did he tell you the secret?"
"I happened to pick up an envelope he dropped, and wondered whose it was; so I went around, asking. He laughed when I came to him, and told me a little bit of news that surprised me. But Paul, he asked me not to breathe a word, even to you. That was a mean joke, when you knew all along," Jack complained.
"Remember the red car on the road, and the two men in it?"
"Oh! did they have anything to do with his coming up here? Yes, now that I think of it, you were pretty much excited over that same red car. You guessed something then, didn't you, Paul?"
"He had asked me to watch out for a red car with a khaki-colored top, that might have two men in it, one of them owning to a glass eye."
"Good gracious!" said Jack; "that tall chap did have a bogus eye, for a fact. And when you left me in town you hurried around to the post-office to find Mr. Pender, didn't you? I see it all now. He never came home for supper, as far as I know. I reckon he must have got a rig of some sort, and put out for the mill pond. But what about Solus Smithers—they asked after him, you know?"
Paul pointed to the marks on the ground.
"Unless I'm wrong those are his tracks. I noticed that he had big feet at the time he came out and ordered us to clear away from the pond, and threatened us with his gun. Yes, perhaps he got home to find visitors waiting for him," Paul observed, just as though he could read all these things from the trail.
"Then we go on, do we?" asked Bobolink, eagerly.
He had been listening to what passed between his two comrades, and while it was partly Greek to him, enough of the truth filtered through to give him a creepy sensation, as though cold water were being poured down his back.
Bobolink was no coward though, and while he shivered it was more through a delicious frame of mind over the chance of an adventure than because he felt fear.
"Straight on, as long as these lanterns hold out. I see yours has begun to flicker already, William. There, it's puffed out; and my own isn't near as strong a light as it was."
Paul seemed to be a true prophet, for inside of five minutes the lanterns "gave up the ghost," the last to expire being that of Jack.
"What's doing now?" demanded Jack.
"Gather up all the matches in the crowd. Then I'll strike them one by one," was Paul's immediate response.
This emergency torch lasted for a little while. Finally the last match was gone, and still they were some distance away from the mill pond.
"Listen," said William, suddenly; with a thrill in his voice; "whatever do you suppose that is?"