CHAPTER XXXIV.
THE INTERLOPERS.
"Well, we'll git ter ther bottom uv this afore we leave ther island," declared Zeb vehemently, "but right now, pussonally, I'm more interested in gitting those lead carboys filled up with Z. 2. X. and gitting away from here."
"So are we," said Jack, thinking of his father.
They all donned their asbestos gloves and foot coverings under the professor's directions and put on the huge black goggles that had been brought along at the scientist's directions.
"I guess we'd scare that wild man into conniption fits if he could see us now," chuckled Tom, surveying his mates as they started out for the black barren.
"Yes, we look like a lot of men from Mars," agreed Dick.
Armed with shovels they attacked the dark, soft earth at a place the professor indicated. For an hour or more they worked and filled three of the lead carboys. Then Jack spoke.
"It's queer," he said, "but I begin to feel terribly tired, and I haven't worked long, either."
"So do I," said Tom. "I don't feel as if I could lift another shovelful."
"I'm all in," added Dick, throwing down his spade.
"Same here. Jes' 'bout tuckered out," chimed in Zeb.
"It's the effect of the stuff we are working in," said the professor. "Anyhow, we've done enough for to-day. We'll load the lead carboys on the Wondership and then knock off. I don't want you boys to get sick."
They took the loaded carboys to the grounded craft and the professor sealed and soldered a cover on each of them. Then they went back to the camp. Curiously, as soon as they reached it, the lassitude they had felt while working on the black barren left them. Jack proposed a hunting trip to Tom. Dick said he wanted to write up his notes from which, on their return, he was going to construct a big "story" for his paper.
The two chums struck out across the island. They met with fairly good luck. Jack brought down some rabbits and a partridge. Tom got three partridges and some squirrels. Game appeared to be plentiful on the island and Jack had a theory that at one time it must have been connected with the mainland.
At last their walking brought them out on the upper end of the island facing the smaller spot of land above. As they emerged from the trees, both boys got a big surprise.
Two boats had just been beached there!
"What in the world!" stammered out Jack.
"Who can——" began Tom, when the question was answered. The boys saw three figures coming down to the beach. They, seemingly, had been looking for a camp site.
"It's that fellow, Bill Masterson," explained Jack.
"So it is, and those other two are his cronies. The sneaks, they've followed us here!" cried Tom indignantly.
"Let's watch from behind these bushes and see what they do," said Jack.
They watched from a place of concealment while the three youths on the island above unloaded the second boat which they had towed down the river, carrying their camping equipment and provisions in it. They set up their tents quite boldly in full view of the other island and then proceeded to build a fire.
"How on earth did they get down the river without having a spill?" cried Jack.
"How did they know where Rattlesnake Island was?" wondered Tom, neither of the boys, of course, knowing of the opened letters.
"They seem prepared to make a long stay," commented Tom, after a minute, "but it's a wonder they weren't wrecked."
"I don't know," said Jack. "Zeb says the river is much higher now than he has ever seen it. That means that the rapids are not so dangerous as at low water. But they were taking quite a chance, at that."
The boys watched for a while longer and then returned to camp with their game and their news.
"If they try to land on this island, we'll soon chase 'em off," declared Dick vehemently.
"Then they'd have a case at law agin us," said Zeb.
"How do you mean?" asked Jack.
"Wa'al, we ain't filed no claim yet and in the eyes of the law them deposits down there in the black barren is as much theirs as ours."
That evening Zeb occupied himself with making several signs of intention to file claim which he intended to post all round the black barren, thus marking it off as if it had been a mine. Before they went to bed, Jack and Tom made another excursion to the upper end of the island where they watched the campfires of the interlopers for some time.
Suddenly, while they watched, they saw one of the boats with three figures in it shoved off. The craft began to drop down the river. Masterson, who was at the oars, steered straight for Rattlesnake Island.
"They're going to land here," declared Jack.
"What do you think of that for nerve," gasped Tom.
"The worst of it is, we can't stop them."
"No, that's so. Let's hide behind this rock and see what they do."
The boys slipped behind a big boulder and a moment later the boat was beached.
"Well, here we are," came in Eph's voice, "and if the stuff is worth all you say it is, we ought to get enough out in a couple of nights to make us rich."
"Gee! I can hardly wait till it's time to start digging," said Sam Higgins. "Here we are, on Tom Tiddler's ground, picking up gold and silver."
"Wait till we get it before you start hollering," said Masterson gruffly.
"What time will we start over?" asked Sam.
"About midnight. It will be plenty of time."
"But how are we going to locate it?" objected Eph.
"We can see where they've been digging, can't we?" said Bill Masterson, "or if they haven't started yet, we can hang around and watch till they do."
The three worthies sat under a rock not far from where the boys were and talked. It appeared that Bill Masterson had read up on mining and claim law and knew that the boys could not order them off the island. They had a right to take all of the mineral-bearing earth that they could.
Suddenly, however, their talk stopped.
"What are you doing, Eph?" demanded Sam indignantly.
"Nothing. What do you mean?" asked Eph in an astonished voice.
"You threw a rock at me."
"I didn't."
"You did. Ouch! There's another."
"One hit me, too," cried Eph, springing up, and at the same moment a yell came from Masterson.
Jack and Tom, as much surprised as the three marauders, heard the rocks pelting around them. Suddenly they looked up. Standing on a high rock above the place where Masterson and his cronies were talking, was a strange-looking figure in tattered clothes outlined in the moonlight.
He was busily hurling rocks down at the intruders. Suddenly a demoniacal laugh split the air and the creature vanished, running swiftly, crouched, with long arms hanging.
"It's the wild man!" gasped Tom, while the three worthies on the beach uttered a startled cry.
"It's ghosts, that's what it is," declared Sam Higgins shuddering.
"Nonsense. It's those kids. That's who it is," said Bill, but his voice was rather shaky.
"I never heard anything human laugh like that," declared Eph. "Ugh! it makes my blood run cold."
"Maybe we'd better go back," said Sam. "If we've got a right here I'd just as soon land in the daylight."
"You're a fine pair of babies," growled Bill. "I'm sorry I brought you along. Ghosts indeed—Wow! what was that?"
Another long ringing peal of laughter sounded through the night. It reverberated against the steep walls of the canyon and was flung mockingly from crag to crag. The boys felt their blood chill as they heard it. There was something diabolical in the merriment of the wild man who, they knew, was making the hideous sounds.
"I'm going back to the other island," declared Sam.
"If you move I'll knock your head off," said Masterson. "It's just a trick of those kids to scare us, that's all it is."