“There’s fresh trail there, or I’m no good at sign reading any more,” remarked Phil. The boys gazed at the ground and quickly saw that Phil was right.
With no wasted words, they turned and followed the slightly outlined trail. It took only a few minutes for them to reach a crude log shack, one that had evidently been constructed early that summer, as the fresh cut logs showed.
The door swung loose on crude rope hinges, and after debating a moment they decided to enter: They found practically nothing in the way of furniture. There were no bunks, but a pile of boughs had been thrown in each corner, and a rough table had been built in a corner of the hut. On this reposed several dirty tin dishes. The remains of the food were still fresh, showing that someone had eaten there within the past day or so.
“That means that they are apt to be back at any time, and so we’d better light out. It may be some camper and it may be some enemy. I am inclined to think it the latter, for a camper would have taken some pains to make things just a little bit more comfortable,” said Garry. “I think, however, we will plan to keep watch of this place and see who happens to occupy it.”
“Well, I can tell you right now that it is someone from the logging camp. One of those who are mixed up in the trouble there. Look under that table on the floor!”
CHAPTER XII
DICK DISAPPEARS
The others bent forward curiously and gazed at the floor. There, laying in a little mess of debris, as though it had slipped from the pocket of some one who had been sitting at the table, was the knife with Dick’s name on it, that he had bought of the sidewalk merchant in Bangor!
“Isn’t that conclusive proof that it’s someone from the camp?” demanded Dick as he rescued the knife.
“It surely is, and they are up to no good. Why should anyone from the cutting have a place over here? It’s a signal for us to get out and get out quick. There’s one good thing, though, we can set the hermit to watching over here and leave ourselves free to go about other business. We’ll pace out the distances and draw a rough map and leave it in the tree postoffice so that the old fellow can come over here and keep watch,” said Garry.
Being careful to leave no traces of having been in the cabin, they hastened outside. They had hardly gone two feet, though, when Dick darted back. He rejoined his companions almost instantly, and answered their puzzled stare with this explanation: