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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d521e02 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #62866 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/62866) diff --git a/old/62866-h.zip b/old/62866-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 917c66c..0000000 --- a/old/62866-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/62866-h/62866-h.htm b/old/62866-h/62866-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index a571a81..0000000 --- a/old/62866-h/62866-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,9030 +0,0 @@ -<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" - "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> - -<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> - <head> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=iso-8859-1" /> - <title> - The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Young Game-warden, by Harry Castlemon. - </title> - <link rel="coverpage" href="images/cover.jpg" /> - <style type="text/css"> - - p { margin-top: .75em; - text-align: justify; - margin-bottom: .75em; - } - - p.bold {text-align: center; font-weight: bold;} - p.bold2 {text-align: center; font-weight: bold; font-size: 150%;} - - h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6 { - text-align: center; /* all headings centered */ - clear: both; - } - h1 span, h2 span { display: block; text-align: center; } - #id1 { font-size: smaller } - - - hr { - width: 33%; - margin-top: 2em; - margin-bottom: 2em; - margin-left: 33.5%; - margin-right: 33.5%; - clear: both; - } - - hr.tb { - width: 15%; - margin-top: 2em; - margin-bottom: 2em; - margin-left: 42.5%; - margin-right: 42.5%; - clear: both; - } - - body{margin-left: 10%; - margin-right: 10%; - } - - table {margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 5px; border-collapse: collapse; border: none; text-align: right;} - - .pagenum { /* uncomment the next line for invisible page numbers */ - /* visibility: hidden; */ - position: absolute; - left: 92%; - font-size: smaller; - text-align: right; - text-indent: 0px; - } /* page numbers */ - - .center {text-align: center;} - .smaller {font-size: smaller;} - .smcap {font-variant: small-caps;} - .mynote { background-color: #DDE; color: black; padding: .5em; margin-left: 20%; - margin-right: 20%; } /* colored box for notes at beginning of file */ - .space-above {margin-top: 3em;} - .right {text-align: right;} - .left {text-align: left;} - .s3 {display: inline; margin-left: 3em;} - - </style> - </head> -<body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Young Game-Warden, by Harry Castlemon - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The Young Game-Warden - -Author: Harry Castlemon - -Release Date: August 6, 2020 [EBook #62866] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE YOUNG GAME-WARDEN *** - - - - -Produced by David Edwards, Martin Pettit and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This -book was produced from images made available by the -HathiTrust Digital Library.) - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class ="mynote"><p class="center">Transcriber's Note:<br /><br /> -Obvious typographic errors have been corrected.<br /></p></div> - -<hr /> - -<div class="center"><img src="images/frontis.jpg" alt="The Mysterious Letter" /></div> - -<p class="bold"><span class="smcap">The Mysterious Letter</span></p> -<hr /> - -<div class="center"><img src="images/title.jpg" alt="Title page" /></div> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_i" id="Page_i">[Pg i]</a></span></p> - -<h1>THE <br />YOUNG GAME-WARDEN</h1> - -<p class="bold space-above">BY</p> - -<p class="bold2">HARRY CASTLEMON</p> - -<p class="bold">AUTHOR OF "THE HOUSE-BOAT BOYS," "GUNBOAT SERIES,"<br /> -"ROCKY MOUNTAIN SERIES," ETC.</p> - -<p class="bold space-above">THE JOHN C. WINSTON CO.<br />PHILADELPHIA<br /> -CHICAGO <span class="s3"> </span> TORONTO</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_ii" id="Page_ii">[Pg ii]</a></span></p> - -<p class="center"><span class="smcap">Copyright, 1896</span>,<br />BY<br />HENRY T. COATES & CO.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_iii" id="Page_iii">[Pg iii]</a></span></p> - -<h2>CONTENTS.</h2> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<table summary="CONTENTS"> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="left"><span class="smaller">CHAPTER</span></td> - <td><span class="smaller">PAGE</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>I. </td> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Silas Morgan</span>,</td> - <td><a href="#Page_5">5</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>II. </td> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">The Brothers</span>,</td> - <td><a href="#Page_17">17</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>III. </td> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">The Mysterious Letter</span>,</td> - <td><a href="#Page_31">31</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>IV. </td> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Hobson's House</span>,</td> - <td><a href="#Page_45">45</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>V. </td> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">What Dan Overheard</span>,</td> - <td><a href="#Page_55">55</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>VI. </td> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">The Young Game-Warden</span>,</td> - <td><a href="#Page_66">66</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>VII. </td> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Brotherly Love</span>,</td> - <td><a href="#Page_77">77</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>VIII. </td> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Joe's Plans in Danger</span>,</td> - <td><a href="#Page_89">89</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>IX. </td> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Volunteers</span>,</td> - <td><a href="#Page_100">100</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>X. </td> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Why the Letter was Written</span>,</td> - <td><a href="#Page_109">109</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>XI. </td> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">The Plot Succeeds</span>,</td> - <td><a href="#Page_121">121</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>XII. </td> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">A Mystery</span>,</td> - <td><a href="#Page_134">134</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>XIII. </td> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Dan is Scared</span>,</td> - <td><a href="#Page_146">146</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>XIV. </td> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">The "Hant,"</span></td> - <td><a href="#Page_158">158</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>XV. </td> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Joe's New Home</span>,</td> - <td><a href="#Page_169">169</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>XVI. </td> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Joe's "First Official Act,"</span></td> - <td><a href="#Page_181">181</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>XVII. </td> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Who Fired the Four Shots?</span></td> - <td><a href="#Page_194">194</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>XVIII. </td> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Dan's Secret</span>,</td> - <td><a href="#Page_205">205</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>XIX. </td> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Dan Tells his Story</span>,</td> - <td><a href="#Page_216">216</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_iv" id="Page_iv">[Pg iv]</a></span>XX. </td> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">A Run for Home</span>,</td> - <td><a href="#Page_228">228</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>XXI. </td> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">A Treacherous Guide</span>,</td> - <td><a href="#Page_240">240</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>XXII. </td> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Mr. Brown takes his Departure</span>,</td> - <td><a href="#Page_252">252</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>XXIII. </td> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Exploring the Cave</span>,</td> - <td><a href="#Page_264">264</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>XXIV. </td> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Robbers</span>,</td> - <td><a href="#Page_277">277</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>XXV. </td> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">What the Grip-Sack Contained</span>,</td> - <td><a href="#Page_289">289</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>XXVI. </td> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Mr. Hallet Hears the News</span>,</td> - <td><a href="#Page_302">302</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>XXVII. </td> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Joe's Plans</span>,</td> - <td><a href="#Page_315">315</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>XXVIII. </td> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Capture of Bob Emerson</span>,</td> - <td><a href="#Page_326">326</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>XXIX. </td> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">The Hunt for the Robbers</span>,</td> - <td><a href="#Page_338">338</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>XXX. </td> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Brierly's Squad Captures a Robber</span>,</td> - <td><a href="#Page_350">350</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>XXXI. </td> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Silas in Luck at Last</span>,</td> - <td><a href="#Page_362">362</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>XXXII. </td> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Bob Emerson's Story</span>,</td> - <td><a href="#Page_374">374</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>XXXIII. </td> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Turning Over a New Leaf</span>,</td> - <td><a href="#Page_386">386</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>XXXIV. </td> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">The Transformation</span>,</td> - <td><a href="#Page_399">399</a></td> - </tr> -</table> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[Pg 5]</a></span></p> - -<p class="bold">THE</p> - -<p class="bold2">YOUNG GAME-WARDEN.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER I.</span> <span class="smaller">SILAS MORGAN.</span></h2> - -<p>"I do think in my soul that of all the mean things a white man has to -do, hauling wood on a hot day like this is the very meanest."</p> - -<p>The speaker was Silas Morgan—a tall, broad-shouldered man, whose -tattered garments and snail-like movements proclaimed him to be the -very personification of indolence and shiftlessness.</p> - -<p>As he spoke, he took off his hat and drew his shirt-sleeve across his -dripping forehead, while the lazy old horse, which had pulled<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[Pg 6]</a></span> the -rickety wood-rack up the long, steep hill from the beach, lowered his -head, dropped his ears, and fell fast asleep.</p> - -<p>The man had two alert and wide-awake companions, and they were a brace -of finely-bred Gordon setters, which, after beating the bushes on both -sides of the road in the vain effort to put up a grouse or start a -hare, now came in, and lay down near the wagon.</p> - -<p>They were a sight for a sportsman's eye, and that same sportsman would -very naturally ask himself how it came that this poverty-stricken -fellow could afford to own dogs that would have won honors at any -bench-show in the land.</p> - -<p>"Yes, I reckon them dog-brutes air just about nice," Silas said, -whenever any inquisitive person propounded this inquiry to him, "and -they were given to me for a present by a couple of city shooters who -once hired me for a guide. You see, birds of all sorts, and 'specially -woodcock, was mighty skeerce that year, but I took 'em where there was -a little bunch that I was a saving for my own shooting, and they had -the biggest kind of sport.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[Pg 7]</a></span> They give me them dogs in consequence of my -perliteness to 'em."</p> - -<p>There was no one in the neighborhood who could dispute this story, but -there were those who took note of the fact that at certain times the -dogs disappeared as completely as though they had never existed, and -that they were never seen when there were any strange sportsmen in the -vicinity.</p> - -<p>"The luck that comes to different folks in this world is just a trifle -the beatenest thing that I ever heared tell on," continued Silas, -leaning heavily upon the wood-rack and fanning his flushed face with -his brimless straw hat. "I can think and plan, but it don't bring in no -money, like it does for some folks that ain't got nigh as much sense as -I have. Now, there's them two setter dogs that was accidentally left on -my hands last year! I thought sure that I'd make my everlasting fortune -out of them; but if there's been a reward offered for their safe return -to their master, I never seen or heared of it. I've tried every way I -can think of to make something, so't things in and around my house<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[Pg 8]</a></span> -won't look so sorter peaked and poor, but I'm as fur from hitting the -mark now as I was ten year ago. I wish I could think up some way to -make a strike, but I can't; and so here goes for that wood-pile. It -won't always be as hot as it is to-day. Winter will be here before -long, the roads will be blocked with drifts, and if this wood ain't -down to the beach directly, me and the ole woman will have to shiver -over a bare hearth."</p> - -<p>With this reflection to put life and energy into him, Silas -straightened up and turned toward the wood-pile with slow and reluctant -steps, all unconscious of the fact that every move he made was closely -watched by two recumbent figures, who, snugly concealed by a thicket of -evergreens, a short distance away, had distinctly caught every word of -his soliloquy.</p> - -<p>The dogs knew they were there, for they had run upon their -hiding-place, but as the recumbent figures were neither birds nor -hares, they did not even bark at them, but gave a friendly wag with -their tails, as if to say that it was all right, and returned to their<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[Pg 9]</a></span> -master, to whom they gave no sign to indicate that they had discovered -anything.</p> - -<p>Silas went about his work in that indescribably lazy way that a boy or -man generally assumes when he is laboring under protest. Every stick -he lifted from the pile to the wagon seemed to tax his strength to -the very utmost, and he was often obliged to stop and rest; but still -he made a little headway, and when the rack was about half-loaded he -concluded that he could do no more until he had refreshed himself with -a smoke.</p> - -<p>"I have always heared," said Silas, aloud (whenever he thought himself -safely out of hearing, he invariably gave utterance to the thoughts -that were in his mind)—"I have always heared 'em say that all this -country around here is historical, and that if these mountings could -speak, they'd tell tales that would make your eyes stick out as big as -your fist.</p> - -<p>"They do say that there's been a heap of stealing and plundering going -on about here in the days gone by"—as Silas said this he glanced -around him a little apprehensively—"and <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[Pg 10]</a></span>that there's heaps and stacks -of gold and silver hid away where nobody won't ever think of looking -for 'em. If I thought that was so, wouldn't I try my level best to find -some of it? I'd leave Joe and Dan to run the ferry, and then I'd put a -shovel on to my shoulder and come up here, and never leave off digging -till I'd turned some of these mountings t'other side up. But I guess -I won't smoke. I was fool enough to come away and leave my matches to -home."</p> - -<p>Silas held his pipe in his hand, and ran his eye along the wood-pile as -if he were looking for a light.</p> - -<p>As he did so, he gave a sudden start, his eyes opened to their widest -extent, his under jaw dropped down, and the hand in which he held the -pipe fell to his side.</p> - -<p>The object that riveted his gaze was a letter. It had been thrust into -a crack in the end of a stick of wood, and looked as though it might -have been placed there on purpose to attract his attention.</p> - -<p>"Now, don't that beat you?" exclaimed Silas, who was greatly -astonished. "Who in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[Pg 11]</a></span> the world has been using my wood-pile for a -post-office, I'd like to know?"</p> - -<p>If the truth must be told, Silas was frightened as well as surprised. -Like all ignorant men, he was superstitious, and whenever he saw or -heard anything for which he could not account on the instant, he was -sure to be overcome with terror.</p> - -<p>His first thought was to take to his heels, make the best of his way to -the cabin, and send his boys back after the wagon; but if he did that, -they would be sure to see the letter—they couldn't help it, if they -kept their eyes open—and might they not read it and make themselves -masters of some information that he alone ought to possess?</p> - -<p>"It's mighty comical how that thing come there, and who writ it," said -Silas, "and somehow I can't get my consent to tech it."</p> - -<p>And he didn't touch it, either, until he had viewed it from all sides. -First, he bent down, with his hands upon his knees, and twisted his -body into all sorts of shapes in the vain effort to see the other side -of the letter. Then he straightened up and made a wide circle<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[Pg 12]</a></span> around -it; and finally, he climbed upon the wood-pile and looked at it from -another direction. At last, he must have satisfied himself that it -was a letter and nothing else, for he reached out his hand and took -possession of it.</p> - -<p>"It's mighty comical," repeated Silas, looking first at the letter, -and then turning suspicious glances upon the surrounding woods, "and I -can't for the life of me think who put it there. Now, who'll I get to -read it for me? I can spell out printing with the best of them, but I -can't say that I know much about them turkey-tracks they call writing."</p> - -<p>As Silas was walking around the wood-pile toward his wagon, he turned -the letter over in his hands, and then he saw that there was something -inscribed upon the envelope. The characters were printed, too, and the -man had little difficulty in deciphering the following:</p> - -<blockquote><p class="center">"<span class="smcap">Notis</span></p> - -<p>"to the luckey person in to whose hans this dockyment may happen -to fall. thare is a big fortune for you in this mounting if you -have got the pluck to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[Pg 13]</a></span> do what I have writ on the inside. thare -is danger in it, but mebbe that hant won't bother you as it has -bothered me ever since I pushed him in to the gorge."</p></blockquote> - -<p>Silas was in another profuse perspiration long before he spelled out -the last word in the "notis," but now the cold chills began creeping -all over him. His breath came in short, quick gasps, and his hand -trembled visibly, as he thrust the letter into his pocket. Then he cast -frightened glances on all sides of him, glided back to his wagon with -long noiseless footsteps and reached for the reins.</p> - -<p>The commands which he usually shouted at his aged and infirm beast, -were uttered in a whisper, and the horse, not being accustomed to that -style of driving, had to be severely admonished with a hickory switch -before he would settle into the collar and start the very light load -behind him.</p> - -<p>Silas never could have told how he got down the hill without breaking -his crazy old wagon all to pieces, for his mind was so completely taken -up with other matters that he never thought to look out for the rough -places<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[Pg 14]</a></span> in the road, or to give a wide berth to the stumps. He seemed -to be treading on air. He hoped and believed that he was on the point -of making a most important discovery; but, great as was his desire to -make himself the possessor of the fortune that was hidden somewhere in -the mountain he had just left, he could not screw up courage enough to -stop and read the letter. He wanted to put the woods far behind him -before he did that. The "notis" he had read contained some words that -he did not like to recall to mind.</p> - -<p>"Didn't I say that there had been a heap of plundering and stealing a -going on in this country in bygone days?" said Silas to himself. "This -letter proves it, and the words that's printed onto the envelope tells -me some things that I don't like to hear tell of. There's likewise been -some killing a going on up there. A feller has been shoved into one of -the gorges, and his hant (some folks calls it a ghost or spirit) has -come back, and keeps a bothering of the feller that pushed him in. I -don't know whether or not I can get my<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[Pg 15]</a></span> consent to go up there and dig -for that fortune, even if I knew where to look for it, which I don't."</p> - -<p>At the end of half an hour, Silas Morgan drew a long breath of relief, -and stopped looking behind him.</p> - -<p>He was safely out of the woods, and moving quietly along the river -road, within shouting distance of his cabin.</p> - -<p>Then his courage all came back to him, and he was ready for any -undertaking, no matter how dangerous it might be, so long as there was -money behind it.</p> - -<p>"Now, Silas, let's look at this thing kind o' sensible like," said he -to himself. "There must be as much as a thousand dollars up there in -the mounting. If there wasn't, it wouldn't be a fortune, would it? And -what's to hender you from getting it for you own? If you go up there in -the daytime, that hant can't bother you none, 'cause I've heard folks -say that they never show themselves except on dark and stormy nights; -but if this one comes out and tells you to leave off digging for that -fortune, you can fill him so full of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[Pg 16]</a></span> bird shot that he won't be of no -use as a hant any more, can't you? Get along with you!" he shouted, -bringing the heavy switch down upon the horse's back with no gentle -hand. "I ain't got much more wood hauling for you to do, 'cause I'm -going after them thousand dollars."</p> - -<p>A few minutes later Silas reached his home. Dropping the reins and whip -to the ground, he bolted into the cabin, closing the door behind him.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[Pg 17]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER II.</span> <span class="smaller">THE BROTHERS.</span></h2> - -<p>"Toot! toot! t-o-ot!"</p> - -<p>This was the third time the horn had been blown—first warningly, then -persuasively, and at last angrily.</p> - -<p>The hunters on the other side of the river, who had been trying for -more than twenty minutes to bring the ferryman over to them, were -beginning to get impatient. So was Joe Morgan, the ferryman's youngest -son—a sturdy, sun-browned boy of fifteen, who stood in the flat, -holding one of the heavy sweeps in his hand, all ready to shove off.</p> - -<p>He looked toward the men on the opposite shore, and then he looked at -his brother, who sat on the bank, with his elbows on his knees and his -chin resting on his hands.</p> - -<p>"There's eighty cents in that load," said Joe, who was in a great hurry -to respond to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[Pg 18]</a></span> the angry blasts of the horn. "If they get tired of -waiting, and go down to the bridge, we shall be just that much out of -pocket."</p> - -<p>"Let 'em go, if they want to," replied the boy on the bank, in a lazy, -indifferent tone. "There's no law to hinder 'em that I know of. Pap -don't seem to be in no great hurry, and neither be I. I'm sick and -tired of pulling that heavy flat over the river every time anybody -takes a fool notion into his head to toot that horn. Some day I'll get -mad and sink it so deep that it can't never be found again—I will so!"</p> - -<p>"Now, Dan, what's the use of talking that way?" exclaimed Joe, -impatiently. "You know well enough that as long as we run the ferry, -we must hold ourselves in readiness to serve any one who may call upon -us; and if you should destroy the flat, we would have to get another or -give up the business."</p> - -<p>"And that's just what I want to do," answered Dan.</p> - -<p>"Then how would we make a living?"</p> - -<p>"Easy enough. Can't we all shoot birds and rabbits when the season's -open, and snare<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[Pg 19]</a></span> 'em when it's shut? And can't mother earn a dollar -every day by washing for them rich—"</p> - -<p>"Dan, I'm ashamed of you," interrupted Joe. "What mother wants is rest, -and not more work. Come on; what's the use of being so lazy? You've got -to make a start some time or other."</p> - -<p>But Dan made no move, and Joe, who was very much disgusted with his -brother's obstinacy, threw down the sweep, sprang ashore and ran up the -bank toward the little board cabin that stood at the top.</p> - -<p>Finding that the door would not open for him, Joe ran around the corner -of the building, and looked in at a convenient window, just in time -to catch his father in the act of thrusting a letter into his pocket. -The ferryman's face was flushed, and his movements were nervous and -hurried. The boy saw at a glance that he was greatly excited about -something.</p> - -<p>"As long as I have been acquainted with him, I never knew him to get -a letter before," said Joe to himself. "He has heard some<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[Pg 20]</a></span> very good -or some very bad news, for he is so upset that he doesn't seem to know -what he is about."</p> - -<p>"I heard 'em blowing, Joey," said Silas, without waiting for the boy to -speak, "and now we'll go and bring 'em over. Thank goodness, I won't -have to follow this mean business much longer. I don't like it, Joey. I -wasn't born to wait on other folks, and I'm going to quit it."</p> - -<p>"Then you will have to quit ferrying," said Joe, as he followed his -father down the bank.</p> - -<p>"That's just what I intend to do," answered Silas, and then the boy -noticed that there was a triumphant smile on his face, and that he -rubbed his hands together as if he were thinking about something that -afforded him the greatest satisfaction. "I've got an idee into my head, -and if I don't make the folks around here look wild some of these days, -I'm a goat," added the ferryman.</p> - -<p>And then he raised a yell to let the men on the other side of the -river know that he had at last made up his mind to respond to their<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[Pg 21]</a></span> -signals. But before he did so, he shaded his eyes with his hand, and -took a good look at the group on the opposite bank, after which he -walked around the cabin, snapping his fingers as he went. This was a -signal to the dogs that it was time for them to retire from public gaze -for a short season; in other words, to go into a miserable lean-to -behind the cabin, which Silas called a wood-shed, and stay there until -the hunters, who were now on the other side of the river, should have -passed out of sight. They went in in obedience to a sign from the -ferryman, and the latter closed the door and put a stick of cord-wood -against it to hold it in place.</p> - -<p>"If them setter brutes was a present to pap, like he says they was, -it's mighty comical to me why he takes so much trouble to hide 'em -every time some of them city shooters comes along and toot that horn," -soliloquized Dan, as he slowly, almost painfully, arose from the -ground, and, after much stretching and yawning, followed his father -and brother down the bank toward the flat. "He says he's scared that -somebody will take a notion<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[Pg 22]</a></span> to 'em and steal 'em; but that's all in my -one eye, 'cording to my way of thinking. Now, I'll just tell him this -for a fact. If he don't quit being so stingy with the money I help him -earn with this ferry, I'll bust up the plans he's got into his head -about them dogs—I will so. I wonder what's come over him all of a -sudden? Here he's been clear up the mounting and come back with only an -armful of wood on his wagon, and he don't generally whoop in that there -good-natured way, less'n he's got something on his mind."</p> - -<p>That was true enough. The ferryman's replies to the hails that came to -him from over the river, usually sounded more like the complaints of a -surly bear than anything else to which we can compare them. The tone -in which they were uttered seemed to say, "I'll come because I can't -help myself," and he was so long about it, and made himself so very -disagreeable in the presence of his passengers, that those who knew him -would often go ten miles out of their way to reach a bridge rather than -put a dime into his pocket. But on this particular morning, his voice -rang out so<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[Pg 23]</a></span> cheerily that it attracted Joe's attention as well as -Dan's.</p> - -<p>Silas was always good-natured when he had something besides his poverty -to think about, and Joe would have known that his father had some new -idea in his head, even if he had not said a word about it.</p> - -<p>"Lively, Dannie!" exclaimed Silas, seizing the steering-oar and pushing -the flat away from the bank. "Put in your very best licks, 'cause there -won't none of us have to follow this miserable business much longer. -There'll be a day when we won't have to go and come at everybody's beck -and call, and that day ain't so very far away neither."</p> - -<p>The two boys took their places at the sweeps, and the flat moved out -into the river. Joe did his best to make a quick passage, as he always -did, while the lazy Dan, who had the current in his favor, merely put -his oar into the water and took it out again, without exerting himself -in the least. His father's hopeful and encouraging words did not infuse -a particle of energy into him. He had heard him talk that way too -often. </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[Pg 24]</a></span></p> - -<p>"It ain't right that we should be so poor, while other folks, who never -did a hand's turn in their lives, have got more than they know what -to do with," continued Silas, as he dropped the steering-oar into the -water. "I've got just as much right to have money, and the fine things -that money'll buy, as anybody has, and I'm going to have 'em, too. I -ain't going to live like the pigs in the gutter no longer. Just think -of the hundreds and thousands of dollars that's spent down to the Beach -every summer by the city chaps who come there to loaf! <i>I</i> can't lay -around under the shade of the trees or swing in a hammock just 'cause -the weather's hot. I've got to work. I've got to cut cord-wood in -winter and run this ferry during the summer, in order to make a living; -but other fellows can stay around and do nothing, just 'cause they've -got money. I say again, that such things ain't right."</p> - -<p>"It makes me savage every time I go down to the Beach," chimed in Dan, -"when I see them city folks, who ain't a cent's worth better than I be, -wearing their good clothes, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[Pg 25]</a></span> walking around with their fine guns -and fish-poles on their shoulders—"</p> - -<p>"Like them over there," said his father, nodding his head toward the -bank, which was now but a short distance away.</p> - -<p>Dan faced about on his seat, and took a good look at the party in -question.</p> - -<p>There were ninety cents in the load instead of eighty. There were three -sportsmen in brown hunting-suits, who were walking restlessly about as -if they did not know what to do with themselves, and they had a double -team, with a negro to drive it.</p> - -<p>With them were half a dozen setters and pointers, which were exercising -their muscles by racing up and down the bank.</p> - -<p>The sight of the negro set the ferryman's tongue in motion again, while -the good clothes the strangers wore had about the same effect upon Dan -that a piece of red cloth is supposed to have upon a pugnacious turkey -gobbler.</p> - -<p>"More 'ristocrats!" sneered Silas. "Why don't they drive their own -team?"</p> - -<p>"Probably they don't want to," replied<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[Pg 26]</a></span> Joe. "Besides, they are able to -hire some one to drive it for them."</p> - -<p>"Of course they are!" exclaimed Silas, who was angry in an instant. -"But I ain't able to hire a nigger to run this ferry for me. I say that -such a state of things ain't right."</p> - -<p>"Well, it isn't their fault, is it?" said Joe.</p> - -<p>"I didn't say it was," snapped his father. "It ain't my fault, neither, -that I haven't got as much money as the richest of them, but it will -be my fault if I don't have it before the season's over. They're going -after woodcock," added Silas, who was a market-shooter as well as a -ferryman and wood-cutter. "I would like to bet them something that they -won't get enough birds to pay them for crossing the river. I've got all -the covers pretty well cleaned out."</p> - -<p>"Them's the sort of fellers I despise," said Dan, turning around on his -seat and resuming his work at the sweep—or, rather, his pretence of -it. "The money them dogs cost would keep me in the best kind of grub -and clothes for a whole year. Just look at the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[Pg 27]</a></span> clothes they've got on, -and then cast your eye at these I've got on. Dog-gone such luck! I hope -they won't get nothing, and if they should hire me for a guide, I would -take good care to lead them where such a bird as a woodcock wasn't -never seen."</p> - -<p>"Perhaps they don't need a guide," said Joe. "Because they wear good -clothes and own fine dogs, it is no sign that they don't know woodcock -ground or a snipe bog when they see it, as well as you do. Perhaps they -are all better hunters and wing-shots than you ever dare be."</p> - -<p>"Not much they ain't," exclaimed Dan, who got fighting mad whenever his -brother threw out a hint of this kind. "I can beat any feller who wears -them kind of clothes; and as for them fine dogs of their'n, I'll take -Bony and get more partridges in a day than they can shoot in a week."</p> - -<p>"Well, then, why ain't you satisfied? What are you growling about?"</p> - -<p>"'Cause they're 'ristocrats—that's what I'm growling about," answered -Dan, looking savagely across the flat at his brother, while Silas<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[Pg 28]</a></span> -nodded a silent but hearty approval. "I am getting tired of seeing so -much style every day, while I am so poor that I can't hardly raise -money enough to buy powder and shot, and some fine day I'll bust up -some of these hunting parties. I've got just as much right to see fun -as they have."</p> - -<p>"So you have, Dannie," said his father. "There ain't no sense in the -way things go in this world anyway, and I am glad to see you kick agin -it. I have always told you, that I would be better off some day, and I -have hit upon the very idee at last. Me and you will stick together, -and I'll warrant that we will make more money than Joe does by toadying -to these 'ristocrats who come here to take the bread out of our mouths, -by shooting the game that rightfully belongs to us."</p> - -<p>"I don't toady to anybody," replied Joe, with some spirit. "I am glad -of the chances they give me to earn something now and then, and I am -sure we need it bad enough."</p> - -<p>"I have thought up a way to get more out of them than you do, and the -first good<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[Pg 29]</a></span> chance I get I am going to try it on," observed Dan. "I -won't go halvers with you, neither, and you needn't expect me to. You -never give me a cent."</p> - -<p>"Of course I don't. You are as able to make something for yourself as I -am to make it for you. Mother gets all I earn."</p> - -<p>By this time the flat was within a few lengths of the shore, and the -crew were obliged to give their entire attention to the sweeps, in -order to make a landing. The ferryman, who up to this time had been -in a state of nervousness and expectancy, now began to act more like -himself—that is to say, he greeted his passengers with an angry scowl, -and gave them about as much polite attention as he would have bestowed -upon so many bags of corn.</p> - -<p>He had kept his gaze fastened upon them, and he was both relieved and -disappointed to discover that the owner of the dogs that were shut up -in his woodshed was not among them.</p> - -<p>At the proper moment the "apron"—a movable gangway which could be -raised and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[Pg 30]</a></span> lowered at pleasure—was dropped upon the bank, and in five -minutes more the team and the passengers were all aboard, and the flat -was moving back across the river.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[Pg 31]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER III.</span> <span class="smaller">THE MYSTERIOUS LETTER.</span></h2> - -<p>Having landed his passengers and pocketed his money, Silas Morgan made -his way toward the cabin with so much haste that he again drew the -attention of the boys, who gazed after him with no little surprise and -curiosity. Silas was as lazy as a man ever gets to be, and Joe and Dan -could not imagine what had happened to put so much life into him.</p> - -<p>"I knew that something or 'nother had come over pap when he yelled in -that good-natured way to let them fellers on t'other side know that he -was coming," observed Dan, who walked back to his seat on the bank, and -sunned himself there like a turtle on his log, while Joe hauled in the -sweeps and made the flat secure. "He's got another of them money-making -plans into his head, I reckon." </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[Pg 32]</a></span></p> - -<p>Those who were well acquainted with Silas Morgan knew that he always -had plans of that kind in his head. He was full of schemes for getting -rich without work, some of which, if carried into execution, would -have brought him into serious trouble with the officers of the law; -but the idea that occupied his busy brain on this particular morning -was a little ahead of anything he had ever before thought of. You will -probably laugh at it when you know what it was, but Silas didn't.</p> - -<p>Of all the thousand and one plans which he had conjured up and pondered -over, this one, which had come into his possession by the merest -accident, seemed to hold out the brightest promises of success.</p> - -<p>"But it wasn't accident, neither," Silas kept saying to himself. "There -isn't a day during the shooting season that them mountings ain't just -covered with hunters, and how did the man that put this letter into my -wood-pile know that I was the one who was to take it out? He didn't -know it. I found it 'cause it was to be so, that's the reason."</p> - -<p>The first thing the ferryman did when he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[Pg 33]</a></span> reached the cabin was to -close and fasten the door, to prevent interruption, and the next to -draw from his pocket the mysterious letter, which he spread upon the -table before him.</p> - -<p>To make himself master of its contents was a work of no little -difficulty. Silas did not know much about books, and, besides, some of -the characters that were intended to represent letters were so badly -printed that it was hard to tell what they were intended for. He read -as follows:</p> - -<blockquote><p class="right">"<span class="smcap">December 15—In the Mountings.</span><br /></p> - -<p>"I write this to inform whoever finds it that I have a secret to -tell you. I was born in Europe, and am now forty years of age. I am -a gentleman, and my father is a rich man and a large land-owner. I -am the second son, and fell in love with a girl when I was twenty -years of age.</p> - -<p>"Everything went well till my older brother came home from the war, -and when she found out that I was not entitled to the estates, -she left me, and went to concerts and balls with my brother, and -that was something I could not stand. So I sent her a bottle of -sody-water, with my best wishes, and I put in strickning, and the -next day she was dead. The doctors said she died of heart disease, -but I knew better. So I told my father that I was going to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[Pg 34]</a></span> -America. So he gave me five hundred pounds in money—"</p></blockquote> - -<p>"Five hundred pounds of money!" exclaimed Silas, after he had spelled -the words over three times to satisfy himself that he had made no -mistake. "How did he ever make out to carry that heft of greenbacks -clear across the ocean and up into these mountings? If I find it, I'll -have to bring it down on my wagon, won't I? And where'll I put it after -I get it so that it will be safe? That's what's a bothering of me now."</p> - -<p>Silas was already beginning to feel the responsibilities that weigh -upon capitalists, one of whom assures us that he finds it harder work -to take care of his money than it was to accumulate it. Silas made a -note of all the good hiding-places which he could recall to mind on the -spur of the moment, and then went on with his reading:</p> - -<blockquote><p>—"and the next day I shipped for New York. I wish I had never done -it. A coming over the ocean, I made the acquaintance of a man who -coaxed me to go to Californy with him, and there we fell in with -two more who were as bad as we was, and we<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[Pg 35]</a></span> went into a bank there, -and took out seventy thousand dollars. So we went to Canady, and -stayed there till the country got too hot for us, and then we come -to these mountings. So we went along till we come to the old Indian -road. One day my chum dropped his pipe down a crack in the rocks, -and he said he would have it again if he broke his neck a getting -it. So he slid down about twelve feet, and there was as nice a cave -in the rock as you ever see.</p> - -<p>"There is a crack in the ground that goes down about twelve feet, -and then you come onto the level, and can go a hundred feet before -you come to the place where a lot of sand and stones has fell in. -The cave has been lived in before, by robbers most likely, 'cause -we found a lot of money and some guns and pistols there, of a kind -that we never see before. I and my chum lived in this cave about -three weeks, and then we started to go to the lake.</p> - -<p>"When we got to the top of the Indian road, I refused to go any -farther, and when my chum made as if he were going to shoot me -for being a coward, I give him a shove, and down he went into the -gulf. He's there now, where nobody will ever find him; but his hant -(ghost) comes back to me every day and night, and that's why I am -going to jump into the lake—just to get away from that hant. Now I -must tell you about the money.</p> - -<p>"There is twelve thousand in bills, and about three hundred in -gold and silver. It is in a leather satchel in the bottom. It has -a false plate on the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[Pg 36]</a></span> bottom, put on with screws. And there you -will find the money. I will and bequeath it to you and your heirs -and assanees forever. I leave this in a wood-pile, and the one who -draws the wood will find it.</p> - -<p>"The cave is about a quarter of a mile from the wood-pile, near a -large hemlock tree. There is a rope that goes down into the cave, -and it hangs under the roots of the tree. Look close or you can't -find it. I leave a map of the route from the pile of wood to the -cave in this letter. I hope the hant won't bother you while you are -getting the money, as he has bothered me ever since I have been -writing this letter.</p> - -<p class="right">"<span class="smcap">Julius Jones.</span>"<br /></p></blockquote> - -<p>Words would fail us, were we to attempt to tell just how Silas felt -after he had finished reading this interesting communication. He hoped -it might be true—that there was a cave with a fortune in it which he -could have for the finding of it—and consequently it was very easy for -him to believe that it <i>was</i> true; but there were one or two things -that ought to have attracted his attention and aroused his suspicions -at once.</p> - -<p>In the first place, there was the document itself. It was now the -latter part of August, and if the letter was left in the wood-pile on<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[Pg 37]</a></span> -the day it purported to be written, it had been exposed for eight long -months to some of the most furious snow and rain storms that had ever -visited that section of the country, and yet the writing looked fresh, -and there was not a single wrinkle or even the suspicion of a stain -upon the envelope. It could not have been cleaner if it had but just -been taken out of the post office.</p> - -<p>Another thing, the writer would have found it an exceedingly difficult -task to drown himself in the lake during the month of December, for he -would have been obliged to cut through nearly two feet of ice in order -to reach water.</p> - -<p>But the ferryman did not notice these little discrepancies. He gave -his imagination full swing, and worked himself into such a state of -excitement that his nerves were all unstrung; consequently, when hasty -steps sounded outside the cabin, and Dan's heavy hand fumbled with -the latch, it was all Silas could do to repress the cry of alarm that -trembled on his lips as he sprang to his feet.</p> - -<p>Finding that the door was fastened on the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[Pg 38]</a></span> inside, Dan came around the -corner, and looked in at the window.</p> - -<p>"Say, pap," he whispered excitedly, "dog-gone my buttons, what did you -go and lock yourself up for? Think somebody was about to steal all the -gold dishes? Open up, quick! Here's a go—two of 'em."</p> - -<p>Although the ferryman heartily wished Dan a thousand miles away, he -complied with this peremptory demand for admission, whereupon the boy -stepped quickly across the threshold and locked the door behind him.</p> - -<p>"Say, pap," he continued, in a hurried whisper, "don't it beat the -world how some folks can make money without ever trying? Now, there's -that Joe of our'n. He don't never seem to do much of nothing but just -loaf around in the woods with them city fellers that come up here to -show their fine guns, and yet he's always got money. He takes mighty -good care to keep it hid, too, 'cause I can't never find none of it."</p> - -<p>"Is that all you've got to say?" exclaimed Silas impatiently. "I know -it as well as you do." </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[Pg 39]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Well, it ain't all I've got to say, neither," replied Dan. "I've got -a heap more, if you will only let me tell you. Old man Warren is out -there talking with Joe now. You remember them blue-headed birds you -killed for him last year, don't you?"</p> - -<p>"Them English partridges?" said Silas with a grin. "I ain't forgot 'em. -Old man Warren offered me ten dollars a month if I wouldn't shoot over -his grounds, 'cause he wanted them birds pertected till there were lots -of 'em; but I wouldn't agree to nothing of the kind. He brung them -birds from England on purpose to stock his covers with. They cost him -six dollars a pair, and I made more'n forty dollars out of 'em. Well, -what of it? I don't care for such trifling things any more."</p> - -<p>"Well," answered Dan, "he's gone and got more of them to take the -place of them you shot—old man Warren has—a hundred pair of 'em—six -hundred dollars worth, and—"</p> - -<p>"Ah! that makes it different," said Silas, rubbing his hands and -looking up at his old<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[Pg 40]</a></span> muzzle-loader, which rested on a couple of -wooden hooks over the door. "It's true that six hundred dollars ain't -no great shakes of money to a man who—hum! But still I am obliged to -old Warren. They won't bring me in no such sum as that, them birds -won't, but they'll be worth a dollar a brace this season easy enough, -and that'll pay me for the trouble I'll have in shooting them. Ain't I -going to make a power of money this winter?"</p> - -<p>"No, you ain't," snapped Dan, who had made several ineffectual attempts -to induce his father to stop talking and listen to him. "And you ain't -by no means as smart as you think you be, neither."</p> - -<p>"What for?" demanded his father.</p> - -<p>"'Cause you keep jawing all the while and won't let me tell you. He's -going to have them birds pertected, the old man is, and you can't shoot -them loose and reckless like you did last winter."</p> - -<p>"<i>That</i> for his pertection!" cried the ferryman, snapping his fingers -in the air. "He can't do it, and I won't pay no heed to him if he tries -it." </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[Pg 41]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Then he'll have the law on you."</p> - -<p>"He can't do that, neither, 'cause there ain't no close season for -English partridges. There's no such birds in this country known to the -law. Besides, how is old man Warren going to tell whether it was me or -some of them city sportsmen that shot 'em?"</p> - -<p>"He's going to post his land, and put a game-warden up there in the -woods to watch them partridges," observed Dan.</p> - -<p>"What kind of a feller is that?" asked Silas. "Is it the same as a -game-constable?"</p> - -<p>"Just the same, only the old man will pay him out of his own pocket, -instead of looking to the county to pay him. He's going to have that -there game-warden shoot every dog and 'rest every man who comes on to -the grounds with a gun in his hands, if he don't go off when he's told -to."</p> - -<p>"Well, I'd like to see him shoot one of my dogs, and I wouldn't go off, -neither, less'n I felt like it," said Silas, doubling his huge fists -and looking very savage indeed. "Do you know how much he is going to -give him?"</p> - -<p>"Fifteen dollars a month from the first of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[Pg 42]</a></span> September to the first of -May," answered Dan, "and his grub is throwed in—the best kind of grub, -too."</p> - -<p>"Well, that ain't so bad," said Silas, slowly. "Fifteen dollars a month -and grub for eight months—that would be a hundred and twenty dollars, -wouldn't it, Dannie? That's more'n I could make by shooting the birds. -Is old man Warren out there now? If he is, I'll go and tell him that -I'll take the job. You and Joe can run the ferry during the rest of the -summer, and pocket all you can make. I don't care for such trifling -things any more."</p> - -<p>"Whoop! Hold me on the ground, somebody!" yelled Dan, jumping up and -knocking his heels together.</p> - -<p>This was the expression he always used and the performance he went -through whenever he got mad and became possessed with an insane desire -to smash things.</p> - -<p>"Now I'll just tell you what's a fact, pap," continued Dan, spreading -out his feet, and settling his hat firmly on his head. "Me and Joe -won't run the ferry, and neither will you<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[Pg 43]</a></span> get the chance to grow fat -off good grub this winter, less'n you earn it yourself. Didn't I tell -you the very first word I said that old man Warren had give the job to -Joe?"</p> - -<p>"Not our Joe!" exclaimed Silas, who was fairly staggered by this -unexpected piece of news.</p> - -<p>"Yes, our Joe—nobody else."</p> - -<p>"No, you didn't tell me that," replied his father.</p> - -<p>"Then it's 'cause you want to do all the talking yourself, and won't -let me say a word," retorted Dan. "Yes, that Joe of our'n has got the -job. He's going to have a nice house, with a carpet onto the floor, to -live in, and the grub he'll have to eat will be just the same kind that -old man Warren has onto his table at home. Just think of that, pap! -You'll have to look around for some cheap boy to help you run the ferry -from now till winter, 'cause I'm going up there to live with Joe, and -help him keep an eye on them birds."</p> - -<p>"Dan!" shouted Mr. Morgan, pushing up his sleeves, and looking about -the room as if<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[Pg 44]</a></span> he wanted to find some missile to throw at the boy's -head—"Dan, for two cents I'd—"</p> - -<p>The ferryman suddenly paused, for he found he was talking to the empty -air.</p> - -<p>When he began pushing up his sleeves, Dan jumped for the door, and now -all that Silas could see of him was one of his eyes, which looked at -him through a crack about half an inch wide.</p> - -<p>He noticed, however, that Dan held the hook in his hand, and that he -was all ready to fasten the door on the outside in case his father -showed a disposition to follow him.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[Pg 45]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER IV.</span> <span class="smaller">HOBSON'S HOUSE.</span></h2> - -<p>"And that ain't all I've got to tell you, neither," shouted Dan. "The -road commissioners has come up here with some surveyors and a jury, and -they're going to build a bridge across the river so's to bust up the -ferrying business."</p> - -<p>Silas would have been glad to thrash the boy for bringing him so -unwelcome news as this, and the only reason he did not attempt it was -because he knew he could not catch him.</p> - -<p>He did not like the "ferrying business," for it was very confining, -and, besides, there wasn't money enough in it to suit him; but still it -enabled him to eke out his slender income, and the mere hint that the -authorities were about to take away this source of <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[Pg 46]</a></span>revenue by building -a bridge across the river at that point surprised and enraged him.</p> - -<p>"That's just the way the thing stands, pap," continued Dan, who looked -upon his sire's exhibition of bewilderment and anger as a highly -edifying spectacle. "If you think I am trying to make a fool of you, -look out the winder."</p> - -<p>Silas looked, and a single glance was enough to satisfy him that there -was something unusual going on outside the cabin.</p> - -<p>There were at least a score of men gathered about the flat, and among -them Silas saw the town commissioner of highways. He could easily pick -out the surveyor and his party, for the former held a tripod in his -hand, and a queer-looking brass instrument under his arm, while one of -his men carried a chain and the rest had axes on their shoulders.</p> - -<p>A few steps away from this party, and apparently not in the least -interested in what they were saying or doing, were Mr. Warren and Joe -Morgan, who were talking earnestly about something.</p> - -<p>Mr. Warren was the richest man in the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[Pg 47]</a></span> country for miles around. -He owned the hotel and most of the cottages at the beach; but he -was seldom seen there, because he said he could find more rest and -recreation in the woods, with his dog and gun for companions, than he -could at a fashionable watering-place.</p> - -<p>The cabin which the Morgans occupied, rent free, belonged to him, and -so did the ground on which it stood; and it was owing to his influence -that Silas had been permitted to establish his ferry.</p> - -<p>But still Silas hated him, as he hated every one who was better off in -the world than he was.</p> - -<p>A little distance farther away stood a solitary individual, who, if -the expression of his countenance could be taken as an index to his -feelings, was mad enough to do something desperate.</p> - -<p>He took the deepest interest in all that was going on before him, and -indeed he had good reason for it. His livelihood depended upon what -the commissioner and his jury of twelve disinterested freeholders -might decide<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[Pg 48]</a></span> to do. A bridge at that particular place would ruin his -occupation as effectually as it would break up the business of ferrying.</p> - -<p>"That's Hobson," said Silas, looking around for his hat. "I don't -wonder that he's mad. What do they want to put a bridge across here -for, anyway? Ain't there a good ferry right in front of the door, and -can't we take care of them that wants to go back and forth?"</p> - -<p>"We can, but we don't," answered Dan. "When that horn toots, you never -move till you get a good ready."</p> - -<p>"I know that," assented Silas. "I ain't hired myself out for a slave -yet, and them that expect me to jump the minute a man who has got more -money than I have chooses to call on me, will find themselves fooled. I -have always run this ferry to suit Silas Morgan, and nobody else."</p> - -<p>"That there is just the p'int," observed Dan, sagely. "The way you run -it may suit you, but it don't by no means suit the public. That's the -reason they want a bridge here."</p> - -<p>"But there ain't no good road." </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[Pg 49]</a></span></p> - -<p>"No, odds; they're going to build one out of the old log road, and make -the distance from Bellville to the Beach shorter by five good long -miles than it is now. They're going to tear t'other bridge down, and -make all the travel come this way."</p> - -<p>"Why, that will shut Hobson out in the cold entirely," exclaimed the -ferryman. "He'll have to quit keeping hotel."</p> - -<p>"That's just what old man Warren and them fellers down to the Beach -wan't to do," said Dan. "I heared 'em say so. He always keeps a -crowd of loafers around him, Hobson does, and there's so many -shooting-matches going on in the grove behind his hotel, that it ain't -safe for folks to drive past there with skittish horses. There's been -five or six runaways along that road already."</p> - -<p>"That's only an excuse for shutting him up, Dannie," said the ferryman, -with a knowing wink at his hopeful son. "Hobson keeps the Halfway -House, and it's natural for folks who are going to and from the Beach -to stop there to water their horses and get a bite of lunch. They spend -money with Hobson that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[Pg 50]</a></span> they would otherwise spend at the Beach, and -that's why old man Warren wants that hotel closed. It's about time for -poor people to rise up and pertect themselves, seeing that the law -won't do nothing for them. I don't wonder Hobson looks mad."</p> - -<p>Having found his hat, Silas went out to exchange a few words of -condolence with the man whose name he had just mentioned. He glanced at -Joe's face as he passed, and the pleased expression he saw there was -very different from the malevolent scowl with which he was welcomed by -the proprietor of the Halfway House.</p> - -<p>The latter was quite as angry as he looked to be, and the first words -he uttered as the ferryman came up were:</p> - -<p>"Now what I want to know is this: Are me and you obliged to stand here -with our hands in our pockets, and see these rich men take the bread -and butter out of the mouths of our families?"</p> - -<p>"They are going to do worse by me than they are by you," answered -Silas. "I can't start again if they break up my ferry, but you can." </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[Pg 51]</a></span></p> - -<p>"How, I'd like to know?" growled Hobson.</p> - -<p>"Why, all the land around here belongs to old man Warren. Folks say -that he's a mighty kind-hearted chap, though I never saw any signs of -it in him, and you might buy or rent a piece of land, and build another -and better hotel. You have the money to do it, for you have made many a -dollar over your bar during the last two years."</p> - -<p>"That's just what's the matter," cried Hobson, who became so angry -when he thought of it that it was all he could do to restrain himself. -"That's the reason old man Warren wants to shut me up—because he knows -that I am making a little money. He won't sell or rent me a foot of -land, for I tried him as soon as I found out that a new road was coming -through here."</p> - -<p>"That's worse than I thought for," said the ferryman, in a sympathizing -tone which was more assumed than real.</p> - -<p>Hobson's business interests were likely to suffer more severely than -his own, and he was glad of it.</p> - -<p>"It is bad enough, I tell you," said the <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[Pg 52]</a></span>proprietor of the Halfway -House. "But you can say to your folks that it is going to be a dear -piece of business for old man Warren. If I don't damage him for more -thousands than he does me for hundreds, it will not be because I don't -try."</p> - -<p>"It looks mighty strange to me that he should go out of his way to be -so scandalous mean to some, while he is so good to others," said Silas, -reflectively. "I don't pertend to understand it. Here he is, robbing me -of the onliest chance I had to make a living during the summer, and yet -he's standing over there now, offering that Joe of our'n a chance to -make a hundred and twenty dollars."</p> - -<p>"What doing?" inquired Hobson, who was paying more attention to the -surveyor's movements than he was to Silas.</p> - -<p>"You remember them English pa'tridges he brought over here to stock his -woods, the same year he built that big hotel down to the Beach, don't -you?" asked Silas, in reply.</p> - -<p>"I should say I did," answered Hobson. "You shot the most of them, and -I got the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[Pg 53]</a></span> rest, all except the few that Dan managed to catch with -his snares and that little black dog of his'n. I wish I could see him -cleaned out of everything as slick as he was cleaned out of them birds."</p> - -<p>"Well, he's got a new supply of them, old man Warren has—six hundred -dollars' worth."</p> - -<p>Hobson opened his eyes and began taking some interest in what the -ferryman was saying to him.</p> - -<p>"I am powerful glad to hear it," said he. "If he won't let me keep -hotel and support myself, he can just make up his mind that he's got to -keep me in grub. I won't allow myself to go hungry while his covers are -well stocked, I bet you. I'll earn a tolerable good living by shooting -over his grounds this fall and winter."</p> - -<p>"But you will have more bother in doing it than you did last season," -said Silas, who then went on to repeat what Dan had told him concerning -the game-warden who was to live in Mr. Warren's woods, and devote his -entire time and attention to keeping trespassers at a distance. </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[Pg 54]</a></span></p> - -<p>This seemed a novel idea to Hobson, who finally said:</p> - -<p>"If that's the case, we'll have to go somewhere else to do our -shooting."</p> - -<p>"What for?" demanded the ferryman, who was not a little surprised. "Do -you think that that little Joe of our'n could 'rest us if we didn't -want him to?"</p> - -<p>"Of course not; but he could report us, and the sheriff could arrest -us," answered Hobson.</p> - -<p>Silas clenched both his fists and glared savagely at Joe, who was just -then holding an animated colloquy with his brother Dan upon some point -concerning which there was evidently a wide diversity of opinion.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[Pg 55]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER V.</span> <span class="smaller">WHAT DAN OVERHEARD.</span></h2> - -<p>"If I thought that Joe of our'n would be mean enough to carry tales on -me and have me 'rested, I'd larrup him 'till his own mother wouldn't -know him," declared Silas, who grew so angry at the mere mention of -such a thing, that he wanted to catch up a stick and fall upon the boy -at once.</p> - -<p>"And make the biggest kind of a fool of yourself by doing of it," said -Hobson, calmly. "Look a-here, Silas, you want to keep away from old man -Warren's woods this winter."</p> - -<p>"With them six hundred dollars' worth of birds running around loose -and no law to pertect 'em?" cried the ferryman. "I'll show you whether -I will or not. I tell you I'll have the last one of them before the -winter's over. It is true that I don't care for such trifling things as -the ferry any more, 'cause<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[Pg 56]</a></span> I've got a plan in my head that'll—hum! -But I want to get even with old man Warren for breaking up my business, -don't I?"</p> - -<p>"Of course you do; and the best way to do it is to make him give -something toward your support. Joe ain't of age yet, and you can compel -him to hand over every cent he earns."</p> - -<p>"That's so!" exclaimed the ferryman, who now began to see what his -friend Hobson was aiming at. "That Joe of our'n makes right smart by -acting as guide and pack-horse to the strangers who come here to shoot -and fish; but I never thought to ask him for any of it. He always gives -it to his mother."</p> - -<p>"Why don't you make him give it to you, and then you can spend it as -you please?" said Hobson, hoping that the ferryman would act upon -his advice, and so increase his wealth by the addition of Joe's hard -earnings that he could squander more at the bar of the Halfway House -than he was in the habit of doing. "The head of the family ought to -have the handling of all the money that comes into the house—that's my -creed." </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[Pg 57]</a></span></p> - -<p>"And a very good creed it is, too," replied Silas, who told himself -that he must be very stupid indeed not to have seen the matter in its -true light long ago. "I'll turn over a new leaf this very day. Joe -shall give me every cent of them hundred and twenty dollars, and I'll -have what I can make out of them birds besides."</p> - -<p>"There you go again," said Hobson, in a tone of disgust. "You mustn't -go to work the first thing and kill the goose that lays the golden egg. -If you begin on the first day of September, when the pa'tridge season -opens, and shoot all them birds, there won't be none left for Joe to -watch; and then old man Warren will tell Joe that he don't need him any -longer. See the point?"</p> - -<p>"I'd be stone blind if I couldn't see it," answered Silas, "and it -makes me madder than I was before. Don't you understand that old Warren -means to perfect them birds till they have increased to as many as -a million, mebbe, and then he'll bring in a lot of his city friends -and shoot 'em for fun—for fun, mind you—while poor folks like me -and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[Pg 58]</a></span> you, who need the money we could make out of 'em to buy grub and -clothes—we'll be took up if we so much as set foot on t'other side his -fences. Dog-gone such doings! 'Tain't right nor justice that it should -be so, and I ain't going to stand it no longer. Thank goodness, I won't -have to! I've got a plan in my head that'll—hum!"</p> - -<p>Hobson made no response. Indeed, he did not seem to hear what Silas -said to him, for he was straining his ears to catch the conversation -that was-carried on by Mr. Warren and the surveyor, who were now coming -up the bank.</p> - -<p>He must have heard more than he wanted to, for, with an oath and a -threat that made the ferryman's hair stand on end, Hobson hurried -toward the place where he had left his horse. He mounted and rode away.</p> - -<p>Mr. Warren and the surveying party left a few minutes later, followed -by the commissioner and his jury; and Silas turned about and walked -slowly toward his cabin.</p> - -<p>He had not made many steps before he found himself confronted by his -hopeful son Dan. </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[Pg 59]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Well," said Silas, cheerfully, "we won't have to pull that heavy flat -across the river many more days, and the next time you go over you can -take your gun with you and put a charge of shot into that horn, if you -feel like it. Hallo! What's the matter of you?"</p> - -<p>Dan's clenched hands were held close by his side, his black eyes were -flashing dangerously, and he stood before his father, looking the very -picture of rage and excitement.</p> - -<p>"Can't you speak, and tell me what's the matter of you?" demanded -Silas, who could not remember when he had seen Dan in such a towering -passion before. "I know it's mighty hard to give up the ferry just -'cause them rich folks down to the Beach have took it into their heads -that they don't want one here, but we can make enough out of them birds -of old man Warren's to—"</p> - -<p>Dan interrupted his father with a gesture of impatience, and snapped -his fingers in the air.</p> - -<p>"I don't care <i>that</i> for the ferry," he sputtered. "I am glad to see it -go, for it has brung me more backaches than dimes, I tell you." </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[Pg 60]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Well, then, what's the matter of you?" Silas once more inquired. -"You'd best make that tongue of your'n more lively, if you want me to -listen to you, 'cause I ain't got no time to waste. I'm going in to -talk to that Joe of our'n about the job that old man Warren offered to -give him."</p> - -<p>These words had a most surprising effect upon Dan. He bounded into the -air like a rubber ball, knocked his heels together, and yelled loudly -for somebody to hold him on the ground.</p> - -<p>"Of all the mean fellers in the world that I ever see, that Joe of -our'n is the beatenest," said he, as soon as he could speak. "Now, pap, -wait till I tell you, and see if you don't say so yourself."</p> - -<p>The ferryman, recalling some words that Dan let fall during their -hurried interview in the cabin, told himself that he knew right where -the trouble was; but he listened attentively to the story, which the -angry boy related substantially as follows:</p> - -<p>While Dan was taking his ease on the bank, and Joe was hauling in the -sweeps and <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[Pg 61]</a></span>making the flat secure, Mr. Warren came up, arriving on the -ground five or ten minutes before the commissioner and the surveying -party got there.</p> - -<p>He hitched his horse to the nearest tree, walked down the bank, and -greeted Joe with a hearty good-morning, paying no attention to Dan, who -was so highly enraged at this oversight or willful neglect on the part -of the wealthy visitor, that he shook his fist at him as soon as he -turned his back.</p> - -<p>He was not long in finding out what brought Mr. Warren there, for he -distinctly overheard every word that passed between him and Joe.</p> - -<p>As he listened, the expression of rage that had settled on his face -gradually gave place to a look of surprise and delight; and finally Dan -became wonderfully good-natured, and showed it by rubbing his hands -together, grinning broadly, and winking at the trees on the opposite -bank of the river.</p> - -<p>"Well, Joseph," said Mr. Warren, cheerfully, "going to school next -term?"</p> - -<p>"I am afraid I can't," replied Joe, sadly.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[Pg 62]</a></span> "I don't see how I can -afford it. Mother needs every cent I can give her. I must work every -day, and shall be glad to cut some wood for you, if you will give me -the chance."</p> - -<p>"Then you can cut it by yourself, I bet you," muttered Dan. "I won't -help you; I'd rather hunt and trap."</p> - -<p>"I shall need a good supply of wood," said Mr. Warren, "but I thought -of giving your father and Dan a chance at that."</p> - -<p>"Thank-ee for nothing," said Dan, under his breath. "Pap can take the -job if he wants to, but I won't tech it. I am getting tired of doing -such hard work, and am on the lookout for something easy."</p> - -<p>"I think I have better work for you, Joe," continued the visitor; -whereupon Dan, who had thrown himself at full length on the bank, -straightened up and began listening with more eagerness. "It is -something that will take up every moment of your time during the day, -and if you do your duty faithfully, you will find the work quite as -hard and wearisome as chopping wood, and more confining; but you will -have your <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[Pg 63]</a></span>evenings to yourself, and abundant opportunity to do as -much reading and studying as you please. You know that one of our -greatest men, Martin Van Buren, laid the foundation of his knowledge by -studying by the light of a pine-knot on the hearth after his day's work -was over. But you will not have to do that. I will give you a warm, -comfortable house to live in, supply your table from my own, lend you -books from my library, and furnish you with a lamp to read and study -by. If you lay up a little information on some useful subject every -day, you will have quite a store on hand by the time winter is over."</p> - -<p>"What sort of a job is that, do you reckon?" said Dan to himself. "It's -a soft thing, so far as the perviding goes, but what's the work? that's -the p'int."</p> - -<p>It must have been the very question Joe was revolving in his mind, for -when Mr. Warren ceased speaking, he asked:</p> - -<p>"What will you expect me to do in return for all this?"</p> - -<p>"I am coming to that," answered the visitor, moving a step or two -nearer to Joe, while<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[Pg 64]</a></span> Dan leaned as far forward as he could, stretched -out his long neck and placed one hand behind his ear, so that he might -catch every word. "You know that I have about six thousand acres of -woodland, which is so utterly worthless that no man, who had his senses -about him, would take it as a gift if he had to clear and cultivate -it. It isn't even good enough for pasture; but it was a tolerably fair -shooting-ground until I was foolish enough to build that hotel down -there at the Beach. That brought in a crowd of city sportsmen, and -between them and the resident market-shooters, the game, both large and -small, has been pretty well cleaned out."</p> - -<p>"Well, what of it," muttered Dan. "If I know anything about such -matters, them deer and birds and rabbits belonged to us poor folks as -much as they did to you."</p> - -<p>"I like to shoot occasionally," Mr. Warren went on, "but the last time -I went up there with a party of friends, we did not get enough to pay -us for the tramp we took; so two years ago I went to considerable -expense to restock those woods, and even offered to pay<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[Pg 65]</a></span> the -market-shooters if they would let the birds alone until they had time -to increase. But they wouldn't do it, and the consequence was that the -English partridges and quails that cost me six dollars a pair were -served up on somebody's dinner-table."</p> - -<p>"Six dollars a pair!" whispered Dan, who could hardly believe that he -had heard aright. "Pap didn't by no means get that much for them he -shot. It's nice to be rich."</p> - -<p>"My experience with those birds," continued Mr. Warren, "proved to my -satisfaction that they are hardy and able to endure our severe winters. -So I determined to try it again, and day before yesterday I turned down -a hundred pairs of English partridges and quails—six hundred dollars' -worth."</p> - -<p>Dan was almost ready to jump from the ground when he heard this, and it -was all he could do to refrain from giving audible expression to his -delight.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[Pg 66]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER VI.</span> <span class="smaller">THE YOUNG GAME-WARDEN.</span></h2> - -<p>"Whoop-pee!" was Dan's mental exclamation. "I've struck a banana. Me -and pap I'll get rich the first thing you know. But what makes old man -Warren come here to tell us about it?"</p> - -<p>"I certainly hope you will be able to preserve them this time," said -Joe, who could not see what these expensive birds had to do with the -comfortable home, the unlimited supply of books, and the good living, -of which his visitor had spoken. "It would be a great pity to lose them -after going to so much trouble and paying out so much money for them."</p> - -<p>"That's what I think, and it is what Mr. Hallet thinks, also. You know -his wood-lot adjoins mine—there is no fence between them—and he has -turned down the same number." </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[Pg 67]</a></span></p> - -<p>The eavesdropper fairly gasped for breath when he heard this; but -quickly recovering from his amazement, he raised his hands before his -face, with all the fingers spread out, and began a little problem in -arithmetic.</p> - -<p>"That makes—makes—le' me see! By Moses it makes twelve—twelve -hundred dollars' worth of birds. I'm going to sell that old -muzzle-loader of mine the first good chance I get, and buy a -breech-loader, and one of them j'inted fish-poles, and some of them -fine hunting clothes, and—whoop-pee! I've struck two bananas; and -I'll look as spick and span as the best of them city sportsmen by this -time next year. But look a-here, a minute, Dan," he added, to himself, -confidentially, "Don't you say a word to pap about them birds that's -been turned loose on Hallet's place. Them's your'n, and you don't go -halvers with no living person."</p> - -<p>"The difficulty in preserving them lies right here," said Mr. Warren. -"Our native birds are protected by law during certain months in the -year, but the law doesn't say a word about imported game. If I catch -a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[Pg 68]</a></span> man shooting over my grounds in the close season, I can have him -arrested and fined; but he could shoot these English birds before my -face, and I could not help myself. We hope some day to induce the -Legislature to pass a law protecting imported as well as native game; -but until we can do that, we must protect it ourselves to the best of -our ability. We have men at work now posting our land, and hereafter -any one who sets a foot over my fence or Hallet's will be liable for -trespass.</p> - -<p>"I reckon you'll have to catch him before you can prove anything agin -him, won't you?" soliloquized Dan. "But why don't he tell that Joe of -our'n what he wants of him?"</p> - -<p>"Of course, Mr. Hallet and myself have enough to do without spending -valuable time in watching these birds," added the visitor, "and so we -have decided to employ game-wardens to do it for us. There will be -two wardens, one for each place, and we shall pay them out of our own -pockets. I have selected you because I believe you to be honest and -faithful, and I know that you are ambitious<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[Pg 69]</a></span> to better your condition. -I am always on the lookout for such boys, and when I find one I like to -give him a helping hand."</p> - -<p>"Then it's mighty strange that you never diskivered me," said Dan, -to himself. "If there's anybody in the world who wants awful bad to -be something better'n the ragged vagabone he is, I am that feller. -Dog-gone such luck as I do have, any way! Why didn't he offer that soft -job to me, instead of giving it to that Joe of our'n? I am older'n -he is, and it would be the properest thing for me to have the first -chance."</p> - -<p>"It is worth something to live up there in the woods alone for -eight months—from the first of September to the last of April—but -your surroundings will be as pleasant as they can be made under the -circumstances. In the first place, there is a tight log-house, with a -carpet on the floor, and a lean-to behind it to serve as a wood-shed. -You know that the fierce winter winds drive the snow into pretty -deep drifts up there in the mountains, and if you are as provident -as I think you are, you will keep that shed full. You don't want to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[Pg 70]</a></span> -turn out of a stormy morning, when the mercury is below zero, to cut -fire-wood, when you ought to be scattering grain around for the birds -to eat. There is plenty of furniture in the cabin, and all the dishes -you will be likely to need. I have spent a good many months in camp, -first and last, and being posted, I don't think I have forgotten -anything. Your pay, which you can have as often as you want it, will be -fifteen dollars a month," said Mr. Warren in conclusion. "That is as -much as farm-hands command hereabout, and you will be much better off -than a woodchopper, because you will be earning money all the while, no -matter how bad the weather may be. What do you say?"</p> - -<p>Dan listened with all his ears to catch his brother's reply, but, to -his great surprise, Joe did not make any reply.</p> - -<p>"What's the fool studying about, do you reckon?" was the inquiry which -Dan propounded to himself. "Why don't he speak up and say he'll take -it? If he does, me and pap will have easy times with them birds, 'cause -of course Joe wouldn't be mean enough<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[Pg 71]</a></span> to pester us. But if he don't -take it, and old man Warren gets somebody else for game-warden, then -the case will be different, and me and pap will have to watch out."</p> - -<p>"You don't say anything, Joe," continued Mr. Warren, seeing that the -boy hesitated and hung his head. "If you must work during the coming -winter instead of going to school, I don't think you can find any -employment that will be more to your liking."</p> - -<p>"I know I couldn't, sir," replied Joe, quickly; "but that isn't what I -am thinking about. The fact is—you see—"</p> - -<p>The boy paused and looked down at the ground again. He knew that his -own father was more to blame than any one else for the loss of the -birds that had been "turned down" in Mr. Warren's wood-lot two years -before, and it was not quite clear to Joe how his wealthy visitor could -have so much confidence in him. Why should he wish to employ the son of -the man who had robbed him, to keep trespassers off his grounds, and -exercise supervision over the new supply of game he had just purchased?</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[Pg 72]</a></span></p> - -<p>And there was another thing that came into his mind:</p> - -<p>Silas Morgan and Dan were two of the most notorious poachers in the -county, and Joe knew that when the grouse season opened, they would -be the very first to shoulder their guns, call their dogs to heel and -start for Mr. Warren's woods.</p> - -<p>If he accepted the position offered him, it would be his duty to order -them off. They wouldn't go, of course, and the next thing would be to -report them to Mr. Warren, who, beyond a doubt, would have warrants -issued for their arrest.</p> - -<p>That would be bad indeed, Joe told himself; but would it cause him any -more sorrow than he felt whenever he saw his mother setting out on -one of those long fatiguing walks to the house of a neighbor, where -she earned the pitiful sum of a dollar by doing a hard day's work at -washing or scrubbing? The money he could give her every month would -save her all that, and provide her with many things that were necessary -to her comfort. </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[Pg 73]</a></span></p> - -<p>When Joe thought of his mother, his hesitation vanished.</p> - -<p>"I'll take it, Mr. Warren," said he, with an air of resolution, "and -I am very grateful indeed to you for offering it to me. Now, will you -tell me when you want me to go up there, and just what you expect me -to?"</p> - -<p>To Dan's great disappointment and disgust, Mr. Warren took Joe by the -arm, and led him away out of earshot; but he heard him say something -about shooting all the stray dogs that came into the woods, because -they would do more damage among the few deer that were left, than so -many wolves, and that was all he learned that day regarding Joe's -instructions.</p> - -<p>"Luck has come my way at last!" exclaimed Dan, who, for some reason or -other seemed to be highly excited. "I can't hardly hold myself on the -ground. I'll go down to old man Hallet's this very minute, and tell him -that if he's needing a game-warden, I'm the chap he's waiting for. Then -mebbe I won't have a nice little house all to myself, and good grub to -grow fat on, as well as that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[Pg 74]</a></span> Joe of our'n. I won't do no shooting, -'cause that would make too much noise, and give me away to old man -Hallet; but I'll do a heap of trapping and snaring, I bet you. Hallo! -who's them fellers?"</p> - -<p>Dan had just caught sight of a large party of men, who were coming -along the road which led from the ferry to the Beach.</p> - -<p>Believing that they were about to cross the river, and that there was -another hard pull in prospect with no money (for him) behind it, Dan -was about to take to his heels, when some words that came to his ears -arrested his footsteps.</p> - -<p>The new-comers were the road commissioner and his party. They did not -look toward Dan at all, and neither did they take the least pains to -conceal the object of their visit from him.</p> - -<p>"This is the place for the new bridge," said the surveyor. "It will -cost the town a good deal less money to fix up the old log road in good -shape, than it will to cut out and grade a new highway."</p> - -<p>"And when the bridge is up, we shall be<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[Pg 75]</a></span> well rid of two -nuisances—Hobson's grog-shop and Morgan's ferry, neither of which -ought to have been tolerated as long as they have been," remarked one -of the twelve freeholders, who had been summoned by the commissioner to -determine where the bridge and the new road should be located. "When -the other bridge is demolished, and the lower road shut up, the travel -will have to come this way."</p> - -<p>When Dan heard this, he felt like throwing his hat into the air. He -hated the tooting of that horn, which was kept hung up on the limb of a -tree on the other side of the river, as he hated no other sound in the -world; and he was glad to know that he would soon hear it for the last -time.</p> - -<p>He did not make any demonstrations of delight, however, but stole -silently away to carry the news to his father.</p> - -<p>Joe's good fortune, and his own bright dreams of becoming Mr. Hallet's -game-warden, at fifteen dollars a month, and the best kind of food -thrown in, were uppermost in his mind, and they were the first things -he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[Pg 76]</a></span> intended to speak about when his father admitted him into the -cabin; but he was so long in coming to the point that Silas grew -impatient, and did not give him an opportunity to mention his own -affairs at all.</p> - -<p>"No matter; they'll keep," thought the boy, as the ferryman put on his -hat and went out to talk to Hobson. "Now I wish old Warren would hurry -up and go about his business, so't I can find out what 'rangements he's -made with that Joe of our'n."</p> - -<p>Dan had not long to wait. Even while he was communing with himself in -this way, Mr. Warren took his leave, first shaking Joe warmly by the -hand, and Dan lost no time in stepping to his brother's side.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[Pg 77]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER VII.</span> <span class="smaller">BROTHERLY LOVE.</span></h2> - -<p>"I don't wonder that you look like you was half tickled to death," was -the way in which Dan began the conversation with his brother. "Did you -ever dream that me and you would have such amazing good luck as has -come to us this day? Now, let me tell you, it bangs me completely. -Don't it you?"</p> - -<p>Joe did not know how to reply to this. He had seldom seen Dan in so -high spirits, and he could not imagine what he was referring to when he -spoke of the good luck that had fallen to both of them.</p> - -<p>"Say—don't it bang you?" repeated Dan. "Ain't me and you going to live -like the richest of them this winter?"</p> - -<p>"You and I?" said Joe, with no suspicion of the truth in his mind. </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[Pg 78]</a></span></p> - -<p>"That's what I remarked," exclaimed Dan, who could hardly keep from -dancing in the excess of his joy. "I tell you, Joe," he added, -confidentially, "if there's anything in life I take pleasure in, it's -living in the woods during the winter, when you've got a tight roof to -shelter you and plenty of firewood to burn, so't you don't have to go -through the deep snow to cut it. That's what I call living, that is."</p> - -<p>"I don't see how you happen to know so much about it. You never tried -it."</p> - -<p>"I know I never did; but didn't I tell you almost the very first word I -said, that I'm going to try it this winter?"</p> - -<p>"Oh!" said Joe, who now thought he began to understand the matter. "Are -you going to be Mr. Hallet's game-warden?"</p> - -<p>"Perzackly. You've hit centre the first time trying."</p> - -<p>"Then I wonder why Mr. Warren did not say something to me about it."</p> - -<p>And there was still another thing that caused Joe to wonder, although -he made no reference to it. How did it come that Mr.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[Pg 79]</a></span> Hallet, who knew -how persistently Dan broke the law in regard to snaring birds and -hares, and shooting out of season—how did it come that he had selected -this poacher to act as his game-warden? He might as well have hired a -wolf to watch his sheep.</p> - -<p>"Now wait till I tell you," said Dan hastily. "The thing ain't quite -settled yet, 'cause I ain't had no time to run down and see old man -Hallet; but—"</p> - -<p>"Aha!" exclaimed Joe.</p> - -<p>"There ain't no 'aha' about it," cried Dan, who was angry in an -instant. "Wait till I tell you. I ain't been down to see old man Hallet -yet, but I'm going directly, and I'm going to say to him that if he -wants somebody to keep an eye on them birds of his'n, I'm the man he's -looking for. He'll be glad to take me, of course, 'cause if there's any -one in the whole country who knows all about a game-warden's business, -its me. But if he can't take me—if he has picked out another man -before I get a chance to speak to him—me and you will go halvers on -them hundred and twenty, won't we?" </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[Pg 80]</a></span></p> - -<p>"No, we won't," replied Joe, promptly.</p> - -<p>"What for, won't we?" demanded Dan.</p> - -<p>"For a good many reasons. In the first place, Mr. Warren seems to think -that he needs but one warden, and that I can do all the work myself."</p> - -<p>"Well, you can't, and you shan't, neither," Dan almost shouted.</p> - -<p>And in order to show his brother how very much in earnest he was about -it, he struck up a war-dance, and called loudly for somebody to hold -him on the ground.</p> - -<p>"And in the next place," continued Joe, who had witnessed these -ebullitions of rage often enough to know that they never ended in -anything more serious than an unnecessary expenditure of breath and -strength on Dan's part—"in the next place, every cent I make this -winter will go to mother, with the exception of the little I shall need -to clothe myself."</p> - -<p>"I'll bet you a good hoss that it don't," roared Dan, who was so angry -that it was all he could do to keep from laying violent hands upon his -brother. "Now let me tell you<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[Pg 81]</a></span> what's the gospel truth, Joe Morgan: If -you don't go pardners with me in this business, I'll bust up the whole -thing. If I don't get half them hundred and twenty dollars, you shan't -have a cent to bless yourself with. I've been kicked and slammed around -till I am tired of it, and I ain't going to ask my consent to stand it -no longer."</p> - -<p>"If you want money, go to work and earn it for yourself," said Joe. -"You can't have any of mine."</p> - -<p>"I'll show you whether I will or not. Now, let me tell you: I'll make -more out of them birds this winter than you will. You're awful smart, -but you'll find that there are them in the world that are just as smart -as you be."</p> - -<p>"I know what you mean by that," answered Joe, who had fully made up -his mind to see trouble with Dan. "Now let me tell <i>you</i> something: If -I catch you on Mr. Warren's grounds after I take charge of them, you -will wish you had stayed away, mind that. I took this position because -mother needs money, and having accepted it, I shall<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[Pg 82]</a></span> look out for my -employer's interests the best I know how. But why do you go against me -in this way? You ought to help me all you can."</p> - -<p>"Then why don't you help me?" retorted Dan.</p> - -<p>"You don't need it. You are able to help yourself, because you have no -one else to look out for."</p> - -<p>"Then I won't help you, neither. You want to keep a close watch over -that shanty of your'n, or the first thing you know, you will come back -to it some dark, cold night, almost froze to death, and it won't be -there."</p> - -<p>Joe walked off without making any reply, and Dan stood shaking his -fists at him until he disappeared. Then he turned about to find himself -face to face with his father, to whom he told his story, not forgetting -to make a few artful additions, which he hoped would have the effect of -making the ferryman as angry at Joe as he was himself.</p> - -<p>A disinterested listener would have thought that Joe was the meanest -brother any fellow<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[Pg 83]</a></span> ever had, and that Dan was deserving of better -treatment at his hands.</p> - -<p>"Now, I just want you to tell me what you think of that," said Dan, -as he brought his highly-seasoned narrative to a close. "He's a most -scandalous stingy chap, that Joe of our'n is. He wants to keep his good -things all to himself. And—would you believe it, pap, if I didn't tell -you?—he said he would as soon shoot your dog or mine as look at 'em, -and that if we come fooling around where he was, he'd have us tooken -up, sure pop."</p> - -<p>Silas Morgan's eyes flashed, and an angry scowl settled on his swarthy -face.</p> - -<p>Dan was succeeding famously in his efforts to arouse his father's ire -against the unoffending Joe—at least he thought so—and he hoped to -increase it until it broke out into some violent demonstration.</p> - -<p>"Them's his very words, pap," continued Dan, with unblushing mendacity. -"Since he took up with that rich man awhile ago, he has outgrowed his -clothes, and me and you ain't good enough for him. Me and Joe could<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[Pg 84]</a></span> -have had just the nicest kind of times up there in the woods, and by -doing a little extry work on the sly, we could have snared enough of -old man Warren's birds, and Hal—um!"</p> - -<p>Dan caught his breath just in time. He was about to say that he and -Joe could have snared enough of Mr. Warren's birds and Hallet's to run -the amount of their joint earnings up to two hundred dollars; but he -suddenly remembered that his father was not yet aware that Mr. Hallet's -covers had been freshly stocked, and that <i>that</i> was a matter that was -to be kept from his knowledge, so that Dan could have the field to -himself.</p> - -<p>But the ferryman was quick to catch some things, if he was dull in -comprehending others, and Dan had inadvertently given him an idea to -ponder over at his leisure.</p> - -<p>"But then I don't care for such trifling things as birds any more," -said Silas to himself. "If Hallet has been fooling away his money for -more pa'tridges, Dan can have the fun of shooting 'em, if he wants it; -and while he is tramping around through the cold <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[Pg 85]</a></span>looking for 'em, I'll -be snug and warm at home, living like a lord on the money I took out of -that cave up there in the mountings. What was you saying, Dannie?"</p> - -<p>"I said that me and Joe could have made right smart by doing a little -trapping on the quiet," answered Dan. "But he wouldn't hear to my going -up there to live with him. What's grub enough for one is grub enough -for two, and I could have had piles of things that come from old man -Warren's table, and never cost you a red cent the whole winter. More -than that, being on the ground all the while, it wouldn't be no trouble -at all for me to knock over one of them deer now and then, and that -would save you from buying so much bacon; but that mean Joe of our'n -he wouldn't hear to it, and now I'm going to knock all his 'rangements -higher'n the moon."</p> - -<p>"What be you going to do, Dannie?" Silas asked, in a voice so calm -and steady that the boy backed off a step or two and looked at him -suspiciously.</p> - -<p>Was his father about to side with Joe?<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[Pg 86]</a></span> Dan was really afraid of it, -and his voice did not have that resolute ring in it when he answered:</p> - -<p>"I'm going to set some snares up there where Joe won't never think of -looking for them, and by the time Christmas gets here I'll have every -one of them English birds in the market and sold for cash."</p> - -<p>The ferryman thrust one hand deep into his pocket, and shook the other -menacingly at Dan.</p> - -<p>"Look a-here, son," said he, in a tone which he never assumed unless he -meant that his words should carry weight with them, "you just keep away -from old man Warren's woods, and let them English birds be. Are you -listening to your pap?"</p> - -<p>"What for?" Dan almost gasped.</p> - -<p>"'Cause why; that's what for," was the not very satisfactory answer. -"You want to pay right smart heed to what I'm saying to you, 'cause if -you don't, I'll wear a hickory out over your back, big as you think you -be."</p> - -<p>"Well, if this ain't a trifle the beatenest thing I ever heard of, I -don't want a cent,"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[Pg 87]</a></span> began Dan, who was utterly amazed. "Do you want -them—that rich feller to have all the fine shooting to himself?"</p> - -<p>"That ain't what I'm thinking about just now," replied the ferryman. "I -want Joe to earn them hundred and twenty dollars; see the p'int?"</p> - -<p>"Not all of it?" exclaimed Dan.</p> - -<p>"Yes, every cent."</p> - -<p>"Can't I make him go pardners with me?"</p> - -<p>"No, you can't. I want Joe to have the handling of it all."</p> - -<p>"Then you won't never see none of it; you can bet high on that."</p> - -<p>"Yes, I reckon I'll see the whole of it. You and Joe ain't twenty-one -year old yet, and the law gives me the right to take every cent you -make."</p> - -<p>For a moment Dan stood speechless with rage and astonishment; but -quickly recovering the use of his tongue, he squared himself for a -fight, and demanded furiously:</p> - -<p>"And is that the reason you never give me a red for breaking my back -with that ferry? Whoop! hold me on the ground, somebody!" </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[Pg 88]</a></span></p> - -<p>"If I had a good hickory in my hands, I reckon I could very soon make -you willing to hold yourself on the ground," said his father, calmly.</p> - -<p>"Whoop!" yelled Dan, jumping into the air, and knocking his heels -together. "This bangs me; don't it you? The men who was here just now -said you was one nuisance, and Hobson was another; and I am so glad -that the business is clean busted up, that—"</p> - -<p>Silas suddenly thrust out one of his long arms, but his fingers closed -upon the empty air instead of upon Dan's collar. The boy escaped his -grasp by ducking his head like a flash, and then he straightened up and -took to his heels.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[Pg 89]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER VIII.</span> <span class="smaller">JOE'S PLANS IN DANGER.</span></h2> - -<p>Silas Morgan made no attempt at pursuit, for he had learned by -experience that he could not hold his own with Dan in a foot-race; but -he knew how to bide his time.</p> - -<p>"Never mind, son," he shouted. "I'll catch you to-night after you have -gone to bed."</p> - -<p>"These threatening words arrested Dan's headlong flight, and he stopped -to shout back:</p> - -<p>"You just lay an ugly hand onto me, and it'll be worse for you and -them setter dogs that you've got shut up in the wood-shed. I know well -enough that nobody ever give 'em to you, and that that man with the -long black whiskers who was here last year would be willing to give -something handsome—"</p> - -<p>The ferryman couldn't stand it any longer,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[Pg 90]</a></span> for the boy was getting too -near the truth to suit him. He began looking about on the ground for -something to throw at him; whereupon Dan turned and took to his heels -again, and quickly disappeared around the corner of the cabin.</p> - -<p>"I wish that black-whiskered man had them setter dogs, and that I was -shet of them," muttered Silas, as he walked slowly up the bank. "I did -think that mebbe I could get a big reward for giving them back; but I -don't care for such things now. The money that's hid in the cave is -what I'm thinking of these times."</p> - -<p>The ferryman was left to his own devices for the rest of the day; for -Joe, highly elated over his unexpected fortune, had gone to meet his -mother, so that he might tell her the good news without being overheard -by any of the rest of the family, and Dan was on his way to Mr. -Hallet's to offer him his services as game-warden.</p> - -<p>But Silas was glad to be alone at this particular time, for he had -something mysterious and exciting to think about—a cave in the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[Pg 91]</a></span> -mountains that had an abundance of treasure in it. He had long looked -forward to something of this sort, for he had often dreamed about it; -and when he read in a torn newspaper, which came from the store wrapped -around one of his wife's bundles, that some workmen, while digging for -the foundations of a public building in a distant city, had come upon -an earthen jar that was filled to the brim with American and Mexican -coins of ancient date—when he read this, Silas took it as an omen that -his bright dreams of acquiring wealth without labor were on the eve of -being realized.</p> - -<p>The man's first care was to let out the dogs and unhitch the horse from -the wood-rack, and his second to hunt up a shady spot on the bank and -look for the letter which he had stowed away in his pocket.</p> - -<p>But it was not to be found. The ferryman's clothes, like all the other -things that belonged to him, were sadly in need of repairs, and when -he went to shut up the dogs, the letter had worked its way through -his pocket, down the leg of his trowsers, and fallen to the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[Pg 92]</a></span> ground -in front of the wood-shed door, where it lay until Dan came along and -picked it up.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile Joe was strolling leisurely along the road in the direction -from which he knew his mother would come, when her day's work was over.</p> - -<p>"She will be glad to learn that she has done her last washing and -scrubbing for other folks," the boy kept saying to himself. "When -winter comes, and the roads are blocked with drifts, she can sit down -in front of a warm fire and stay there, instead of wading through the -deep snow to earn a dollar. I am in a position to take care of her -now, and I could do it easy enough if father and Dan would only let me -alone. They call me stingy because I will not share my hard earnings -with them; but they never think of sharing with me, nor did I ever see -one of them give mother anything. On the contrary, if they know that -she's got a dime or two saved up for a rainy day, they never give her a -minute's peace till they get it for themselves. Now, is there any way I -can work it so that mother can have everything she<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[Pg 93]</a></span> wants, and yet be -able to say that she hasn't got a cent in the house?"</p> - -<p>While Joe was revolving this problem in his mind, he heard a familiar -bark behind him, and faced about to see his brother Dan approaching on -a dog-trot. He was followed by the only friend and companion he had in -the world—a little black cur, which no self-respecting boy would have -accepted as a gift.</p> - -<p>But mean and insignificant as he looked, Bony was of great use to his -master. He was the best coon, grouse and squirrel dog in the country -for miles around, and it was by his aid that Dan earned money to buy -his clothes and ammunition. Bony got more kicks than caresses in return -for his services, but that did not seem to lessen his affection for Dan.</p> - -<p>"I allowed that I knew where you was gone, and that I'd come up with -you directly," said the latter, as soon as he arrived within speaking -distance. "Say, Joe, have you thought over that little plan of mine?"</p> - -<p>Joe replied that he had not.</p> - -<p>"Then, why don't you think it over?" continued Dan. "Of course, I don't -expect you<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[Pg 94]</a></span> to go pardners with me for nothing. I've got my consent to -do all I can to help you. I'll even agree to cut the wood, cook the -grub, keep the shanty in order, and do all the rest of the mean work, -while you are taking your ease or looking after the birds. All you've -got to do is to say the word, and me and you will have the finest kind -of times this winter."</p> - -<p>But Joe didn't say the word. In fact, he did not say anything, and, -of course, his silence made Dan angry again. The latter was bound to -handle at least a portion of his brother's wages, and he did not care -what course he took to accomplish his object.</p> - -<p>"You ain't forgot what I told you awhile back, I reckon, have you?" -said Dan, with suppressed fury.</p> - -<p>"No, I haven't forgotten it. I can recall everything you said to me."</p> - -<p>"Then, why don't you pay some heed to it? Do you want to see your -business busted up? Look a here, Joe Morgan: You say you are going to -give all that there money to mam. If you do, I'll have some of it in -spite of you. I'll tell mam that I want my share,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[Pg 95]</a></span> and she'll hand it -over without no words, 'cause she knows well enough that I'll turn the -house out doors if she don't do as I say. She's heard me calling for -somebody to hold me on the ground, and she don't like to see me that -way, 'cause she knows I'm mad."</p> - -<p>"I know that you have worried a good deal of money out of mother, first -and last," said Joe, angrily, "but you needn't think you can frighten -her into giving you any of mine, because she won't have any."</p> - -<p>"You stingy, good-for-nothing scamp! you're going back on your mam, are -you?" shouted Dan, who could scarcely believe that he was not dreaming. -"I never thought that of you. You're going to have the softest kind of -a job all winter, and make stacks and piles of money, and never give a -cent of it to mam, be you?"</p> - -<p>"Mother will have everything she wants, but still she will not touch a -cent of my earnings," answered Joe, calmly.</p> - -<p>"Whoop! Hold me on the ground, somebody!" yelled Dan, striking up his -war dance. "Then how'll mam get the things she wants?" </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[Pg 96]</a></span></p> - -<p>"On a written order, and in no other way."</p> - -<p>"Who'll give that there order?"</p> - -<p>"Mr. Warren, whom I shall ask to act as my banker. I've got to do -something to keep you from bothering the life out of mother, and that -is what I have decided upon."</p> - -<p>"Whoop!" shouted Dan again. "Pap won't agree to no such bargain as that -there, I bet you, and neither will I."</p> - -<p>"What has father got to say about my business?"</p> - -<p>"He's got a good deal to say about it, the first thing you know," -answered Dan, with a triumphant air.</p> - -<p>His only object in hastening on to overtake his brother was that he -might torment him by calling his attention to a point of law that Joe -had never thought of before.</p> - -<p>"You ain't twenty-one year old yet, my fine feller, and pap's got the -right to make you hand over every red cent you earn. He told me so; -and he furder said that he was going to take the last dollar of them -hundred and twenty that you are going to make this winter. So there, -now. I told you that there<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[Pg 97]</a></span> was them in the world that's just as smart -as you think you be, and me and pap are the fellers. He's a mighty hard -old chap to get the better of, pap is, and so be I. You can't do it -nohow you fix it."</p> - -<p>It looked that way, sure enough, thought Joe, who was greatly surprised -and bewildered.</p> - -<p>He knew very well that his father could take his earnings, if he were -mean enough to do it, but, as we have said, the matter had never been -brought home to him before. He had always given his money to his -mother, and Silas had never raised any objection to it.</p> - -<p>The reason was because he did not think of it, and besides, the amounts -were too small to do him any good; they were not worth the rumpus which -the ferryman knew would be raised about his ears if he interfered and -tried to turn Joe's earnings into his own pocket.</p> - -<p>But things were different now. The young game-warden's prospective -wages amounted to a goodly sum in the aggregate, and Silas was resolved -to "turn over a new leaf," and assert his authority as head of the -house. </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[Pg 98]</a></span></p> - -<p>Joe, on the other hand, was fully determined that his mother alone -should profit by his winter's work, and as he was a resolute fellow, -and as fearless as a boy could be, it was hard to tell how the matter -was destined to end. But there was trouble in store for him; there -could be no doubt about that.</p> - -<p>"What do you say now?" asked Dan, who had little difficulty in reading -the thoughts that were passing through his brother's mind, they showed -so plainly on his face. "You're thinking of kicking agin me and pap, -but I tell you that you'd best not do it. Will you be sensible and go -pardners, or have your business busted up?"</p> - -<p>"Neither," answered Joe, turning so fiercely upon his persecutor that -the latter recoiled a step or two. "Now, if you don't let me alone, I -will go to Mr. Warren and see if he can find means to make you."</p> - -<p>"Sho!" said Dan, with a grin, "you don't mean it?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, I do. It may surprise you to know that you have put yourself in -danger of being locked up." </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[Pg 99]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Not much, I ain't," said Dan, confidently. "I ain't done a single -thing yet."</p> - -<p>"But you have made threats, and Mr. Warren could have you put under -bonds."</p> - -<p>"He'd have lots of fun trying that," replied Dan, who laughed loudly at -the idea of such a thing. "Why, man, I ain't got none."</p> - -<p>"Of course you haven't, and you couldn't furnish them either, so you -would have to go to jail."</p> - -<p>"Great Moses!" Dan managed to ejaculate.</p> - -<p>There was no grin on his face now, nor even the sign of one. He was -astonished as well as frightened.</p> - -<p>It had never occurred to him that his brother could invoke the law to -protect him, but he saw it plainly enough now, and he knew by the way -Joe looked at him that he had been crowded just about as far as he -intended to go.</p> - -<p>When the latter moved on down the road, Dan made no attempt to stop -him. He backed toward a log, sat down on it, and kept his eyes fastened -upon Joe until a bend in the road hid him from view.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[Pg 100]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER IX.</span> <span class="smaller">VOLUNTEERS.</span></h2> - -<p>"I don't know what answer to make you, boys. I have no desire to -interfere with your pleasures, and I think you have always found me -ready to listen to any reasonable proposition; but this latest scheme -of yours looks to me to be a little—you know. I don't believe that -Bob's father will consent to it."</p> - -<p>"Suppose you give your consent, and then we will see what we can do -with Bob's father. If we can say that you are willing, he'll come to -terms without any coaxing."</p> - -<p>"I don't see what objection there can be to it. We can't get into -mischief up there in the mountains, and we'll promise to study hard -every spare minute we get. There!"</p> - -<p>"And be fully prepared to go on with our class when the spring term -begins. Now!" </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[Pg 101]</a></span></p> - -<p>The first speaker was Mr. Hallet, who leaned back in his easy-chair and -twirled his eye-glasses around his finger, while he looked at the two -uneasy, mischief-loving boys who stood before him.</p> - -<p>Tom Hallet was his nephew and ward, and Bob Emerson was the son of an -old school-friend who lived in Bellville, ten miles away.</p> - -<p>Bob, who was a fine, manly fellow, was a great favorite with both uncle -and nephew, and had a standing invitation to spend all his vacations -with them at their comfortable home among the Summerdale hills.</p> - -<p>To quote from Bob, Mr. Hallet's house was eminently a place for a tired -school-boy to get away to. The fishing in the lake, and in the clear, -dancing streams that emptied into it, was fine; young squirrels were -always abundant after the first of August; and when September came, the -law was "off" on grouse, wild turkeys and deer. Hares and 'coons were -plenty, and Tom's little beagle knew right where to go to find them. -Better than all, according to the boys' way of thinking, Mr. Hallet was -a jolly old bachelor, who<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[Pg 102]</a></span> thoroughly enjoyed life in a quiet way, and -who meant that every one around him should do the same.</p> - -<p>Taking all these things into consideration, it was little wonder that -Bob Emerson looked forward to his yearly "outings" with the liveliest -anticipations of pleasure.</p> - -<p>The Summerdale hills, in days gone by, had been a hunter's paradise; -but, sad to relate, their glory was fast passing away, like that of -many another place which had once been noted for the abundance of its -game and fish.</p> - -<p>Mr. Warren, to use his own language, had been foolish enough to build a -hotel at the Beach, and to connect it with Bellville by a stage route. -This brought an influx of strangers, some of whom called themselves -sportsmen, who did more to depopulate the woods and streams than Silas -Morgan, Hobson, and a few others of that ilk, could have accomplished -in a year's steady shooting and angling.</p> - -<p>Their advent gave rise to a class of men who had never before been -known in that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[Pg 103]</a></span> region—to wit, guides. There were some good and honest -ones among them, of course; but, as a rule, they were a shiftless, -lawless class—men who lived from hand to mouth, and who looked upon -game laws as so many infringements of their rights, which were to be -defied and resisted in any way they could think of.</p> - -<p>Up to the time the hotel was built, these men lived in utter ignorance -of the fact that there were laws in force which prohibited hunting and -fishing at certain seasons of the year; but one year the District Game -Protector came up on the stage to look into things, and when he went -back to Bellville he took with him a guide and his employer, whom he -had caught in the act of shooting deer, when the law said that they -should not be molested.</p> - -<p>This unexpected interference with their bread and butter astonished -and enraged the rest of the guides, who at once held an indignation -meeting, and resolved that they would not submit to any such outrageous -things as game laws, in the making of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[Pg 104]</a></span> which their opinions and desires -had not been consulted.</p> - -<p>They boldly declared that they would continue to hunt and fish whenever -they felt like it, and any officer who came to the hills to stop them -would be likely to get himself into business.</p> - -<p>A few of the residents, including Mr. Warren and Mr. Hallet, had tried -hard to bring about a better state of things.</p> - -<p>They had gone to the expense of restocking their almost tenantless -woods, and had been untiring in their efforts to have every poacher -and law-breaker arrested and punished for his misdeeds; but all they -had succeeded in doing thus far was to call down upon their heads the -hearty maledictions of the whole ruffianly crew, who owed them a grudge -and only awaited a favorable opportunity to pay it.</p> - -<p>This was the way things stood on the morning that Tom Hallet, -accompanied by his friend Bob, presented himself before his uncle, with -the request that he would permit them to keep an eye on his English -partridges and quails during the ensuing winter—in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[Pg 105]</a></span> other words, that -he would empower them to act as his game-wardens.</p> - -<p>Mr. Hallet was not at all surprised, for the boys had sprung so many -"hare-brained schemes" on him, that he was ready for anything; but -still he took a few minutes in which to consider the proposition before -he made them any reply.</p> - -<p>"What in the world put that notion into your heads, anyway?" said Mr. -Hallet, continuing the conversation which we have so unceremoniously -interrupted. "Is it simply an excuse to get out of school for the -winter?"</p> - -<p>The boys indignantly denied that they had any idea of such a thing. -They liked their school and everything connected with it; but they -thought it would be fun to spend a few months in the woods. And since -Uncle Hallet would have to employ somebody to act as game-warden, or -run the risk of having all his costly birds killed by trespassers, why -couldn't he employ them as well as any one else?</p> - -<p>"Well, you two do think up the queerest ways for having fun that I even -heard of,"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[Pg 106]</a></span> said Mr. Hallet. "I know something about camp-life, and you -don't; and I tell you—"</p> - -<p>"Why, Uncle," exclaimed Tom, "haven't we already spent a whole week in -camp since Bob came up here?"</p> - -<p>"A whole week!" repeated Mr. Hallet. "Yes, and it tired you out, and -you were glad enough to get home. I know that 'camping out' looks very -well on paper, but I tell you that it is the hardest kind of work, even -for a lazy person, to say nothing of a couple of uneasy youngsters, -who can't keep still for five minutes at a time to save their lives. -Besides, how do I know that you wouldn't shoot some of my blue-headed -birds, as Morgan calls them?"</p> - -<p>"Don't you suppose that we know a ruffed grouse from an English -partridge or quail?" demanded Tom. "We are not so liable to make -mistakes in that regard as others might be. Who is Mr. Warren going to -hire for his warden?"</p> - -<p>"I believe he has gone up to Morgan's to-day to speak to Joe about it."</p> - -<p>"I don't know how that will work," said<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[Pg 107]</a></span> Bob, reflectively. "Joe is all -right, but his father and brother are not, and I am afraid they will -make trouble for him."</p> - -<p>"I thought of that, and so did Warren," answered Mr. Hallet, "and it -is a point that you two would do well to consider before you insist -on going into the mountains this winter. I am told that Hobson is -furious over the opening of the new road, and that he and a few of -his friends have threatened to burn the houses Warren and I built up -there in the woods, and to drive out anybody we may put there to act as -game-wardens."</p> - -<p>When Tom and Bob heard this, they exchanged glances that were full of -meaning.</p> - -<p>Uncle Hallet's words showed them that there was a prospect for -excitement during the coming winter, and the knowledge of this fact -made them all the more determined to carry their point.</p> - -<p>"Oh, you needn't look at each other in that way," said Mr. Hallet, with -a laugh. "I know what you are thinking about, and I have no notion of -allowing you to do something to get these poachers and law-breakers<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[Pg 108]</a></span> -down on you. However I am going to the village directly, and perhaps -I'll drop in and see what Bob's father thinks about it."</p> - -<p>"Don't forget to tell him that we have your full and free consent," -began Tom.</p> - -<p>"But I haven't given it," interrupted Mr. Hallet, adjusting his -eye-glasses across the bridge of his nose and reaching for his paper.</p> - -<p>"And that we shall go along with all our lessons just as fast as the -boys in school will," chimed in Bob.</p> - -<p>"I'll not forget it; but I shall be much surprised at your father if he -believes it."</p> - -<p>Uncle Hallet resumed his reading, and the boys, taking this as a hint -that he had said all he had to say on the subject, put on their hats -and left the room.</p> - -<p>"It's all right, Bob," said Tom, gleefully.</p> - -<p>"I am sure of it," replied Bob. "We've got Uncle Hallet on our side, -and it will be no trouble for him to talk father over. Now let's finish -that letter to Mr. Morgan, and then go up and put it in his wood-pile."</p> - -<p>So saying, Bob went up the stairs three at a jump, Tom following close -at his heels.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[Pg 109]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER X.</span> <span class="smaller">WHY THE LETTER WAS WRITTEN.</span></h2> - -<p>When the boys reached the landing at the head of the stairs, they -turned into Tom's room, the door of which stood invitingly open.</p> - -<p>Bob seated himself at a table and picked up a pen, while Tom leaned -over his shoulder and fastened his eyes upon the unfinished letter, to -which reference was made at the close of the last chapter.</p> - -<p>"Let's see—how far did we get?" said the latter. "I believe we were -talking about a bank they were supposed to have robbed somewhere in -California. Well, say that they took a pile of money—seventy thousand -dollars out of it. But I say, Bob! That's awful bad printing. I don't -know whether Silas can make out to read it or not."</p> - -<p>"Then let him get somebody to help him,"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[Pg 110]</a></span> answered Bob. "I can't be -expected to furnish him with the key, after going to so much trouble to -write the letter."</p> - -<p>"But if he can't read it, what use will it be to him?" asked Tom.</p> - -<p>"Probably he's got friends who can spell it out for him, and I'm sure -I don't care how much publicity he gives it. 'And there we took out -seventy thousand dollars,'" said Bob. "Go on; what next? They went to -Canada after that, didn't they? There is where all the crooks go these -days."</p> - -<p>"Put it down, anyway. 'So we went to Canady (be careful about the -spelling) and staid there till the country got too hot for us.' -That reads all right," said Tom, throwing himself into the big -rocking-chair, and wondering, like the minister in the "One-Hoss Shay," -what the Moses should come next. "Don't forget to say something about -the 'hant' who guards the treasure in the cave."</p> - -<p>"Can't you wait till I come to the cave?" replied Bob, who could not -print the letter as fast as his friend could think up things to put -into it. "I don't altogether approve of this<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[Pg 111]</a></span> ghost business, anyway. -I am afraid it will scare the old fellow so badly that he will make no -attempt to find the treasure that is concealed in the cave."</p> - -<p>"Don't you worry about that," Tom replied. "All we've got to do is to -word the letter so that he will believe the money is really there, and -he will go after it, even if he knew that he would have to face all -the ghosts that ever haunted the Summerdale hills; and their name is -legion, if there is any faith to be put in the stories I have heard."</p> - -<p>"I say, Tom," exclaimed Bob, throwing down his pen and settling-back -in his chair, "wouldn't it be a joke if some of those same ghosts -should take it into their heads to visit us during the winter? It must -be lonely up there in the mountains, when the roads are blocked with -drifts, and all communication with the outside world is cut off, and -wouldn't we feel funny if we should hear something go this way some -dark and stormy night—b-r-r-r?"</p> - -<p>Here Bob uttered a hollow groan, drew his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[Pg 112]</a></span> head down between his -shoulders, and tried to shiver and look frightened.</p> - -<p>"No doubt it would; but we shan't hear anything go this way—b-r-r-r," -replied Tom, imitating Bob's groan as nearly as he could. "Now I think -you had better go on with that letter, and I will draw the map that is -to guide him in his search for the robbers' cave and plunder. We've -wasted a good hour and a half already; and if we don't hurry up, we -shan't be able to give him the letter to-day. Let me think a moment! -There's a deep gorge about a quarter of a mile from Morgan's wood-pile, -and I don't believe it has ever been explored. That would be a good -place to put the cave, wouldn't it?"</p> - -<p>Bob said he thought it would, and went on with his writing, while Tom -hunted up a piece of paper and began drawing the map.</p> - -<p>Bob pronounced it perfect when his friend presented it for his -inspection, and indeed it ought to have been. There was no one in -the neighborhood who was better acquainted with the hills than Silas -Morgan, and if the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[Pg 113]</a></span> map had guided him to a place that really had no -existence, except in Tom's imagination, he would have known in a minute -that somebody was trying to play a trick upon him.</p> - -<p>The letter was finished at last, to the entire satisfaction of both the -boys, and the next thing was to put it where the man for whom it was -intended would be sure to find it.</p> - -<p>Do you ask what it was that suggested to them the idea of making the -shiftless and ignorant ferryman the victim of one of their practical -jokes?</p> - -<p>Simply an accident, coupled with the want of something to do, and their -innate propensity to get fun out of everything that came in their way.</p> - -<p>On the previous day they made it their business to stand guard over the -English partridges and quails which Uncle Hallet had "turned down" in -his wood-lot, and it so happened that they stopped to eat their lunch -within a short distance of Silas Morgan's wood-pile, but out of sight -of it. They heard the creaking of the ferryman's old wagon, as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[Pg 114]</a></span> his -aged and infirm beast pulled it laboriously up the steep mountain-side, -and not long afterward the setters, which accompanied Silas, wherever -he went, spied out their resting-place.</p> - -<p>But the animals did not give tongue, as they would no doubt have done -if the boys had been utter strangers to them. They thankfully ate the -bits of cracker and broiled squirrel that were tossed to them, and then -went back to wait for Silas.</p> - -<p>"That man has no more right to those valuable dogs than I have," said -Bob. "They're worth a hundred dollars apiece, and no one ever gave a -guide that much money in return for a single day's woodcock shooting. -Who is he talking to, I wonder?"</p> - -<p>"To no one," answered Tom. "He likes to talk to a sensible man, and he -likes to hear a sensible man talk; consequently, he has a good deal to -say to Silas Morgan. That's the fellow he is talking to."</p> - -<p>And so it proved. The ferryman was engaged in an animated conversation -with the ferryman, asking and answering the questions<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[Pg 115]</a></span> himself, and so -fully was his mind occupied with other matters, that it never occurred -to him that possibly his words might be falling upon ears for which -they were not intended.</p> - -<p>Tom and his companion had no desire to play the part of eavesdroppers. -They were not at all interested in what Silas was saying to himself—at -least they thought so; but it turned out otherwise.</p> - -<p>Having finished their lunch, they began making preparations to set out -for home; but in the meantime Silas reached the wood-pile, and, leaning -heavily upon his wagon, he gave utterance to his thoughts in much the -same words as those we used at the beginning of this story.</p> - -<p>"I just know that I wasn't born to do no such mean work as I've been -called to do all my life," declared Silas, stooping over, and throwing -the perspiration from his forehead with his bent finger. "I can't get -my consent to slave and toil in this way much longer, while there are -folks all around me who never do a hand's turn. They can loaf around -and take their ease from morning till night, while<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[Pg 116]</a></span> I—wait till I -tell you. Such things ain't right, and I won't stand it much longer. -The other night I dreamed of that robber's cave, with piles of gold -and greenbacks into it, and yesterday I read about the finding of -that earthen crock that was plumb full of money; so't I know I shall -be a rich man some day. 'Pears to me that day isn't so very far off, -neither. If I should come up here some time and find a letter telling -me where there was a robber's cave with stacks and piles of money in -it, I shouldn't be at all astonished; would you?"</p> - -<p>"Not in the least," whispered Bob, giving his friend a prod in the ribs -with his elbow; whereupon Tom laid his finger by the side of his nose -and winked first one eye and then the other, to show that he fully -understood Bob.</p> - -<p>"Stranger things than that have happened," continued Silas, in a voice -that was plainly audible to the two boys behind the evergreens, "and -I don't see why it can't happen to me as well as to anybody else. -Wouldn't that be a joyful day to me, though? I'd bust up that flat the -very first thing I did, and tell the <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[Pg 117]</a></span>fellers that tooted the horn that -I was done being servant for them or anybody else. No, I wouldn't do -that, either," added Silas, after reflecting a minute. "I'd give it to -Dan and Joe to make a living with, and then I wouldn't have to spend -any of my fortune on their grub and clothes."</p> - -<p>"What a stingy old hulks he is!" whispered Bob, as the ferryman took a -reluctant step toward the wood-pile. "I say, Tom, don't you think there -is a robber's cave about here somewhere? I should think there ought to -be, with so many ghosts hanging around. It don't look to me as though -they could be here for nothing."</p> - -<p>"That's what I think," replied Tom, in the same cautious whisper. "I -shouldn't wonder a bit if there was a freebooter's stronghold somewhere -in these mountains."</p> - -<p>"With lots of money in it?" continued Bob.</p> - -<p>"Piles of it," said Tom. "As much as there is in the treasury at -Washington."</p> - -<p>Bob turned toward his friend with a look of indignant astonishment on -his face. </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[Pg 118]</a></span></p> - -<p>"And you knew it all the time, and never told Silas about it!" he -exclaimed. "Can't you see how badly he wants it, and how confident he -is that he is going to get it? You ought to have attended to it long -ago."</p> - -<p>"You're very right," said Tom, meekly. "Now I will tell you what I'll -do: If you will print a letter—it must be printed, you know, for Silas -can't read writing—telling how the money got into the cave in the -first place, I'll draw a map that will aid him in finding it."</p> - -<p>Bob said it was a bargain, and the two boys shook hands on it; after -which they again turned their attention to the ferryman, who kept up -his soliloquy while he was loading the wood on the wagon. The burden of -it was that his lot in life was a very hard one, that he never worked -except under protest, and that he firmly believed that the future had -something better in store for him.</p> - -<p>Tom and his companion went home, fully determined that if they lived to -see the dawn of another day, Silas should find the wished-for letter in -his wood-pile. </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[Pg 119]</a></span></p> - -<p>They took one night to "sleep on it," and make up their minds just what -they wanted to say to him, and bright and early the next morning they -went to work.</p> - -<p>By their united efforts they finally produced the letter which we laid -before the reader in the third chapter; but they were a long time about -it. Every sentence and suggestion had to be weighed and discussed at -length, and it was when Tom remarked that he would like to see the -upshot of the whole matter, that a bright idea suddenly occurred to Bob.</p> - -<p>"We can stay up there to-morrow, and see what he will do when he finds -the letter," observed the latter, "but we can't run to the top of the -Summerdale hills every day to watch him go after the money, can we? -It's too far, and— Say, Tom, let's ask Uncle Hallet to make us his -game-wardens."</p> - -<p>"Oh, let's!" exclaimed Tom, who was always ready for anything that had -a spice of novelty or adventure in it. "Of course, we shall have to -live up there in the woods, the same as Mr. Warren's man does."</p> - -<p>"To-be-sure. Then we shall be right on<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[Pg 120]</a></span> the ground, and it will be but -little trouble for us to keep track of Morgan's movements. If he tries -to find the cave, we may be on hand to give him a scare."</p> - -<p>"Well, that's a black horse of another color," said Tom, looking down -at the floor, in a deep study. "Silas Morgan never goes into the woods -without his double-barrel for company, and he is so sure a shot that -I don't think it would be quite safe for the spectre of the cave to -materialize while he is around."</p> - -<p>Bob hadn't thought of that before, nor did he stop to think of it now, -because it was a matter that could be settled at some future time. It -was enough for him to know that Tom was strongly in favor of the rest -of his scheme, and the two posted off to find Uncle Hallet, and see -what he thought about it.</p> - -<p>The result of the conference they held with him, so far as it was -reached that day, we have already chronicled. We must now hasten on and -tell what happened in and around the Summerdale hills after Silas found -and lost the letter, and Dan got hold it.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[Pg 121]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER XI.</span> <span class="smaller">THE PLOT SUCCEEDS.</span></h2> - -<p>Tom's map having been duly examined and approved, and Bob's letter read -and commented upon, the latter folded them both up together and placed -them in an envelope, which he sealed with a vigorous blow of his fist.</p> - -<p>"I suppose it ought to have a stamp on it, in order to make it look -ship-shape," said he, "but I haven't got two cents to waste in addition -to the time and exhausting mental effort I have spent upon the -production of this interesting and important communication. I ought to -put a hint of its contents upon the envelope, I should think."</p> - -<p>"By all means," answered Tom. "Print anything that occurs to you, -so long as it will excite his curiosity and impel him to a further -examination. How does this strike you: 'Notis<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[Pg 122]</a></span> to the lucky person -in to whose han's this dockyment may hapen to fall.' That sounds all -right, doesn't it? Well, put it down, and then add something about the -'hant' that watches over the cave."</p> - -<p>For a few minutes Bob's pen moved rapidly, and at last he drew a long -breath of relief and slammed the blotting-paper over what he had -written.</p> - -<p>"It's done, I'm glad to say, and the next time we find it necessary -to communicate with Mr. Morgan, or with any other gentleman who has -not gone deep enough into the arcana of letters to be able to read -good, honest writing, we'll hire a cheap boy to do the printing for -us. Now, what shall we take besides our lunch? I don't want to carry -my breech-loader up to the top of the mountains for nothing. I know -it weighs only seven and a quarter pounds, but I'll think it weighs a -hundred before I get back."</p> - -<p>"If you will sling your pocket-rifle case over your shoulder, I'll take -my little tackle-box, and then we shall be fully equipped," replied -Tom. "We'll be sure to get a young<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[Pg 123]</a></span> squirrel or two while we are going -by the corn-field, and I know a stream in which there are still a few -trout to be found."</p> - -<p>Acting upon his friend's advice, Bob put the letter into his pocket, -and picked up the neat leather case in which his little rifle reposed, -while Tom seized his tackle-box and led the way to the kitchen.</p> - -<p>A few minutes later they left the house, with a substantial lunch -stowed away in a fish-basket which Tom carried under his arm, and bent -their steps toward Silas Morgan's wood-pile, where they arrived after -an hour's fatiguing walk up the mountain.</p> - -<p>The first thing in order was a reconnaissance in force, followed by a -careful inspection of the ground, both of which satisfied them that -they had reached the spot in ample time to carry out all the details of -their scheme. The wheel-marks in the ground were not fresh, and neither -were the footprints, and this proved that the ferryman had not yet been -up after his daily load of wood.</p> - -<p>"He is later than usual," said Bob. "I hope nothing has happened to -keep him away,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[Pg 124]</a></span> for I wouldn't miss being around when he gets the -letter for anything. It will be as good as a circus."</p> - -<p>"There he comes now!" exclaimed Tom, as a series of dismal wails arose -from the valley below. "Don't you hear the creaking of his wagon? Shove -the letter into the end of this stick, and then we'll dig out for the -place where we ate lunch yesterday. We can hear and see everything from -there."</p> - -<p>Bob hastily complied with his friend's suggestion, inserting the letter -into a crack in a protruding stick in so conspicuous a position that -Silas would be sure to see it, if he made any use whatever of his eyes, -and then the two boys betook themselves to their hiding-place behind -the evergreens.</p> - -<p>In due time the ferryman came in sight. He was clinging with both hands -to the hind end of the wagon, and if he had let go his hold he would, -beyond a doubt, have rolled clear back to the bottom of the hill, not -being possessed of sufficient life and energy to stop himself.</p> - -<p>Whenever the horse halted for a short<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[Pg 125]</a></span> rest, which he did as often -as the idea occurred to him, Silas raised no objections, but leaned -heavily upon the wood-rack and rested, too, talking earnestly to -himself all the while.</p> - -<p>He was so long in reaching the wood-pile that the boys became very -impatient; but when he got there and found the letter, the fright and -excitement he exhibited, and the extraordinary contortions he went -through, amply repaid them for their long waiting.</p> - -<p>Bob's prediction, that "it would be as good as a circus," was -abundantly verified. They observed every move he made, and heard -every word he said. They were especially delighted to see him climb -the wood-pile, and reach over and take possession of the letter; and -when he snatched up the knotted reins and fell upon the horse with -his hickory, because the animal would not move in obedience to his -whispered commands, Bob caught Tom around the neck with both arms, and -the two rolled on the ground convulsed with merriment.</p> - -<p>When they recovered themselves sufficiently to get up and look through -the evergreens<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[Pg 126]</a></span> again, they saw Silas disappearing around the first -turn in the road; but he was in sight long enough for them to take note -of the fact that he was stepping out at a much livelier rate than they -had seen him accomplish for many a day. When the trees hid him from -view, Tom and Bob sat down on the ground and looked at each other.</p> - -<p>"Well," said the former, wiping the tears from his eyes, "so far so -good. Now, what comes next?"</p> - -<p>"Nothing more of this sort to-day; at least I hope not," answered Bob. -"I couldn't stand another such a laughing spell right away, unless I -could give full vent to my feelings. I thought I should split when I -heard Silas say that he didn't know whether or not he could get his -consent to touch that letter."</p> - -<p>Silas being safely out of hearing by this time, there was no longer any -reason why Bob should restrain his risibilities, and he gave way to a -hearty peal of laughter, in which Tom joined with much gusto.</p> - -<p>"It was when he went through his antics on top of the wood-pile that I -came the <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[Pg 127]</a></span>nearest losing control of myself," said the latter, as soon -as he could speak. "I didn't suppose that there was so much ignorance -and superstition in this whole country as that man has given us proof -of this day."</p> - -<p>And neither did Tom imagine that while he and Bob were writing that -letter, "just for the fun of the thing," they were setting in motion a -series of events which were destined to create the greatest excitement -far and near, and to come within a hair's-breadth of ending in -something very like a tragedy.</p> - -<p>It was a long time before the boys had their laugh out. Tom, who was an -incomparable mimic, went through the whole performance again, for his -own delectation as well as for Bob's benefit, reaching for invisible -letters, and climbing imaginary wood-piles, and so perfectly did he -imitate the ferryman's actions, and even the tones of his voice, that -Bob at last jumped to his feet, slung his rifle over his shoulder, and -hastened away, declaring that he could not stand it any longer.</p> - -<p>The first thing the two friends did, after they became sobered down -so that they could<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[Pg 128]</a></span> do anything, was to retrace their steps to the -corn-field, where they hoped to secure an acceptable addition to the -lunch that was in Tom's creel.</p> - -<p>Nor were they disappointed; the game they sought was out in full -force; Bob's diminutive rifle spoke twice in quick succession, and two -young squirrels, after being neatly dressed and wrapped in buttered -tissue-paper, were placed in the basket with the lunch.</p> - -<p>Then the boys went in quest of the trout stream of which Tom had -spoken. When Bob got down to it, and saw what a place it was in, he did -not wonder that there were still a few fish to be found in it. On the -contrary, he wondered if there had ever been any taken out of it. He -had never seen an angler, no matter how enthusiastic and long-winded he -might be, who would willingly stumble through five miles of trackless -woods, climb over as many miles of tangled wind-fall, and scramble -down the almost perpendicular side of that deep gorge, for the sake of -catching a few trout, and he did not hesitate to tell Tom so.</p> - -<p>"Wait till you see the beauty I am going<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[Pg 129]</a></span> to snatch out from under that -log in less than a minute after I drop in my hook," said the latter, -who carried his open knife in his hand, and was looking about among the -bushes for a pole to take the place of the split bamboo he had left at -home. "But you needn't grumble, young man. You may see the day when -you will be willing to tramp farther than this to have the pleasure of -depositing a single trout in your creel."</p> - -<p>"When things get as bad as that I won't go trout-fishing," said Bob, -in reply. "I'll take it out on black bass in the lake. Besides, these -trout are not at all high-toned. They don't know enough to take a fly, -and there's no fun in fishing with any other bait."</p> - -<p>"We're not looking for fun now; we're after our dinner," answered -Tom, who, having found a pole to suit him, was kicking the bark off -a decayed log in search of a grub to put on his hook. "Would it -inconvenience you to stir around and get a fire going? You might as -well have your scales ready, too; there's a trout under that log that -weighs about— There he is!" </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[Pg 130]</a></span></p> - -<p>Sure enough, there he was.</p> - -<p>While Tom was speaking he dropped his hook into the water, and before -the white grub on it had sunk out of sight, it was seized by a monster -trout, which turned and started for the bottom with it, only to find -himself yanked unceremoniously out of his native element, and by a -dexterous movement of his captor's wrist, landed at Bob's feet on the -opposite bank.</p> - -<p>"I haven't elbow-room for any display of science in handling fish," -said Tom, as his companion unhooked the prize and quieted his struggles -by a blow on the head with the handle of his heavy knife. "Main -strength and awkwardness are what do the business in these tangled -thickets. What do the scales say in regard to his weight?"</p> - -<p>"A pound and nine ounces," replied Bob. "Now suppose you hand over that -pole and see if I can catch one to match him."</p> - -<p>Tom, who was quite willing to comply, jumped across the brook and set -to work to kindle a fire and get the dinner going, while Bob took the -rod and threaded his way<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[Pg 131]</a></span> through the thick bushes toward another -promising hole which his friend told him of, farther up the stream.</p> - -<p>He was not gone more than twenty minutes, and when he came back he -brought with him three trout, one of which was larger and heavier than -Tom's.</p> - -<p>Bob could easily have taken more but did not do it, because he knew -that he and Tom could not dispose of them. He knew, too, that they -would be a drug in the home market, Uncle Hallet having often declared -that he had eaten so many trout since Bob came to his house that it was -all he could do to keep from jumping into every puddle of water he saw.</p> - -<p>The boys were adepts at forest cookery, and hungry enough to do full -justice to their dinner.</p> - -<p>When the meal was over, the only dish they had to wash was the small -tin basin in which their tea was made, the squirrels and trout having -been broiled over the coals on three-pronged sticks cut from the -neighboring bushes. </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[Pg 132]</a></span></p> - -<p>After an hour's rest they put out the fire by drenching it with water, -which they dipped from the brook with their drinking-cups.</p> - -<p>Bob often paused in his work to look up at the high bank above, which -was so steep that the top seemed to hang over the bed of the stream, -and finally he declared that it would take so much of his breath and -strength to get up there that he wouldn't have any left to carry him -over the five miles of wind-fall that lay between the gorge and Silas -Morgan's wood-pile.</p> - -<p>"Well, then, we'll follow the brook," said Tom. "It will take us to -the lake, if we stick to it long enough, or we can turn out of the -gorge when we reach the place where our robber's cave is supposed to be -located. What kind of traveling we shall find I don't know, for I have -never been down this gulf; but I do know that we shall have farther to -walk than if we go back the way we came."</p> - -<p>Bob at once declared his preference for the "water route," reminding -his companion that the longest way around is often the shortest way -home. </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[Pg 133]</a></span></p> - -<p>He felt relieved after that, for he dreaded the almost impassable -wind-fall over which his tireless friend had led him a few hours -before; but whether or not it was worse than some things that happened -as the result of his decision, and which he was destined to encounter -before the winter was over remains to be seen.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[Pg 134]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER XII.</span> <span class="smaller">A MYSTERY.</span></h2> - -<p>The traveling in the gorge was quite as difficult as the two friends -expected to find it. The bushes on each side were so thick that they -could not walk on the bank, and the bed of the stream was covered with -rocks and boulders, over which they slipped and stumbled at every step.</p> - -<p>Now and then the way was obstructed by deep, dark pools which would -have gladdened the eye of an angler, for it is in such places that the -"sockdolagers" of the brook abide. But Tom and his companion looked -upon them as so many obstacles that were to be overcome with as little -delay as possible.</p> - -<p>They floundered through them without stopping to see how deep they -were, and before they had left their camp half a mile <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[Pg 135]</a></span>behind, their -high rubber boots were full of water.</p> - -<p>The gorge was beginning to grow dark when Tom, after taking a survey of -the bank over his head, announced that they were just about opposite -Silas Morgan's wood-pile, and that it was time for them to find a place -to climb out.</p> - -<p>"I am overjoyed to hear it," said Bob, seating himself on the nearest -boulder. "But it's going to be hard work to get up there, the first -thing you know, because we've got several pounds more weight to carry -than we had when we started. This is worse than the windfall."</p> - -<p>While Bob was resting, Tom walked slowly down the gorge, hoping to find -a spot where the bushes were not so thick, and the bank easy of ascent; -but before he had gone a dozen yards, his footsteps were arrested by an -occurrence that was as startling as it was unexpected.</p> - -<p>The thicket in front of him was suddenly and violently agitated, and -an instant afterward there arose from it the most <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[Pg 136]</a></span>blood-curdling -sound the boys had ever heard. An Indian war-whoop could not compare -with it—they were certain of that. It was not a shriek, a laugh or a -groan, but it was a combination of all three; and it was so loud and -penetrating that the echoes caught it up and repeated it, until the -hideous sound seemed to fill the air all around them.</p> - -<p>Tom came to a sudden standstill, and the face he turned toward his -companion was as white as a sheet.</p> - -<p>Bob was frightened, too, but he retained his wits and his power of -action, and his first thought was to put a safe distance between -himself and the thing, whatever it was, that could make a noise like -that.</p> - -<p>Without saying a word he arose from his seat, dived into the bushes and -began scrambling up the bank. How he got to the top he never knew (he -afterward affirmed that in some places the bank was as straight up and -down as the side of a house), but he reached it in an incredibly short -space of time, and turned about to find Tom close at his heels.</p> - -<p>"What in the name of sense and Tom<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[Pg 137]</a></span> Walker was it?" panted Bob, -pulling out his handkerchief and mopping his forehead, on which the -perspiration stood in great beads.</p> - -<p>"I give it up," gasped Tom. "It must be something awful, if one may -judge by the screeching it is able to do. I heard a couple of laughing -hyenas give a solo and chorus in a menagerie once, and I thought I -should never get the sound out of my ears; but that thing in the gulf -can beat them out of sight. I'm going home now, but I'll come up here -to-morrow with Bugle and Uncle Hallet's Winchester, and if I can make -the dog drive him out of the bushes so that I can get a fair sight at -him, I'll pump him so full of holes that he'll never make any more of -that noise."</p> - -<p>Tom at once drew a bee line for his uncle's house, and Bob fell in -behind him. When they reached the wood-pile, he proposed that they -should sit down and rest and compare notes. He was still quite nervous -and uneasy, while Bob, who had had leisure to look at the matter in all -its bearings, was as serene and unruffled as usual. </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[Pg 138]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Well, what do you think of it by this time?" inquired the latter.</p> - -<p>"I don't think anything about it," replied Tom; "it is quite beyond me. -But this much I know: That thing has got to be 'neutralized' before I -will consent to come up here and live as Uncle Hallet's game-warden."</p> - -<p>"Aha!" exclaimed Bob, with a laugh, "didn't you assure me that we -wouldn't hear anything go b-r-r-r?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, and I'll stick to it; but there's something in these mountains -that I don't want to hear screaming around our cabin this winter, now I -tell you. What kind of a beast do you think it was, anyway? You heard a -panther screech while you were hunting in Michigan last winter. Did he -make a noise like that?"</p> - -<p>"No," answered Bob; "it wasn't a beast, either."</p> - -<p>"What makes you say that?"</p> - -<p>"I have two very good reasons. In the first place, if there are any -animals in these mountains that are more to be feared than the wolves, -they have found hiding-places so<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[Pg 139]</a></span> secure that the hunters have not been -able to discover them for ten years and better. In the next place, if -that thing in the gulf is a beast of prey, he would not have given us -notice of his presence. He would have waited till we came close to the -bushes so that he could jump out and grab one of us."</p> - -<p>"That's so," said Tom. "Well, go on; what was it?"</p> - -<p>"You placed our robbers' cave down there, didn't you?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, get out!" exclaimed Tom; "I'm in no humor for nonsense. I was -badly frightened, and I haven't got over it yet."</p> - -<p>"Neither have I. I am in dead earnest. There's somebody down there in -the gulf, and he took that way to let us know that he didn't want us to -come any nearer to him."</p> - -<p>"It was Silas Morgan, for a million dollars!" exclaimed Tom, who needed -no more words to convince him that his friend's reasoning was correct. -"It's perfectly clear to me now. He didn't waste any time in going -after that money, did he?"</p> - -<p>"Quite the contrary. He has been so very<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[Pg 140]</a></span> quick about it, that I'm -inclined to believe it wasn't Silas at all; but if it was he, why is he -camping there?"</p> - -<p>"Camping?" repeated Tom.</p> - -<p>"Yes. Just before that horrid shriek came out of the bushes, I thought -I could smell burning wood; but I didn't have time to call your -attention to it."</p> - -<p>"Perhaps the mountain is on fire somewhere."</p> - -<p>"Oh, I guess not. If that was the case, we'd smell the smoke now, -wouldn't we?"</p> - -<p>"That's so," said Tom, again. "Well, who's down there?"</p> - -<p>"I'm sure I don't know; but I am satisfied that it is some one who has -reasons for keeping himself hidden from the world. Now, what's to be -done about it?"</p> - -<p>"I don't see that we are obliged to do anything, unless we want to make -ourselves a laughing stock for the whole country," replied Tom, who had -had time to form some ideas of his own. "I couldn't be hired to tell -Uncle Hallet of it, because he would ask, right away, 'Why didn't you -go ahead and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[Pg 141]</a></span> find out what it was that frightened you? You are pretty -fellows to talk about living up there alone in the woods this winter, -are you not?' And he'd never leave off poking fun at us. No doubt there -is a party of guests from the hotel down there, and one of them yelled -at us just for the fun of seeing us scramble up the bank. I only wish -they might stay there long enough to play the same game on Silas Morgan -when he comes after the money that is hidden in the cave."</p> - -<p>The two friends spent half an hour or more in comparing notes after -this fashion, but they did not succeed in wholly clearing up the -mystery. They both agreed that it was a man, and not a savage beast of -prey, that was hidden in the gulf; but who the man was, where he came -from, and what he was doing there, were other and deeper questions, -which probably never would be answered.</p> - -<p>"I'll tell you what's a fact, Bob," said Tom, as he arose from the -ground and led the way down a well-beaten cow-path that ran toward his -uncle's barn, "We are not the only fellows in the world who like to -play tricks upon<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[Pg 142]</a></span> others, and I'll venture to say that there is some -one in the gorge at this minute who is laughing at us as heartily as -we laughed at Silas Morgan when he found the letter that we put in his -wood-pile. The guests at the hotel come up here to have fun, and they -don't care much how they get it."</p> - -<p>"Perhaps you're right," replied Bob, who nevertheless still held to -the belief that there was some one in the gorge who was hiding there -because he dared not show himself among his fellow-men. "But if I were -sure of it, I should be very much ashamed of myself and you, too. -However, I don't see how we are to get at the bottom of the matter, -unless we go back and interview the party in the gulf; and I can't say -that I am anxious to do that."</p> - -<p>There was still another point on which the boys fully agreed, and that -was that they would not say a word to Uncle Hallet about it; but the -latter heard of it, all the same, and it turned out that Tom was wide -of the mark when he insisted that some one had played a joke upon -himself and his companion.</p> - -<p>The boys reached home just at supper-time,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[Pg 143]</a></span> and found that Uncle Hallet -had returned from Bellville with good news for them. He had seen Bob's -father, and the latter, after declaring that it was one of the wildest -things he had ever heard of, and wondering what foolish notion those -two boys would get into their heads next, finally decided that since -Tom had made up his mind to live in the woods during the winter, Bob -might stay and keep him company.</p> - -<p>"He desired me to tell you that he shall expect to hear a good account -of you, both as student and game-warden," said Uncle Hallet, shaking -his finger at Bob. "If you don't keep up with your class, or if you -neglect your business and allow some pot-hunter to kill off all my -English birds, so that there won't be any left for your father to shoot -when I invite him up here, he will be sorry that he didn't keep you -in school. What's the matter with you two anyway?" suddenly demanded -Uncle Hallet, who had a faint suspicion that the boys were not as -highly elated as they ought to have been. "This morning you were fairly -carried away with this new idea of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[Pg 144]</a></span> yours, and now you don't seem to -say anything. Have you thought better of it already?"</p> - -<p>The boys hastened to assure Uncle Hallet that they had not—that they -were just as eager to assume the duties of game-wardens as they had -ever been, and that that was the last night they expected to pass under -his roof for eight long months.</p> - -<p>It was all true, too; but each of them made a mental reservation. If -the man in the gulf was a fugitive from justice, as Bob thought he was, -he might prove to be a very unpleasant fellow to have around, and until -he had been "neutralized," as Tom expressed it, they could not hope to -enjoy themselves.</p> - -<p>They did not want to enter upon their duties feeling that there was a -portion of Mr. Hallet's preserves from which they were shut off by the -presence of one who had no business there.</p> - -<p>"He suspects something," whispered Tom, as he and his friend arose from -the supper-table and made their way to their rooms. "Now I'll just tell -you what's a fact. I am<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[Pg 145]</a></span> going wherever I please in my uncle's woods, -and any one who tries to turn me back will get himself into trouble."</p> - -<p>"I am with you," was Bob's reply. "If that howling dervish has settled -down there for the winter, how shall we get rid of him?"</p> - -<p>Tom couldn't answer that question, so he said that perhaps they had -better sleep on it, and that was what they decided to do.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[Pg 146]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER XIII.</span> <span class="smaller">DAN IS SCARED.</span></h2> - -<p>When Mr. Warren's newly-appointed game-warden turned away from Dan and -went on down the road to meet his mother, he left behind him one of the -maddest boys that had ever been seen in that part of the country.</p> - -<p>In spite of all he had said to the contrary, Dan had no intention of -asking Mr. Hallet to employ him to watch his birds and keep trespassers -out of his wood-lot, for he knew very well that if he proffered such a -request he would be met by a prompt and emphatic refusal.</p> - -<p>Mr. Hallet was too well acquainted with his poaching propensities to -give his imported game into his keeping, and Dan was painfully aware of -the fact.</p> - -<p>What he wanted more than anything else<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[Pg 147]</a></span> was that his brother should -accept him as a partner, so that he could handle half the earnings, -while Joe did all the work and shouldered all the responsibility; that -was the plain English of it. But Joe was resolved to paddle his own -canoe, and more than that, he had threatened to call upon a powerful -friend to make Dan behave himself, if he didn't see fit to do it of his -own free will.</p> - -<p>"I've got be mighty sly about what I do," thought Dan, resting his -elbows on his knees and looking down at the ground, after kicking Bony -out of his way. "Don't it beat you when you think of the luck that -comes to some fellers, while others, who are just as good as they be, -and who work just as hard, can't make things go right no way they can -fix it? I tell you it bangs me. I ought to have help to drive that Joe -of our'n out of them woods, for, to tell you what's the gospel truth, I -don't quite like the idee of facing him alone. I can't fight agin him -and pap, with old man Warren throwed in."</p> - -<p>While Dan was talking to himself in this way, he stretched his leg out -before him and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[Pg 148]</a></span> drew from his pocket the letter he had found in front -of the door of the wood-shed. He little dreamed what an astounding -revelation it contained. He had not the slightest idea where it came -from, and neither could he have told why he picked it up.</p> - -<p>He proceeded to examine it now, simply because he had nothing else to -occupy his mind, except his many and bitter disappointments, and he had -already expressed himself very feelingly in regard to them.</p> - -<p>With great deliberation Dan spread the letter upon his knee, and, with -a caution which had become habitual to him, looked up and down the road -to make sure that there was no one in sight. Then he addressed himself -to the task of reading the "notis" that was scrawled upon the envelope; -but no sooner had he, with infinite difficulty, spelled out all the -words in it, than the letter fell from his nerveless fingers, and Dan -jumped to his feet and whooped and yelled like a wild Indian.</p> - -<p>"Now don't it bang you what mean luck some fellers do have? Here's a—"</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[Pg 149]</a></span></p> - -<p>Dan checked himself very suddenly when he became aware that he was -shouting out these words with all the power of his lungs. Filled with -apprehension he looked up and down the road again, but as there was no -one in sight, he resumed his seat and went on with his soliloquy; but -this time he spoke in a much lower tone of voice.</p> - -<p>"There's a fortune up there in the mounting, as much as two or three -hundred dollars mebbe, but I dassent go after it on account of the hant -that's up there," said Dan, to himself. "I've heared 'em say that them -hants cuts up powerful bad when anybody comes fooling around where they -be, and it ain't no use to think of driving them away, 'cause bullets -will go through 'em as slick as you please and never hurt 'em at all. -How come this dockyment in front of the wood-shed, do you reckon?"</p> - -<p>Dan was greatly confused and excited, and it was a long time before he -could control himself sufficiently to pick up the envelope, take out -the inclosure and read it through to the end—or, to be more exact, -nearly to the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[Pg 150]</a></span> end; for, as we shall presently see, Dan never had a -chance to read the whole of it. He kept up a running fire of comments -as he went along, and to have heard him, one would suppose that he had -long been looking for something of this sort.</p> - -<p>That was hardly to be wondered at, for he had often heard his father -indulge in the most extravagant speculations concerning the future, -and Dan certainly had as good a right to waste his time in that way as -Silas had.</p> - -<p>But when he came to read about the "hant" which bothered the writer so -persistently that he was obliged to jump into the lake in order to get -rid of him, Dan could stand it no longer. He got upon his feet, at the -same time returning the letter to the envelope and making a blind shove -with it at his pocket, and drew a bee-line for home.</p> - -<p>He was so badly frightened that he could not run, and he was afraid -to look behind him. He glided over the ground with long, noiseless -footsteps, his lank body bent nearly half double, and his wild-looking -eyes roving<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[Pg 151]</a></span> from thicket to thicket on each side of the road in front -of him.</p> - -<p>Presently the climax came. A squirrel, detecting his approach, sought -to escape observation by jumping from one tree to another, and he made -a great commotion among the light branches as he did so. The noise was -too much for Dan's overtaxed nerves.</p> - -<p>"It's the hant, as sure as I'm a foot high," said he, in a frightened -whisper. "He can't pester t'other feller any more, 'cause he's gone and -drownded himself in the lake; but he's going to foller whoever has got -the letter telling where the fortune is, and that's me. I wonder could -I out-run him?"</p> - -<p>Dan thought this a good idea, and he lost not a moment in acting upon -it. He was noted far and near for his lightness of foot, but no one -in the Summerdale hills had ever seen him run as he ran that day. -He hardly seemed to touch the ground; and the farther he went the -faster he went, because his increasing fear lent him wings. He was so -hopelessly stampeded that if the road had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[Pg 152]</a></span> been crowded with teams or -people he would not have seen one of them. He did not slacken his pace -until he reached the wood-shed, and then he came to an abrupt halt -and looked behind him. There was no one in the road over which he had -passed in his headlong flight, and the woods were silent.</p> - -<p>"Well, I done it, didn't I?" exclaimed Dan, drawing a long breath of -relief, and thrusting his hand into the pocket in which he thought he -had put the letter. "It ain't no use for anything that gets around on -two legs to think of follering me when I turn on the steam. Now, then, -where's that there—"</p> - -<p>"That there what? And who's been a-follering of you?" demanded a -familiar voice, almost at his elbow.</p> - -<p>Dan was frightened again. He looked up, and there stood his father, who -had been keeping up a persistent but of course fruitless search for the -letter ever since Dan went away.</p> - -<p>One glance at his angry face was a revelation to the boy. He knew now -that Silas had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[Pg 153]</a></span> lost the letter where he found it. Dan would have been -glad to take it out and hand it over to him—he didn't want anything -more to do with it after the experience he had already had with the -"hant"—but he found, to his unbounded amazement and alarm, that he -could not do it. He had dropped the letter somewhere along the road.</p> - -<p>"Who's been a-follering of you? and what have you lost?" repeated -Silas, who began to have a faint idea that he understood the situation.</p> - -<p>"There was a hant follering of me," replied Dan, as soon as he could -speak. "He was coming for me, 'cause I could hear him slamming through -the bushes; but I can run faster'n him, else I wouldn't be here now."</p> - -<p>"You can't bamboozle your pap with no tale about a hant, for I don't -believe in such things," declared Silas, but his face told a different -story. He looked fully as wild as Dan did, and he was almost as badly -frightened. "Why don't you come to the p'int, and tell me that you have -lost the letter that was left in my wood-pile last winter, and which I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[Pg 154]</a></span> -never seen till this morning? If you will tell me the truth about it, -I will tell you something that will make your eyes stick out as big as -your fist."</p> - -<p>"And won't you larrup me for losing of it?" asked Dan, who saw very -plainly that it was useless for him to deny that he had once had the -letter in his possession.</p> - -<p>"No, I won't do nothing to you; honor bright. Did you read what was -into it?"</p> - -<p>"Not all of it. I didn't have time, on account of that hant, who -rattled the bushes behind me. When I heared that, I just shoved the -letter into my pocket and skipped out," replied Dan, who could not for -the life of him tell a thing just as it happened. "But it bangs me -where that letter is now, 'cause I ain't got it."</p> - -<p>Dan expected that his father would go into an awful rage when he heard -this, and held himself in readiness to take to his heels at the very -first sign of a hostile demonstration; consequently he was very much -surprised to hear Silas say, without the least show of anger: </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[Pg 155]</a></span></p> - -<p>"It don't much matter, 'cause I had a chance to read all that was -into the letter, and take a good look at the map that come with it. I -know right where to look for that robbers' cave, but I shan't go down -that there rope, I bet you, for I don't want to dump myself into the -presence of that hant before I have a look at him. We'll go in at the -mouth of the gulf, and work our way up till we come to the hiding-place -of the money."</p> - -<p>"We?" echoed Dan.</p> - -<p>"Yes, me and you."</p> - -<p>"Not much we won't," declared Dan, throwing all the emphasis he could -into his words.</p> - -<p>"What for?" demanded Silas.</p> - -<p>"'Cause why. It's enough for me, to hear hants a chasing of me. I ain't -got no call to go where they be, so't I can see 'em. I wouldn't go up -to that there cave if I knowed there was a thousand dollars into it."</p> - -<p>"A thousand dollars!" repeated Silas. "Didn't you read in the letter -about the grip-sack with a false bottom to it?"</p> - -<p>"I don't reckon I did," answered Dan, after<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[Pg 156]</a></span> thinking a moment. "The -hant scared me away before I got that far."</p> - -<p>"Well, there's a grip-sack there," continued Silas, "and there's twelve -thousand dollars in bills and three hundred dollars in gold into it. I -was calkerlating all along that me and you would go snucks on it. Now, -will you hand over that letter, so't I can take another look at the map -and make sure that I know where the cave is?"</p> - -<p>"Twelve thousand dollars in bills and three hundred more dollars in -gold!" gasped Dan, who could hardly believe his ears. "Pap, I would -give you the letter in a minute, but it's the gospel truth that I ain't -got it."</p> - -<p>And to prove his words, Dan turned all his pockets inside out, to show -that they were empty.</p> - -<p>"Then I reckon we'll have to go back along the road and look for it," -said Silas, desperately. "That's a power of money, more'n I ever -thought to have in my family, and sposen somebody should come along and -find that there letter, and go up to the cave and steal it away from -us? Just think of that, Dannie!" </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[Pg 157]</a></span></p> - -<p>Dan did think of it, and it was the only thing that kept him from -beating a hasty retreat when his father spoke of going back to look for -the letter.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[Pg 158]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER XIV.</span> <span class="smaller">THE "HANT."</span></h2> - -<p>"Now, let me tell you what's a fact," said Dan, after he had taken a -few minutes in which to consider his father's proposition. "I don't -reckon it will be any use for us to go back and try to find that there -letter. I'll bet anything that the hant has found it and carried it -miles away before this time."</p> - -<p>"Dannie, what's the use of talking that way?" exclaimed Silas, -impatiently, "Don't you know that hants can't tote nothing away, 'cause -they're sperits? All they can do is to jump up in front of a feller and -frighten him; but they can't do no harm to you. We'll take our guns -along, and if he's fool enough to show himself we'll pepper him good -fashion."</p> - -<p>"And never hurt him at all," said Dan. "He'll be just as sassy with his -hide full of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[Pg 159]</a></span> bird-shot as he was before. Now, pap, you wait and see if -I ain't right."</p> - -<p>Silas did not pay much attention to these words of warning, but -they were afterward recalled to his mind in a manner that was most -unexpected and startling. What he was thinking of just now was the -letter. He was very anxious to find it, for he was afraid that it might -fall into the hands of some one who would use it to his injury. When -he turned about and led the way into the cabin, Dan followed him with -reluctant steps.</p> - -<p>"You needn't be no ways skeery about going up the road in broad -daylight," said Silas, encouragingly. "It ain't likely that that there -hant will go away from the cave and roam around the country, scaring -folks, for the fun of the thing. He ain't out there in the woods, and -you never heard him."</p> - -<p>"I did, for a fact," protested Dan.</p> - -<p>"I don't believe it, all the same," answered Silas, as he took down his -heavy double-barrel and measured the loads in it with the ramrod. "He's -come back to the cave to watch them five hundred pounds of money, and -see<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[Pg 160]</a></span> that nobody don't carry 'em away; and he'll never leave there."</p> - -<p>"Then how are we going to get that fortune?" inquired Dan.</p> - -<p>"We'll just walk right in and take it without saying a word to him," -said Silas boldly. "I've heard my father tell that them hants can't -harm you if you ain't afraid of 'em."</p> - -<p>"Well, I'll tell you one thing, and that ain't two," said Dan, as he -shouldered his gun and followed his father from the cabin. "I ain't a -going to run no risk. I'll help you find the cave, but I won't go into -it, I bet you. I don't want to hear something screeching at me through -the dark, and see great eyes of fire—"</p> - -<p>"Don't Dannie!" exclaimed Silas, shivering all over, as if some one had -drawn an icicle along his back.</p> - -<p>"Well, that's the way them hants do, ain't it?" asked the boy. "I'd as -soon be knocked in the head with a club as to have something scare me -to death. Come on, if you're coming. I ain't going ahead, and that's -all there is about it."</p> - -<p>The two brave fellows were by this time<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[Pg 161]</a></span> fairly in the road, and Silas -was prudently slackening his pace, to allow Dan to get in advance of -him.</p> - -<p>The latter's description of the greeting that would be extended to them -by the guardian spectre, when they went into the cave after the money -that was supposed to be concealed there, had taken all his courage away -from him, and, if there was any danger ahead, Silas did not want to be -the first to meet it.</p> - -<p>Dan, who was quick to notice this, also slackened his own pace, and the -two walked slower and slower, until they came to a dead stop.</p> - -<p>"I see what you're up to, old man," said Dan, shaking his clenched hand -at his sire, "and you might as well know, first as last, that you can't -play no such trick onto me. I'll stick close to you, and face the music -as long as you do; but you shan't shove me in front of you not one -inch."</p> - -<p>It was no use for Silas to protest that he had no intention of doing -anything of the kind, for the case was too clear against him; so he -pushed ahead again, and Dan, true to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[Pg 162]</a></span> his promise, kept close at his -side. They walked on for a quarter of a mile or more, holding their -guns in readiness for instant use, and never saying a word to each -other, and at last the deep silence that brooded over the surrounding -woods became too much for the ferryman's nerves. He broke it by saying, -in a suppressed whisper:</p> - -<p>"You read far enough in that letter to know that there's five hundred -pounds of money into that there cave, didn't you? That's as much as me -and you both can pack away on our backs in one trip, and it beats me -how that feller could have toted it so far. Now where be we going to -hide it? That's what's been a bothering of me. Can't you think up some -good—Laws a massy! what's the matter of you?" exclaimed Silas; for Dan -suddenly seized his father's arm with a grip that made him wonder.</p> - -<p>They were just going around the first turn in the road. Instead of -replying to his father's question in words, Dan raised his hand and -pointed silently toward the bushes a short distance away. </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[Pg 163]</a></span></p> - -<p>Silas looked, and was just in time to catch a glimpse of something -which got out of the range of his vision so quickly that he could not -tell what it was. He turned to Dan for an explanation.</p> - -<p>"It's the hant," whispered the latter. "I know it is, for didn't he go -into them evergreens without making the least stir among the branches?"</p> - -<p>Silas couldn't say whether he did or not, and neither did he stop to -argue the matter. Forgetting that he had brought his double-barrel -with him on purpose to "pepper" the ghost, in case he saw fit to make -himself visible, Silas faced about and took to his heels; but before -he had taken half a dozen steps, Dan flew past him as if he had been -standing still.</p> - -<p>His father made a desperate effort to catch him as he went by, but Dan -sprang out of his reach and bounded onward with increased speed, never -stopping to take breath or to look behind him, until he found himself -safe in the cabin. When his father stepped across the threshold, a few -minutes later, Dan made all haste to close and lock the door. </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[Pg 164]</a></span></p> - -<p>"You're a purty son, you be, to run off and leave your poor old pap to -face the danger alone," said the ferryman, sinking into the nearest -chair and fairly gasping for breath. "I won't give you none of my -fortune when I get it, just to pay you for that mean piece of business."</p> - -<p>"I don't care," answered Dan, doggedly. "You run first, and I wasn't -going to stay behind with that thing there in the bushes. I reckon -you're willing to believe now that he was a chasing of me a while ago, -ain't you? I tell you, pap, he follers the letter, and he'll never -leave off pestering the man that's got it. I'm glad it's lost."</p> - -<p>"So be I," said Silas, who had not thought of this before. "He bothered -his pardner, who was the only one who knew that there was a fortune -in the cave, and his pardner had to jump into the lake to get shet of -him. It stands to reason, then, that he'll show himself to every one -who finds out about that money. I 'most wish that that letter hadn't -been put in my wood-pile, 'cause I can't rest easy while that hant is -loafing about here." </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[Pg 165]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Now I'll tell you this for a fact," added Dan. "You'd best let the -whole thing drop right where it is. The hant will be sure to foller -the money wherever it goes, and as often as you step out to your -hiding-place to get a dollar or two, you will find him there waiting -for you."</p> - -<p>"Dannie," said Silas, slowly, "I'll bet you have hit centre the first -time trying. But it 'pears to me that if he wanted to keep the secret -of that cave hid from everybody, he ought by rights to have scared me -away when he saw me taking the letter out of my wood-pile."</p> - -<p>"You can't never get the money, and that's all there is about it," said -Dan, confidently.</p> - -<p>"Yes, we can!" exclaimed Silas, jumping up to put his gun back in its -place. "I've just thought of something, and I want you to tell me if -you don't think it about the cutest trick that was ever played on a -hant or anything else. He'll stay around where that letter is till some -one finds it, won't he?"</p> - -<p>Dan thought it very likely. </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[Pg 166]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Then he'll go with the feller, to keep track of the letter, won't he?"</p> - -<p>Dan was sure he would.</p> - -<p>"And if it ain't found right away, he'll hang around so's to keep an -eye on it and see where it goes to. Don't you think he will?"</p> - -<p>Dan replied that he did.</p> - -<p>"Well, now, that's what I am going to work on," continued Silas, -gleefully. "The hant is out of the cave now—we're sure of that, for we -both seen him when he went into them bushes—and we must work things -so's to keep him out."</p> - -<p>"You keep saying 'we' all the time," interrupted Dan, "and I tell you, -once for all, that I ain't going to have nothing to do with it. You can -have all the money, for I won't go nigh the cave."</p> - -<p>"I don't ask you to," Silas hastened to assure him. "That's the trick I -was telling you about. All I want you to do is to walk up and down the -road to-morrow—it's getting too late to do anything to-day—and make -the hant believe that you're looking for the letter you lost." </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[Pg 167]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Well, I won't do it," said Dan, promptly.</p> - -<p>"That'll keep him away from the cave," continued the ferryman, paying -no attention to the interruption, "and while he is watching you, I'll -slip up and gobble that fortune without asking any other help from you. -And I'll give you half, the minute I get my hands on to it—the very -minute."</p> - -<p>"Well, I won't do it," said Dan, again. "Why don't you stay and watch -the hant, and let me go after the money?"</p> - -<p>This proposition almost took the ferryman's breath away. He wouldn't -have agreed to it if the robber's treasure had been twice twelve -thousand dollars.</p> - -<p>"Why, you don't know where the cave is," he managed to articulate.</p> - -<p>"No more do you," retorted Dan.</p> - -<p>"Yes, I do, 'cause I looked at the map. I can go right to it on the -darkest of nights."</p> - -<p>"Here comes mam and that Joe of our'n, and so you'd best hush up," said -Dan, in a hurried whisper. "I ain't a going to play 'Hi-spy' all alone -with that there hant, and that's all there is about it. But I do hate -to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[Pg 168]</a></span> give up my good clothes, and breech-loader and j'inted fish-pole," -he added, after thinking a moment, "and mebbe I'll go with you up to -the cave to-morrow, and make him keep his distance while you go in and -bring out the money. Who knows but what the smell of powder and the -whistle of shot about his ears will scare him so't he will go away and -never come back?"</p> - -<p>Silas caught the idea at once, and felt greatly encouraged by it; but -before he could say anything the door, which Dan had unlocked while he -was talking, was thrown open, and Mrs. Morgan and Joe came in.</p> - -<p>The latter looked cheerful and happy, but it was plain that his mother -was worried and anxious. She knew that there would be trouble in that -house in just one month from that day.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[Pg 169]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER XV.</span> <span class="smaller">JOE'S NEW HOME.</span></h2> - -<p>The ferryman and his family always arose at an early hour, and it was -probably more from force of habit than for any other reason, for Joe -and his mother were the only ones who did any work. The former kindled -the fire and laid the table, while Dan and his father loafed around and -watched them.</p> - -<p>But on the morning following the events we have recorded in the last -chapter, these two worthies had something to talk about, so they went -out and sat under a tree on the bank of the river, and far enough away -from the cabin to escape all danger of being overheard.</p> - -<p>Joe and his mother, however, did not bother their heads about them, for -they had their own affairs to talk over.</p> - -<p>Joe was to enter upon his duties as game-warden <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[Pg 170]</a></span>that very day. Of -course he was impatient to see his new home, and to get his hands upon -some of those books that Mr. Warren had promised to lend him; but, -above all, he was anxious to earn something for his mother. She needed -a good long rest, and Joe was rejoiced to know that he would soon be in -a position to give it to her.</p> - -<p>A night's refreshing sleep had an astonishing effect upon Dan and his -father. They did not talk or act much like the frightened man and boy -we saw running along the road a few hours before. They were as brave -as lions. Twelve thousand dollars in bills and three hundred dollars -in gold were well worth working for, and they repeatedly assured each -other that they were willing to face any danger in order to obtain them -for their own.</p> - -<p>But there was one thing that Dan held to in spite of all the appeals -and arguments that his father could bring to bear upon him, and -that was, that the hant must be met and overcome, or outwitted, as -circumstances might seem to require, by their united forces. He wasn't -going philandering away in one <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[Pg 171]</a></span>direction, while his father went on -a wild-goose chase in another, because that wasn't the way to fight -ghosts.</p> - -<p>"Then we'll stick together," said Silas, at length. "We'll hang around -the house till that Joe of our'n goes away, and then we'll fire off our -guns and load 'em up with heavier charges of shot, so't we'll be ready -for anything that comes along."</p> - -<p>"I did want powerful bad to live up there in the woods this winter with -that Joe," said Dan, with something like a sigh of regret. "What he's -going to get he's sure of, but we ain't. I am going into this thing -to win, I tell you," he added, sticking out his lips and calling a -very reckless and determined look to his face. "I ain't a-going to let -no little brother of mine beat me. When I get started for that there -money, I'm going to have it before I turn back."</p> - -<p>"That's the way to talk," said Silas, approvingly.</p> - -<p>"Joe's going to give all he earns to mam, but I ain't," continued -Dan. "I am going to spend all my six thousand dollars for myself.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[Pg 172]</a></span> -I'm going to have good clothes, and a breech-loading bird gun, and a -j'inted fishing-pole, and by this time next summer I'll be so much of -a gentleman that the folks who come here to hunt and fish will be glad -to hire me for a guide, 'cause they won't know that I am Dan Morgan at -all. They'll take me for somebody else."</p> - -<p>"Course they will!" exclaimed Silas, bringing his heavy hand down upon -Dan's shoulder with such force that the boy shook all over. "Just bear -that in mind, son, when we find the cave. I'm 'most certain that the -hant won't show himself to us, for he'll be down the road somewhere, -looking for the letter you lost yesterday; but if he does come out, you -just say, 'six thousand dollars' to yourself, and walk right into him -with the bird-shot that's in your gun."</p> - -<p>"And what'll you be doing?" queried Dan.</p> - -<p>"Oh, I'll be there, and I'll shoot, too," replied Silas; and a stranger -would have thought that he was a man who never got frightened at -anything. </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[Pg 173]</a></span></p> - -<p>Just then Joe came to the door of the cabin and shouted, "Breakfast!" -and that put a stop to the conversation. There was little said while -they were seated at the table, for they were all busy with their own -thoughts. Silas and Dan wished from the bottom of their hearts that the -day was over, and that the robbers' treasure was safely stowed away in -a hiding-place of their own selection. Wouldn't they make good use of -some of it before many hours had passed away?</p> - -<p>"That Joe of our'n feels mighty peart this morning," thought Dan, -glancing at his brother's radiant face. "He thinks he's smart because -he is going to earn a hundred and twenty dollars; but what would he -think of himself if he knew that I am going to have six thousand -dollars before night comes? Now I'll tell you what's a fact," added -Dan, who was firmly resolved that he would not come home empty-handed. -"When we get that money I'll make pap count out my share at once, and -then I'll take care to see that he don't know where I hide it. He'll -bear a heap of watching, pap will." </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[Pg 174]</a></span></p> - -<p>"I wonder what has come over Dan all on a sudden?" said Joe, to -himself. "I don't know when I have seen him look so pleasant before. -He's got an idea of some kind in his head, and if I am not constantly -on my guard I shall hear from him to my sorrow I wonder if there's -another boy in the world who has a brother as mean as Dan is?"</p> - -<p>The latter, who was impatient to begin the serious business of the day -and get through with it, and have it off his mind, did not eat a very -hearty breakfast. He simply took the sharp edge off his appetite, and -then pushed back his chair and arose from the table.</p> - -<p>Silas groaned inwardly, for now the ordeal was coming. He would have -been glad to put it off a little longer, but he knew that if he did -he would be accused of cowardice. Everything depended upon keeping up -Dan's courage. If the boy saw the least sign of faltering, the whole -matter, so far as he was concerned in it, would end then and there. He -would refuse to take a step toward the cave, and no amount of money -would have tempted Silas to go there alone. So he got upon his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[Pg 175]</a></span> feet, -took down his gun and game-bag, and followed Dan out of the cabin.</p> - -<p>Joe looked through the window without leaving his chair, and saw that -they were striking a straight course for Mr. Warren's wood-lot.</p> - -<p>"Now just watch them," said he, bitterly. "They're going to begin the -slaughter of those English birds before I have time to get up there and -order them away. I don't see why they can't lend me a helping hand, -instead of trying by every means in their power to get me into trouble. -But I told Dan yesterday, that if I caught him in Mr. Warren's woods -I would report him, and he will find that I meant every word of it. I -shall not try to shield them any more than I would if they were utter -strangers to me. Good-by, mother; I must be off; I am sorry to see you -look so downhearted and sorrowful when you ought to be smiling and -happy, but I will do everything I can to bring about a different state -of affairs. You'll get the money I earn, in spite of all that father -and Dan can do to prevent it; you may depend upon that." </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[Pg 176]</a></span></p> - -<p>"It isn't the money I care for, Joe," said Mrs. Morgan between her sobs.</p> - -<p>"I know it," replied Joe, hastily. "You want father and Dan to behave -themselves, and let me alone. So do I; and if they won't do it, I'll -make them."</p> - -<p>Joe caught up the small bundle of clothing that had been made -ready for him while he was setting the table, shouldered his long, -single-barreled gun, kissed his mother good-by, and hurried away.</p> - -<p>He did not follow directly after his father and Dan, but took a short -cut through the woods, and, at the end of an hour, had his first -look at the snug little cabin that was to be his home during the -winter—that is, if his brother or some other desperate poacher did not -get mad at him and burn it down.</p> - -<p>Mr. Warren's double team stood in front of the open door, and that -gentleman and one of his hired men were busy transferring baskets and -armfuls of things from the wagon to the interior of the cabin.</p> - -<p>"Well, Joe, you're on hand bright and early," was the way in which Mr. -Warren<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[Pg 177]</a></span> greeted his young game-warden, "and you are in light marching -order, too," he added, glancing at the boy's bundle, and wondering at -the size of it. "Mr. Hallet had to take one of his teams to move Tom -and Bob up to their house."</p> - -<p>"Tom and Bob?" repeated Joe.</p> - -<p>"Yes. Oh, you didn't know that Hallet had hired them for wardens, did -you? Well, he has; so you will have good neighbors, almost within reach -of you."</p> - -<p>"Why, what in the world possessed them—"</p> - -<p>"What possesses them to do a thousand and one things that nobody else -would ever think of," exclaimed, Mr. Warren, who knew what Joe was -going to say. "It looks to me like a foolish notion, and I'll venture -to say, that they will be glad enough to go home and stay there, after -they have stood one snow-storm up here in the mountains. They came well -prepared, though. They had two trunks, and they were full to the top. -But I like your way the best. When you go into the woods, go light, -even if you know that you<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[Pg 178]</a></span> are going to spend the most of your time in -a permanent camp. Come in, and see if we have forgotten anything."</p> - -<p>Joe followed Mr. Warren into the cabin, and listened attentively while -he described the contents of the different bundles and baskets that -were scattered about the floor.</p> - -<p>"Your carpet is in there—it was made to fit, so you will not have any -trouble with it—and in one of those baskets you will find a hammer and -tacks to put it down with. I have brought a few books and papers, which -will keep you busy until you can come down and make a selection from my -library to suit yourself. This is your cot, and I guess the bedding is -in there. That's a side of bacon, and here are your dishes and a supply -of provisions. When you get out, come down to my house and ask for -more."</p> - -<p>As Mr. Warren spoke, he opened the door of a small safe that stood in -one corner near the fire-place, and showed Joe an array of well-filled -shelves. Among other things, there were a number of paper-bags, which -gave <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[Pg 179]</a></span>promise of better meals than the boy was accustomed to sit down -to at home.</p> - -<p>"That door leads into your wood-shed, which I would advise you to fill -up with the least possible delay," continued Mr. Warren, "and there's -the axe to do it with. Hallet has given his nephew and that chum of his -permission to shoot all the grouse and squirrels they can eat, and I -will extend the same privilege to you; but you mustn't make a mistake -and knock over one of my English partridges for your dinner. Of course, -you know enough to shoot wolves, foxes, minks, and such varmints, -without being told, and if you see a half-starved hound in these woods, -hunting deer on his own hook, put a bullet into him without a moment's -delay."</p> - -<p>"You mean a charge of buck-shot," said Joe.</p> - -<p>"No, I mean a bullet; and there's the rifle, right there," replied the -gentleman, pointing to a Marlin repeater, which stood in the corner -opposite the safe.</p> - -<p>Mr. Warren continued to talk in this way, while the hired man was -unloading the wagon,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[Pg 180]</a></span> and when the last bundle had been carried into -the cabin, he bade his game-warden good-by, and drove off leaving him -to his reflections.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[Pg 181]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER XVI.</span> <span class="smaller">JOE'S "FIRST OFFICIAL ACT."</span></h2> - -<p>Joe Morgan stood in front of the cabin, watching his employer as long -as he remained in sight, and then he went in and picked up the rifle.</p> - -<p>"My first official act is going to be one that I would rather leave for -some one else to perform," said he, to himself. "I must hunt up father -and Dan, and tell them to make themselves scarce about here. I could be -as happy and contented as I want to be during the next eight months, -if they would only let me alone. With a business I like, to keep me -occupied while daylight lasts, plenty of books and papers to help me -pass the evening hours pleasantly, and a fair prospect of earning money -enough to make mother comfortable during the coming winter—what more -could<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[Pg 182]</a></span> a boy ask for? If father and Dan get into serious trouble by -trying to upset my arrangements, they must not blame me for it."</p> - -<p>While Joe communed with himself in this way, he filled the magazine -with cartridges, which he took from a box he found on the table, and -went out, locking the door behind him.</p> - -<p>But where should he go? That was the question. Mr. Warren's wood-lot -covered a good deal of ground, and the birds he was employed to protect -might be at the farthest end of it.</p> - -<p>If that was the case, Silas and Dan with the aid of the three dogs they -had brought with them, could easily find some of the flocks, and create -great havoc among them with their heavy guns, before Joe could put a -stop to their murderous work.</p> - -<p>"When snow comes I shall not have any of this trouble," soliloquized -the young game-warden. "I shall feed the birds near the cabin twice -each day, and that will get them in the habit of staying around so that -I can keep an eye on them; and I shall know in a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[Pg 183]</a></span> minute if there are -any pot-hunters about, for I can see their tracks."</p> - -<p>For an hour Joe worked hard and faithfully to find the two hunters, who -as he believed, had come up there to kill off Mr. Warren's imported -game, but he could neither see nor hear anything of them.</p> - -<p>Finally he told himself that he did not think his father and Dan had -come to those woods, because the birds he put up did not act as though -they had been frightened before. If they had been shot at, Joe would -have heard the report of the gun.</p> - -<p>"I'd give something to know what it was that took those two off in such -haste this morning," thought he. "They're up to some mischief or other, -or else the face that Dan brought to the table belied him. Well, it's -none of my business what they do, so long as they let my birds alone. -Hallo, here! I'm afraid that I am going to have more to do than I -thought for. Go back where you came from!"</p> - -<p>As Joe said this he bent over quickly, caught up a stick, raised it -threateningly in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[Pg 184]</a></span> the air, whereupon a brace of pointers, which had -just emerged from a thicket a short distance away, turned and beat a -hasty retreat, giving tongue vociferously as they went.</p> - -<p>A moment later, suppressed exclamations of surprise arose from a couple -of men who were following the dogs, and who forthwith set themselves to -work to find out what it was that had sent the pointers back to them in -such a hurry.</p> - -<p>Joe heard them making their way through the bushes in his direction, -but he did not say anything until he became aware that the invisible -hunters were stalking him with the same caution they would have -exhibited if he had been some dangerous beast of prey.</p> - -<p>Fearing that in their excitement one or the other of them might send a -charge of bird-shot at his head without taking the trouble to ascertain -who or what he was, Joe called out:</p> - -<p>"Go easy, there! There's nothing around here for you to shoot at."</p> - -<p>The reply that came to his ears was the heaviest kind of an oath, and -the man who uttered it came through the thicket with such<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[Pg 185]</a></span> energy that -one would have thought he meant to do something desperate as soon as he -reached the other side of it. When he came into view, Joe recognized -him as a guide who had more than once been arrested and fined for -hounding deer and shooting game during the close season.</p> - -<p>"What air you doing here, Joe Morgan?" he demanded, in savage tones. -"You thought to steal them p'inters, I reckon, didn't you? Get out o' -this, and be quick a doing of it, too!"</p> - -<p>"Get out yourself," answered the game-warden. "I've more right here -than you have, and I'm going to stay; but if you know when you are well -off, you will lose no time in putting yourself on the other side of Mr. -Warren's fence. This land is posted, and you are liable for trespass."</p> - -<p>The guide was both angry and astonished; but before he could make a -suitable rejoinder to what he regarded as Joe's insolence, the bushes -parted again, and the second hunter came out. He was the guide's -employer; Joe saw that at a glance. </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[Pg 186]</a></span></p> - -<p>"What's the trouble here?" were the first words he uttered.</p> - -<p>"It's a pretty state of affairs, I do think," answered the guide. -"Here's this Joe Morgan, who takes it upon himself to say that we -shan't stay in these woods."</p> - -<p>"Why not, I'd like to know?"</p> - -<p>Brierly—that was the guide's name—turned toward Joe, and intimated -that, if he could, he had better explain the situation.</p> - -<p>"I am Mr. Warren's game-warden," said the boy, taking the hint. "I have -been put here to watch his birds, and warn off all trespassers. This -land is posted, and you must know it. There's a notice on that tree -over there," he added, indicating the exact spot with his finger. "I -can see it from here; and when you saw it, you ought to have turned -back."</p> - -<p>"How is this, Brierly?" exclaimed the guide's employer. "I paid you -handsomely for a good day's shooting, and you assured me that you knew -right where I could get it, without interference from any one."</p> - -<p>"And you shall get it in these very woods,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[Pg 187]</a></span> Mr. Brown," was the -guide's reply. "You told me that you didn't care how much them English -birds cost, or how bad old man Warren wanted to keep 'em for his own -shooting, you would just as soon have them as any other game; and -seeing that there ain't no law to pertect 'em, what's to hender you -from getting 'em? Send out the p'inters and come on. This fool of a -boy ain't got no power to make an arrest, and I'll slap him over if he -gives us a word of sass."</p> - -<p>"I know that I have no authority to take you into custody, but I -can report you to one who has, and I'll do it before you are two -hours older, if you don't get out of these woods at once," said Joe, -resolutely.</p> - -<p>"You will, eh?" Brierly almost shouted. "Then why don't you report -<i>them</i> fellers?"</p> - -<p>When the guide began speaking, it was with the intention of abusing -Joe roundly for his interference with their day's sport, but just then -there came an unexpected interruption.</p> - -<p>It was a regular fusilade—four shots, which were fired as rapidly as -the men who handled the guns could draw the triggers. </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[Pg 188]</a></span></p> - -<p>Joe's heart sank within him. His father and Dan were slaughtering Mr. -Warren's blue-headed birds at an alarming rate in a distant part of the -wood-lot, and he was not there to stop them.</p> - -<p>The guide must have been able to read the thoughts that were in Joe's -mind, for he repeated, with a ring of triumph in his tones:</p> - -<p>"Why don't you report them fellers, and have them arrested?"</p> - -<p>"Four shots," said Mr. Brown, admiringly. "They got in their work -pretty lively, didn't they? I have heard that these English partridges -and quails are the nicest birds in the world to shoot, and I'd give -twenty dollars if we could get a chance to empty four barrels at them -in that fashion. I wonder if they are good shots, and how many birds -they got."</p> - -<p>When Mr. Brown said that he had given Brierly a handsome sum of money -to lead him to a place where he could have a good day's shooting among -Mr. Warren's imported game, he had given Joe a pretty good insight into -his character; but now, the boy was quite disgusted with him. </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[Pg 189]</a></span></p> - -<p>Could it be expected that ignorant fellows like Brierly would yield -willing obedience to the laws, when intelligent men deliberately -violated them because they wanted to brag over the size of the bags -they had made?</p> - -<p>"They are good shots, Mr. Brown," said Brierly, with a grin. "I could -tell the noise them guns make among a million, and I know the names of -the man and boy who were behind them when they were fired. They were -Silas and Dan Morgan—this chap's father and brother."</p> - -<p>"Well, he's a pretty specimen for a game-warden, I must say!" exclaimed -Mr. Brown. "No doubt he wants to keep all the fine shooting for his own -family. I don't believe a word he has said to us, and I think we can go -on with our sport without wasting any more time with him."</p> - -<p>"I don't care whether you believe me or not," answered Joe, the hot -blood mantling his face as he spoke. "If you shoot over these grounds, -you will find out before night that I have told you nothing but the -truth."</p> - -<p>"Look a-here, Joe," said Brierly, shaking<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[Pg 190]</a></span> his fist in the boy's face. -"It was your father and Dan who fired them guns a bit ago, wasn't it?"</p> - -<p>"I don't know—I have no proof of it, and neither have you."</p> - -<p>"You do know it," replied the guide. "I've got all the proof I want -that it was them, 'cause I know them guns of their'n when I hear 'em go -off. Now let me tell you what's a fact, Joe Morgan. If you say a word -to anybody about seeing me and Mr. Brown up here, I'll report Silas -and Dan for trespass and shooting out of season; and if I do, they'll -have to go to jail, and salt won't save 'em. There ain't nary one of -'em worth five cents a piece, and where be they going to get the money -to pay their fines? Answer me that. Now, will you hold your tongue, or -not?"</p> - -<p>"No, I won't," answered Joe, without the least hesitation. "If I can -find any evidence against them, I will report them myself as quick as I -will report you if you don't get off these grounds."</p> - -<p>"I hardly think you will," replied Mr. Brown, with something like a -sneer. </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[Pg 191]</a></span></p> - -<p>"It ain't no ways likely, for it don't stand to reason that he would be -willing to say the words that would put some of his own kin into the -lock-up," assented Brierly. "But I'll do the work for him as soon as we -go home, and what's more, I'll report him, too, for—for—"</p> - -<p>"Neglect of duty," prompted Mr. Brown.</p> - -<p>"Perzactly. Them's the words I was trying to think of. Then, old man -Warren, he'll say to him that he ain't got no use for such a trifling -game-warden as he is—that is, if he <i>is</i> one, which I don't believe. -Now, Joe, will you hold your jaw?"</p> - -<p>Joe replied very decidedly that he would not. He knew what his duty was -better than they could tell him, and Brierly might as well hold his own -jaw, and stop making threats, because he couldn't scare him into saying -anything else.</p> - -<p>"I don't want to get into any trouble with the officers, for it is -absolutely necessary that I should start for home bright and early -to-morrow morning," said Mr. Brown, who could not help admiring Joe's -courage, although he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[Pg 192]</a></span> would have been glad to see his guide thrash him -soundly for his obstinacy. "It is very provoking to have this boy show -up just in time to spoil all our fun. Let's go over to Hallet's woods, -and see if we can scare up another so-called game-warden."</p> - -<p>"Well, you can," said Joe, who wanted to laugh when he saw the look of -surprise that settled on the guide's face. "You'll scare up two over -there, and, Brierly, one of them is a chap that you will not care to -fool with. When you find him, it will be very easy for you to ascertain -whether or not I have told you the truth; that is, if you care enough -about it to ask him a few questions."</p> - -<p>"Who is he?" asked Brierly.</p> - -<p>"Tom Hallet," answered Joe; and, without waiting to listen to the -expressions of anger and disgust that came from the lips of the guide, -he shouldered his rifle and hurried off.</p> - -<p>"I wonder what they will conclude to do about it?" thought Joe, as he -threaded his way through the thick woods in the direction from which -the poachers' guns sounded. <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[Pg 193]</a></span>"Brierly agreed to give his employer a -good day's sport, and now that he can't keep his promise, will he hand -back the money that Mr. Brown paid him? I don't think he will."</p> - -<p>He didn't either, and Joe afterward learned how he got out of it.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[Pg 194]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER XVII.</span> <span class="smaller">WHO FIRED THE FOUR SHOTS?</span></h2> - -<p>It is hardly necessary to assure the reader that the young -game-warden's heart was not in the task he had set himself. He believed -that his father and Dan had come upon a bevy of Mr. Warren's imported -birds and fired both barrels of their guns into it; and, as they were -both good wing-shots, it was not probable that very many of the birds -had escaped unhurt. Joe's business was to intercept them if he could, -and to report them, regardless of consequences, if he found anything -except squirrels in their game-bags.</p> - -<p>"But I don't expect to find the least evidence against them," said Joe, -to himself, "and there's where they are going to take advantage of -me. What is to hinder them from doing as much shooting as they please -at one end of the wood-lot, while I am skirmishing<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[Pg 195]</a></span> around the other -end? They know well enough that the sound of their guns will draw my -attention, and as soon as they have killed the birds they'll gather -them up and dig out before I can stop them. It seems as though every -business has its drawbacks."</p> - -<p>And the longer Joe lived the firmer grew this opinion.</p> - -<p>Half an hour's rapid walking took the young game-warden past his -father's wood-pile, which now stood a good chance of staying where -it was until it mingled with the mold beneath it, and down a little -declivity to the brink of the gorge in which Tom Hallet had located the -robbers' cave. Although he made constant use of his eyes and ears, he -could not see or hear anything of the poachers, and neither were there -any suspicious sounds behind him to indicate that Mr. Brown and his -guide had kept on to Mr. Hallet's woods "to scare up another so-called -game-warden."</p> - -<p>"This is the way it is going to be all winter," said Joe, to himself. -"Anybody who feels like it can slip in here, shoot all the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[Pg 196]</a></span> birds he -wants and slip out again before I can get a sight at him. There's -Brierly, now; and that's his employer, looking out from behind that big -tree on the right. They have followed me to see what I would do if I -found father and Dan shooting Mr. Warren's birds."</p> - -<p>While Joe was walking along the brink of the gorge, wondering if it -would pay to scramble down one side of it and up the other, when he was -sure that he couldn't catch the poachers if he did, he suddenly became -aware that he was an object of interest to a couple of persons who were -so anxious to avoid discovery that they kept themselves concealed—all -except their heads, and them they concealed, too, when they saw that -Joe was looking in their direction.</p> - -<p>But Joe was wide of the mark when he declared that they were Mr. Brown -and his guide, who were watching his movements in the hope of finding -some grounds for complaint against him.</p> - -<p>The concealed parties were watching him, it is true, but for a -different purpose, and <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[Pg 197]</a></span>instead of seeing any reason for finding fault -with him, they told each other that Mr. Warren's game-warden was wide -awake, and that the fellow who shot any birds on those grounds would -have to be lively in getting away with them, or Joe would catch him -sure.</p> - -<p>When they saw the latter looking at them, they moved out from behind -their respective trees, and stood forth in full view. They were Tom -Hallet and his friend Bob Emerson.</p> - -<p>"Look here!" shouted Joe, who little dreamed what it was that brought -the two boys on his grounds, and so far from their own quarters. "These -woods are posted, and you can't get out of them too quick."</p> - -<p>"You don't say so!" replied Tom. "Come up here and talk to us. You've -had visitors already, haven't you? Who fired those four shots a while -ago, and what did they shoot at?"</p> - -<p>Joe slowly mounted to the top of the hill, and shook hands with Tom and -Bob, before he made any reply to these questions. Then he said:</p> - -<p>"I have had visits from two parties. One<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">[Pg 198]</a></span> of them I saw, and the other -I didn't see, and they were the fellows who did the shooting. They are -on the other side of the gulf, most likely, and when I saw you dodging -behind trees, I was trying to make up my mind whether or not I ought to -cross over and hunt them out."</p> - -<p>"What's the use of going to all that trouble?" exclaimed Tom. "I don't -believe they got any birds; but if they did, they made all haste to -pick them up and run with them. You say you saw the other party. Who -were they? Did they have any birds?"</p> - -<p>Joe answered the last question first.</p> - -<p>"I took particular pains to see that their game-bags were empty," said -he. "The guide was Brierly, and he called his employer Mr. Brown. He's -no sportsman, whoever he is; he's a butcher," added Joe, who then went -on to give the particulars of the interview, and to rejoice in the fact -that Mr. Brown was several dollars out of pocket, having been confiding -enough to pay Brierly in advance for the day's sport he thought he was -going to have among the imported game that had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">[Pg 199]</a></span> just been "turned down" -in Mr. Warren's woods and Hallet's.</p> - -<p>"Hallet's!" exclaimed Tom. "Did they have the impudence to go over -there after you left them."</p> - -<p>"Mr. Brown suggested it, but I didn't see them go anywhere," was Joe's -reply. "I warned them that they would find two game-wardens there -instead of one, adding that if they wanted to know whether I had told -the truth regarding myself they had better question you."</p> - -<p>"Let's go back and see what they are up to," suggested Bob. "I -say, Joe," he added suddenly, but not without a certain hesitation -and constraint of manner that was too plain to escape the young -game-warden's attention, "while you were walking along the gulf, you -didn't—er—you didn't see anything at all suspicious, did you?"</p> - -<p>"I didn't see anything but trees and bushes."</p> - -<p>"And you didn't hear anything either, I suppose?" continued Bob.</p> - -<p>"Not a sound. Why do you ask?" </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">[Pg 200]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Oh—er—the idea just occurred to me, that's all."