“I’ve just sacrificed my good knife. The thought came to me that one of them, the man who found it, might have remembered dropping it there, and would at once know that someone had been in the cabin if it was missing.”
“Good headwork, Dick,” said Garry approvingly.
They took it on the run back to where their canoe was beached, and soon were on their way back across the lake.
“I wish that we had more time without fear of interruption,” said Garry, “for it is likely that the occupants of the cabin have a canoe hidden somewhere along the bank of the lake. Safest thing now, however, is to get back to the other side of the lake, where we have an excuse for being.”
“I am afraid that there will be little use in watching that cabin, however, for it is quite probable that Barrows will warn those who are living there that we are swimming and fishing around the lake, and advise them to seek a new hiding place,” observed Phil.
“That’s a fact,” answered Garry. “Still, there’s no harm in trying. It was only by extreme carefulness in watching for signs that we discovered that trail. It was probably the one that the men use to get water, and the cabin is well hidden. One would not stumble on it casually in a long time.”
It was sundown by this time, and they held a council to decide whether they would camp there for the night or go back to the lumber camp. They were all anxious to visit the big lake, however, and so it was decided to return.
“After the camp is quiet we can skip out and visit our other objective,” said Garry.
Taking their fish out of the water, where they had been placed to keep fresh, they trekked towards home. It was about dark when they reached the camp, and about the first person they met was Barrows. He was all curiosity to know how they had spent the day, and they returned equivocal answers, being careful to make no mention of the canoe which they had carefully hidden before starting away from the lake.
The manager admired the fish, and thanked the boys for offering them to provide breakfast on the coming day. Pleading their strenuous walk and day as an excuse, they retired early to the shack.