“But some one is there!” exclaimed Frank. “The next thing is this: Does he, or they, belong there? And does this mean trouble?”
CHAPTER VIII
“THROW UP YOUR HANDS!”
The four boys drew together and held a conference in order to decide two things: first, whether there were interlopers in the camp house and, second, how to handle the situation in the event these people did not belong there.
“If they belong there—if Mrs. Parsons sent them up here without our knowing it,” said Frank, “we must be careful to do nothing which is wrong. And——”
“And,” interrupted Lanky Wallace, “if they do not belong here, then we must get rid of them in some way. It looks this way, Frank—if some one is in there that don’t belong, and it surely seems so right now, we’ve got to get them out and they’re not going to want to go out.”
This was putting the matter fairly.
“I’ll tell you what we can do,” suggested Frank when the boys had canvassed all the facts as they existed. “We can walk up to the place and look through the windows to see what is going on within. If there to a chance to hear anything we might get some idea from the conversation whether they belong there or not.”
With this the boys started forward, quite naturally keeping their guns to their arms, ready for action.
But there was no need to use stealth or secretiveness. No one made any attempt to call out to them as they approached, and, getting near the lodge, they scattered out, Frank and Lanky choosing places at the front, while the other boys went to the rear of the house.
Stooping beneath one of the windows at the front, Frank brought his head up to the level of the sill very slowly, peeping to see what was within.