</p> - -<p>"Do you think that the men who fired those guns are hiding in the -gulf?" exclaimed Joe. "Perhaps I had better go down there and see."</p> - -<p>This proposition called forth so emphatic a protest from both the boys, -that Joe did not know what to make of it. They declared with one voice -that such an idea had never occurred to them—that the poachers were -safe out of harm's way long ago, and, besides, it would be putting -himself to altogether too much trouble.</p> - -<p>He'd find it awful hard work to make his way through the thick bushes -and briars that covered the steep sides of that gorge, and long before -he reached the bottom, he would wish he had let the job out. They knew -all about it, for they had tried it.</p> - -<p>With this piece of advice the boys bade Joe good-by, and hastened away -in search of Brierly and his employer.</p> - -<p>"Do you think Joe suspects anything?" asked Tom, as soon as Mr. -Warren's game-warden <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[Pg 201]</a></span>had been left out of hearing. "I thought he -looked at us as if he had a vague idea that we had other reasons than -those we gave for telling him to keep out of the gulf."</p> - -<p>"That's my opinion," answered Bob; and his companion took note of the -fact that his voice trembled when he spoke. "I hold to my belief that -those guns were fired by Silas Morgan and some one he has taken into -his confidence. But of this I am certain: Silas went after that money -this morning, and shot at the man who ran us out of the gulf yesterday."</p> - -<p>"You still think it was a man, and not a wild beast that yelled at us?" -said Tom.</p> - -<p>"I know it as well as if I had been at his side when he did it," -replied Bob, positively. "And, Tom, if Silas and his friend have shot -somebody— Great Scott! If I ever take a hand in any more jokes of that -sort, I hope I shall be shot myself."</p> - -<p>"Seems to me, that Tom and Bob don't take any too much interest in -their business," thought the young game-warden, as he started down -the mountain toward his cabin. "The<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">[Pg 202]</a></span> gorge runs through Mr. Hallet's -wood-lot, and if those boys are going to confine their scouting to -the covers on the lower side of it, I don't see how they are going to -protect the birds. Well, it shan't stop me. As soon as I get around to -it, I am going to cut a path down one side and up the other, and after -that I shall cross over every day to take a look at things."</p> - -<p>Joe was hungry when he reached his cabin, and then he found that there -was one thing that had been forgotten—a clock.</p> - -<p>He had already laid out a regular routine of work—setting aside -certain things that were to be done at certain hours of the day or -evening; but how was he going to follow it without the aid of a -timepiece?</p> - -<p>A few minutes reflection showed him a way out of his quandary. Among -the other relics of better days that were to be found in his father's -cabin was an old-fashioned bull's-eye watch which had not seen the -light of day for many a long year.</p> - -<p>Joe wasn't sure that it would run, but it wouldn't cost him anything -more than a two-hours' <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[Pg 203]</a></span>walk to find out, and he decided that he would -go down and ask his mother for it as soon as he had eaten his dinner.</p> - -<p>"I can't set my house to rights to-day anyhow," thought he, "because I -have wasted too much time in looking for father and Dan; but I'll have -it all in order to-morrow, unless some other law-breakers call me up -the mountain, and the day after that, I'll begin on my routine, and -stick to it as long as I am here."</p> - -<p>If you had been there, reader, to take a look around Joe's cabin, -you would have told yourself that there was another and still more -important thing that had been forgotten—a cooking-stove.</p> - -<p>But Joe didn't miss it, for never in his life had he seen a meal -prepared over a stove. He would not have known how to use one if he -had had it; but give him a bed of coals in a fire-place, or on the -mountain-side, and he could get up as good a dinner as any hungry boy -would care to have set before him.</p> - -<p>He had everything in the way of pots, pans and kettles that he could -possibly find use for, but on this particular day he did not<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[Pg 204]</a></span> call many -of them into service—nothing, in fact, but the pot in which he made -his tea, and the frying-pan in which he cooked two generous slices of -bacon.</p> - -<p>He found potatoes in one of the baskets and a huge loaf of bread in -another, and with the aid of these he made a very good dinner.</p> - -<p>Then he shouldered his rifle (knowing the thieving propensities of the -majority of the poachers who infested the mountains, he could not think -of leaving so valuable a piece of property behind him), locked the door -and set out for home.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[Pg 205]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER XVIII.</span> <span class="smaller">DAN'S SECRET.</span></h2> - -<p>Although the young game-warden stepped out lively enough, his heart was -as heavy as lead. He was sure that his father and Dan had come back -from the mountain with a goodly number of Mr. Warren's valuable birds, -which had fallen to their murderous double-barrels, and that they would -take pains to keep out of his sight when they saw him approaching the -cabin; consequently he was much surprised to find them sitting on the -bank of the river, widely separated from each other, and to notice that -they did not show the least desire to avoid him.</p> - -<p>When he stepped across the threshold of his humble home, he was still -more surprised to see that his mother appeared very nervous and -anxious, and that there was an expression<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">[Pg 206]</a></span> on her pale face that he had -never seen there before.</p> - -<p>"What's the matter?" queried Joe. "What's happened?"</p> - -<p>"I am sure I don't know," answered Mrs. Morgan, in a faltering voice. -"But it must be something terrible. Have you seen your father and -Daniel since they left the house this morning?"</p> - -<p>"Not until this very minute; but I tried to find them, for I heard them -shoot, and knew they were after my birds. How many did they bring home -with them? This is not a pleasant thing for me to do, mother, but they -will get into trouble just as sure—"</p> - -<p>"I don't think they shot any birds," Mrs. Morgan interposed. "If they -did, they have concealed them somewhere. But they must have done -something, for I never saw them act so before."</p> - -<p>"Act how?" inquired Joe.</p> - -<p>"Why, as if they were frightened out of their wits. When I looked out -of the window and saw them coming, they were running at the top of -their speed; and the minute<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[Pg 207]</a></span> they got into the house, they closed the -door and fastened it, and began trying to load their guns. But their -hands trembled so violently that they spilled the powder all over the -floor; and then they sat down and swayed back and forth in their chairs -as if they did not have strength enough to hold themselves still. There -was not a particle of color in their faces, and they acted for all the -world as if they had taken leave of their senses."</p> - -<p>"What ailed them?" asked Joe, who was profoundly astonished.</p> - -<p>"I don't know. I couldn't get them to say a word. Whenever I spoke to -them they stared at me as if they didn't know what I meant, then shook -their heads and went on rocking themselves in their chairs. When they -could muster up courage enough to unlock the door and go out, I heard -your father say that he had hauled his last load of wood down from the -mountain."</p> - -<p>"Well, that beats me," said Joe, who did not know what else to say. -"But there's one comfort, mother; I shall have two pot-hunters less to -watch during the winter." </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[Pg 208]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Why, Joseph, you are not going back there?" exclaimed Mrs. Morgan, who -trembled visibly at the bare thought of the unknown perils to which he -might be exposed.</p> - -<p>"Of course I am going back," replied Joe, quickly. "Why shouldn't I? -There's where I am going to earn the money to keep you from paddling -off through the deep snow this winter."</p> - -<p>"Oh, Joe, let the money go and stay at home with me," said his mother, -pleadingly. "I shall be so uneasy every minute you are away. If -anything should happen to you—"</p> - -<p>"Now what in the world is going to happen to me," asked the young -game-warden, who told himself that Silas and Dan must have behaved in -a most extraordinary manner to frighten and excite his mother in this -way. "What is there up there in the hills that's going to hurt me?"</p> - -<p>"That I can't tell. I do wish I knew just what happened to your father -and Dan. The reality couldn't be any worse than this uncertainty and -suspense."</p> - -<p>"I wonder if I couldn't induce Dan to give<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">[Pg 209]</a></span> me a hint of it," said Joe, -standing his rifle up in one corner of the room. "I believe it will pay -to have a shy at him. He can't keep a secret for any length of time to -save his life; and if I work it right, I think I can worm this one out -of him."</p> - -<p>So saying, Joe stepped to the door to take a look at the motionless -figures on the river bank. There was only one of them there now. Silas -had disappeared and Dan was left alone.</p> - -<p>Joe thought that nothing could have suited him better. Dan might be -inclined to be reticent with his father sitting in plain sight of him; -but now there was nothing to restrain him, and he could talk as freely -as he pleased.</p> - -<p>Walking leisurely along, as if he had no particular object in view, Joe -went down to the bank and seated himself a short distance away from -his brother, who sat with his elbows resting on his knees and both -hands supporting his head. He never moved when he heard the sound of -Joe's footsteps, and neither did he utter a sound; so Joe began<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">[Pg 210]</a></span> the -conversation himself, and with no little anxiety, it must be confessed, -as to the result. Dan was an awkward boy to manage, and if Joe had -entered at once upon the subject that was uppermost in his mind, his -brother would have shut himself up like a clam.</p> - -<p>"Well, old fellow," said Joe, cheerily, "why didn't you come around and -see my new home? I tell you, I've got things nice there; or, rather, -I'm going to, as soon as I have time to straighten up a bit. You were -up there, because I heard you shoot—you and father. I didn't expect to -see you back so soon."</p> - -<p>Dan slowly raised a very pale face from his hands, and gazed at his -brother with a pair of wild-looking eyes. He did not look like himself -at all.</p> - -<p>After staring hard at his brother for full half a minute, and running -his eyes up and down the bank to make sure that there was no one else -in sight, he said, in hollow tones:</p> - -<p>"And I didn't look to see you back again so soon, either. I didn't -never expect to set eyes on to you no more." </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[Pg 211]</a></span></p> - -<p>"You didn't?" exclaimed Joe. "Why not?"</p> - -<p>"Did he show himself to you, too?" asked Dan, in reply. "You don't look -like you'd seen him."</p> - -<p>"Seen who? I met some men up there on the mountain, if that is what you -mean."</p> - -<p>"It wan't no man, Joey," said Dan shaking his head solemnly—"it wan't -no man. It was something wusser."</p> - -<p>"Why, Dan, I don't know what you mean," said Joe.</p> - -<p>And then he checked himself. His brother was in a fair way to reveal -something to him, and he did not want to lose the chance of hearing it -by exhibiting too much impatience.</p> - -<p>"How many birds did you get?"</p> - -<p>"Didn't get none," answered Dan. "Didn't see nary one. They are as safe -from me and pap, from this time on, as though they wasn't there."</p> - -<p>"Then what did you shoot at?"</p> - -<p>Dan looked behind him, and allowed his eyes to roam up and down the -bank, before he replied. </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">[Pg 212]</a></span></p> - -<p>"I'm 'most afraid to tell you," said he, in a scarcely audible voice. -"Joey," he added, straightening up, and giving emphasis to his words -by pounding his knee with his fist—"Joey, I wouldn't live up there in -old man Warren's shanty two days—no, nor half of one day—for all the -money there is in—"</p> - -<p>Dan was about to say, "for all the money there is in that robbers' -cave," but he caught himself in time, and finished the sentence by -adding, "for all there is in Ameriky."</p> - -<p>"I can't, for the life of me, make out what you are trying to get at," -said Joe, rising from the ground and turning his face toward the cabin, -"and neither can I waste any more time with you. I came down after -father's watch, and as soon as I get it I must hurry back. I don't want -the dark to catch me—"</p> - -<p>"I should say not!" gasped Dan, shivering all over. "Say, Joe," he -continued, reaching up and taking his brother by the hand, "don't go -up there no more. Go and tell old man Warren that he'll have to get -somebody else to be his game-warden." </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">[Pg 213]</a></span></p> - -<p>Joe was more amazed than ever. Dan was in sober earnest, there could be -no doubt about that, and he could not imagine what he had seen to scare -him so badly.</p> - -<p>"Don't go back," pleaded Dan. "The hant is in the gulf now, but as -soon as it gets dark it will come out—that's the way they all do—and -come up to your shanty; and when you see it walking around there, all -in white, like me and pap seen it, I tell you—Say, Joey, you won't go -back, will you?"</p> - -<p>"Dan, I am surprised at you, and heartily ashamed as well," said Joe, -who was more than half inclined to be angry at his brother. "You've -heard some foolish story or other, and it's frightened you out of a -year's growth. There's no such thing as a 'hant.'"</p> - -<p>"I tell you there is, too," Dan protested. "I seen it with my own two -eyes, and so did pap. If he was here he'd tell you the same thing, -pervided he told you anything at all. We heard it yelling at us, too, -and such yelling! Oh, laws a massy! I don't never want to listen to the -like again," cried Dan, covering his ears with both hands, and <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">[Pg 214]</a></span>rocking -himself from side to side, as if he were in the greatest bodily -distress.</p> - -<p>Joe now thought it time to hurry matters a little. He was really -anxious to hear his brother's story.</p> - -<p>"I should like to know just what you and father saw and heard this -morning," said he; "but I can't waste any more precious moments with -you. You know my time is not my own any longer. It belongs to Mr. -Warren."</p> - -<p>"Do you mean to say that you're going back?"</p> - -<p>"Yes. I am going to start this very minute."</p> - -<p>These words seemed to arouse Dan from his lethargy.</p> - -<p>"Set down, Joey," said he, at the same time casting apprehensive -glances on all sides of him. "Come clost to me, so't that hant can't -tech me, and I'll tell you everything."</p> - -<p>"Will you be quick about it?"</p> - -<p>"Just as quick and fast as I know how, honor bright," replied Dan. "And -will you promise, sure as you live and breathe, that you won't lisp a -word of it to nobody?<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[Pg 215]</a></span> 'Cause why, I'm afeared that if you do, he'll -show himself to me again, and I don't want to see him no more."</p> - -<p>"I shall make no promises whatever," answered Joe, who saw very plainly -that he could say what he pleased, since Dan would not permit him to -depart until he had eased his mind by confiding to him everything there -was in it. "If there is any dangerous thing up there in the gulf, I am -going to hunt him or it out the very first thing I do."</p> - -<p>"Joey, don't you try that," exclaimed Dan, who really seemed to be -distressed on his brother's account. "You can't hurt a hant. Me and pap -fired four charges of No. 8 shot into him, and we never so much as made -him wink. He kept on yelling at us just the same, and now and then he -would make a lunge for'ard, as if he was coming right at us."</p> - -<p>"Go on with your story," said Joe, whose patience was all exhausted; "I -am listening."</p> - -<p>Thus adjured, Dan settled himself into a comfortable position, and -began his narrative.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">[Pg 216]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER XIX.</span> <span class="smaller">DAN TELLS HIS STORY.</span></h2> - -<p>Having fully determined to get rid of his tremendous secret at once -and forever, Dan went deeply into all the details, and did not omit a -single thing that had the least bearing upon his story.</p> - -<p>He could not give a very connected account of the finding of the -letter, for that was a matter that Silas had touched upon very lightly. -The letter was found in the wood-pile, because his father said so, and -that was all that Dan knew about it.</p> - -<p>He had read the document very carefully after it came into his -possession, and some portions of it were so firmly fixed in his memory -that he repeated them word for word.</p> - -<p>Then the muscles around the corners of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">[Pg 217]</a></span> Joe's mouth began to twitch, -and when Dan told, in a frightened whisper, how the man who pushed his -"partner" into the gorge had been obliged to jump into the lake in -order to free himself from the presence of the "hant," which followed -him day and night—when Joe heard about that, he couldn't stand it any -longer. He threw himself flat upon the ground, and laughed so loudly -that he awoke the echoes far and near.</p> - -<p>Dan, who had not looked for anything like this, was not only -overwhelmed with astonishment, but he was fighting mad in an instant.</p> - -<p>"Whoop!" he yelled, jumping up and knocking his heels together. "Hold -me on the ground, somebody, or I'll larrup this Joe of our'n till I put -a little more sense into him nor he's got now. What you laughing at, -you big fool?"</p> - -<p>"Sit down and behave yourself," replied Joe, who was not at all alarmed -by these hostile demonstrations. "Let me ask you a few questions, and -then we'll find out who is the biggest fool, you or I." </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">[Pg 218]</a></span></p> - -<p>"No, I won't," said Dan, shortly, "'cause why I know that already."</p> - -<p>"All right," replied Joe; "then I'll get the watch and go back to my -work."</p> - -<p>"But you haven't heared all of my story yet," exclaimed Dan. "Wait till -I tell you, and I'll bet that you won't never go back there no more."</p> - -<p>"There are a few things about the story that I don't quite understand," -began Joe.</p> - -<p>"No more do I," interrupted Dan.</p> - -<p>"But if you will answer a question or two I have in mind, I think we -can get at the bottom of the matter."</p> - -<p>"You needn't ask 'em, cause you'll laugh at me again."</p> - -<p>"No, I won't," protested Joe; and he kept his promise, although he -sometimes found it hard to do so. "The first question is this: Did the -letter that father took from his wood-pile look faded and soiled, as if -it had been rained and snowed on?"</p> - -<p>"Not a bit of it, that I could see. It was as spick and span as you -please."</p> - -<p>"That's one point gained," said Joe. "Did<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">[Pg 219]</a></span> the writer say anything -about cutting a hole through the ice, so that he could jump into the -lake to get away from the 'hant'?"</p> - -<p>"Nary word."</p> - -<p>"Did you find the rope that led down to the cave, when you went up -there this morning?"</p> - -<p>"We didn't look for it. We went up the beach till we struck the brook -that comes out of the gulf, and we follered that till—till—"</p> - -<p>"You found the cave?" suggested Joe.</p> - -<p>"Till we come purty nigh to where the cave is," corrected Dan. "We -didn't see the cave, 'cause we run against something that wouldn't let -us go no furder."</p> - -<p>"What was it?"</p> - -<p>"The hant I was telling you about."</p> - -<p>"What did it look like? Now go on with your story, and I won't say a -word till you get through. What did you see up there in the gulf that -frightened you so badly?"</p> - -<p>These words drove away Dan's anger, and called up all his old fears -again; but he sat down and resumed his narrative.</p> - -<p>It related to a few things which the reader<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220">[Pg 220]</a></span> ought to know in order to -understand what happened afterward; but Dan told it in such a rambling -way, and made so many impossible statements, which he insisted should -be received as absolute facts, that Joe found it hard to follow him, -and we will not attempt it.</p> - -<p>His narrative, stripped of all the monstrous exaggerations that his -excitement and terror led him to put into it, ran about in this way:</p> - -<p>When Silas and Dan shouldered their guns that morning and set out to -find the robbers' cave, and the treasure that they firmly believed was -concealed in it, they told each other that no matter what happened -they would not come back until they had accomplished their object. The -former, as we know, was not as eager to brave the terrors of the gorge -as he pretended to be, but Dan was thoroughly in earnest, and he built -so many gorgeous air-castles, and talked in such glowing language about -the fine things they could have for their own as soon as the money was -found, that finally Silas became worked up to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221">[Pg 221]</a></span> the highest pitch of -excitement and impatience, and showed it by striding ahead at such a -rate that Dan had to exert himself to keep pace with him.</p> - -<p>"You needn't be in such a hurry, pap," said Dan, when he found that -he was growing short of breath. "It'll keep till we get there, 'cause -there ain't nobody else that knows about it, seeing that you got the -first grab at the letter."</p> - -<p>"I know it," was the ferryman's reply, "but I'm powerful oneasy to get -a hold of that grip-sack that's got the false bottom into it. We don't -care if they do put a bridge down there to our house and bust up the -ferrying business, do we, Dannie? And anybody that wants that old scow -for their own can have it, can't they?"</p> - -<p>"I don't care what becomes of it, or where it goes to," said Dan, -spitefully. "It ain't a going to bring me no more backaches, I bet you."</p> - -<p>"Course not," assented Silas. "You'll be a gentleman directly, and then -you can buy a nice boat, if you want it." </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">[Pg 222]</a></span></p> - -<p>"I don't care so much for boats as I do for breech-loading bird-guns -and j'inted fish-poles," observed Dan. "Them's the things that make a -feller look nobby when summer comes. Say, pap, what be we follering -the beach for? The rope that leads to the cave is way up there in the -hills."</p> - -<p>"Look a-here, Dannie," said Silas, stopping short, and bestowing a very -knowing wink upon the boy at his side. "We ain't nobody's fools, if we -be poor and ragged. As I told you yesterday, we don't want to slide -down that there rope, 'cause why, it'll dump us right down in front of -that hant, and he'll bounce us before we can get our guns ready. See -the p'int? If we go up the gorge, easy like, and keep our eyes open -all the time, we shall see him as soon as he sees us. Understand? But -I don't reckon he's up here. I'm a thinking that he's down the road -somewhere, watching for the feller that finds that letter."</p> - -<p>"I hope he is," said Dan, "for then we won't have no trouble in getting -hold of the money. Looks powerful dark and lonesome in there; it does -for a fact." </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">[Pg 223]</a></span></p> - -<p>They had now reached the brook, and were standing in full view of the -mouth of the gorge. It did, indeed, look dark and lonely in there; so -much so, in fact, that if Dan had shown the least sign of fear, Silas -would have faced about at once, and made the best of his way back to -the cabin, leaving the treasure to stay where it was until the mildew -and rust had eaten it up.</p> - -<p>"Them thick bushes shuts out all the light of the sun, don't they?" -said Silas. "And it's so ridiculous crooked, that we might run right on -to the hant in going around some sharp bend, and never see him till we -was clost to him. The brook is plumb full of rocks and such, and the -cave must be as much as five miles away, I reckon—mebbe more. It'll be -hard work to go up there after that money."</p> - -<p>"But it would be harder to get it by chopping wood for it," said Dan; -"so here goes, hant or no hant."</p> - -<p>"You're the most amazing gritty feller I ever seen," declared Silas, -who was really astonished at the boy's hardihood. "You go on<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224">[Pg 224]</a></span> ahead, -for you ain't as old as I be, and your eyes are sharper, and I'll stick -clost to your heels."</p> - -<p>For a wonder, Dan did not object to this arrangement.</p> - -<p>"I know well enough that pap's afeard," said he to himself; "but that -don't scare me none. If we have to run to save ourselves from the grip -of that hant, the hindermost feller is the one who will be in the place -of danger, and that'll be pap. With two or three jumps I can put myself -so far ahead of him, that he won't never see me again till I get ready -to stop and wait for him to come up."</p> - -<p>With these thoughts to comfort and encourage him, Dan did not hesitate -to lead the way into the gulf.</p> - -<p>The traveling was bad enough at the start, and the farther they went -into the gorge, the worse it became.</p> - -<p>A dozen times or more, in going the first quarter of a mile, were they -obliged to climb over or crawl under immense logs which had fallen into -the stream from the bluffs above;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225">[Pg 225]</a></span> and when these obstructions had been -left behind, foaming cascades, some of them forty feet in height, and -which they surmounted by scaling the steep face of the cliffs, took -their places.</p> - -<p>It was a bad location for a surprise and a retreat, in which the hant -would have every advantage of them. Beyond a doubt, he could skip from -one boulder to another, and plunge headlong over all the falls that -came in his way with perfect immunity. But how would it be with them? -Dan asked himself.</p> - -<p>It was a wonder that he did not get disheartened, and declare that he -would not go any farther.</p> - -<p>Silas hoped he would, for he was growing weary, and, in spite of all -he could do to prevent it, the disagreeable thought would now and then -force itself upon him, that perhaps there wasn't any money up there, -after all, and that they were destined to return as empty-handed as -they came.</p> - -<p>Dan also had some misgivings, but he would not allow them a place in -his mind. The belief that there was a fortune of six<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226">[Pg 226]</a></span> thousand dollars -almost within his grasp, had taken full possession of him; and even if -he had not been sure of it, his pride would not permit him to say the -first discouraging word.</p> - -<p>He was determined that it should come from his father, so that if -their expedition failed he could blame him for it. He pressed steadily -and patiently onward, without saying a word, and his father followed -silently at his heels.</p> - -<p>They were now between four and five miles from the lake, and the cliffs -on each side were so high, and the bushes and trees that covered them -from base to summit were so thick, that twilight always reigned at the -bottom of the gorge, let the sun shine never so brightly.</p> - -<p>On a cloudy day it must have been as dark as a pocket down there. Silas -couldn't think of anything that would have induced him to stay alone in -that gloomy place for five minutes.</p> - -<p>"Say, pap," whispered Dan, so suddenly, that his father started and -almost dropped his gun, "how long before we'll be abreast of that -wood-pile of our'n?" </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227">[Pg 227]</a></span></p> - -<p>Silas raised his head long enough to look about him and take a glance -at the cliffs above, and then the blood all fled from his face, leaving -it as pale as death itself.</p> - -<p>"Laws a massy, Danny," he managed to articulate, "we're abreast of it -now."</p> - -<p>There was something so unnatural in the tones of his father's voice, -and in the face he turned on him, that Dan felt the cold chills -creeping over him, and it was all he could do to refrain from crying -out with terror.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228">[Pg 228]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER XX.</span> <span class="smaller">A RUN FOR HOME.</span></h2> - -<p>"Yes, sir," repeated Silas, after he had taken another brief look at -his surroundings, to make sure that there was no mistake about it; -"we're abreast of our wood-pile at this blessed minute, 'cause why—you -see that leaning hickory up there on the top of the bluff? Well, I shot -a squirrel off'n there about three weeks ago, and that there tree is -only a quarter of a mile from the wood-pile. I wish you wouldn't look -so scared-like, Dannie. The best part of this mean job is over now, and -we ain't seen nothing to be afeard of yet. Look around, and see if you -can find anything of that rope. If you can, there's the cave. Go ahead, -Dannie, and when you feel yourself getting trembly all over, just say, -'breech-loading bird-guns and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_229" id="Page_229">[Pg 229]</a></span> j'inted fish-poles,' and that'll put -pluck into you."</p> - -<p>Silas rattled on in this way simply to gain time, and Dan knew it; but -before he could make any reply, the performance of the previous day, -which had proved so trying to Tom Hallet's nerves and Bob Emerson's, -was repeated for their benefit, followed by a new and startling -variation. First, a dismal howl arose on the air, and the echoes took -it up and threw it from one cliff to the other, until it seemed to the -terrified Dan that every tree and hush within the range of his vision -concealed some awful thing that was howling at him with all its might.</p> - -<p>Gradually the sound grew into a scream; and at the same moment there -arose above the bushes, not more than thirty yards in advance of -him, a grotesque figure, clad all in white. Its head was concealed -by something that looked like a night-cap; but its face was visible, -and it was as white as chalk—all except the places where its eyes, -nose and mouth were, or ought to have been, and they were as black as -ink. It held its arms stiffly by its<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230">[Pg 230]</a></span> sides, and when the scream was -at its loudest, it made a sudden dart forward as if it were on the -point of jumping over the bushes, to take vengeance upon the daring -fortune-hunters.</p> - -<p>"Oh, my soul!" groaned Silas; and his legs refusing to support him any -longer, he sat down among the rocks and covered his eyes with his hand.</p> - -<p>But Dan was made of sterner stuff. For a moment or two he stared at the -figure with eyes that seemed ready to start from their sockets, and -then his gun came quickly to his shoulder, and two loads of shot went -straight for the ghost's head.</p> - -<p>This aroused his father, who was not a second behind him; but the -four charges had no more effect upon the spectre than so many blank -cartridges.</p> - -<p>When the smoke cleared away, there he stood, and his actions seemed to -indicate that he was about to assume the offensive. He began growing -before their eyes; and when he had risen in the air until his height -overtopped that of the tallest man they had ever seen, Dan, who did -not care to wait until he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_231" id="Page_231">[Pg 231]</a></span> had lengthened himself all out, uttered a -yell that was almost as loud and unearthly as those that came from the -direction of the cave, and turned and took to his heels.</p> - -<p>He quickly gave his father the place of danger—the rear—and when -Silas, lumbering along behind, and stumbling over rocks and barking his -shins at almost every step, reached the first bend in the stream, Dan -was nowhere in sight.</p> - -<p>Knowing that it would be of no earthly use to call to him to come back, -Silas took one quick glance behind him to make sure that the spectre -was not coming in pursuit, and then darted into the bushes which -fringed the base of the cliff, and climbed slowly and laboriously to -the top.</p> - -<p>He was a long time in reaching it, for his terror seemed to have robbed -him of all his strength and agility, while it had just the opposite -effect upon Dan, whom he found at last; sitting on a log near the -wood-pile.</p> - -<p>"Well, we know now for certain that the money's there, don't we?" said -Silas, as soon as he could speak. </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232">[Pg 232]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Yes; and we know that the hant's there too," replied Dan. "If I'd -known that he was such a looking feller as that, you can bet your -bottom dollar that I wouldn't have gone nigh him. He didn't have them -white clothes on yesterday. You needn't set down, thinking that I'm -going to wait for you, 'cause I'm going straight home."</p> - -<p>Tired and weak as he was, Silas was obliged to go, too, for he hadn't -the courage to stay there alone until he was rested. He wasn't very -steady on his legs, and by no means as sure-footed as he usually -was; but he managed to keep along with Dan, who, as fast as his wind -came back to him, increased his pace, first to a slow trot, then to -a fast trot, and finally to a dead run, every fresh burst of speed -calling forth a corresponding exertion on the part of his father, who, -struggling gamely to keep up, was so nearly exhausted by the violence -of his efforts that he was often on the point of falling in his tracks.</p> - -<div class="center"><img src="images/i232.jpg" alt="A Run for Home" /></div> - -<p class="bold"><span class="smcap">A Run for Home</span></p> - -<p>This was the way they were moving when Mrs. Morgan discovered them -approaching the house. She was greatly astonished when<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_233" id="Page_233">[Pg 233]</a></span> she saw the -nervous haste with which they closed and locked the door, and witnessed -their frantic but unsuccessful attempts to recharge their guns, and she -was frightened when she caught a glimpse of their faces; but with all -her questioning, she could not get a word out of them.</p> - -<p>They stared stupidly at her, as they rocked about in their chairs, but -did not seem to possess the power of speech.</p> - -<p>"Our tongues were stiffer'n a couple of boards, and we couldn't nary -one of us open our heads," was the way in which Dan wound up his story. -"At first I thought the hant had put some kind of a spell or 'nother on -to us; but it went away after a while, and now we can both talk as well -as we ever could. I reckon you won't go back, will you, Joey?"</p> - -<p>To Dan's utter amazement, the young game-warden replied with the -greatest promptness:</p> - -<p>"Of course I shall go back. What would Mr. Warren think of me if I -should throw up my situation before I had fairly entered upon its -duties? I haven't seen anything to get frightened at." </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234">[Pg 234]</a></span></p> - -<p>"But I have," exclaimed Dan.</p> - -<p>"I don't doubt it in the least," answered Joe, who had a theory of his -own regarding the strange things that had happened in the gorge. "If -I don't bother the 'hant' I don't see why he should take the trouble -to climb out of his cave to bother me. I don't want the treasure he is -guarding. I never expect to get a dollar that I don't work for; and, -Dan, if you and father would make up your minds to the same thing, and -quit your foolish wishing and go to work in dead earnest, you would be -better off six months from now. I wouldn't go near those woods again if -I were in your place."</p> - -<p>"You're right I won't," said Dan, earnestly. "I want my new gun and -fish-pole awful bad, and I do despise to have to give 'em up; but I'll -wait till that there hant dies or goes away, before I try that gulf -again, I bet you. Be you going back to your shanty now?"</p> - -<p>Joe said he was.</p> - -<p>"Well, mebbe it's best so," continued Dan, reflectively. "You have got -to earn all the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_235" id="Page_235">[Pg 235]</a></span> money that comes into the family this winter, ain't -you?"</p> - -<p>"I suppose I shall earn all I get," said Joe, who saw very plainly what -his brother was driving at, "and I know that you and father will earn -every red cent you get."</p> - -<p>"It sorter bothers me to see how we are going to do it," replied Dan. -"Don't it you?"</p> - -<p>"Not at all. Earn it as you did last winter—cut wood."</p> - -<p>"Why, that would take us up there clost to the gulf," cried Dan, -looking up in amazement. "And didn't I just tell you that I wasn't -going there no more?"</p> - -<p>"Now, Dan, that's only an excuse on your part. You know very well that -Mr. Warren and Mr. Hallet are not the only ones who will want cord-wood -this winter. I don't blame you for keeping away from the gorge; but you -can find plenty to do elsewhere, if you are not too lazy to look for -it. Well, good-by."</p> - -<p>"What a teetotally mean, stingy feller, that Joe of our'n is!" -soliloquized Dan, gazing after his brother, who was walking toward the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_236" id="Page_236">[Pg 236]</a></span> -cabin with a light and springy step. "He ain't a going to go halvers -with me and pap, is he? I wish in my soul that the hant would run him -outen the mounting this very night."</p> - -<p>The young game-warden carried a very bright and smiling face into his -mother's presence, and Mrs. Morgan felt immensely relieved the moment -she looked at it. Instead of locking the door, as Dan and his father -always did whenever they wished to hold a secret interview with each -other, Joe sat down on the threshold so that he could talk to his -mother and keep watch of Dan at the same time.</p> - -<p>The latter was inclined to be "snooping," and it would be just like -him, Joe thought, to slip up and crouch under the open window, so that -he could hear every word he uttered. Dan had an idea of doing that very -thing; but he straightway abandoned it when he looked up and saw his -brother sitting at ease in the open door.</p> - -<p>"Now, mother," said the latter, cheerfully, "throw your fears to the -winds. I've got at<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_237" id="Page_237">[Pg 237]</a></span> the bottom of the whole matter, and know there's -nothing to be afraid of."</p> - -<p>Then he went on to repeat the story to which he had just listened, but -he did not take up so much time with the narration as Dan did, because -he used fewer words.</p> - -<p>"Dan was so badly frightened that he didn't know whether he stood on -his head or his heels," said Joe, in conclusion. "But it is an ill wind -that blows nobody good, and this is the best thing that could have -happened for me. I told you this morning that if father and Dan didn't -behave and let my birds alone, I would find means to make them, but I -guess the ghost has taken that most unpleasant job off my hands, and I -should really like to thank him for it."</p> - -<p>"Then you think there is some one hidden in the gulf?" said Mrs. Morgan.</p> - -<p>"I am sure of it; and the reason that father and Dan did not do any -damage with their four charges of bird-shot was, because they sent -them into a dummy. If they had held a little lower, and fired into the -bushes, there might have been another story to tell." </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_238" id="Page_238">[Pg 238]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Have you any idea who the man is?"</p> - -<p>"Not the slightest; but—but—well I don't care who he is, or why he is -hiding there, if he will only make it his business to drive away every -market-shooter who goes into those woods."</p> - -<p>It had been right on the point of Joe's tongue to say that he would -know all about the mysterious party who was hiding in the gorges before -he came home again; but he didn't say it.</p> - -<p>His mother was smiling now, and he did not want to bring the old -expression of fear and anxiety back to her face. He was none the less -determined, however, to sift the matter to the bottom.</p> - -<p>"I will see Tom and Bob to-morrow," he went on. "By the way, you didn't -know that they are Mr. Hallet's game-wardens, did you? Neither did I, -until this morning. I couldn't have better fellows for company, could -I? You see, mother, the place where all these things happened is on the -dividing line that runs between Mr. Warren's woods and Mr. Hallet's, -and as the ghost will help Tom and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_239" id="Page_239">[Pg 239]</a></span> Bob quite as much as he will me, I -want to know what they think about letting him stay there."</p> - -<p>There was another reason why Joe was anxious to have an interview with -Mr. Hallet's game-wardens, but he did not think it best to say anything -to his mother about it.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_240" id="Page_240">[Pg 240]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER XXI.</span> <span class="smaller">A TREACHEROUS GUIDE.</span></h2> - -<p>Having told his story, and set all his mother's fears at rest, Joe -thought it time to speak of his own affairs, and asked for his father's -watch; whereupon, that ancient relic and heirloom was duly fished -out of a dark corner in one of the bureau drawers, set in motion, -and handed over to him, after being regulated by the not altogether -reliable clock that ticked loudly on the mantel.</p> - -<p>The young game-warden went away from home with a very light heart -beating under his patched jacket. By some fortunate combination of -circumstances, which he did not pretend to understand, he had been -relieved of a heavy responsibility. The two market-shooters of whom he -stood the most in fear<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_241" id="Page_241">[Pg 241]</a></span> had been most effectually disposed of, for a -while at least. It would be a long time, Joe told himself, before his -father and Dan could muster up courage enough to come into the woods -of which he had charge. If Silas was afraid to draw the wood which was -to keep him warm during the winter, it was not at all probable that he -would be reckless enough to hunt through Mr. Warren's covers.</p> - -<p>When Joe reached his cabin, there was barely enough daylight left -to aid him in his search for the lamp which he knew was stowed away -somewhere among the things that were scattered over the floor. While -he was groping about in the gloom, he wondered how much money it would -take to induce Dan or his father to come up there and stay alone in -that cabin all night. It would not have been at all strange, in view of -the harrowing story to which he had listened a few hours before, if his -own nerves had been a trifle "trembly;" but they were not. The sighing -of the evening breeze through the thick branches of the evergreens -that surrounded the cabin on three sides, and the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_242" id="Page_242">[Pg 242]</a></span> mournful song of a -distant whip-poor-will, were sounds that some people do not like to -hear, because they make one feel lonely; but they were company for Joe, -and he delighted in listening to them.</p> - -<p>He found the lamp after a protracted search, filled it outside the door -just as the last ray of daylight gave way to the increasing darkness, -and when he touched a match to the wick and put on the chimney, his -surroundings began to assume a more cheerful aspect.</p> - -<p>It was the work of but a few moments to start a blaze in the fireplace, -and while he was waiting for it to gather headway, so that he could -pile on the hard wood which was to furnish the coals for the broiling -of his bacon, he busied himself in setting things to rights.</p> - -<p>He didn't bother with the carpet—that would have to wait until -to-morrow; but he put up his cot, laid the mattress upon it, and was -about to spread the bed-clothes over that, when he heard the snapping -of twigs and heavy, lumbering footfalls outside the door, and looked -up to see a white, scared face<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_243" id="Page_243">[Pg 243]</a></span> pressed close against one of the -window-panes.</p> - -<p>Joe was startled, and during the instant of time that he stood -motionless by his cot, he felt the hot blood rushing to his heart, and -knew that his own face must be as white as the one at the window.</p> - -<p>His first emotion was one of fear, but it speedily gave place to anger -and excitement. He wondered if the man who was hiding in the gorge -labored under the delusion that he could drive him away with the same -ease that he had driven off Dan and Silas.</p> - -<p>"This thing might as well be settled now as a week from now," thought -Joe. "I am here on legitimate business, and I'll ride rough-shod over -anybody who attempts to interfere with me."</p> - -<p>With one bound, Joe sprang clear across the cabin, and when he turned -about he held his cocked rifle in his hands. He was ready to shoot, too.</p> - -<p>But the man at the window had seen the movement, and lost no time in -drawing his head out of sight. </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_244" id="Page_244">[Pg 244]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Hold on there!" said a frightened voice.</p> - -<p>Instead of "holding on," Joe jumped for the door, jerked it open, -and in an instant more the muzzle of his heavy weapon was covering a -crouching figure under the window.</p> - -<p>"Speak quick," said he. "Who are you?"</p> - -<p>"Mr. Brown! Mr. Brown!" came the answer, in tones that Joe recognized -at once. "What are you pointing that gun at me for? I'm lost, and want -help to find my way out of the woods."</p> - -<p>"Then why didn't you come to the door and say so like a man, instead of -trying to scare me by looking in at the window? You ought to know that -you put yourself in danger by doing that."</p> - -<p>"I didn't mean to frighten you," replied Mr. Brown.</p> - -<p>And Joe could easily believe it. His visitor had risen to an upright -position by this time, and Joe saw at a glance that he was too badly -frightened himself to think of playing tricks upon others.</p> - -<p>"Why did you not answer my calls for help?" demanded Mr. Brown, who, -now that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_245" id="Page_245">[Pg 245]</a></span> he was safe, seemed to grow indignant when he remembered how -near he had come to spending the night alone on the mountain, with no -cheering camp-fire to illumine the darkness.</p> - -<p>"Because I didn't hear any calls for help," answered Joe, shortly.</p> - -<p>"Well, I did call, and called again, until I was too hoarse to speak -above a whisper," said Mr. Brown, walking into the cabin, and placing a -camp-chair in front of the fire.</p> - -<p>Just then the pointers came into view and went in also, stretching -themselves out on the hearth with long-drawn sighs of relief, and the -three took up about all the spare room there was in the game-warden's -little domicile.</p> - -<p>"I don't know who has the most impudence, the man or his dogs," thought -Joe, as he closed and fastened the door. "They have come here to run -things, judging by the way they shut me off from the fire."</p> - -<p>"This is glorious," continued Mr. Brown, depositing his double-barrel -in the chimney-corner, and spreading his benumbed hands out in front of -the genial blaze. "The air<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_246" id="Page_246">[Pg 246]</a></span> begins to get cold up here on the mountain -just as soon as the sun sinks out of sight, and I am chilled through. -Now, how am I to get to the Beach? That's the question."</p> - -<p>"You will have to answer it for yourself, for I can't," Joe replied. -"You had a guide the last time I saw you."</p> - -<p>These innocent words seemed to irritate the man to whom they were -addressed, for he turned upon Joe almost fiercely.</p> - -<p>"Yes, I did have one," said he. "But where is he now?"</p> - -<p>"I don't know," answered Joe.</p> - -<p>And he might have added that he did not care.</p> - -<p>"You heard me remind him that I had given him a handsome sum of money -to put me in the way of a good day's shooting, did you not? I knew him -to be perfectly familiar with these woods, and I supposed he could do -it. Of course, I was aware that I couldn't take home a bag of grouse; -but I knew there was no law protecting the English birds that have just -been turned down in these covers, and I looked for jolly good<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_247" id="Page_247">[Pg 247]</a></span> sport, -and for twenty-five or thirty brace of birds to distribute among my -friends."</p> - -<p>"Don't you think it was kind of Mr. Warren to pay six dollars a pair -for those birds, just to give you the fun of shooting them?" asked Joe. -"You ought to thank him for it."</p> - -<p>Mr. Brown stared hard at the bold speaker, shrugged his shoulders, and -turned around on his camp-chair to bring the heat of the fire to bear -upon the back of his shooting-jacket.</p> - -<p>"Well," said he, slowly, "if any man is foolish enough to squander his -money in that way, I don't know that it is any business of mine, or -yours, either; and neither do I consider it my duty to refrain from -shooting birds that are not protected by law, as often as my dogs flush -them. Now, let me go on with my story."</p> - -<p>"But first suppose that you send the dogs under the table, and move -back out of my way, so that I can cook supper," suggested Joe.</p> - -<p>But Mr. Brown and his four-footed companions were very comfortable -there in front<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_248" id="Page_248">[Pg 248]</a></span> of the fire, and not until Joe, losing all patience, -jerked the door wide open and caught up a broom, could any of them -muster up energy sufficient to move out of his way.</p> - -<p>Then the pointers, which were really well trained and obedient, were -easily induced to get under the table, while Mr. Brown retreated into -the chimney-corner.</p> - -<p>"Now I am ready to listen," said Joe, after he had piled an armful of -hard wood upon the fire. "Where is your guide, and why didn't he show -you the way to the Beach?"</p> - -<p>"He is at home, I suppose," said Mr. Brown, growing spiteful again. -"When I learned that these birds were protected, and that Brierly, -instead of giving me a day's shooting had rendered both himself and -me liable to trespass, I told him that he had better hand back the -twenty-five dollars I had given him—"</p> - -<p>"Twenty-five dollars for a single day's shooting!" exclaimed Joe.</p> - -<p>"That is what I paid him," said Mr. Brown. "But do you imagine that he -gave it back, even when he knew that he could not<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_249" id="Page_249">[Pg 249]</a></span> fulfil his promise? -No, sir! He got out of it by leading me away off into the woods and -losing me there. I had a fearful time working my way out, and it was -only by the merest accident that I blundered within sight of the light -that streamed from your window."</p> - -<p>"Good for Brierly!" was Joe's mental comment. "I wish he would serve -every law-breaking pot-hunter who takes him for a guide in the same -way." Then, aloud, he asked, "Did it frighten you to think that you had -a fair prospect of lying out all night?"</p> - -<p>"It was by no means a pleasant reflection, but that wasn't what -frightened me. I ran across a couple of men up there," said Mr. Brown, -giving his head a backward jerk. "Their stealthy actions seemed to -indicate that they were abroad for no good purpose, and I was not sorry -to see the last of them."</p> - -<p>"Did they say anything to you?" asked Joe.</p> - -<p>"Not a word. They made all haste to lose themselves among the thickets, -and so did I.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_250" id="Page_250">[Pg 250]</a></span> It was the prospect of passing the night alone on the -mountain while there were prowlers around that tested my nerves, and I -was glad indeed to come within sight of your light."</p> - -<p>This piece of news was not at all quieting to the feelings of the young -game-warden. It aroused in his mind the suspicion that there was more -than one man hiding in the gorge, and that they made a business of -roaming around after dark to see what they could find that was worth -picking up.</p> - -<p>If this suspicion was correct, Mr. Warren's woods might prove a very -unpleasant place for him to live for eight long months, Joe told -himself. He could not remain on guard duty at the cabin all the time, -for the work he came there to do would take him to the remotest nooks -and corners of the wood-lot; and how easy it would be for those men to -slip up during his absence and carry away everything he possessed!</p> - -<p>"If they are outlaws, and I really believe they are," thought Joe, as -he poked up the fire, which had by this time almost burned itself down -to a glowing bed of coals, "they<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_251" id="Page_251">[Pg 251]</a></span> ought to be hunted out of that gorge -without loss of time. I will find Tom and Bob the first thing in the -morning, and ask them what they think of it."</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_252" id="Page_252">[Pg 252]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER XXII.</span> <span class="smaller">MR. BROWN TAKES HIS DEPARTURE.</span></h2> - -<p>"How far is it to the beach?" inquired Mr. Brown, who had got pretty -well thawed out by this time.