“I’ll go crazy if I don’t git rid o’ that money ’fore long,” he said to himself; and the next day another place of concealment occurred to him.
There was, beneath the new cabin, a small cellar entered through a trap-door. It was some ten feet square, and had been used to store potatoes, pork, and the like. To carry out his new plan, which was to hide the gold in this cellar, it became necessary to keep Amzi out of sight until its transfer was made. That was an easy task, for Amzi, docile as a child, was sent out on the lake to fish, and then Old Cy, hastily constructing a bag of deerskin, hurried to the beach, dug up the treasure, poured the glittering coin into this bag, hid it in the cellar, nailed the trap-door down, and that night slept better.
Two days after, just as the sun was nearing the mountain top, Martin, Angie, Levi, and Ray entered the lake.
How grateful both Old Cy and Amzi were for their arrival, how eagerly they grasped hands with them at the landing, and how like two boys Martin and Ray behaved needs no description.
All that had happened in Greenvale was soon told. Chip’s conduct and progress were related by Angie. Ray’s plans to remain here another winter were disclosed by him; and then, when the cheerful party had gathered about the evening fire, Martin touched upon another matter.
“I met Hersey as we were coming in,” he said, “and he says that neither McGuire nor the half-breed has been seen or heard of since early last fall. Hersey came in early this spring with one of his deputies; they visited a half-dozen lumber camps, called twice at Tim’s Place, and even went over to Pete’s cabin on the Fox Hole, but nowhere could they learn anything of these two men. More than that, no canoe was found at Pete’s hut, and there was no sign of occupation at all this past winter. Nothing could be learned from Tim, either, although not much was expected from that source. It is all a most mysterious disappearance, and the last that we can learn of Pete was his arrival and departure from Tim’s Place after we rescued Chip.”
“I think both on ’em has concluded this section was gittin’ too warm for ’em,” remarked Levi, “an’ they’ve lit out.”
“It’s good riddance if they have,” answered Old Cy, “an’ I’m sartin none on us’ll ever set eyes on ’em agin.”
And Old Cy spoke the truth, for none of this party ever did. In fact, no human being, except himself and Martin, ever learned the secret that this mountain-hid lake could tell.
But another matter now began to interest Old Cy–how Ray and Chip stood in their mutual feelings. That all was not as he wished, Old Cy soon guessed from Ray’s face and actions, and he was not long in verifying it.