“Be patient and I’ll tell you about it. After I had looked at my traps it occurred to me that I might as well come back by way of the bluffs, on the chance—”
“Ah, I guess it all,” interrupted Cal. “You found the dory at anchor there and Mr. Dunbar busy polishing his finger nails preparatory to his return to camp. Or perhaps you found a—”
“Stop your nonsense, Cal,” commanded Larry. “Don’t you see that Tom really has something to tell us!”
“Go ahead, Tom; I’m as mum as the Sphinx,” answered Cal, who found it difficult to keep his jubilant spirits within bounds now that he had something to do which promised results.
Tom resumed:
“I don’t know whether it means anything or not, but it’s interesting at any rate and I may as well tell you about it. As I was passing the uprooted catalpa tree, my foot sank into wet sand, and as the sand there had always been as dry as powder, I looked about to see what it meant. To my surprise I saw water trickling out from under the roots of the tree, and I went close up to inspect. As I was looking at the new-born spring my eye was caught by something curiously entangled among the upturned roots of the tree. It was so wound about by the roots and so buried in sand that I could make out its shape only in part, and that with difficulty. To make matters worse my torch was burned out by that time, so that I had only my fingers to explore with. I felt of the thing carefully, and made out that it is a keg of the kind that people sell gunpowder in. But I could get at only a small part of the chine, so I could learn no more about it. We can cut the roots away and dig it out to-morrow.”
“We’ll cut the roots away and dig it out to-night,” answered Cal, rising and lighting a torch. “We have work to do to-morrow and can’t spare time. Besides, this is a mystery and we sha’n’t sleep till we solve it; grab a cold torch each of you and come on. I’ll carry the little ax.”