</p> - -<p>"Eight long miles," replied Joe, "and the most of the way lies through -the thickest woods that are to be found among these hills. I can't -direct you so that you could keep a straight course, and indeed I don't -think I could keep it myself on a dark night like this. You had better -give up the idea of going there to-night, and stay here until morning."</p> - -<p>"You seem to have but one bed," said Mr. Brown, doubtfully.</p> - -<p>"Well, you may take that, and I'll look out for myself."</p> - -<p>Most men would have expressed their regrets that circumstances -compelled them to trespass upon the young game-warden's <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_253" id="Page_253">[Pg 253]</a></span>hospitality; -but Mr. Brown wasn't that sort. He had a cheerful fire to sit by, -a clean, if not luxurious bed to sleep in, a substantial meal in -prospect, and what more could a belated hunter ask for? If his presence -put Joe to any inconvenience, why, that was no concern of his.</p> - -<p>The supper that Joe served up to his uninvited guest was plain but well -cooked, and no sooner had it been disposed of than Mr. Brown threw -himself upon the cot, boots and all, and speedily went off into the -land of dreams.</p> - -<p>Joe spent the evening in looking over the books and papers with which -Mr. Warren had provided him, and when his watch told him that it was -ten o'clock, he lay down before the fire, with his coat for a pillow, -and went to sleep.</p> - -<p>The first gray streaks of dawn that came in through the uncurtained -window awoke him, but his guest still slumbered heavily, and Joe did -not disturb him until he had made the coffee and slapjacks, and fried -the bacon and eggs. </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_254" id="Page_254">[Pg 254]</a></span></p> - -<p>Mr. Brown did not take the trouble to respond to the boy's hearty -good-morning, but seated himself at the table, after performing a hasty -toilet, and attacked the savory viands without ceremony.</p> - -<p>When he had eaten rather more than his share of them, his tongue became -loosened, and he asked if it were possible for him to reach the Beach -in time to take the stage for Bellville.</p> - -<p>Joe said it was, provided he did not waste too much time in making a -start, and then he began railing at Brierly for the mean trick he had -served him.</p> - -<p>"I wish I could prosecute him and compel him to give up my money," said -he, "but I don't see that I can make out a case against him. More than -that, I can't wait to go through a law-suit, and neither do I want to -give Mr. Warren a chance at me. He might take a notion to have a hand -in the business."</p> - -<p>"Very likely he would," said Joe, dryly. "You knew well enough that -these grounds are posted, and you ought to have cleared out when you -saw the first notice." </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_255" id="Page_255">[Pg 255]</a></span></p> - -<p>"You will guide me to the Beach, of course?" said Mr. Brown, who did -not appear anxious to discuss this point.</p> - -<p>"I will put you on the road, but I can't promise to go all the way with -you," was Joe's reply. "I am paid to stay here."</p> - -<p>Mr. Brown was not quite satisfied with this arrangement—he was very -much afraid that he might get lost again—but he was obliged to put up -with it.</p> - -<p>An hour later, Joe stood by his father's wood-pile, taking a last look -at his departing guest, who was hurrying down the dim wagon-road toward -the valley below. All he had received in return for his services was a -slight farewell bow.</p> - -<p>"I have seen a good many sportsmen first and last," thought the young -game-warden, as he shouldered his rifle and retraced his steps down the -mountain, "but Mr. Brown beats me. If he ever spends another night in -my house, he will take off his boots before he goes to bed, and pay me -in advance for his meals and lodging."</p> - -<p>Remembering the prowlers of whom Mr.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_256" id="Page_256">[Pg 256]</a></span> Brown had Spoken, Joe went -straight back to his cabin, took a good look around to make sure that -everything there was just as he had left it, and then started off in -search of Tom and Bob.</p> - -<p>He found them setting their house in order. A note of warning from -Tom's little beagle brought them both to the door, where they remained -until Joe came up.</p> - -<p>They were somewhat surprised at his actions. Instead of replying to -their greetings, he leaned on the muzzle of his rifle and looked -quizzically at them.</p> - -<p>"Halloa! What has come over you all of a sudden?" exclaimed Bob.</p> - -<p>Still Joe did not speak. He shut his left eye, and looked at Bob -through the half-closed lids of the other.</p> - -<p>"What do you mean by that pantomime?" chimed in Tom.</p> - -<p>By way of reply, Joe shut his right eye and looked at Tom with the -left; whereupon all the boys broke out into a hearty laugh.</p> - -<p>"Say," said Joe at length, "I wish you would tell me just how much you -know about<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_257" id="Page_257">[Pg 257]</a></span> the ghost that has taken up his abode down there in the -gorge."</p> - -<p>"What ghost?" asked Bob, staring hard at his friend Tom, and trying to -look surprised.</p> - -<p>"Down where in what gorge?" inquired Tom, returning Bob's stare with -interest.</p> - -<p>"Of course you don't know anything about it," said Joe, with a look -which said that they knew <i>all</i> about it; "but if you are as ignorant -as you pretend to be, why were you so anxious to keep me out of the -gorge yesterday?"</p> - -<p>"Why—er—you see, we didn't want you to walk yourself to death for -nothing," said Tom, wondering if Joe had anything better than mere -suspicion to back him. "We knew there were a couple of fellows down -there, for we heard them shoot, and we advised you to keep out of the -gorge because we were satisfied that you couldn't catch them, and that -it would be a waste of breath and strength for you to make the attempt."</p> - -<p>"Was that the only reason you had for giving me that advice?" asked -Joe, with a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_258" id="Page_258">[Pg 258]</a></span> smile. "You might as well confess that there was something -down there you did not want me to see. There were two fellows in the -gorge yesterday, but they were not hunting birds. They were after the -twelve thousand dollars in bills and three hundred dollars in gold that -you said were hidden there."</p> - -<p>"We never said so!" exclaimed both the boys, in a breath.</p> - -<p>"But the letter you wrote said so," insisted Joe. "And what do you -think those trespassers did while they were there?" he continued, with -great impressiveness. "They sent four charges of shot into the head of -that ghost, which wasn't a ghost at all, if you only knew it."</p> - -<p>"Great Moses!" ejaculated Bob, who was really surprised now, as well as -alarmed.</p> - -<p>The way in which Joe spoke was calculated to excite the gravest -suspicions in his mind and Tom's.</p> - -<p>"Did—did they hit him?" Tom managed to ask.</p> - -<p>"I should say they did!" answered Joe, solemnly. "They could not miss -him very<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_259" id="Page_259">[Pg 259]</a></span> well, seeing that he was only thirty yards away from the -muzzles of their guns."</p> - -<p>"Was—was it a man?" Tom ventured to ask.</p> - -<p>"Animals don't generally have 'hants,' do they?" asked Joe, in reply. -"There was a man there, and he howled and screamed—"</p> - -<p>"Oh, great Scott!" groaned Tom, while Bob rubbed his hands together, -and gazed down the mountain, as if he were meditating instant flight.</p> - -<p>"And he kept it up after he received those four charges of shot in his -head, and—"</p> - -<p>These words had a magical effect upon Tom and Bob, who were really -afraid that their practical joke had resulted in a terrible tragedy.</p> - -<p>They looked at Joe so steadily that the latter could control himself -no longer. He sat down on a convenient log, threw back his head, and -laughed till the tears rolled down his cheeks.</p> - -<p>"You shot closer to the mark than you thought for when you made -that letter say there was something in the gorge," said Joe,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_260" id="Page_260">[Pg 260]</a></span> at -last. "There's a man down there—two of them, according to my way of -thinking."</p> - -<p>"Well," said Bob, who was immensely relieved by this sudden and -unexpected turn of affairs, "we knew it. We went into the gorge day -before yesterday, to catch a trout for dinner, and when we came home -we followed the stream, thinking it would be easier than to climb up -the bluff. That was the way we found it out. When we came to the place -where we had located our robbers' cave our ears were saluted by such -sounds as we never listened to before, but we didn't see anything."</p> - -<p>"What sort of an object was it that Dan shot at?" asked Tom, who was -glad to see that Joe was not inclined to be angry over the trick that -had been played upon his father and brother. "Was it a dummy?"</p> - -<p>"If it had been anything else I might have had a different story to -tell you," was Joe's reply. "There are at least two outlaws in hiding -there, and they have taken that way to make inquisitive hunters keep at -a distance." </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_261" id="Page_261">[Pg 261]</a></span></p> - -<p>"What makes you think there are two of them?"</p> - -<p>"Because Mr. Brown ran against two prowlers in the woods last night."</p> - -<p>"Who is Mr. Brown?"</p> - -<p>Joe replied that he was one of the men he had been obliged to order out -of Mr. Warren's woods on the previous day, and then he went on to tell -of the visit he had had from him the night before, and how frightened -he was when he saw the man's face at the window.</p> - -<p>When he described how Brierly had managed to evade his employer's -demand for the return of the twenty-five dollars that had been paid -him, Tom and Bob laughed heartily, and declared that Brierly had served -him just right.</p> - -<p>Joe did not neglect to tell how Mr. Brown had abused his hospitality, -and his account of it aroused the ire of the two listeners, who -declared that if that man ever got lost in their woods, he need not -trouble himself to hunt up their cabin, for they would not take him in.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_262" id="Page_262">[Pg 262]</a></span></p> - -<p>"What kind of a looking thing was that dummy?" inquired Bob, coming -back to the matter in which he was interested more than he was in Mr. -Brown and his fortunes.</p> - -<p>Joe was obliged to confess that he could not answer that question, -because Dan's description of the thing that he and his father shot -at, surpassed all belief. Whether it was the appearance of the ghost -itself, or the fact that the four loads of shot that had been fired at -it had had no perceptible effect upon it, or the terrifying shrieks -that awoke the echoes of the gorge—whether it was one or all of these -that had frightened Silas into saying that he would not haul any more -wood down from the mountain, Joe could not tell; but he thought those -men ought to be made to give an account of themselves. If they had not -violated the law in some way, why did they take so much pains to keep -out of sight?</p> - -<p>"We were at first inclined to believe that some of the mischief-loving -guests at the Beach had a hand in it," observed Tom. "When a lot of -city people turn themselves loose in the country, they will go for -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_263" id="Page_263">[Pg 263]</a></span>anything that has fun in it, no matter what it is."</p> - -<p>"You mean that that was <i>your</i> explanation of it," corrected Bob. "I -thought when the thing happened, that it was an outlaw who yelled at us -until we were glad to get out of hearing of him, and I think so now."</p> - -<p>"So do I," said Joe. "And I shall hold fast to that opinion until we go -down there and get at the bottom of the mystery. I am ready to start at -once. What do you say?"</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_264" id="Page_264">[Pg 264]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER XXIII.</span> <span class="smaller">EXPLORING THE CAVE.</span></h2> - -<p>Ever since the mysterious inhabitant of the gorge had driven them -from his presence by his unearthly howling, there had been a tacit -understanding between Tom and Bob that some day, after they had time -to get a good ready, they would return and drive him out of his -hiding-place; or, if they failed in that, find out who he was, and what -brought him there.</p> - -<p>It was the hope of being able to carry out one or the other of these -ideas that had prompted them, on the previous day, to seize their guns -and run for the gorge when they heard those four shots fired there.</p> - -<p>When they found Joe, and learned that he was more than half inclined -to go in search of the poachers, who, he thought, were pursuing their -nefarious work on the other side<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_265" id="Page_265">[Pg 265]</a></span> of the gulf, they endeavored to -dissuade him, because they were afraid he might encounter something he -would not care to see. But it turned out that Joe knew more about the -matter than they did, and furthermore that he wouldn't rest easy until -he knew <i>all</i> about it.</p> - -<p>Tom was the first to speak.</p> - -<p>"I wonder if a stranger thing than this ever happened?" said he. "We -wrote a letter and put it into your father's wood-pile, just for the -fun of the thing—"</p> - -<p>"And by that means unearthed a brace of thieves, or something worse," -said Joe. "You needn't look at me in that way. I don't bear you the -least ill-will for what you did. On the contrary I thank you for it, -and if I were sure that those parties in the gorge would let us alone -this winter, I should be strongly in favor of letting them alone, too; -for, as long as they stay there, we are safe from two of the worst -game-law breakers in the country."</p> - -<p>"But the mystery of that gulf is known to but few," said Tom. </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_266" id="Page_266">[Pg 266]</a></span></p> - -<p>"It will be known to more by this time next week," answered Joe. "Dan -will tell it to every man and boy he meets, and in that way it will -become noised abroad. But here's the difficulty: they won't let us -alone. I have not the slightest doubt that they frightened Mr. Brown -last night. If you could have seen the face he put against my window, -you wouldn't doubt it either; and that seems to prove that, although -they keep closely hidden during the day, they go out on foraging -expeditions as soon as darkness comes to conceal their movements. If -that is the case, what is there to hinder them from robbing our cabins -at any time? You have the advantage of me, for one of you can stay here -on guard while the other is attending to business; but when you see Joe -Morgan, you see all there is of my party, and I can't be in two places -at the same time. That's why I am so anxious to have those fellows out -of there."</p> - -<p>"I understood you to say that you got your information from Dan," -observed Bob. "What did he say? Did he tell you everything that -happened in the gulf?" </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_267" id="Page_267">[Pg 267]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Yes, and more, too," said Joe, with a laugh. "I went home yesterday -after a time-piece, and Dan concluded to take me into his confidence."</p> - -<p>"Well, tell us the story, just as he told it to you, so that we may -know."</p> - -<p>"Oh, I couldn't begin to do that, and besides, you wouldn't believe me -if I did!" exclaimed Joe.</p> - -<p>"Then tell it in your own way, so that we may know just what we shall -have to face, if we decide to go down there," said Tom. "Wait until I -get something for us to sit down on, and then we'll take it easy."</p> - -<p>Tom went into the cabin, reappearing almost immediately with three -camp-chairs in his hands. When each boy had appropriated one, Joe began -his story, making no effort to follow Dan's narration, but telling it -in such a way that his auditors saw through it as plainly as he did -himself. Indeed, the whole thing was so very transparent that Tom and -Bob marveled at Dan's stupidity.</p> - -<p>"It seems to me that a child ought to have seen through it without half -trying," said<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_268" id="Page_268">[Pg 268]</a></span> Joe, in conclusion. "But simple as the trick was, it is -going to end in something besides fun; mind that, both of you."</p> - -<p>"Then they wouldn't use the rope, because they were afraid that they -would dump themselves down in front of the 'hant' before they could get -a chance to shoot him," said Bob. "Well, they saved time by not looking -for it, because it wasn't there. I never thought of the rope after I -spoke about it in the letter. Well, Tom, what do you say? I am ready to -face the spectre of the cave if you are."</p> - -<p>"Talk enough," was Tom's reply.</p> - -<p>And to show that he was in earnest about it, he picked up his -camp-chair and went into the cabin.</p> - -<p>When he came out again, he carried his double-barrel in his hands and -his cartridge belt was buckled about his waist.</p> - -<p>No one could have accused these three boys of cowardice if they had -decided that they would not go near the gorge at all. It was plain -that the men who were in hiding there—they were satisfied now that -there were at least two of them—were fugitives from <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_269" id="Page_269">[Pg 269]</a></span>justice, and such -characters ought to be left to the care of the officers of the law.</p> - -<p>It is true that their presence in the gorge was a continual menace to -the peace and comfort of the young game-wardens. They seemed to say, by -their actions, "We are here to stay, and you can't get us out."</p> - -<p>The boys took the events of the last two days as a challenge to them -to come on and see what they could make by it, and the promptness with -which Joe Morgan proposed the expedition, and the nervous eagerness -exhibited by Tom and Bob in preparing to take part in it, indicated -that they meant to do something before they came back.</p> - -<p>"There's one thing about it," said Bob, after he had armed himself, and -closed and locked the door, "we are not to be turned from our purpose -by a dozen dummy ghosts, and neither will those horrid yells have the -same effect upon us that they did the first time we heard them. If Dan -had fired into the bushes, instead of aiming at the 'hant's' head—"</p> - -<p>"I hope you don't intend to do that!" cried Joe, in alarm. "If you do, -you will<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_270" id="Page_270">[Pg 270]</a></span> get into trouble as sure as the world. Beyond a doubt, there -was a man behind the bushes."</p> - -<p>"Of course there was," assented Bob. "But you need not worry about me. -I shall not allow my excitement to lead me into anything reckless."</p> - -<p>Tom Hallet, who was leading the way, took a short cut through the -woods, and his route did not take him and his companions within a mile -of Joe Morgan's cabin.</p> - -<p>If they had gone there, instead of holding a straight course for the -gorge, they might have been in time to see something surprising. They -did not know that the enemy was operating in the rear while they were -marching upon his stronghold, but they found it out afterward.</p> - -<p>They moved along as silently as so many Indians, and when they reached -the gorge, spread themselves out along the brink, looking for a place -that gave promise of an easy descent to the bottom.</p> - -<p>Before they had made many steps, Joe uttered an exclamation of -astonishment, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_271" id="Page_271">[Pg 271]</a></span> with a motion of his hand, called his companions to -his side.</p> - -<p>"This is the spot we are looking for," said he, in a suppressed -whisper. "Push the bushes aside and you will see it."</p> - -<p>Tom did so, and, sure enough, there was a clearly-defined path, which -seemed to run straight down to the brook below.</p> - -<p>It looked more like an archway than anything else to which we can -compare it, for the tops of the bushes were entwined above it, and they -were so dense and matted that they shut out every ray of the sun.</p> - -<p>"Now what's to be done?" whispered Bob. "No doubt the path leads -straight down to their hiding-place, and I am free to confess that I -don't want to come upon them before I know it."</p> - -<p>Joe's reply was characteristic of the boy. He did not say a word, but -worked his way through the bushes, and moved down the path with slow -and cautious footsteps.</p> - -<p>"That looks like business," whispered Bob, who lost not a moment in -following his daring leader, Tom and Bugle being equally prompt to -bring up the rear. </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_272" id="Page_272">[Pg 272]</a></span></p> - -<p>In this order they moved at a snail's pace toward the bottom of the -gorge, stopping every few feet to listen, and all the while holding -themselves in readiness to fight or run, as circumstances might seem -to require, and to their great surprise they came to the foot of the -path without encountering the least opposition, or hearing any alarming -sound.</p> - -<p>The deep silence that brooded over the gorge aroused their suspicions -at once. What if the enemy had heard their approach, in spite of all -the pains they had taken to keep them in ignorance of it, and prepared -an ambush for them?</p> - -<p>Joe thought of that, and the instant he found himself in the gorge, he -moved promptly to one side, so that his companions could form in line -of battle on his left—a manœuvre which they executed at double -quick time.</p> - -<p>"Great Scott! There's our cave," whispered Tom, who was so nearly -overcome with amazement that he could scarcely speak plainly.</p> - -<p>"And there's the ghost," chimed in Joe,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_273" id="Page_273">[Pg 273]</a></span> pointing to a scarecrow in -white raiment that lay prone on the rocks under a dense thicket. "Just -take a look at its head! Those four loads of shot tore it almost to -pieces."</p> - -<p>But Tom and Bob did not stop to look at the ghost, for they were -too busy taking notes of their surroundings while awaiting an onset -from the owners of the camp. For it was a camp in which they found -themselves, and everything in and about it seemed to indicate that it -had been occupied for some length of time—two or three weeks at least.</p> - -<p>Tom's cave proved, upon closer inspection, to be something else—a -rude but very comfortable shelter, in the building of which nature's -handiwork had been improved upon by the ingenuity of man. The slanting -roof, which for ten feet or more from the entrance was quite high -enough to permit a tall man to stand upright, was the bottom of a -huge rock, firmly embedded in the face of the overhanging bluff. The -walls of the cabin, or whatever you choose to call it, were made of -evergreens, which had been piled against the rock, top downward, to -shed the rain; and that one<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_274" id="Page_274">[Pg 274]</a></span> little thing showed to the experienced -eyes of the boys that the men who lived there were old campers.</p> - -<p>In front of the wide, open entrance were the smouldering remains of a -camp-fire, over which a hasty breakfast had been cooked and eaten.</p> - -<p>The boys were sure that the meal had been a hurried one, because the -dishes were left unwashed; and that is a disagreeable duty that no -old-time "outer" ever neglects, unless circumstances compel him to do -so.</p> - -<p>When the fire was in full blast, and the flames were roaring and -crackling and the sparks ascending toward the clouds, it was probable -that the interior of the cabin was bright and cheerful; but now it -looked dark and forbidding, thought the boys, as they stretched their -necks, twisted their bodies at all sorts of angles, and strained their -eyes in the vain effort to see through the gloom that seemed to have -settled over the other end of it.</p> - -<p>It was a fine place for an ambuscade, but if the enemy had concealed -themselves there,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_275" id="Page_275">[Pg 275]</a></span> why did they not come out? Now was the time for them -to make their presence known and felt.</p> - -<p>All this while Tom Hallet's little beagle, upon which the boys had been -depending to warn them of the proximity of any danger that their less -acute senses might not enable them to detect, had been acting in a most -unusual manner. He was generally foremost in every expedition in which -his master took part, but in this one he was quite contented to remain -in the rear.</p> - -<p>He went into the camp boldly enough, but after he had taken one look -at its surroundings, and caught a single sniff of the tainted air, he -stuck up the bristles on the back of his neck, dropped his tail between -his legs, and ran behind his master for protection.</p> - -<p>"I really believe they are in there. 'St—boy! Go in and hunt them out! -Sick 'em!" whispered Tom, pointing to the cabin.</p> - -<p>But Bugle was in no hurry to go. He was usually prompt to obey the -slightest motion of his master's hand; but now he refused to budge an -inch—except toward the rear. </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_276" id="Page_276">[Pg 276]</a></span></p> - -<p>He ran to the foot of the path and stood there, saying as plainly as a -dog could that he would go back to the top of the bluff before he would -advance a step nearer to the cabin.</p> - -<p>The boys closely watched all his movements, and told themselves, -privately, that perhaps they had done a foolhardy thing in coming down -there.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_277" id="Page_277">[Pg 277]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER XXIV.</span> <span class="smaller">ROBBERS.</span></h2> - -<p>"You're a coward!" exclaimed Tom, shaking his fist at the frightened -beagle, and forgetting in his anger that this was the first time the -animal had ever refused to yield ready obedience to his slightest wish. -"I'll trade you off for the meanest yellow cur in Bellville, and hire a -cheap boy to steal the cur. Come back here and see what there is in the -cabin, I tell you!"</p> - -<p>"Don't scold him," interposed Joe. "I don't much like the idea of -venturing in there myself, but here goes."</p> - -<p>As he spoke he drew back the hammer of his rifle, and, with steady, -unfaltering steps, walked into the cabin, little dreaming of the -astounding things that were to grow out of this simple act.</p> - -<p>Tom and Bob promptly moved up to support him, but the sequel proved -that it wasn't<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_278" id="Page_278">[Pg 278]</a></span> necessary, for there was no one in the cabin to oppose -them.</p> - -<p>When Joe announced this fact, which he did as soon as his eyes became -accustomed to the darkness, so that he could see what there was in -front of him, Tom wanted to know where the robbers were, but that was a -point on which his companions could not enlighten him.</p> - -<p>"They have gone off on a plundering expedition, of course," continued -Tom, "and there's no telling when they will be back. We don't want to -let them catch us here."</p> - -<p>"And neither do we want to leave until we have found out something -about them," answered Joe. "Come in here, one of you. I have discovered -a lot of plunder of some sort, and if we give it an overhauling we may -be able to find out who it belongs to, and what brought them here. The -other had better stay outside and keep watch."</p> - -<p>Tom volunteered to stand guard, and so Bob went into the cabin. It was -large enough to accommodate half a dozen men, he found when he got into -it, but the "shake downs," <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_279" id="Page_279">[Pg 279]</a></span>which were spread upon the floor at the -farther end of it, indicated that probably not more than two or three -persons were accustomed to seek shelter there.</p> - -<p>Bob had not been gone more than a minute when he called out to his -friend at the entrance:</p> - -<p>"Say, Tom, here's our grip-sack."</p> - -<p>Tom was amused as well as surprised. He and Bob had made that letter -up all out of their own heads, and with not the slightest suspicion -in their minds that there was anything to be found in that particular -gorge, except, perhaps, a solitary grouse or two, which had hidden -there to get out of the way of the shooters who made their headquarters -at the Beach, and yet they had located a concealed habitation, and -described at least one of the things that were to be found in it.</p> - -<p>It was a little short of wonderful, and again Tom asked himself if such -a thing had ever happened before.</p> - -<p>"Has it got a false bottom in it?" he inquired. </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_280" id="Page_280">[Pg 280]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Don't know," answered Bob. "Here it comes. Examine it yourself, if you -can open it, and let us know what you find in it."</p> - -<p>The valise was locked when it left Bob's hand and went sailing toward -the entrance, but the force with which it struck the rocks burst it -open, giving Tom a view of its contents.</p> - -<p>While he was taking a look at them, Joe and Bob were giving the cabin a -most thorough overhauling, tearing the beds to pieces, and peering into -every dark corner they could discover, and at every turn they found -something to strengthen them in the belief that they had stumbled upon -a den of thieves, sure enough.</p> - -<p>In the way of provender, they found a whole ham, a bushel of potatoes, -and an armful of corn; and Joe declared that the last two must have -been stolen the night before, because the dirt was not dry on the -potatoes, and the husks on the ears of corn were perfectly fresh.</p> - -<p>"Mr. Hallet's fields furnished those things, and I should not wonder -if the ham came from<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_281" id="Page_281">[Pg 281]</a></span> his smoke-house," said Joe. "But what could have -been their object in stealing these sheets and pillow-cases? Campers -don't generally care to have such things around, because they can't be -kept clean."</p> - -<p>"Don't you think they used them to dress up their ghost?" inquired Bob. -"That dummy out there under the bushes has got a sheet on."</p> - -<p>"So it has," replied Joe. "I'd give something to know what it was that -suggested to them the idea of scaring folks away with that thing. They -must know that everybody can't be frightened by white scare-crows. What -is it? Found a false bottom in that grip-sack?"</p> - -<p>"Or the twelve thousand dollars in bills, and three hundred in gold?" -chimed in Bob.</p> - -<p>These questions were addressed to Tom Hallet, who just then called -attention to himself by uttering an exclamation indicative of the -profoundest amazement.</p> - -<p>By way of reply he shook a handful of greenbacks at them, and then -dropped it to pick up a large roll of postage stamps. By<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_282" id="Page_282">[Pg 282]</a></span> the time they -got out to him he had exchanged the stamps for two elegant gold watches.</p> - -<p>"This grip-sack is full to the brim of valuables, money, and -securities," said Tom, in a scarcely audible whisper, "and I—stop your -noise!" he added, turning fiercely upon Bugle, who just then uttered a -sound that was between a whine and a bark, and came running from the -foot of the path where he had laid himself down to wait until the boys -were ready to leave the camp. "Shut your mouth, you coward!"</p> - -<p>The beagle crowded close to his master's side, in spite of the efforts -the angry boy made to push him away, looked toward the path, and whined -and growled, and exhibited other signs of terror and excitement.</p> - -<p>With a warning gesture to his companions, Joe moved farther away from -the cabin, and stood in a listening attitude.</p> - -<p>In a second more, he turned about, jumped back to the valise and began -throwing the things into it in the greatest haste.</p> - -<div class="center"><img src="images/i282.jpg" alt="Treasure Trove" /></div> - -<p class="bold"><span class="smcap">Treasure Trove</span></p> - -<p>"Hurry up, all of us!" said he in a <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_283" id="Page_283">[Pg 283]</a></span>thrilling whisper. "The men -are coming down the path. I don't know whether or not they have -seen anything to arouse their suspicions, but they are moving very -cautiously, and talking in low tones. There you are," he added, when -all the things that Tom had taken out of the valise had been crowded -promiscuously into it again. "Grab it up and run with it before Bugle -gives tongue to let them know that we are here. Bob and I will cover -your retreat."</p> - -<p>Tom lost not a moment in acting upon this suggestion. In less time than -it takes to tell it, they had all disappeared in the bushes.</p> - -<p>Tom made good time toward the first bend in the brook, hoping to get -out of sight before the men had opportunity to discover that their camp -had been disturbed during their absence, and he accomplished his object.</p> - -<p>As soon as he passed the first bend, and left the camp out of sight, -Tom turned into the bushes and scrambled up the bluff, his watchful -guard following close behind him.</p> - -<p>Knowing full well that the robbers were thoroughly armed, and that -it would be an<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_284" id="Page_284">[Pg 284]</a></span> easy matter for them to bushwack them during their -retreat, the boys did not relax their vigilance in the slightest degree -when they reached the top of the cliff, and neither did they neglect to -cover their flight by making use of every tree, rock and bush that came -in their way.</p> - -<p>The experience they had gained in stalking the wild game of the hills -stood them in good stead now, and so stealthy were they in their -movements that the dry leaves that covered the ground scarcely rustled -beneath their tread.</p> - -<p>Tom held a straight course for Joe's cabin, which was the nearest haven -of refuge, but no sooner did he get a glimpse of it than he came to a -sudden halt, and motioned to Joe to hasten to his side.</p> - -<p>"What's the matter?" asked Joe. "There are no enemies in front of us, I -hope."</p> - -<p>"Did you forget to close and lock your door when you left home this -morning?" inquired Tom.</p> - -<p>"Of course I didn't. I took particular pains to— Now can anybody tell -me what<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_285" id="Page_285">[Pg 285]</a></span> that means? The door is standing wide open, as sure as I live."</p> - -<p>"Has Mr. Warren got two keys to that lock?" queried Bob.</p> - -<p>"Not that I know of," answered Joe.</p> - -<p>"Then that open door means this," continued Bob: "While we were -prowling about the robbers' camp, they, or some of their kind, seized -the opportunity to come here and see what you—"</p> - -<p>Joe waited to hear no more. Without giving his friends a hint of his -intentions, he ran toward the cabin at the top of his speed, hoping to -corner somebody there, and cover him with his rifle so that he could -not escape. But in this he was disappointed.</p> - -<p>It was plain that some one had been there while he was gone, for -the window was open, as well as the door, and the cabin was in the -greatest confusion. It had been ransacked as thoroughly as Joe and his -companions had ransacked the robbers' camp. Knowing that he could not -do the matter justice in English, the young game-warden leaned on the -muzzle of his rifle and said nothing. </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_286" id="Page_286">[Pg 286]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Who did it? Anything missing? This is a pretty state of affairs, I -must say!" were a few of the exclamations to which Tom and Bob gave -utterance, as they crowded into the cabin and took a hurried survey of -things.</p> - -<p>Had it not been for Dan's encounter with the ghost on the previous day, -Joe would have thought at once that his brother was the guilty party; -but he did not suspect him now, because he knew that Dan would not dare -to come up there alone to take revenge upon him for his refusal to -admit him to a full partnership in his business. Silas was afraid to -come up there, too; and even if he were not, it wasn't likely that he -would do anything of this kind, because he wanted Joe to stay there and -earn the hundred and twenty dollars, so that he could take it away from -him.</p> - -<p>"If the blame doesn't rest with Hobson or some of that clique, it rests -with the men to whom that grip-sack belongs," said Joe, confidently. -"I don't know whether they have stolen any of my things or not. I must -look them over first."</p> - -<p>Tom offering to assist him in his work,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_287" id="Page_287">[Pg 287]</a></span> Bob volunteered to stand guard -over them, adding:</p> - -<p>"It begins to look to me as though this thing of playing game-warden -has its drawbacks, as well as going to school. Tom and I thought we -were going to have the finest kind of times up here this winter, -growing fat on grouse and squirrels, and enjoying the freedom of -camp-life; but I have my doubts. We came here only yesterday morning, -and just look at the fuss we have had already. What is it, Joe?"</p> - -<p>"Do you see my shotgun anywhere, either of you?" asked Joe in reply. "I -am afraid it is gone. Yes, sir, it has been stolen," he added, after -he had looked in every place where so large an article could find -concealment. "I wish they might have left me that; but they didn't, and -with it they took my game-bag, powder-flask and shot-pouch. I know that -the whole outfit isn't worth any great sum; but I worked hard for it, -and somehow I don't like to lose it."</p> - -<p>"I should say not," exclaimed Tom, who would hardly have exhibited -greater anger if<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_288" id="Page_288">[Pg 288]</a></span> his fine double-barrel had been carried off by the -thieves. "Look here, fellows," he added, suddenly, "that grip-sack was -found on Mr. Warren's grounds, and I suppose we ought to hand it over -to him, hadn't we? Well, then, shall we tell him about the ghost, or -shall we skip that?"</p> - -<p>Bob and Joe didn't know how to answer this question. They hadn't -thought of it before.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_289" id="Page_289">[Pg 289]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER XXV.</span> <span class="smaller">WHAT THE GRIP-SACK CONTAINED.</span></h2> - -<p>"And look here, fellows," said Tom, again, "If we forget to tell about -the ghost, how shall we account for the extraordinary interest we have -taken in the parties who live in the gorge? Answer me that, if you can."</p> - -<p>"The manly way is the best way," observed Joe.</p> - -<p>Tom and Bob knew that as well as Joe did. They were quite willing to -tell Mr. Warren, when they gave the valise into his keeping, that the -events of the day (all except the robbery of Joe's cabin, of course) -had been brought about by their fondness for practical joking, but they -could not make up their minds to do it, because they did not know how -Joe would feel about it.</p> - -<p>If Silas and Dan were their father and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_290" id="Page_290">[Pg 290]</a></span> brother, they wouldn't care to -have every one in the country for miles around know what fools they -had made of themselves over the letter which the former found in his -wood-pile.</p> - -<p>"It isn't my fault that father and Dan believed the story that letter -told them," continued the young game-warden, "and I don't see that I am -under any obligation to keep their secret from my employer. I shall not -ask him to keep it still, although I shall expect him to do so; but if -the robbers are captured, as I hope they will be, the whole thing will -come to light just as soon as the lawyers get hold of it."</p> - -<p>"Have you any idea where the things in this grip-sack came from?" said -Bob, looking in at the door. "Have you heard of a heavy robbery being -committed in these parts lately? Seen any account of it in the papers, -Tom?"</p> - -<p>"No," replied the latter. "You have kept me so busy since you came up -here that I haven't had a chance to look at a newspaper."</p> - -<p>"Neither have I," said Joe, with a smile; "not because I have been too -busy, but for the reason that we can't afford to take one.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_291" id="Page_291">[Pg 291]</a></span> I have -no show whatever to keep posted in matters that happen outside the -Summerdale hills."</p> - -<p>"Well, if you don't keep posted this winter, it will be your own -fault," said Tom, banging the table with a package of illustrated -papers which he had picked up from the floor. "Bob and I look to Uncle -Hallet to keep us supplied with reading matter, and you are welcome to -anything he gives us."</p> - -<p>"Thank you," said Joe. "I have the promise of all the books I want from -Mr. Warren's library, and I should judge by the looks of that package -that he intends to provide me with papers, also. Have you seen anything -in the shape of grub, Tom?"</p> - -<p>"Nary thing," was the answer. "Have much of a supply?"</p> - -<p>"Enough to last a week, I should think."</p> - -<p>"It isn't here now," said Tom, looking around. "It has gone off to keep -company with the shot-gun, most likely."</p> - -<p>"I am afraid it has, and that I shall be obliged to pack up a fresh -supply on my back." </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_292" id="Page_292">[Pg 292]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Coming up here again to-night?" asked Tom.</p> - -<p>"Of course I am," exclaimed Joe, who seemed surprised at the question. -"I belong here, don't I? Are you not coming back?"</p> - -<p>"Certainly. But there are two of us, and only one of you; and, -besides, you have no watch-dog to warn you of—oh, you needn't laugh! -I know that Bugle acted the part of a coward to-day, but he is a good -watch-dog for all that. He will be sure to awaken us if any one comes -prowling around our cabin, and that is all we ask of him. There sir, -your cot is all right again."</p> - -<p>"It's a wonder to me that they didn't steal my blankets," said Joe. -"But, after all, they've got a pretty good supply, and probably they -don't want any more to carry about the country with them, when they -find themselves obliged to break up housekeeping in the gulf, and -strike for new quarters. Now, I think we might as well go on to Mr. -Warren's. I haven't missed anything yet except my provisions and -shooting rig."</p> - -<p>Bob caught up the valise, Joe fastened the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_293" id="Page_293">[Pg 293]</a></span> door by replacing the -staple that had been pulled out of it, and the three boys struck -through the evergreens toward the cow-path before spoken of, which ran -from Silas Morgan's wood-pile to Mr. Warren's barn.</p> - -<p>They were still much excited, and showed it plainly in their actions -and speech.</p> - -<p>Although they had no reason to believe that the robbers were anywhere -near them, they did not forget to stop and listen now and then, and -look along the path behind; and if a squirrel jumped from one tree to -another, or the wind caused a sudden rustling among the neighboring -bushes, they were prompt to drop their guns into the hollow of their -arms and face in the direction from which the sound came.</p> - -<p>"I declare I am as nervous as any old woman," said Bob, at length. "I -act and feel as if I had been frightened half out of my wits, and yet I -haven't seen a single thing."</p> - -<p>"But you heard the robbers coming down the path, didn't you? And you -know that they would be only too glad to have revenge<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_294" id="Page_294">[Pg 294]</a></span> on the parties -who took their ill-gotten gains away from them," said Joe. "Now that I -think of it, what right had we to touch this grip-sack?"</p> - -<p>"We took it 'on general principles,' as the policemen say when they -arrest a person against whom they have no evidence, but who they think -is getting ready to do something he ought not," was Bob's answer. "If -those men came honestly by the things that are in that valise, we are -liable to get ourselves into a pretty pickle for laying hands on it; -but I'll bet you anything you please that they'll not come down to Mr. -Warren's house after their property. 'Cause why, they haven't a shadow -of a right to it."</p> - -<p>When the boys came within sight of the barn, they left the cow-path, -crawled through a pair of bars, and turned into the wide carriage-way -that ran around the house and past the front door.</p> - -<p>Their vigorous pull at the bell brought out Mr. Warren himself.</p> - -<p>"What are you doing here?" he asked, trying to look surprised and to -bring a frown<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_295" id="Page_295">[Pg 295]</a></span> to his jolly, good-natured face. "Is this what you -young gentlemen are paid for—to run about the country, while the -market-shooters slip up to those wood-lots and shoot all the birds?"</p> - -<p>"If market-shooters were the only things we had to look out for, we'd -have a fine time this winter," replied Bob, as the gentleman shook -hands with him. "Do you see this grip-sack? Well, there's a tale -hanging to it."</p> - -<p>Mr. Warren said he couldn't see any, and asked the boys to come in.</p> - -<p>"That's because the tale is in our heads," replied Bob, seating himself -in the chair that was pointed out to him. "Will you be kind enough to -dump the things out of this valise and tell us what you think of them.</p> - -<p>"What's in it?" inquired Mr. Warren, who looked puzzled.</p> - -<p>Bob, by way of response, waved his hand toward Tom, who said, in answer -to the gentleman's inquiring glance:</p> - -<p>"I didn't have time to make a very thorough examination of its -contents, for the robbers didn't stay away long enough; but—" </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_296" id="Page_296">[Pg 296]</a></span></p> - -<p>"The robbers!" exclaimed Mr. Warren.</p> - -<p>"Yes; the men who are camping in the gorge. But I can't make you -understand it, unless I go at it right," said Tom, who then went on to -tell his story, to which Mr. Warren listened with the closest attention.</p> - -<p>When Tom ceased speaking, he said:</p> - -<p>"And so you knew that there was something in the gorge before you took -possession of your cabin, did you? Well, your Uncle Hallet suspected -it."</p> - -<p>"I don't know what right he had to suspect anything," said Tom. "We -never told him of our experience in the gorge."</p> - -<p>"I know you didn't, and the reason was because you were afraid he would -laugh at you. But he knew very well that you were keeping something -from him. When the idea of playing game-wardens first took hold of -you, you were very enthusiastic over it; but when you returned from -your trip down the gorge, and learned that Mr. Emerson had given Bob -permission to stay in the woods with you during the winter, you didn't -dance about and go into ecstasies, as you ought to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_297" id="Page_297">[Pg 297]</a></span> have done. That's -why your Uncle suspects something; but, I declare, he didn't look for -anything like this," exclaimed Mr. Warren, gazing in surprise at the -contents of the valise, which he had turned out upon the carpet. "You -have done a good piece of detective work, for these things were stolen, -beyond a doubt, and if they came from the place I think they did, you -are entitled to a reward of ten thousand dollars."</p> - -<p>"Great Scott!" exclaimed Tom and Bob, while Joe Morgan fairly gasped -for breath, and his mind suddenly became so confused that he could not -calculate how much his share of that reward would amount to. But he had -a dim idea that it would be something over three thousand dollars; and -wouldn't that place his mother above want for a good many years to come?</p> - -<p>The young game-warden never once thought of himself, until his father's -scowling visage and Dan's arose before his mental vision, and then he -wondered what tactics they would resort to, and what new system of -persecution they would adopt, in order to squeeze<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_298" id="Page_298">[Pg 298]</a></span> the last cent of -those three thousand dollars out of him.</p> - -<p>While he was thinking about it, he sat down on the floor beside Tom and -Bob, who were kneeling in front of Mr. Warren. When the latter laid one -of the watches aside, with the remark that it was a valuable timepiece, -and no doubt the rightful owner would be glad to get it back, Bob -picked it up and opened it. An inscription on the inside of the back -part of the case caught his eye, and he read it aloud as follows:</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>"Geo. Y. Seely, Esq. With the regards of his grateful friend, Joel -Burnett."</p></blockquote> - -<p>"What's that?" cried Mr. Warren. "Read that again, please."</p> - -<p>Bob complied, and then handed over the watch, so that Joe's employer -could read it for himself.</p> - -<p>"I know both those men," said the latter, at length. "I went to school -with them in the old academy at Bellville, and so did your father and -uncle," nodding at Tom and Bob. "Seely helped Burnett out of a tight -place,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_299" id="Page_299">[Pg 299]</a></span> when his business was about to go to ruin, and Burnett gave him -this watch to show his gratitude."</p> - -<p>"Then those things must have some from Hammondsport," exclaimed Tom. -"Say, Bob, don't you remember reading an account of the disappearance -of a lot of securities from the county treasurer's office in -Hammondsport, on the same night that several burglaries were committed -there?"</p> - -<p>"I believe I do," replied Bob, after thinking a moment. "If my memory -serves me, the treasurer himself was suspected of having a hand in -it—that is, in the loss of the bonds; but they couldn't prove anything -against him."</p> - -<p>"Of course, they couldn't," said Mr. Warren, indignantly. "The missing -papers are right here. I never did believe in his guilt, for I have -known him for years, and I never saw the least thing wrong with him. He -is under a cloud now, but it will break away as soon as your exploit -becomes known through the country. You have rendered him a most -important service, if you did but know it." </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_300" id="Page_300">[Pg 300]</a></span></p> - -<p>"I am glad that we have been of some use in the world," said Bob.</p> - -<p>"Well, that was what you were put here for, wasn't it? How much do you -think these things are worth?" said Mr. Warren, as he put the various -packages back into the valise.</p> - -<p>The boys couldn't tell; but they remembered now that the thieves had -taken a good deal of property out of Hammondsport on the night of their -raid, and Tom and Bob thought that perhaps they had secured as much as -forty or fifty thousand dollars' worth.</p> - -<p>"You boys don't know much," replied Mr. Warren. "That valise, just as -it stands, couldn't be bought for a cent less than a hundred and fifty -thousand dollars. The bonds and securities are worth a pile of money, -I tell you; and there must be two or three thousands in greenbacks in -there, to say nothing of the watches. Boys, you have done something to -be proud of; and it's a lucky thing for Tom and Bob that they did not -try to find out where the howls that frightened them came from. The -robbers were at home<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_301" id="Page_301">[Pg 301]</a></span> then, and if they had not succeeded in driving -you away, they would have shot you down without ceremony."</p> - -<p>"Then we had a perfect right to take that grip-sack, didn't we, Mr. -Warren?" said Joe, whose mind was not quite easy on that score.</p> - -<p>"I should say you had," replied Mr. Warren, with a laugh. "You have -made yourselves wealthy, too, for you are fairly entitled to the -reward."</p> - -<p>"Well, what are we going to do about arresting those thieves?" said Tom.</p> - -<p>When all the packages had been put back into the valise, he and his -two companions had got upon their feet and shouldered their guns, -supposing, of course, that Mr. Warren would bestir himself as if he -meant to do something; but, instead of that, he settled back into his -chair and put his hands into his pockets.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_302" id="Page_302">[Pg 302]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER XXVI.</span> <span class="smaller">MR. HALLET HEARS THE NEWS.</span></h2> - -<p>"What are you going to do about it?" repeated Tom, who was impatient -to begin operations at once. "The robbers have by this time discovered -that their ill-gotten gains have slipped through their fingers, and of -course they are not going to stay there in the gulf till the sheriff -comes and gobbles them up. While we are idling here, they may be taking -themselves safe off."</p> - -<p>"They may, and then again they may not," said Mr. Warren. "If they are -at all acquainted with these hills—and if they are not, I don't see -why they came here in the first place—they must know that there's not -another spot in the whole country, of the same size, that affords so -many excellent hiding-places. But we'll talk about them by-and-by. <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_303" id="Page_303">[Pg 303]</a></span>Joe -is the fellow I am thinking about just now."</p> - -<p>The young game-warden looked his surprise, but did not speak.</p> - -<p>"Yes," continued Mr. Warren, "somehow I don't like to think about the -visit they made to his cabin while you boys were in the gorge. Did they -take any of your things, Tom?"</p> - -<p>That was the first time it had ever occurred to Tom and his friend that -the robbers might have given their own house an overhauling, and that -possibly Joe Morgan was not the only one who had suffered at their -hands. They looked blankly at each other, and at last Bob managed to -say that they had not been near their cabin since they left it in Joe's -company, early in the morning.