“What ham?”
“The one I hung up there last night?”
“I–I don’t know. I didn’t eat it.”
Tad got up and hastened to the “stores-line,” as they called the rope that held their meats and other provisions. He discovered that several other articles besides the ham were missing. Even the pieces of twine with which the provisions had been fastened to the line were missing.
“Well, if this doesn’t beat everything!” wondered Butler.
“It does,” agreed Chunky, who had made bold to approach. “I hope the fellows won’t blame me, but I reckon they will. They lay everything to me.”
Tad did not reply. He was trying to make up his mind what had become of the missing provisions. He turned sharply to Stacy.
“See here, you aren’t playing tricks on us, are you?”
Stacy indignantly protested that he was not.
“I knew you’d try to put it on me,” he grumbled. “I’m pretty bad, I know, but I don’t steal.”