</p> - -<p>"Then perhaps it would be worth while for you to go up there and look -into things," said Mr. Warren, "while I go down and talk to Hallet. It -is possible that we shall decide to take this valise to Hammondsport -before I come back. I am sure I don't want to keep it in the house over -night, for if those robbers<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_304" id="Page_304">[Pg 304]</a></span> should by any means get on the track of -it, they wouldn't be at all backward about coming here after it."</p> - -<p>"I don't see how they could get on the track of it," Joe remarked.</p> - -<p>"Did it ever occur to you that they might have followed you at a -distance when you came down from the mountain?" inquired Mr. Warren.</p> - -<p>Yes, the boys had thought of that, and it had kept them on nettles. But -they were never off their guard, held their guns ready for instant use, -and faced about whenever they head the slightest sound. If the men were -on their trail, why did they not rush up and grab the valise?</p> - -<p>"Because they did not care to face the bullets and bird-shot that were -in those guns—that's the reason," answered Mr. Warren. "They will not -do anything openly; I am not at all afraid of that. But I <i>am</i> afraid -that they will be full of life and action when night comes. Perhaps, -after all, you boys had better bring your things down and stay at home, -until the sheriff has had opportunity to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_305" id="Page_305">[Pg 305]</a></span> take those fellows into -custody. Joe, I give you an order to that effect."</p> - -<p>"I don't much like the idea of deserting my post on account of -imaginary dangers," replied Joe.</p> - -<p>"That's the idea; neither do I!" exclaimed Tom.</p> - -<p>"It's my opinion that your Uncle Hallet will be quite positive on -that point," said Mr. Warren, who laughed heartily when he saw the -expression of disappointment and disgust that overspread the faces of -the young game-wardens.</p> - -<p>"If he is, I'll kick, I bet you!" declared Tom.</p> - -<p>"And much good will that do you. Now, Tom, be a good boy, and do a -little errand for me. Go out to the barn and tell Fred to hitch the -blacks to the canopy top. Then we'll all ride down to Uncle Hallet's -and see what he thinks of this morning's work."</p> - -<p>Depositing his double barrel in one corner of the hall, Tom hastened -out to comply with this request, and Mr. Warren addressed himself to -Bob and Joe. </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_306" id="Page_306">[Pg 306]</a></span></p> - -<p>"This beats anything I ever heard of," said he. "Who would have -imagined that your love of mischief was destined to bring rogues to -justice, clear an honest man's reputation, and make you rich into the -bargain? Joseph, I am sorry you lost your gun; but you shall not go -hungry because they carried off your provisions."</p> - -<p>"The gun wasn't worth much," was Joe's reply, "and perhaps I haven't -lost it yet. I shall live in hopes of having it returned to me when -those men are arrested. Do you really think I had better stop at home?"</p> - -<p>"Of nights? Yes, I do."</p> - -<p>"I am not at all afraid," began Joe.</p> - -<p>"I haven't so much as hinted that you were," interrupted his employer, -"but I can't see the use of your putting yourself in the way of danger -for nothing. If there was any real need that you should stay up there, -the case would be different. My object, and Hallet's, in building those -cabins, was to provide comfortable quarters for our wardens, so that -they would not have to wade through the deep snow in going to and from -their work.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_307" id="Page_307">[Pg 307]</a></span> If you will spend the day in walking around the woods and -looking out for market-shooters, it is all I shall ask of you, until -those robbers have been shut up. Even after that you may have trouble, -for you have got Brierly down on you."</p> - -<p>"I don't see why Brierly should be down on him," said Bob. "By turning -him back, Joe helped him get twenty-five dollars for nothing."</p> - -<p>"I am well enough acquainted with him to know that he will never -forgive Joe for threatening to report him," said Mr. Warren. "The first -good chance he gets, he will be even with him for that."</p> - -<p>While they were talking in this way, Tom Hallet came bounding up the -steps, and a few minutes later the canopy top was driven up to the door.</p> - -<p>The boys got in, in obedience to a sign from Mr. Warren; but one of -them, at least would have objected, if he had thought that he could -gain anything by it.</p> - -<p>That one was Joe Morgan, who scarcely knew whether he stood on his head -or his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_308" id="Page_308">[Pg 308]</a></span> feet. Mr. Warren's confident assertions regarding the value of -the property which he and his two friends had found in the robbers' -hiding place had turned him completely upside down—at least, that was -what he told himself. His share of the ten thousand dollars, if he ever -got it (and his employer did not seem to have any misgivings on that -point), would make a great change in his circumstances. It would put it -in his power to obtain the schooling he wanted, and give his mother the -good long rest of which everybody, except Silas and Dan, could see that -she stood so much in need.</p> - -<p>"But won't they be hopping mad when they hear of it?" Joe asked -himself, over and over again. "And what would they have done with the -things that are in that valise, if they had found them? The money they -could have spent, of course; but they would not dare wear the watches -and jewelry, and the papers they would have destroyed, and with them -their only chance of putting in a claim for the reward. As things have -turned out, mother will receive the most benefit from<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_309" id="Page_309">[Pg 309]</a></span> this morning's -work, unless it be the county treasurer, who was unjustly accused of -crookedness. He can thank Bob and Tom for that, and if I ever see him, -I shall take pains to tell him so. If they had not played that joke on -father and Dan, he might have remained under a cloud all his life."</p> - -<p>The young game-warden was so fully occupied with these thoughts that he -did not know what was going on around him, until Bob Emerson seized him -by the arm and shook him out of his reverie.</p> - -<p>"Isn't that so?" he demanded.</p> - -<p>"Certainly; it's all true," replied Joe.</p> - -<p>"It was a nice place, wasn't it?" continued Bob.</p> - -<p>"Splendid," said Joe, who had no idea what particular place Bob was -referring to.</p> - -<p>But the latter did not notice his abstraction. He and Tom were telling -Mr. Warren what a nice camp the robbers had made for themselves under -the bluff, and dilating upon the amount of work they must have done in -making so good a path through those dense thickets. </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_310" id="Page_310">[Pg 310]</a></span></p> - -<p>"In front of the cabin—that's the way we always speak of it, for it -wasn't really a cave, you know—there was a cleared half-circle that -was fully as large as your parlor," said Bob. "In this circle we saw a -few battered cooking utensils, the smoking ashes of a camp-fire, and -the ghost that frightened Dan Morgan so badly that he dared not carry -the secret to bed with him. I said from the first that it was a man and -not an animal that yelled at us when Tom and I came down that gorge day -before yesterday, and I finally succeeded in making Tom think so, too; -but he insisted that it wasn't an outlaw, but some one who took it into -his head to play a trick on us, just for the fun of seeing us run. Not -until Joe told us his story, and gave us his ideas regarding matters -and things, did we know just what we would have to face if we went into -that gorge."</p> - -<p>"You say the ghost seemed to grow in height while Dan looked at it," -observed Mr. Warren. "Did Dan's fears make him say that, or was it a -part of the trick?"</p> - -<p>"Of course I am not positive on that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_311" id="Page_311">[Pg 311]</a></span> point," was Bob's reply, "but I -think it was a part of the trick. I gave but one hasty glance at the -dummy, but I took note of the fact that it was rigged on a very long -pole, and it would have been easy for the man who was managing it to -raise it higher and higher above the bushes, if he wanted to do it. I -also noticed that the face was made of a stuffed pillow-case, which had -been blackened with a piece of coal to show where the eyes, nose and -mouth ought to be."</p> - -<p>"What do you think suggested to them the idea of making use of a dummy -to frighten folks away from their hiding-place?"</p> - -<p>"I don't know, unless it was the success that attended their efforts to -keep Tom and me from going there," answered Bob.</p> - -<p>But the sequel proved that, although he had guessed pretty closely on -some things, he had shot wide of the mark when he guessed at this one.</p> - -<p>"As good luck would have it, you went into the gorge while the robbers -were absent on a plundering expedition," said Mr. Warren. "But suppose -you had found them<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_312" id="Page_312">[Pg 312]</a></span> at home, and ready to receive you—what then?"</p> - -<p>"But we didn't, you see!" exclaimed Tom, triumphantly. "We had the camp -all to ourselves."</p> - -<p>"I must say that you are a reckless lot," declared Mr. Warren, "and it -would be serving you just right if Uncle Hallet should order you to be -ready to start for school when the next term begins."</p> - -<p>Bob looked blank, but Tom hastened to quiet his fears by saying:</p> - -<p>"He will never think of such a thing. He is a firm friend of Mr. -Shippen," (that was the name of the county official who was suspected -of making way with the bonds and other valuable documents that had been -placed in his hands for safe keeping), "and when Uncle Hallet knows -that we can clear him, he will be so delighted that he won't think of -scolding us. There he is now. He has been out to get some flowers for -his library table."</p> - -<p>Mr. Hallet was surprised to see his neighbor drive into his yard -with the three game-wardens, <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_313" id="Page_313">[Pg 313]</a></span>who ought to have been far away on the -mountain attending to business, and almost overwhelmed with amazement -when he heard the story they told him while seated on the porch.</p> - -<p>When Mr. Warren showed him the recovered securities, at the same time -remarking that their mutual friend Shippen would be cleared of all -suspicion the moment those papers were produced in Hammondsport, Uncle -Hallet went into the hall after his hat and duster, declaring that it -was a matter of the gravest importance, and must be attended to at once.</p> - -<p>Then he added something that gave his nephew the opportunity to "kick."</p> - -<p>"I am going over to the county-seat with Mr. Warren, and you two boys -had better stay here until I return," was what he said.</p> - -<p>"Now, just look here—" began Tom.</p> - -<p>"I know all about it," interrupted his uncle, turning his head on one -side and waving his hands up and down in the air, "and I am in too -great a hurry to listen to any argument. Joe Morgan has seen one<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_314" id="Page_314">[Pg 314]</a></span> -white face looking at him through his window, and if you stay up there -to-night you will see two; but they will be white with anger, and -not with fear. You have got yourselves in a box by your prying and -meddling," added Uncle Hallet, who was delighted with the exploit the -boys had performed and proud of their pluck, "and I want you to keep -away from those hills after dark, I tell you."</p> - -<p>"Well," said Tom, with a long-drawn sigh, "I suppose I shall have to -submit."</p> - -<p>"I think I would, if I were in your place," said Mr. Warren.</p> - -<p>And as he spoke he brought so comical a look to his face that every one -on the porch broke out in a hearty laugh.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_315" id="Page_315">[Pg 315]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER XXVII.</span> <span class="smaller">JOE'S PLANS.</span></h2> - -<p>When they had had their laugh out, Mr. Warren said to Uncle Hallet:</p> - -<p>"Don't you think it would be a good plan for the boys to bring their -outfit to a place of safety until the sheriff has had time to go up -there and take care of those robbers? If they take it into their heads -to burn the cabins, we don't want them to burn everything there is in -them."</p> - -<p>"Of course not," assented Mr. Hallet. "Tom, tell Hawley to hitch up and -move you down at once—you and Joe. Mind, now, I want him to go with -you."</p> - -<p>"We don't need him," protested Tom. "We can take care of ourselves."</p> - -<p>Uncle Hallet did not think it necessary to discuss this point. He had -given his <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_316" id="Page_316">[Pg 316]</a></span>orders, and he knew that they would be strictly obeyed.</p> - -<p>He stepped into Mr. Warren's wagon, and the latter drove out of the -yard, leaving the boys to themselves.</p> - -<p>"He didn't say that we couldn't go back again as soon as the robbers -have been caught, did he?" observed Bob, whose fears on that score were -now set at rest. "It's going to be a bother to walk up there and back -every day, when we might just as well remain in our cabins, but it -seems that we've got to do it."</p> - -<p>Tom replied that it certainly looked that way; adding, that it would be -of no use for them to "kick," because he knew by the expression that -was on Uncle Hallet's face when he laid down the law to them, that he -meant every word he said.</p> - -<p>They went out to the barn, and found Hawley, the hostler, gardener, and -man-of-all-work, who could hardly believe the story they told him while -he was hitching up; and it needed the sight of Mr. Warren's blacks, -stepping out for Hammondsport at their best<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_317" id="Page_317">[Pg 317]</a></span> pace, and an examination -of the broken fastenings of Joe's cabin, to convince him that the boys -had not dreamed it all, and that there had really been something going -on up there on the mountain.</p> - -<p>"I wouldn't sleep in one of these shanties as long as those robbers are -at liberty for twice fifteen dollars a month, and I think Uncle Hallet -did just right in telling you to keep away from here after dark," said -Hawley.</p> - -<p>And he was in such haste to get the things into his wagon and start for -home, that the boys were surprised, and wondered if he would be of any -use to them if they got into any trouble.</p> - -<p>"There," said Tom, at length; "Joe's cabin is as empty as it was two -days ago. Now, let us go over to our own domicile, and see how things -look there. We can move faster than you can, Hawley, so we will go on -ahead."</p> - -<p>"Well, I guess you'd better not," was the man's reply. "I judged from -what you said that it was your uncle's wish that I should<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_318" id="Page_318">[Pg 318]</a></span> keep an eye -on you. And how am I going to do it if you don't stay with me?"</p> - -<p>"We are in a great hurry to find out whether or not our house was -robbed at the same time that Joe's was," replied Bob, "and we can look -out for ourselves. Come on boys!"</p> - -<p>"He acts as if he were afraid to be left alone," whispered Joe Morgan.</p> - -<p>"And I believe he is," answered Bob. "Events may prove that we are in -more danger up here than we think for."</p> - -<p>Bob didn't know how close he shot to the mark when he uttered these -careless words, but he found it out afterwards.</p> - -<p>Paying no heed to Hawley's remonstrances, the boys hastened on in -advance of him, and in due time came within sight of Tom's cabin. -Nothing there had been disturbed.</p> - -<p>If the robbers knew of its existence, they probably did not think it -safe to go there, because it was so far from their hiding-place.</p> - -<p>"We don't want those things to go," said Tom, when Hawley drove up and -jumped out of his wagon. "We've kept out grub enough for our dinner." </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_319" id="Page_319">[Pg 319]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Ain't you going back with me?" inquired the man.</p> - -<p>"What's the use? We would have to come up here again, and we don't -care to prance up and down this mountain any more times than we are -obliged to. It is understood that we are to stay here during the day. -If we didn't, these wood-lots would be black with shooters in less than -twenty-four hours."</p> - -<p>"Well, I wouldn't stay, day or night," said Hawley. "Them birds ain't -worth the danger that you fellows put yourselves in every minute you -spend here."</p> - -<p>Hawley's anxiety to get through with his work and start for home, was -so apparent, that it is a wonder the young game-wardens did not grow -frightened and decide to go back with him; but they didn't think of -it. They helped him load his wagon, and saw him depart without any -misgivings.</p> - -<p>"Now, what arrangements shall we make about dinner?" said Bob, as soon -as Hawley was out of sight. "I say, let's eat it at once, and be done -with it; then we will save ourselves the trouble of packing it<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_320" id="Page_320">[Pg 320]</a></span> around -through the woods for an hour and a half."</p> - -<p>The boys were all hungry, and knowing by experience that a loaded -haversack or game-bag is an awkward thing to carry through bushes, they -agreed to Bob's proposition, and set to work immediately.</p> - -<p>By their united efforts a substantial meal was quickly made ready and -as quickly disposed of, and then they bade one another good-by and -separated.</p> - -<p>"Joe's got good pluck, I must say," exclaimed Tom Hallet, turning about -to take a last look at Mr. Warren's warden, who was just disappearing -in the gloom of the woods. "I don't think I should be afraid to be left -here alone, but I am very well satisfied to have you with me."</p> - -<p>And Joe Morgan would have been better satisfied if he, too, had had -a companion to talk to, instead of being obliged to roam about by -himself. But he was working for money, of which his mother stood in -need, and he did his duty, although (candor compels us to say it) he -gave the gorge a wide berth. </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_321" id="Page_321">[Pg 321]</a></span></p> - -<p>The startling events of the morning and the many warnings he had -received were of too recent occurrence to be forgotten, and he didn't -care if he never saw that gorge again; still, he would have gone even -there if he had seen or heard the least thing to indicate that poachers -were at work in that vicinity.</p> - -<p>He kept a sharp eye on his watch, and when the clumsy-looking hands -told him that he had just time enough left to get home before dark, -he bent his steps toward the wood-pile, which he always took as his -point of departure, carrying a light heart in his breast, and the happy -consciousness that he had left nothing undone.</p> - -<p>"On the contrary, it's the best day's work I ever did," said Joe, to -himself. "Three thousand three hundred dollars, and a little more for -my share of the reward! Wh-e-w! I do wish I could think of some way to -keep it from father's knowledge and Dan's; but they are bound to hear -of it, and make me all the trouble they can concerning it, and I don't -know but I might as well face the music to-night as any other time." </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_322" id="Page_322">[Pg 322]</a></span></p> - -<p>The future looked as bright to the young game-warden as it did to Silas -Morgan the first time we saw him moving down that road. But there was -this difference between the two: Joe had something tangible upon which -to build his hopes, while his father had nothing but the letter he held -in his hand.</p> - -<p>His mother was the first to greet him when he reached home; indeed, she -was the only one of the family there was in sight. She was surprised -and startled to see him, but she saw at a glance that there was no -cause for alarm.</p> - -<p>"Where's father and Dan?" inquired Joe, taking the precaution to open -the door, which had been closed behind him.</p> - -<p>He did not want either of the two worthies whose names he had just -mentioned to slip up and hear what he had to say to his mother.</p> - -<p>"I don't know where they are now," was Mrs. Morgan's answer. "Daniel -has been sitting there on the bank almost ever since you went away; but -your father, would you believe it, Joe?—he has been down to the Beach -to give up the setters that he has had in his keeping so long." </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_323" id="Page_323">[Pg 323]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Good enough!" exclaimed Joe, who was delighted to hear it. "I have -been afraid that those dogs would get him into trouble sooner or later, -and they would, too, if he had held fast to them much longer. Did he -find the owner?"</p> - -<p>"No; but he gave them to the landlord, to be kept until they were -called for. I don't know what sort of a story he told regarding them, -but he seemed to feel better when he came back."</p> - -<p>"Have you any idea what induced him to take that step?"</p> - -<p>"I think it was the fright he had."</p> - -<p>"Good enough!" said Joe, again. "Those hants—for there are two of -them—are the best friends we ever had. Now, don't say a word, for I -want to tell you something before anybody comes to interrupt me. I -repeat, they are good friends of ours. They have led father into making -restitution of property that he never ought to have had in his hands, -and they have been the means of—"</p> - -<p>Before he told what the hants had been the means of doing, Joe stepped -to the door and looked out. </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_324" id="Page_324">[Pg 324]</a></span></p> - -<p>It was pitch dark now, but the light that streamed from the door of the -cabin was bright enough to show him that there was no eavesdropper in -sight.</p> - -<p>Why didn't he think to go around the corner and look behind the chimney?</p> - -<p>"They have made us rich, mother," continued Joe, stepping to Mrs. -Morgan's side, and speaking in low but distinct tones. "I made three -thousand three hundred dollars this morning by doing less than two -hours' work. Hold on till I get through. I know you are astonished, and -so am I; but it's all true. Sit down, for I've a long story to tell."</p> - -<p>The young game-warden, who stood in constant fear of interruption, -talked rapidly, but he went into all the details, and, by the time he -got through, his mother knew as much about it as he did himself; but -she said she was afraid it was too good to be true.</p> - -<p>"No, it isn't," exclaimed Joe. "When Tom told our story to Mr. Hallet's -hired man, he declared that we had been asleep and dreamed it all. But -it isn't reasonable to suppose that we could all dream the same<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_325" id="Page_325">[Pg 325]</a></span> thing, -is it? When other folks begin talking about it, you will find that it -is true, every word of it. I wish there was some one here to hold me on -the ground," cried Joe, jumping from his chair and swinging his arms -around his head. "Mother, your hard days are all over, and I can go to -school, can't I? I am going to study hard this winter, and whenever I -get stumped, I'll ask Tom and Bob to help me out."</p> - -<p>Having worked off a little of his surplus enthusiasm, Joe sat down -again and talked coolly and sensibly with his mother regarding his -prospects for the future.</p> - -<p>So deeply interested did he become in what he was saying, that he did -not hear the very slight rustling behind the cabin that was occasioned -by his brother Dan, who withdrew his ear from the crack between the -boards against which it had been closely pressed, and stole off into -the darkness.</p> - -<p>But Dan was there and heard it all; and he pounded his head with both -his fists as he walked away.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_326" id="Page_326">[Pg 326]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER XXVIII.</span> <span class="smaller">CAPTURE OF BOB EMERSON.</span></h2> - -<p>Although the young game-warden did not see them, Silas Morgan and his -hopeful son Dan were both sitting on the river bank, in plain view of -the cabin, when he came home. They were both surprised to see him, and -Dan gave it as his private opinion that one night alone in the woods -had effectually taken away all Joe's desire to act as Mr. Warren's game -protector during the winter.</p> - -<p>"And I'm just glad of it," said Dan, spitefully. "I hope in my soul -that that hant came and looked in at his winder, and howled and -screeched at him like he did at us."</p> - -<p>"Well, I hope he didn't," answered Silas. "If Joe is drove away from -there, I don't know what we will do for grub and such when<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_327" id="Page_327">[Pg 327]</a></span> winter -comes. I ain't a going up to old man Warren's wood-lot to work, I bet -you!"</p> - -<p>"Neither be I," said Dan.</p> - -<p>"Then where's the money to come from? We can't live without money, you -know."</p> - -<p>"Well, Joe ain't going to give you none of his'n, 'cause he told me -so. He's going to give every cent of it to mam, and you and me can go -hungry for all he cares."</p> - -<p>"No, I don't reckon we'll go hungry. I know when pay-day comes as well -as he does; and when I know that he's got the month's wages in his -pocket, can't I easy steal it outen your mam's possession after he -hands it over to her? Didn't think of that, did you?"</p> - -<p>"Well, you won't never steal any money outen mam's pocket, nuther," -replied Dan. "Whenever she wants anything from the store, Joe he'll -give her an order on old man Warren, and mam won't tech none of his -earnings. He told me so. You're mighty sharp, pap, but that Joe of -our'n is one ahead of you this time."</p> - -<p>Dan looked to see his father go into a <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_328" id="Page_328">[Pg 328]</a></span>fearful rage when he said this, -but Silas did not do anything of the sort. He sat with his elbows -resting on his knees and his hands supporting his head, gazing off into -the darkness toward the opposite side of the river.</p> - -<p>"What do you reckon that stingy Joe of our'n has come back here to tell -mam?" continued Dan.</p> - -<p>Silas was obliged to confess that he didn't know, and followed it up -with the suggestion that it might be a good plan for him to creep up -and find out.</p> - -<p>"Creep up yourself, if you want to know wusser'n I do," was Dan's -reply. "Can't you see that the door is wide open?"</p> - -<p>"What of it?" said Silas. "Can't you creep up behind the chimbly! -There's a crack there atween the boards that you've often listened at, -'cause I've seen you. Who knows but Joe may be telling her something -about the money that's in the cave?"</p> - -<p>Dan said it was not likely that Joe knew anything about the cave, -beyond what he himself had told him; but still his father's words -aroused his curiosity, and awakened<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_329" id="Page_329">[Pg 329]</a></span> within him a desire to learn what -Joe had to say to his mother.</p> - -<p>He waited a moment or two to bring his courage up to the sticking -point, and then threw himself upon his hands and knees and crept away -from his father's sight. He was gone about twenty minutes, and when -he returned, he acted so much like a crazy boy that Silas was really -afraid of him.</p> - -<p>"What's the matter of you?" he demanded, in an angry whisper. "Did Joe -say anything so't you could hear it?"</p> - -<p>"You're right he did," Dan managed to say, at last. "Oh, pap, we'll -never in this world have another chance like that. We had the best kind -of a show to get rich, and we let it slip through our fingers, fools -that we was."</p> - -<p>Silas fairly gasped for breath. He stared fixedly at Dan, who sat on -the bank, rocking himself from side to side; but he was too amazed to -speak.</p> - -<p>"The money was there all the time," Dan went on, "and that Joe of our'n -he went and got it, dog-gone the luck!" </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_330" id="Page_330">[Pg 330]</a></span></p> - -<p>"And all along of your telling him about it, you idiot," snarled Silas. -"If you had kept your mouth shet, that Joe of our'n wouldn't never have -known that the money was there. I have the best notion in the world -to—"</p> - -<p>"Now, can't you wait until I tell you?" exclaimed Dan, whose senses -came back to him very speedily when he saw that his father was pushing -up his sleeves. "It wasn't all along of my telling him, nuther, that -Joe found out about the cave. Tom and Bob told him, for they were the -ones that writ the letter you took outen your wood-pile."</p> - -<p>The ferryman's astonishment quickly got the better of his rage, and he -listened in a dreamy sort of way to the story that Dan had to tell him; -but when the latter reached the end of it, and Silas found out that he -had really been within a few yards of a valise whose contents could not -be purchased for less than one hundred and fifty thousand dollars, and -that the white thing that frightened him was not a ghost, after all, -but a dummy, managed by a man who might have been <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_331" id="Page_331">[Pg 331]</a></span>disabled by a single -charge from his double-barrel—when Silas heard this, he was ready to -boil over again.</p> - -<p>The fact that a third of the handsome reward that had been offered for -the recovery of the stolen bonds would come into his family did not -serve as a balm for his wounded feelings. He wanted the money himself; -and the reflection that after coming so near to securing it, he had -allowed himself to be frightened away by—</p> - -<p>"Oh, my soul!" groaned Silas, jumping to his feet, and striding up and -down the bank, with both hands tightly clenched in his hair. "Here's -me and you, as poor as Job's turkey, while that Joe of our'n has got -more'n twice as much as he oughter have. He's rich, and after this he -won't do nothing but loaf around and spend his money, while me and -you— Now, wait till I tell you! Did you ever hear of such amazing -mean luck before? Toot away!" he cried, shaking both his fists at the -opposite bank. "I wouldn't go over after you if I knew I'd get five -dollars for it. What's five dollars alongside the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_332" id="Page_332">[Pg 332]</a></span> ten thousand we -might have had if we hadn't been such fools? Oh, Dannie, why didn't we -shoot a little lower?"</p> - -<p>While Silas was talking, the blast of a horn sounded from the other -side of the river. It was a notice to the ferryman that there was -some one over there who wanted to cross the stream, but Silas was in -no humor to respond to it. Again and again the signal was given, and -finally a hail came through the darkness.</p> - -<p>"Hallo, there!" shouted a familiar voice. "Is Joe Morgan at home?"</p> - -<p>"No, he ain't!" growled Dan in reply.</p> - -<p>"Yes, he is!" shouted the owner of that name, who had come out to -assist in taking the flat across the river. "Is that you, Tom Hallet?"</p> - -<p>"Yes. Have you seen anything of Bob?"</p> - -<p>"Not since dinner," was Joe's answer. "What's the matter with him?"</p> - -<p>"We hope there isn't anything the matter with him," shouted Tom; "but -we begin to think— Say, Joe, come over, and bring a lantern. I have -something to show you."</p> - -<p>"I don't know how he's going to get over,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_333" id="Page_333">[Pg 333]</a></span> unless he is able to manage -the flat all by himself," said Dan, in an undertone. "I won't help him, -I bet you."</p> - -<p>Silas was about to say the same, but his curiosity, of which he had -considerably more than two men's share, got the better of him.</p> - -<p>"What do you reckon he wants to show you?" said he, addressing himself -to Joe; "and what's become of Bob?"</p> - -<p>"I am sure I can't tell," answered Joe. "But if you will help me to -take the flat over, we will find out all about it. I am sure you will -hear something worth listening to if you will lend a hand."</p> - -<p>"All right; I'm there," said Silas, jumping up with alacrity.</p> - -<p>"But I ain't," said Dan, doggedly.</p> - -<p>"Who said anything to you?" demanded his father, almost fiercely. "Set -where you are if you feel like it. Me and Joe can get along without -none of your help; and furder'n that," he added, in a lower tone, as -Joe ran to the house to bring a candle and some matches—there being no -such thing as a lantern in the ferryman's humble abode—"me <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_334" id="Page_334">[Pg 334]</a></span>and Joe -will go snucks on his share of the reward, and you shan't see a cent of -it. So there, now!"</p> - -<p>These words were sufficient to infuse a good deal of life and energy -into Dan. He believed that his father would yet contrive some way to -swindle Joe out of every dollar that came into his possession, and if -he (Dan) hoped to get any of it for his own, he must be very careful -how he went contrary to his father's wishes.</p> - -<p>When Joe came back with the candle, Silas and Dan were standing in the -flat, all ready to shove off.</p> - -<p>The young game-warden could not remember when he had carried so heavy a -heart across the river as he did on this particular evening.</p> - -<p>He did not say anything, for he knew that his father and Dan could not -understand his feelings, but his brain was exceedingly busy.</p> - -<p>Bob Emerson had disappeared in some unaccountable way. He knew that -much, and somehow Joe could not help connecting this circumstance with -some words the missing<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_335" id="Page_335">[Pg 335]</a></span> boy had let fall the last time he was in his -company.</p> - -<p>"We may be in more danger while we are up here than we think for," and, -"This thing is going to end in something besides fun."</p> - -<p>These words, which Bob had uttered without giving much heed to what he -was saying, now seemed to Joe to be prophetic of disaster.</p> - -<p>Of course, this reflection made him uneasy, and he exerted himself -to get the heavy flat over to the other side with as little delay as -possible. So did Dan, for a wonder, and the result was, that they made -a much quicker passage than they usually did.</p> - -<p>When the flat came within sight of the bank, Silas, who was at the -steering-oar, leaned forward and informed Joe, in a whisper, that Tom -was not alone—that his uncle Hallet, old man Warren, and both their -hired men were with him, as well as two strangers whom he didn't -remember to have seen before. But a moment later, he added, in tones of -excitement:</p> - -<p>"Yes, I have seen 'em, too. They're the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_336" id="Page_336">[Pg 336]</a></span> sheriff and one of his -deputies. Well, they can't do nothing to me. Ain't it a lucky thing for -me, Joey, that I give up them setter dogs to-day?"</p> - -<p>"I am glad you did," replied Joe, "but I shall always be sorry that you -ever had anything to do with them in the first place."</p> - -<p>With a few long sweeps of his steering-oar, Silas brought the flat -broadside to the bank, and Joe Morgan sprang out. Tom Hallet was the -first one to speak to him.</p> - -<p>"Did I understand you to say that you have not seen Bob since we ate -dinner together?" said he in a trembling voice.</p> - -<p>"That is just what I said," answered Joe, whose worst fears were now -fully confirmed. "You and he went off together, and I haven't seen him -since. Where is he?"</p> - -<p>"I wish I knew," replied Tom. "We felt sorry for you, when we saw you -going away alone; but you got back safe and sound, while we didn't. You -see— Where's your lantern?"</p> - -<p>Joe replied that he had brought a candle, and proceeded to light -it. Then Bob handed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_337" id="Page_337">[Pg 337]</a></span> him a slip of paper on which were written the -following fateful words:</p> - -<blockquote><p>"If you will bring back the property you stole from us, and put it -where you found it, we will give up our prisoner. If you don't, -or if you attempt to play tricks upon us, you will never see him -again."</p></blockquote> - -<p>This portion of the note was written in a strange hand, but under it -was a postscript which Tom declared had been penned by nobody but Bob -Emerson. It ran thus:</p> - -<blockquote><p>"They've got me, Tom, and that's all there is about it. For -goodness sake, bring back that valise! And be quick about it, for -they threaten to do all sorts of dreadful things to me, if their -demands are not complied with in less than twenty-four hours."</p></blockquote> - -<p>Joe handed back the piece of paper, and looked at Tom without speaking.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_338" id="Page_338">[Pg 338]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER XXIX.</span> <span class="smaller">THE HUNT FOR THE ROBBERS.</span></h2> - -<p>"Bob was right when he declared that this thing was destined to end in -something besides fun, wasn't he?" observed Tom, giving utterance to -the very thoughts that were passing through Joe Morgan's mind. "But -I don't believe he ever dreamed that anything like this was going to -happen."</p> - -<p>"Do you think the robbers have got hold of him?" faltered Joe, who knew -that Tom expected him to say something.</p> - -<p>"I know it?" was the answer.</p> - -<p>"Where were you when they captured him?"</p> - -<p>"I don't know. The way it happened was this: After you left us we -decided to make the entire round of uncle's wood-lot, and as we -couldn't do it if we stayed together, we separated, and that was the -last I saw of Bob<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_339" id="Page_339">[Pg 339]</a></span> Emerson. Before parting we agreed to meet at the -cabin at six o'clock, sharp. I was there at the minute, but Bob wasn't, -and while I was waiting for him, I happened to see this notice, which -was fastened to the door of the shanty with a wooden pin. That's all -there is of it."</p> - -<p>"Why don't you go down to the gorge?"</p> - -<p>"We went there the first thing, and we've been everywhere else that we -could think of," replied Tom. "They left their camp in a great hurry; -but where they went is a mystery. But we will have them before many -hours have passed away," added Tom, confidently. "These officers have -come up from Hammondsport on purpose to arrest them, and they are not -going back without them. We are taking them down to the Beach now, to -raise a "hue and cry" among the guides there, and by daylight to-morrow -morning the mountains will be full of men. There is an additional -reward offered for the arrest of the thieves, you know, and it is big -enough to stimulate everybody to extra exertion."</p> - -<p>While Tom and Joe were talking in this<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_340" id="Page_340">[Pg 340]</a></span> way, the rest of the party had -gathered about Silas, whom they were trying to induce to join in the -general hunt that was to be made on the following day.</p> - -<p>Dan, being left to himself, listened with one ear to what Tom was -saying to his brother, and with the other tried to keep track of the -conversation that was going on in his father's neighborhood.</p> - -<p>When he heard Tom say that a reward had been offered for the -apprehension of the robbers, as well as for the recovery of the -property they had stolen, he stepped closer to him, and whispered:</p> - -<p>"Do you know how much it is?"</p> - -<p>"Five thousand dollars for both of them, or half of it for one," -answered Tom. "Now, Dan, there's a chance for you to make yourself -rich."</p> - -<p>"But that there hant—" began Dan.</p> - -<p>"Is no hant at all," replied Tom. "Why, man alive, there are no such -things, and I thought everybody knew it. I took a good look at this one -while we were up there to-night, and found that it was nothing but a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_341" id="Page_341">[Pg 341]</a></span> -long pole with a stuffed pillow-case on one end of it for a head, and a -short cross-piece for the shoulders. The man who managed it and made it -act as if it were about to spring at you was behind the bushes out of -sight. He and his companion did the yelling, and you never hurt either -one of them, although your four charges of shot tore the pillow-case -all to pieces."</p> - -<p>"Yes," replied Dan, "Pap 'lowed that we'd oughter fired into the bresh."</p> - -<p>"Exactly. If you had showed a little more pluck, you and your father -might have had ten thousand dollars to divide between you. As it turned -out, Joe is entitled to only a third of it, but he'll get that, sure."</p> - -<p>"Dog-gone such luck!" exclaimed Dan, in a tone of deep disgust.</p> - -<p>"Well, it was a windfall to your family, anyway," observed Tom, "and -you can add more to it to-morrow, if you're smart."</p> - -<p>"And what will poor Bob be doing while we are hunting for him?" -inquired Joe. "He seems to be frightened, for he wants you to give up -the valise, and be quick about it." </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_342" id="Page_342">[Pg 342]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Oh, nonsense!" exclaimed Tom; "you don't know Bob Emerson as well as -I do. He wrote that postscript, of course, and so would you if you had -been in his place. But Bob would be the maddest boy you ever saw if we -should pay the least attention to it."</p> - -<p>At this moment Uncle Hallet and Mr. Warren turned toward the place -where the boys were standing, the former saying, with some impatience -in his tones:</p> - -<p>"Well, Silas, if you are afraid to come you can stay at home; but I -would have a little more pluck if I were in your place. You'll come, -won't you, Joe, and help us hunt down those villains who have kidnapped -Bob Emerson?"</p> - -<p>"Indeed I will," answered Joe, promptly.</p> - -<p>"I knew that would be your reply," continued Mr. Hallet. "Now, if you -will bring the flat to the bank and drop the apron, we'll get our team -aboard and go on to the Beach."</p> - -<p>The ferryman and his boys went to work with a will, and when the flat -reached the other side of the river, the passengers got into their -wagon and drove toward the Beach,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_343" id="Page_343">[Pg 343]</a></span> after telling Silas that they would -go home by way of the bridge, and he need not stay up to ferry them -back; while Joe hurried off to tell his mother what he had learned -during his short interview with Tom Hallet.</p> - -<p>"It's the greatest outrage I ever heard of," said he, indignantly; "but -they needn't think they are going to make anything by it. Don't I wish -I might be lucky enough to gobble at least one of those robbers!"</p> - -<p>"Oh, Joseph, I don't know whether I want you to go up there or not," -said his mother, growing frightened again.</p> - -<p>"I must!" replied Joe, decidedly. "I have promised to be at Tom's cabin -to-morrow morning at daylight, and that settles it. I wonder if father -and Dan will go?"</p> - -<p>That was the very question that Silas and his worthy son were -propounding to each other as they sat side by side on the river's bank.</p> - -<p>The terrible fright they had sustained on the day they went after the -money was still fresh in their minds; but then, there was the reward, -which was a sure thing this time,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_344" id="Page_344">[Pg 344]</a></span> provided they could be fortunate -enough to capture the robbers.</p> - -<p>They were both willing, and even eager, to join in the "hue-and-cry" -that was to be raised against the thieves, provided they could do it in -their own way; and the plans they were revolving in their minds, but of -which they did not speak, were the same in every particular.</p> - -<p>For example, Dan wanted his father to stay at home, and after he got -into the mountains, he wanted nobody but Joe for company.</p> - -<p>The latter had showed himself to be bold as well as lucky, and if they -two should happen to catch one of the robbers, Dan would not feel that -he was under the slightest obligation to share the reward with his -brother, because Joe had more than three thousand dollars of his own -already. But if his father went with him, he would lay claim to half -the money, and he would be likely to get it, too, for he had the right -to take every cent Dan made.</p> - -<p>This was the way Dan looked at the matter; and it was the very way his -father looked<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_345" id="Page_345">[Pg 345]</a></span> at it. The result was, that although they spent an hour -or more in looking it over, they went to bed without deciding whether -they would go or not.</p> - -<p>Nevertheless, they had well-defined plans in their heads, and each one -resolved that he would carry them out regardless of the wishes of the -other.</p> - -<p>Silas, in order to throw Dan off his guard, began operations by saying -to his wife, the moment he entered the cabin:</p> - -<p>"I ain't a-going to jine in the rumpus the sheriff kicks up after them -fellers to-morrow. It's mighty comical to me how easy some people can -talk to you about putting yourself in the way of getting a charge -of bird-shot sent into you, while they keep outen range themselves. -I ain't got no call to resk my life a finding of Bob Emerson, and I -shan't do it to please nobody."</p> - -<p>Dan was secretly delighted to see his father work himself into a rage -over the supposition that somebody would be pleased to see him go in -the way of danger.</p> - -<p>"If he will only stick to that, I'm all<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_346" id="Page_346">[Pg 346]</a></span> right," said he, to himself. -"Pap sleeps sounder'n a dozen men oughter, and if Joe don't call him in -the morning, you can bet your bottom dollar <i>I</i> won't."</p> - -<p>Knowing his failing in this particular, Silas made the mental -resolution that he would not go to sleep at all. The young game-warden, -who was one of those lucky fellows who can wake at any hour they -please, could be relied on to make an early start, and Silas told -himself that he would lie perfectly still and wide awake until -breakfast was ready, when he would jump up, eat his full share of the -bacon and potatoes, and set out for the mountain when Joe did.</p> - -<p>But even while he was thinking about it, he went off into a deep -slumber. He did not awake when Joe got up, and neither did the rattling -of the dishes nor the savory odors of the bacon and coffee arouse him -to a consciousness of what was going on in the cabin.</p> - -<p>Having heard him say that he did not intend to join the sheriff's -posse, Mrs. Morgan and Joe did not think it worth while to disturb him, -and Dan would not do anything to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_347" id="Page_347">[Pg 347]</a></span> interfere with his own plans, which -thus far were working as smoothly as he could have desired.</p> - -<p>"But I've got a sneaking idee that there'll be trouble in this here -house when pap does wake up, and finds me and Joe gone," thought Dan. -"No matter. I won't be here to listen to his r'aring and pitching, -so he can go on all he wants to. And if me and Joe should catch one -of them robbers—whoop-pee! Then I'll have the reward all to myself; -'cause I ain't a going to put myself in the way of getting shot at, and -then go snucks with a feller that's got more'n three thousand dollars -a'ready. I'll see him furder first."</p> - -<p>The hours dragged along all too slowly for the tired, patient woman who -sat in the open door with her sewing in her lap, and her tear-dimmed -eyes fastened upon the hills among which the only member of the family -who cared for her, or who tried in any way to smooth her pathway and -make her burdens easier to bear, might at that very moment be rushing -to his destruction. She wished he might have stayed at home and let -some one<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_348" id="Page_348">[Pg 348]</a></span> else go in his place; but Joe was loyal to his friend, and -Mrs. Morgan had not tried to turn him from his purpose. She wished, -too, that the weary day was over, so that the young game-warden could -come back and say something comforting to her.</p> - -<p>Just then somebody did say something, but the voice belonged to one who -was not often guilty of saying or doing anything to comfort her.</p> - -<p>"Na-r-r-r!" came from a distant corner of the cabin, and Silas Morgan -threw off the blankets and started up in bed, to find that it was broad -daylight, that breakfast had been cooked and eaten, and that the boy he -had hoped to outwit was gone. He saw it all at a glance, but he wanted -an explanation.</p> - -<p>"Where be they?" he demanded.</p> - -<p>"They have been gone almost three hours," was the meek response.</p> - -<p>"And you let 'em go without saying a word to me?" roared the angry and -disappointed man.</p> - -<p>"Why, father, you told me last night that you didn't intend to go," -said his wife.</p> - -<p>"And you didn't have any better sense<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_349" id="Page_349">[Pg 349]</a></span> than to believe it!" shouted -Silas. "Did they go off together? Well, old woman, you have cooked -your goose this time—you have for a fact. I wanted to go with Joe -myself, and leave Dan to home, 'cause he ain't no account when there's -any shooting and such going on. He's too much of a coward to stand -fire, Dan is. I had kind o' made it up in my mind that me and Joe -would captur' one, and mebbe both, of them bugglars, and I kalkerlated -to give you the most of my share of the money; but now you won't get -none, and it serves you just right for letting me sleep when you -oughter called me up. But I'll tell you one thing for a fact—the three -thousand that Joe has made already, and the hundred and twenty he's -going to earn this winter, is mine; likewise all the reward him and Dan -get to-day, if they get any."</p> - -<p>So saying, Silas shouldered his double-barrel and left the cabin, -paying no sort of attention to his wife's entreaties that before he set -out for the mountain he would take a cup of coffee and a bite of the -breakfast she had kept warm for him.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_350" id="Page_350">[Pg 350]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER XXX.</span> <span class="smaller">BRIERLY'S SQUAD CAPTURES A ROBBER.</span></h2> - -<p>When Morgan arose from his "shake-down" on the morning of this -particular day, he was promptly joined by his brother Dan, whose -actions told him as plainly as words that he had reasons of his own for -not wishing to disturb his father's slumbers.</p> - -<p>Dan was generally the last one of the family to bestir himself in the -morning, and even after he got upon his feet, it took him a good while -to wake up; but it was not so in this instance. His senses came to him -the moment he opened his eyes, and, for a wonder, he brought in the -wood, and lent a hand at setting the table.</p> - -<p>He moved about the room with noiseless footsteps, spoke in scarcely -audible whispers,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_351" id="Page_351">[Pg 351]</a></span> and cast frequent and anxious glances toward his -father's couch.</p> - -<p>"Well, sir, we done it, didn't we?" said he, when breakfast had been -eaten and he and Joe were hurrying along the road toward the place of -meeting.</p> - -<p>"Did what?" inquired his brother.</p> - -<p>"Got away without waking pap up," said Dan, who was in high glee. "I -knew he said last night that he didn't mean to go, but I wasn't such -a fool as to believe it. He wanted to go with you; and then do you -know what would have happened if you and him had captured one of them -bugglars? Well, sir, he would have laid claim to the whole of the -reward, and never give you a cent of it. I'm onto his little games. And -he's going to make you hand over them three thousand dollars you made -yesterday. He's a mighty mean, stingy feller, pap is, and you want to -watch out for him."</p> - -<p>Dan talked to keep up his courage, which began to ooze out of the ends -of his fingers when he found himself drawing near to the gorge; but Joe -was so deeply engrossed with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_352" id="Page_352">[Pg 352]</a></span> his own thoughts that he did not hear a -dozen words of it.</p> - -<p>The young game-warden was not building air-castles. He was by no means -as confident as Dan appeared to be, that it would be his luck to assist -in the capture of one of the robbers, and, if the truth must be told, -he hoped that that dangerous duty would fall to somebody else.</p> - -<p>He had more money now than he had ever expected to possess, and his -brains were busy with plans for keeping it out of his father's reach.</p> - -<p>While he was turning them over in his mind, they came within sight of -his cabin. Dan insisted on seeing the inside of it, so Joe pulled out -the loosened staple, and threw open the door.</p> - -<p>"Ain't you mighty glad that you wasn't here when them robbers come up -and stole your grub and things?" said he, after he had taken a look -around. "Say, Joey, you'll keep old man Warren's rifle, to take the -place of the scatter-gun you lost, won't you?"</p> - -<p>"Of course not," was Joe's indignant reply.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_353" id="Page_353">[Pg 353]</a></span> "Why, Dan, this rifle is -worth forty or fifty dollars!"</p> - -<p>"So much the better," answered Dan, who evidently thought that a fair -exchange with Mr. Warren could not by any means be looked upon in -the light of a robbery. "You lost your gun while you was working for -him, and through no fault of your'n, and I say he'd oughter give you -another. Them's my sentiments."</p> - -<p>"Well, they are not mine," said Joe, closing the door, and replacing -the staple. "I wouldn't have the face to look at a man again if I -should ever mention the matter to him."</p> - -<p>Dan did not know how to combat these sentiments, which were so widely -at variance with his own, and as there was no longer any necessity that -he should talk to keep his courage up, seeing that there was a large -number of officers and guides almost within the sound of their voices, -he said nothing.</p> - -<p>A quarter of an hour's walk brought them to Tom's cabin, where they -found a score or<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_354" id="Page_354">[Pg 354]</a></span> more of men, who were leaning on their rifles, or -lounging around on the ground in various attitudes.</p> - -<p>These, they afterward learned, comprised but a small portion of the -crowd that had assembled there that morning in obedience to the summons -of the sheriff and his deputy, the others having gone off in squads of -four men each to begin the search.</p> - -<p>Mr. Warren told Joe that Tom Hallet was so impatient to be doing -something for his friend, that he had left with the first squad that -went out. He said, also, that a good many more men had gone, or were -going, out from Bellville and Hammondsport; so the capture of the -robbers was a foregone conclusion.</p> - -<p>"By dividing into small parties we shall be able to give all the -ravines and every piece of woods in the country, for miles around, a -thorough overhauling before night," added Mr. Warren, "and we thought -that four men were enough for each squad. They won't care to have the -reward divided among too many, you know. I am going with the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_355" id="Page_355">[Pg 355]</a></span> sheriff, -and shall be glad to have you make one of our party."</p> - -<p>"And I shall be glad to do it," replied Joe.</p> - -<p>As Mr. Warren walked away to speak to the officer, Dan pulled his -brother's coat-sleeve, and whispered:</p> - -<p>"He didn't say that he'd be glad to have me make one of his party, did -he? Well, I'm going, all the same. Say, Joey, if our squad gobbles both -them bugglars, how much'll that be for each of us?"</p> - -<p>"Twelve hundred and fifty dollars," was the reply.</p> - -<p>"Well, now, sposen our squad catches one of 'em, and some other squad -away off somewheres else catches t'other one—how much will that be for -each feller?"</p> - -<p>"A little over three hundred dollars."</p> - -<p>"Is that all?" said Dan. And, to have heard him speak, you would have -thought that he was in the habit of carrying a good deal more money -than that loose in his pockets every day. "And you've got more'n three -thousand dollars a coming to you! Dog-gone such luck as I do have, any -way!" </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_356" id="Page_356">[Pg 356]</a></span></p> - -<p>It was probable that Dan had more to say on this point. He usually had -a good deal to say whenever he fell to talking about his bad luck; but -just then Mr. Warren beckoned to Joe, who promptly stepped forward to -join his squad, Dan keeping close to his heels.</p> - -<p>"I wish I could think up some plan to get even with old man Warren -for the way he's acting," thought Dan, who was indignant because the -gentleman did not show him a little more respect. "I don't reckon he -wants me along, but I don't care whether he does or not. I'm here to -stay, no odds if there is five men instead of four in the party, and -if we catch them bugglars I'll make 'em hand over my share. That'll -be—lemme see."</p> - -<p>After an infinite deal of trouble and much hard thinking, Dan arrived -at the conclusion that his share of the reward, if any were earned by -that squad, would be just one-fifth of five thousand dollars.</p> - -<p>But Joe would come in for a share, also, and then he would have four -thousand dollars, while Dan would have but one. Did<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_357" id="Page_357">[Pg 357]</a></span> anybody ever hear -of such luck? Joe was ahead, and Dan didn't see any way to catch up -with him.</p> - -<p>The sheriff's squad walked far and hunted faithfully all that day. -There was no thicket too dense for them to penetrate, and no gorge so -dark and gloomy that they were afraid to go down into it; but they saw -nothing of the robbers, and neither did they happen to come upon either -of the other searching parties.</p> - -<p>They stopped for lunch on the banks of a trout brook, and the sheriff -was filling his pipe for a smoke, when all on a sudden he struck -a listening attitude, at the same time enjoining silence upon his -companions by a motion of his hand.</p> - -<p>"That's two," said he, in a low voice. "Now wait. That's three. Now -wait a little longer, and perhaps we shall hear some gratifying news."</p> - -<p>The others held their breath to listen, and presently, faint and far -off, and rendered somewhat indistinct by intervening hills, and by -the echoes that mixed themselves up with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_358" id="Page_358">[Pg 358]</a></span> the sound, they heard three -reports of heavily-loaded shotguns.</p> - -<p>"Hurrah for law and order," cried the sheriff. "Our work is half done, -and some lucky squad will have twenty-five hundred dollars to divide -among its members."</p> - -<p>"We don't get none of it, do we?" whispered Dan to his brother.</p> - -<p>"Did we have any hand in making the capture?" asked Joe, in reply. "Of -course, we don't."</p> - -<p>"Dog-gone such luck!" murmured the disappointed Dan.</p> - -<p>"One of the outlaws has come to grief," continued the sheriff, "and -that proves that they must have separated. I should much like to know -what they did with their prisoner. It seems to me, from where I stand, -that they were guilty of an act of folly when they gobbled Bob. They -ought to have known that by doing a thing of that kind, they would get -every able-bodied man in the country after them."</p> - -<p>The officer and his squad were so anxious to have a hand in completing -the work so<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_359" id="Page_359">[Pg 359]</a></span> well begun, that they did not remain long in camp, -although they might have passed the rest of the day there for all the -good they did.</p> - -<p>Every now and then they stopped to listen, but they never heard any -signals to indicate that the other robber had been apprehended. That, -however, was no sign that such signals had not been given; for the -Summerdale hills covered a good deal of territory, and the searching -parties were so widely scattered that it would have taken a field-piece -to signal to all of them.</p> - -<p>Finally, the sheriff announced, with a good deal of reluctance, that it -was time to go home; and it was with equal reluctance that the members -of his squad turned their steps towards Tom Hallet's cabin.</p> - -<p>It was almost dark when they came in sight of it, but still there was -light enough for Joe Morgan to see that the cabin had been visited -during their absence, and that there was a communication of some sort -awaiting them.</p> - -<p>It was fastened to the door, and Joe ran<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_360" id="Page_360">[Pg 360]</a></span> ahead of the squad and -took it down. Then he found that it was not intended for any one in -particular, but had been left for the information of everybody who had -taken part in the search.</p> - -<p>"Shall I read it, Mr. Warren?" asked Joe, when his employer came up. -"It is in Tom Hallet's own hand."</p> - -<p>"Let us hear it at once," replied Mr. Warren.</p> - -<p>And Joe read as follows:</p> - -<blockquote><p>"Good and bad news.—Robber No. 1 was captured by Brierly's squad -at half-past twelve. Bob Emerson is with me now, and none the worse -for his adventure. That's the good news.</p> - -<p>"Nothing has been seen or heard of robber No. 2, who doubtless fled -deeper into the hills than any of our searching parties had time -to go. The Bellville and Hammondsport squads say they will try him -again to-morrow. That's the bad news."</p></blockquote> - -<p>"And it isn't so very bad, either," said the sheriff. "If he gets lost, -as I hope he will, we'll have him to-morrow, sure; but if he works his -way out of the hills, we shall have to call upon the telegraph to help -us. So<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_361" id="Page_361">[Pg 361]</a></span> Brierly has made himself wealthy by this day's work. I should -think that he could afford to let your blue-headed birds alone, now, -Mr. Warren."</p> - -<p>"Did any living person ever hear of such luck?" muttered Dan. -"Everybody is getting wealthy, 'cepting me."</p> - -<p>The squad broke up here, Mr. Warren and two companions turning into the -cow-path that led down the mountain by the shortest route, and Joe and -Dan striking for home, where a most astonishing discovery awaited them.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_362" id="Page_362">[Pg 362]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER XXXI.</span> <span class="smaller">SILAS IN LUCK AT LAST.</span></h2> - -<p>Dan Morgan did not have as much to say on the way home as he did while -he and his brother were passing over that same road in the morning.</p> - -<p>Another one of his air-castles had fallen about his ears, and a portion -of the money he had hoped to earn would go into Brierly's pocket.</p> - -<p>One of the robbers had been captured, but the other had taken himself -safely off, and that was the end of all his dreams. Did anybody ever -hear of such luck? It made him very angry to see how light-hearted Joe -seemed to be.</p> - -<p>"I reckon you're glad 'cause I ain't got a cent to bless myself with, -ain't you?" said he, savagely. "Then, what do you keep up such a -whistling for? You can afford to be happy,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_363" id="Page_363">[Pg 363]</a></span> when you know that you -can have a pile of money by asking for it; but I ain't a going to be -treated this here way no longer."</p> - -<p>The young game-warden did not pay the least attention to his brother's -ravings, because he had something of more importance to think -about—his future.</p> - -<p>He was sadly in need of such training as he could get at the Bellville -academy, and he had sense enough to know it; and the point he was -trying to decide was: Should he ask his employer to release him from -his contract, so that he could go to school during the winter? or would -it be better to make sure of the hundred and twenty dollars he could -earn during the next eight months, and look to Tom and Bob to help him -along with his studies?</p> - -<p>While he was thinking about it, the cabin hove in sight, and at the -same time an exclamation from Dan called him back to earth again.</p> - -<p>Joe looked up, and saw his father sitting motionless on a chair in -front of the cabin. His double-barrel lay upon the ground within<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_364" id="Page_364">[Pg 364]</a></span> easy -reach of him, his elbows were resting upon his knees, and his chin was -upheld by the palms of his hands. He appeared to be gazing steadily at -some object that was hidden from Joe's view by the corner of the house.</p> - -<p>"How do you reckon he feels over the trick we played on him this -morning?" said Dan, with a grin. "He thinks he's a sharp one, pap does, -but he ain't got no business along of me."</p> - -<p>"If there was any trick played upon him, you did it, and not I," -answered Joe. "Father hasn't worked half as hard as we have, and yet he -is just as well—What in the name of wonder is that?"</p> - -<p>While Joe was speaking, he and Dan moved around the corner of the -house, and then the object at which Silas was looking so fixedly was -disclosed to view.</p> - -<p>It was a man who was sitting on a bench beside the door, and who was so -closely wrapped up in a clothes-line that he could scarcely stir one of -his fingers.</p> - -<div class="center"><img src="images/i364.jpg" alt="Silas and the Bank Robber" /></div> - -<p class="bold"><span class="smcap">Silas and the Bank Robber</span></p> - -<p>Hearing the sound of their footsteps, the man, whoever he was, slowly -turned his head<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_365" id="Page_365">[Pg 365]</a></span> toward the corner of the cabin, whereupon Silas -shouted out, in a savage voice:</p> - -<p>"None of that there, I tell you! You can't get away, 'cause you're -worth a power of money to me, and I'm bound to hold fast to you -till—Human natur'!" yelled Silas, jumping to his feet, with both -barrels of his gun cocked. "Oh, it's you, is it? I kinder thought it -was t'other robber coming to turn his pardner loose."</p> - -<p>Silas was so completely wrapped up in his own affairs that the boys -got close to him before he was aware of their presence, and it is the -greatest wonder in the world that he did not shoot one of them in his -excitement.</p> - -<p>He was really alarmed; but when he had taken a good look at the -newcomers, in order to make sure of their identity, he laid his gun -across the chair, pushed up his sleeves, and shook both his fists at -Dan.</p> - -<p>"So you thought you would fool your poor old pap this morning, did you, -you little snipe?" he shouted. "Well, you see what you made by it, -don't you?"</p> - -<p>"I never tried to make a fool of you,"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_366" id="Page_366">[Pg 366]</a></span> stammered Dan, who had a faint -idea that he understood the situation. "I never in this wide world!"</p> - -<p>"Hush your noise when I tell you I know better," yelled Silas; and one -would have thought, by the way he acted and looked, that he was very -angry, instead of very much delighted, at the way things had turned -out. "Here you have been and tramped all over them mountings, and -never got a cent for it, while I have made a clean twenty-five hundred -dollars, if I counted it up right on my fingers; and I reckon I did, -'cause your mam put in a figger to help me now and then."</p> - -<p>"Why, how did it happen?" exclaimed Joe, who, up to this moment, had -not been able to do anything but stand still and look astonished.</p> - -<p>He knew that his father had captured one of the robbers without help -from any one, and that was more than fifty other men had been able to -do, with all their weary tramping.</p> - -<p>"The way it happened was just this," said Silas, who could not stand -in one place for a single moment. "Hold on there!" he added,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_367" id="Page_367">[Pg 367]</a></span> turning -fiercely upon his prisoner, who just then moved uneasily upon the -bench, as if he were trying to find a softer spot to sit on. "I've got -my eyes onto you, and you might as—"</p> - -<p>"Why, father, he can't get away," Joe interposed. "You've got him tied -up too tight. Why don't you let out that rope a little?"</p> - -<p>"'Cause he's worth a pile of money—that's why!" exclaimed Silas; "and -I won't let the rope out not one inch, nuther. You, Joe, keep away from -there."</p> - -<p>"I really wish you would undo some of this rope," said the prisoner, -who, like Byron's Corsair, seemed to be a mild-mannered man. "I have -been tied up ever since two o'clock, and am numb all over. I couldn't -run a step if I should try."</p> - -<p>"Don't you believe a word of that!" exclaimed Silas. "Come away from -there and let that rope be, I tell you."</p> - -<p>"Say, father," said Joe, suddenly, "what are you going to do with your -captive? Do you intend to sit up and watch him all night long?"</p> - -<p>"I was just a studying about that when<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_368" id="Page_368">[Pg 368]</a></span> you come up and scared me," -replied Silas, dropping the butt of his gun to the ground, and leaning -heavily upon the muzzle.</p> - -<p>He never could stand alone for any length of time; he always wanted -something to support him.</p> - -<p>"What do you think I had better do about it? I don't much like to keep -him here, 'cause—Why just look a here, Joey," added Silas, moving up -to the door, and pointing to some object inside the cabin. "See them -tools I took away from him?"</p> - -<p>The boys stepped to their father's side, and saw lying upon the table, -where Silas had placed it, a belt containing a brace of heavy revolvers -and a murderous-looking knife.</p> - -<p>"Now, them's dangerous," continued Silas, "and if this feller's pardner -should happen along—"</p> - -<p>"But he won't happen along," interrupted Dan. "Brierly's squad gobbled -him."</p> - -<p>The ferryman looked surprised, then disgusted, and finally he turned an -inquiring glance upon Joe, who said that Dan told the truth. </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_369" id="Page_369">[Pg 369]</a></span></p> - -<p>"You don't like it, do you?" said the latter to himself. "It sorter -hurts you to know that there is them in the world that are just as -lucky and smart as you be, don't it? Yes, that's what's the matter with -pap. He don't want no one else to be as well off as he is."</p> - -<p>And when Dan said that, he hit the nail fairly on the head.</p> - -<p>"The other robber is not in a condition to attempt a rescue," said Joe; -"but, all the same, I don't think you ought to keep this man here all -night. The sheriff is now at Mr. Warren's house, and it is your duty to -hand the prisoner over to him at once. Be careful how you point those -guns this way."</p> - -<p>This last remark was called forth by an action on the part of Silas and -Dan that made Joe feel the least bit uncomfortable.</p> - -<p>While the latter was talking, his hands were busy with the rope; and -when the prisoner arose from the bench and stamped his feet to set the -blood in circulation again, his excited and watchful guards at once -covered his head and Joe's with the muzzles of their guns.</p> - -<p>"Turn those weapons the other way," <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_370" id="Page_370">[Pg 370]</a></span>repeated Joe, angrily. "You don't -think this man is foolish enough to try to run off while his hands are -tied, do you? Now, father, how did you happen to catch him?"</p> - -<p>"It was just as easy as falling off a log," replied Silas, resuming his -seat and resting his double-barrel across his knees. "When you and Dan -went away this morning, I just naturally shouldered my gun, walked up -the road to the foot of the mounting, and set down on a log to wait for -game to come a running past me, just the same as if I was watching for -deer, you know."</p> - -<p>This was all true; but there was one thing he did that he forgot to -mention. The only "game" Silas expected to see was Dan Morgan, when he -returned from the mountain at night, and the ferryman was prepared to -give him a warm reception. Before he devoted himself to the task of -holding down that log by the roadside, he took the trouble to cut a -long hickory switch, and to place it beside the log, out of sight. He -meant to give Dan such a thrashing that he would never play any more -tricks upon him. </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_371" id="Page_371">[Pg 371]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Well, about one o'clock, or a little after, while I was a setting -there and waiting for the game to come along, I heared a noise in the -brush, and, all on a sudden, out popped this feller. He was running -like he'd been sent for, and that's why I suspicioned him. Of course -I didn't know him from Adam, but I asked him would he stop a bit. And -he 'lowed he would, when he seed my gun looking him square in the eye. -I brung him home, and your mam she passed out the clothes-line, and I -tied him up."</p> - -<p>"Where is mother now?" asked Joe.</p> - -<p>"Gone off after more sewing, I reckon," replied Silas, in a tone which -seemed to say that it was a matter that was not worth talking about. -"She helped me figger up what I would get for catching him, and then -she dug out. I'm worth almost as much as you be now, Joey, and that -there mean Dan, who wouldn't stay by and help me, he ain't got a cent. -Now, don't you wish you hadn't played that trick on me this morning."</p> - -<p>"Never mind that," interposed Joe, who did not care to stand by and -listen to an<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_372" id="Page_372">[Pg 372]</a></span> angry altercation which might end in a fight or a -foot-race between his father and Dan. "If we are going to deliver this -man to the sheriff to-night, we had better be moving."</p> - -<p>"Do you reckon the sheriff will hand over the twenty-five hundred when -I give up the prisoner?" inquired Silas, as the party walked down the -bank toward the flat.</p> - -<p>"Of course he won't."</p> - -<p>"What for won't he?"</p> - -<p>"Because he hasn't got it with him. Perhaps it was never put into his -hands at all. I haven't received my share yet."</p> - -<p>"Then I reckon I'd best hold fast to him till I'm sure of my money," -said Silas, reflectively. "I guess I won't take him down to old man -Warren's to-night."</p> - -<p>"I guess you will, unless you want to get into trouble with the law," -said Joe, decidedly. "If you don't give him up of your own free will, -the sheriff will take him away from you."</p> - -<p>Silas protested that he couldn't see any sense in such a law as that, -but he lent his aid in pushing off the flat. </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_373" id="Page_373">[Pg 373]</a></span></p> - -<p>Dan, who was almost too angry to breathe, had more than half a mind -to stay at home; but his curiosity to hear and see all that was said -and done when the prisoner was turned over to the officers of the law -impelled him to think better of it. When the flat was shoved off, he -jumped in and picked up one of the oars.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_374" id="Page_374">[Pg 374]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER XXXII.</span> <span class="smaller">BOB EMERSON'S STORY.</span></h2> - -<p>We have said that Tom Hallet was so anxious to help his unlucky friend -Bob in some way that he joined the very first squad that went out in -search of him.</p> - -<p>The man who had the name of being the leader of it was the sheriff's -deputy; but the two stalwart young farmers who belonged to his party -were longer of limb than he was, and they pushed ahead at such a rate -that the deputy speedily fell to the rear, and stayed there during most -of the day.</p> - -<p>"Me and Cyrus have come out to win that there reward," said one of the -young men, when Tom remonstrated with them for leaving the officer so -far behind, "and we can't do it by loafing along like that sheriff -does. We've got a mortgage to pay off on the farm, and we don't know -any easier way to raise<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_375" id="Page_375">[Pg 375]</a></span> the money for it than to capture one of them -rogues."</p> - -<p>But this sanguine young fellow was not the only one who was destined -to have his trouble for his pains; and what made his disappointment -and his brother's harder to bear, was the reflection that if they had -left Tom's cabin half an hour earlier than they did, they might have -succeeded in earning a portion of the money of which they stood so much -in need.</p> - -<p>They were not more than a quarter of a mile away, when Brierly's signal -guns announced that one of the robbers had been captured. They ran -forward at the top of their speed, hoping to reach the scene of action -before the arrest was fairly consummated, but in this they were also -disappointed.</p> - -<p>When they came in sight of the successful party, they found the robber -securely bound, and Brierly wearing the belt that contained his weapons.</p> - -<p>"Too late, boys!" exclaimed the guide, who was highly elated over his -good fortune. "You can't lay claim to any of our money,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_376" id="Page_376">[Pg 376]</a></span> if that's what -brung you up here in such haste."</p> - -<p>"We don't care for the money," panted Tom. "Where's Bob?"</p> - -<p>"That's so," said Brierly, who had not bestowed a single thought upon -the prisoner during the whole forenoon. "Where is he? Say, feller, what -have you done with him?"</p> - -<p>"I have not seen him for two hours," replied the prisoner. "As soon as -we found out that the hills were full of men, we set him at liberty, -and I suppose he made the best of his way home. We didn't want to keep -him with us, for fear that he would set up a yelp to show where we were -hiding."</p> - -<p>Just then the deputy, who had been sitting on a log to recover his -breath, managed to inquire:</p> - -<p>"What have you done with your partners?"</p> - -<p>"There were only two of us, and the other man has gone off that way," -answered the captive, nodding his head toward an indefinite point of -the compass.</p> - -<p>Tom Hallet had no further interest in the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_377" id="Page_377">[Pg 377]</a></span> hunt. He stood by and -watched the officer as he unbound the prisoner and substituted a pair -of handcuffs for the rope with which his arms had been confined, and -when Brierly's party started off with their captive, Tom fell in behind -them.</p> - -<p>He went as straight to his cabin as he could go, and there he found Bob -Emerson, who was rummaging around in the hope of finding something to -eat.</p> - -<p>"I haven't had a bite of anything since last night, and you'd better -believe that I am hungry," said Bob, after he and Tom had greeted each -other as though they had been separated for years. "But I am not a bit -of a hero. I haven't had an adventure worth the telling."</p> - -<p>"There's nothing in there," said Tom, seeing that his friend was -casting longing eyes toward his game-bag. "I didn't take much of a -lunch with me, and I was hungry enough to eat it all. Can you stand it -till we get home?"</p> - -<p>"I'll have to," replied Bob. "By-the-way, did you ever see that -before?" </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_378" id="Page_378">[Pg 378]</a></span></p> - -<p>As he spoke, he put his hand into his pocket and drew out a soiled and -crumpled letter, which looked as though it might have been through the -war.</p> - -<p>It was the same precious document that he and Tom had left in Silas -Morgan's wood-pile.</p> - -<p>"One of the robbers gave it to me last night," continued Bob, in reply -to his companion's inquiring look. "You will remember that Dan Morgan -lost the letter within a few feet of the log on which he sat when he -read it, and that when he and Silas went back to find it, they were -frightened away by something that dodged into the bushes, before they -could get a sight at it, and which they took to be a ghost. Well, it -wasn't a ghost at all, but one of the thieves, who had been to the -Beach after supplies. He found the letter and read it. Of course he -was greatly alarmed, and so was his companion; for they couldn't help -believing that some one had got wind of their hiding-place. They could -hardly believe me, when I told them that you and I made that letter up -out of the whole<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_379" id="Page_379">[Pg 379]</a></span> cloth, and that we never dreamed there was any one -living in the gorge."</p> - -<p>"But we did know it," said Tom.</p> - -<p>"Of course we did, after they frightened us, but not before. They spoke -about that, too. We took them completely by surprise the day we came -down the gorge. We were close upon their camp before they knew it, -and for a minute or two they didn't know what to do. Then one of them -conceived the idea of making that hideous noise, and when the other saw -how well it worked, he joined in with him."</p> - -<p>"But didn't they know that we would be back sooner or later to look -into the matter?" asked Tom.</p> - -<p>"Of course they did, and that was another thing that frightened them. -They saw very plainly that their hiding-place was broken up, and -were making preparations to leave it when Silas and Dan put in their -appearance. The robbers saw and heard them long before they got to the -camp, and the one who found the letter recognized them at once. It was -at his suggestion that that ghost was rigged up." </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_380" id="Page_380">[Pg 380]</a></span></p> - -<p>"But they must have known that they could not scare everybody with that -dummy," observed Tom.</p> - -<p>"To be sure they did, and they were in a great hurry to get away from -there; but they needed provisions, and by stopping to get them they -fell into trouble. They took Joe Morgan's house for a woodchopper's -cabin and while we were robbing them, they were foraging on Joe. I tell -you, Tom, it's a lucky thing for us that we got out of that gorge when -we did. They were mad enough to shoot us on sight."</p> - -<p>"I don't wonder at it," replied Tom. "It would make most anybody mad to -lose a hundred and fifty thousand dollars in money and securities, no -matter how he came by them. Where did they catch you? Did they treat -you well?"</p> - -<p>"They treated me well enough," was Bob's reply, "but I believe that -if they had not stood in fear of immediate capture I should have a -different story to tell, if, indeed, I were able to tell any. I told -you nothing but the truth in the postscript I added to their note." </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_381" id="Page_381">[Pg 381]</a></span></p> - -<p>"I knew they made you write it, and that you did not express your -honest sentiments when you told us to be in a hurry about giving back -that valise."</p> - -<p>"I was sure you would understand it; but what could a fellow do with a -cocked revolver flourished before his eyes by a man who was in just the -right humor to use it on him?"</p> - -<p>"He would do as he is told, of course," answered Tom. "But do you -suppose they thought they could get that valise back by threatening -you?"</p> - -<p>"I don't know what they thought, for they acted as if they were crazy. -They caught me in less than half an hour after I left you, and it was -through my own fault. I ran on to them before I knew it, and do you -imagine I thought 'robbers' once? As true as you live I didn't. I took -them for poachers, and told them, very politely, that these grounds -were posted and they couldn't be allowed to shoot there, when all on a -sudden it popped into my head what I was doing. They saw the start I -gave, and in a second more they<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_382" id="Page_382">[Pg 382]</a></span> had me covered. If I could have got -away without letting them see that I suspected them, they wouldn't have -said a word to me."</p> - -<p>"Well, they covered you with their revolvers; then what?"</p> - -<p>"Beyond a doubt, they made a prisoner of me before they thought what -they were doing, and when they came to look at it they found that they -had got an elephant on their hands. Then they would have been glad to -get rid of me; but they did not see just how they could do it with -safety to themselves, so they made up their minds to use me."</p> - -<p>"At first they thought they would wait and see if anything would come -of the notice they left on the door of the cabin, and then they thought -they wouldn't—that they would hunt up another hiding-place as soon as -possible; so they ordered me to take them where nobody would ever think -of looking for them. And I could do nothing but obey."</p> - -<p>"Were you acting as their guide when they released you?"</p> - -<p>Bob replied that he was. </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_383" id="Page_383">[Pg 383]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Why didn't you veer around a bit, and lead them toward the railroad?"</p> - -<p>"If I had I shouldn't be here now," answered Bob, significantly. "They -warned me to be careful about that, and they were so well acquainted -with the hills that I was afraid to attempt any tricks. We camped over -on Dungeon Brook last night, and set out again at an early hour this -morning, but before we had been in motion an hour, we found ourselves -cut off from the upper end of the hills, and that was the time they -made up their minds to let me go. They didn't say so, but still I had -an idea that they didn't want me around for fear I would make too much -noise to suit them."</p> - -<p>"I know they were afraid of it," said Tom. "The robber that Brierly's -squad captured said so."</p> - -<p>"Is one of them taken?" exclaimed Bob, who hadn't heard of it before. -"That's good news. Where's the other?"</p> - -<p>"Don't know. They separated after they let you go, and Brierly captured -one of them. Perhaps we shall hear something about the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_384" id="Page_384">[Pg 384]</a></span> other one now," -added Tom, directing his companion's attention to a large party of men -who were at that moment discovered approaching the cabin. "We went out -in squads of four, and there are a dozen men in that crowd."</p> - -<p>"But I don't see any prisoner among them," said Bob. "They have all -got guns on their shoulders, and that proves that they have not seen -anything of robber number two."</p> - -<p>As the party came nearer, the boys saw that it was made up of citizens -of Bellville and Hammondsport, who had abandoned the search for the -day, and were now on their way home.</p> - -<p>They were surprised to see Bob Emerson there, safe and sound, and -forthwith desired a full history of the letter which had been the means -of bringing about so remarkable a series of events.</p> - -<p>Bob protested that he was too hungry to talk, but when he saw the -generous supply of bread and meat which one of the men drew from his -haversack, he sat down on a log in front of the cabin and told his -story. </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_385" id="Page_385">[Pg 385]</a></span></p> - -<p>His auditors declared that the way things had turned out was little -short of wonderful, adding, as they arose to go, that they were coming -out again, bright and early the next morning, to resume the search for -robber number two. They were not going to remain idle at home, they -said, as long as there were twenty-five hundred dollars running around -loose in the woods.</p> - -<p>When the bread and meat were all gone, and the boys were once more -alone, Tom wrote the notice which Joe Morgan found pinned to the door -of the cabin, and then he and Bob set out for Uncle Hallet's.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_386" id="Page_386">[Pg 386]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER XXXIII.</span> <span class="smaller">TURNING OVER A NEW LEAF.</span></h2> - -<p>Although Silas Morgan had received the most convincing proof that he -had nothing more to fear from the "hant" which had so long occupied all -his waking thoughts and disturbed his dreams at night, he would not -have taken one step toward Mr. Warren's house before morning, had he -not been urged on by the hope that the sheriff would be ready to pay -over his money as soon as the robber was given up to him. The desire to -handle the reward to which he was entitled was stronger than his fear -of the dark.</p> - -<p>"And what shall I do with them twenty-five hundred after I get 'em, -Joey?" said he. "That's what's a bothering of me now."</p> - -<p>And it was the very thing that was bothering Joe, also. His father -had always been in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_387" id="Page_387">[Pg 387]</a></span> the habit of spending his money as fast as he got -it, and the boy fully expected to see this large sum slip through his -fingers without doing the least good to him or anybody else.</p> - -<p>"I'll tell you what I <i>wouldn't</i> do with it," said Joe, after a little -hesitation. "I wouldn't give Hobson any of it."</p> - -<p>"You're right I won't!" exclaimed Silas. "He's got more'n his share -already. What be you going to do with yours, when you get it?"</p> - -<p>"I think now that I shall put it in the bank at Hammondsport," answered -Joe. "It will be safe there, and if I am careful of it, it will last me -until I get through going to school. You don't want to go to school, -but you might go into business and increase your capital."</p> - -<p>"That's it—that's it, Joey!" exclaimed Silas, who grew enthusiastic at -once. "I never thought of that. But what sort of business? It must be -something easy, 'cause I've worked hard enough already."</p> - -<p>"Mr. Warren says that there is no easy way of making a living," began -Joe; but his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_388" id="Page_388">[Pg 388]</a></span> father interrupted him with an exclamation of impatience.</p> - -<p>"What does old man Warren know about it?" he demanded. "He never had to -do a hand's turn in his life."</p> - -<p>"But he don't know what it is to be idle, and he is busy at something -every day," said Joe. "I'll tell you what I have often thought I would -do if I had a little money, and I may do it yet, if you don't decide -to go into it. The new road that is coming through here is bound to -bring a good many people to the Beach, sooner or later. As the trout -are nearly all gone, the guests will have to devote their attention to -the bass in the lake, and consequently there will be a big demand for -boats."</p> - -<p>"So there will!" exclaimed Silas, who saw at once what Joe was trying -to get at. "That's the business I've been looking for, Joey, and it's -an easy one, too. Of course, I can let all my boats at so much an hour, -and I won't have nothing to do but sit on the beach and take in my -money."</p> - -<p>"And what'll I be doing?" inquired Dan, who had not spoken before. </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_389" id="Page_389">[Pg 389]</a></span></p> - -<p>"You!" cried Silas, who seemed to have forgotten that Dan was one of -the party. "You will keep on chopping cord wood, to pay you for the -mean trick you played on me this morning. You see what you made by it, -don't you? I reckon you wish you'd stayed by me now, don't you? How -much will them boats cost me, Joey?"</p> - -<p>"I should think that ten or a dozen skiffs would be enough to begin -with," answered Joe, "and they will cost you between three and four -hundred dollars; but you would have enough left to rent a piece of -ground of Mr. Warren and put up a snug little house on it."</p> - -<p>"Then I'll be a gentlemen like the rest of 'em, won't I?" exclaimed -Silas, gleefully.</p> - -<p>"No, you won't," said Dan, to himself. "That bridge ain't been built -yet, and I don't reckon Hobson means to have it there. He is going to -bust it up some way or 'nother, and I'm just the man to help him, if -he'll pay me for it. Everybody is getting rich 'cepting me, and I ain't -going to be treated this way no longer!" </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_390" id="Page_390">[Pg 390]</a></span></p> - -<p>Silas was so completely carried away by Joe's plan for making money -without work that he could think of nothing else. He forgot how -determined and vindictive Dan was, and how easy it would be for him to -place a multitude of obstacles in his way, but Joe didn't.</p> - -<p>The latter knew well enough that Dan intended to make trouble if he -were left out in the cold, but what could be done for so lazy and -unreliable a fellow as he was? That was the question.</p> - -<p>While Joe was turning it over in his mind, he led the way through Mr. -Warren's gate and up to the porch, where he found his employer sitting -in company with the sheriff and both Uncle Hallet's game wardens. The -deputy was in an upper room, keeping guard over the other prisoner.</p> - -<p>Of course, Tom and Bob, who were greatly surprised as well as delighted -to see Joe and his party, wanted to know just how the capture of robber -number two had been brought about, and while Joe was telling the story, -the sheriff marched the captive into the house and turned him over to -his deputy. </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_391" id="Page_391">[Pg 391]</a></span></p> - -<p>Then he came back and sat down; but he did not put his hand into his -pocket and pull out the reward as Silas hoped he would.</p> - -<p>"This has been a good day's work all around," said Tom, who was in high -spirits. "The next time there is any detective work to be done in this -county, Bob and I will volunteer to do it. We can catch more criminals -by sitting still and writing letters than the officers can by bringing -all their skill into play."</p> - -<p>The sheriff laughed, and said that was the way the thing looked from -where he sat.</p> - -<p>"The fun is all over now," continued Tom, "and to-morrow we will go to -work in earnest. You will be on hand, of course?"</p> - -<p>Joe replied that he would.</p> - -<p>"By-the-way," chimed in Bob, "did this robber of yours have a gun of -any description in his hands when he was captured?"</p> - -<p>"No."</p> - -<p>"Then, Joe, you and I are just that much out of pocket. The guns are -gone up."</p> - -<p>"What has become of them?"</p> - -<p>"They are out in the hills somewhere,"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_392" id="Page_392">[Pg 392]</a></span> answered Bob. "When the robbers -made up their minds that they had better let me go, one of them had my -gun and the other had yours; but the robber Brierly captured says that -the weapon impeded his flight, and so he threw it away. Whereabouts he -was in the hills when he got rid of it he can't tell. No doubt your gun -was thrown away also, and the chances are not one in a thousand that we -shall ever find them again."</p> - -<p>While this conversation was going on, Silas Morgan, who stood at the -foot of the steps that led to the porch, kept pulling Joe by the -coat-sleeve, and whispering to him:</p> - -<p>"Never mind the guns. Tell the sheriff that I'm powerful anxious to see -the color of them twenty-five hundred."</p> - -<p>Joe paid no sort of attention to him, and finally Silas became so very -much in earnest in his endeavors to attract the boy's notice, that the -officer saw it; and when there was a little pause in the conversation, -he said carelessly:</p> - -<p>"Oh, about the reward, Silas—"</p> - -<p>"That's the idee," replied the ferryman,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_393" id="Page_393">[Pg 393]</a></span> who thought sure that he -was going to get it now. "That's what I'm here for. You have got the -burglars in your own hands now, and I don't reckon you would mind -passing it over, would you?"</p> - -<p>"I?" exclaimed the sheriff. "I haven't got it. I have never had a cent -of it in my possession."</p> - -<p>"Then who's going to give it to me?" demanded Silas, who wondered if -the officer was going to cheat him out of his money.</p> - -<p>"Well, you see, Silas," said the sheriff, "the reward is conditioned -upon the arrest and conviction of the burglars. They have been -arrested, and their conviction is only a matter of time; but you can't -get your money until they are sentenced."</p> - -<p>"And how long will that be?"</p> - -<p>"The court will sit again in about six weeks. As some of the money was -offered by the county, and the rest by the men who lost the jewelry and -things that were found in that valise, you will get your reward from -different parties, unless they hand it over to me to be paid to you in -a lump." </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_394" id="Page_394">[Pg 394]</a></span></p> - -<p>"That's the way I want it," said Silas, who was very much disappointed. -"I'm going into business."</p> - -<p>"What sort of business?" inquired Mr. Warren.</p> - -<p>"I am going to keep a boat-house down to the Beach."</p> - -<p>"Well now, Silas, that's the most sensible thing I have heard from you -in a long time," said Mr. Warren. "I'll rent you a piece of ground big -enough for a garden, and you can set yourself up in business in good -shape, build a nice house, and have money left in the bank. If you -manage the thing rightly, you and Dan ought to make a good living of -it."</p> - -<p>"Who said anything about Dan?" exclaimed Silas.</p> - -<p>"I did. Of course, you can't ignore him, because you are wealthy. -He wants a chance to earn an honest living, and he needs it, too. -He's a strong boy, a first-rate hand with a boat, knows all the best -fishing-grounds on the lake, and would be just the fellow to send out -with a party who wanted a guide and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_395" id="Page_395">[Pg 395]</a></span> boatman. You can easily afford to -pay him a dollar a day for such work as that."</p> - -<p>"Well, I won't do it," said Silas, promptly. "He's a lazy, -good-for-nothing scamp, Dan is, and I won't take him into business -along with me."</p> - -<p>"But you will hire him, and give him a chance to quit breaking the -game-law, and make an honest living," said the sheriff. "By-the-way, -Silas, I guess you had better bring up those setters, and save me the -trouble of going after them."</p> - -<p>"What setters?" exclaimed Silas, who acted as if he were on the point -of taking to his heels. "I ain't got none. I took 'em down to the hotel -and give 'em up."</p> - -<p>"I am glad to hear it, because it will save me some trouble," replied -the officer, "I have had my eyes on those dogs ever since you got hold -of them, and I should have been after them long ago, if I had known -where to find the owner. Don't do that again, Silas. Honesty is the -best policy, every day in the week."</p> - -<p>"If you will leave your business in my hands I will attend to it for -you, and you will<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_396" id="Page_396">[Pg 396]</a></span> not have to go to Hammondsport at all," continued -Mr. Warren.</p> - -<p>And Joe was glad to hear him say it, because it showed him that the -gentleman did not intend that his father should squander all his money, -if he could help it.</p> - -<p>"It is too late in the season for you to do anything with your boats -this year, but I will give you and Dan a steady job at chopping wood, -and if you take care of the money you earn, instead of spending it at -Hobson's bar, you can live well during the winter. If the reward is not -paid over to you by the time spring opens, I will advance you enough to -start you in business and build your house. Then I think you had better -give Dan a chance."</p> - -<p>"So do I," whispered Tom to his friend Bob. "Dan has lived by his wits -long enough, and if Silas doesn't begin to take some interest in him, -the sheriff will have a word or two to say about those setters. I can -see plainly enough that he intends to hold that affair over Silas as a -whip to make him behave himself." </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_397" id="Page_397">[Pg 397]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Do you think Silas will ever have the reward paid him in a lump?" -asked Bob.</p> - -<p>"No, I don't, because he doesn't know enough to take care of so much -money. Joe can get his any time he wants it, for Mr. Warren knows that -he will make every cent of it count."</p> - -<p>Then, aloud, Tom said:</p> - -<p>"Well, Bob, seeing that we've got to get up in the morning, we had -better be going home. Come over bright and early, Joe, and we will take -your things back to your cabin."</p> - -<p>"And I will send up another supply of provisions," said Mr. Warren.</p> - -<p>Joe thanked his employer, bade him good-night, and led the way out of -the yard.</p> - -<p>For a time he and his party walked along in silence, and then Silas, -who began to have a vague idea that he had been imposed upon in some -way, broke out fiercely:</p> - -<p>"What did old man Warren mean by saying that if I didn't get all my -money by the time spring comes, he would advance enough to set me up -in business?" Silas almost shouted. "Looks to me like he'd 'p'inted<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_398" id="Page_398">[Pg 398]</a></span> -himself my guardeen, and that he means to keep a tight grip on them -twenty-five hundred, so't I can't spend it to suit myself. That's what -I think he means to do, dog-gone the luck!"</p> - -<p>Joe thought so, too, and he was glad of it. If that was Mr. Warren's -intention, Joe's mother would be likely to reap some benefit from the -reward; otherwise, she would not.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_399" id="Page_399">[Pg 399]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>CHAPTER XXXIV.</span> <span class="smaller">THE TRANSFORMATION.</span></h2> - -<p>Silas Morgan was one of the proudest men that the sun ever shone upon, -and he would have been supremely happy if it had not been for two -things, over which he could exercise no control.</p> - -<p>One was that Mr. Warren and the sheriff intended to keep a sharp eye on -him, and see that he did not squander any of the money he had earned -by capturing the robber. The other was that Dan claimed recognition, -and was determined to have it, too, in spite of the mean trick he had -played upon his father.</p> - -<p>When Silas arose the next morning the first thought that came into -his mind was that he was a rich man. It excited him to such a degree -that he could not eat any breakfast. He managed to drink a single cup -of coffee, and then shouldered his gun and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_400" id="Page_400">[Pg 400]</a></span> set out for Hobson's, -to exhibit himself to the loafers who made the Half-way House their -headquarters, while Joe hastened off to Mr. Hallet's to assist Tom and -Bob.</p> - -<p>Dan was left to pass the time as he pleased, and it suited him to sun -himself on the bank of the river and bemoan his hard luck.</p> - -<p>The first man Silas saw as he drew near to Hobson's place of business -was Brierly, who dropped some hints that set him to thinking. After -congratulating Silas on his good fortune, he inquired what use he -intended to make of the reward when he got it.</p> - -<p>"I ain't just made up my mind yet," was Silas Morgan's guarded reply. -"I don't reckon I'm going to get it right away, 'cause old man Warren -he's went and 'p'inted himself to be my guardeen, and I say that ain't -right. I ketched that there bugglar without no help from anybody. The -reward belongs to me, and I had oughter have it!"</p> - -<p>To his utter astonishment Brierly promptly answered:</p> - -<p>"No, you hadn't. You don't know how to take care of so much money, -more'n I do,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_401" id="Page_401">[Pg 401]</a></span> and it's the properest thing that somebody should look -out for it. I tell you, Silas, I ain't the man I was when that Joe of -your'n ordered me out of old man's Warren's wood lot. Do you know what -I did the minute I got home yesterday? Well, I went down to the hotel -and give the landlord the twenty-five dollars that I had cheated Mr. -Brown out of. The landlord knows where he lives, and will send it to -him."</p> - -<p>"Joe tells me that Mr. Brown was a mighty scared man after you lost him -in the woods," observed Silas.</p> - -<p>"It was a mighty mean trick," declared Brierly; "but the fact of it was -I was hard up for money, and didn't care much how I got it. I think -different now. I've got a chance to be something better'n the lazy, -ragged vagabone I have always been, and I am going to keep it. I am, -for a fact! I have been waiting for it, and now that I have got it, I -intend to make the most of it. I think I shall let the heft of my money -stay where it is this winter, and get my grub and clothes by chopping -wood for<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_402" id="Page_402">[Pg 402]</a></span> old man Warren. You want to look out for Hobson. He's got an -eye on them dollars of your'n. He tried to shove lots of things onto me -this morning, but I wouldn't take 'em."</p> - -<p>Silas Morgan never expected to hear such counsel as this from Brierly, -who, like himself, had always been in the habit of squandering his -slim earnings as fast as he could get hold of them, and it excited a -serious train of reflections in his mind. Being on his guard, Hobson's -blandishments had no effect upon him.</p> - -<p>"You're the luckiest man I ever heard of!" exclaimed the proprietor of -the Half-way House, coming out from behind his counter and greeting -Silas with great cordiality. "Warren's hired man told the stage driver -all about it, and he told us. Want anything in my line this morning?"</p> - -<p>"There's plenty of things I want," replied Silas; "but I ain't got a -cent of money."</p> - -<p>"No matter for that. Your credit is good."</p> - -<p>"And what's more, I don't reckon I can get any of that reward under six -weeks," continued Silas. "The court don't sit till<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_403" id="Page_403">[Pg 403]</a></span> then, you know, -and I won't see the color of them dollars till the bugglars gets their -sentence."</p> - -<p>"But Joe's pay-day will come sooner than that," suggested Hobson.</p> - -<p>"Well, now, look here," said Silas, slowly. "Don't you think it would -be mighty mean for a man who is worth twenty-five hundred dollars to -take the money his little boy makes by living up there alone in the -woods? I do. And I've about made up my mind that I won't do it."</p> - -<p>"Didn't you tell me that you thought the head of the family ought to -have the handling of all the money that came into the house?" demanded -Hobson, who was really astonished to hear such sentiments as these come -from Silas Morgan.</p> - -<p>"I did think so once, but I don't now," was the reply. "And furder'n -that, I don't reckon I'll get my money all in a lump, like I thought -I was going to, 'cause old man Warren he's gone and made himself my -guardeen; and if I run in debt now, I'll have to give you an order on -him for the money. Of course he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_404" id="Page_404">[Pg 404]</a></span> would want to see the bill, and mebbe -he'd take particular notice of the items that's into it."</p> - -<p>"Do you mean to let him boss you around in that way?" exclaimed Hobson. -"I thought you had more pluck than that. You are old enough to be your -own master, if you are ever going to be."</p> - -<p>"Well," said Silas, again, "there's one thing that I ain't master of, -and I know it. That's money. Whenever I get a dollar bill in my hands, -it burns me so't I have to drop it somewheres. I reckon I won't touch -that reward this winter."</p> - -<p>Hobson was so angry and disgusted that he could not say a word in -reply. He went around behind his counter, and when Silas turned to -go out, he informed him, in a savage tone of voice, that there was a -little difference of a dollar and a half between them, and he would be -glad to have him settle up then and there.</p> - -<p>"Didn't I tell you when I first come in that I ain't got a cent to -bless myself with?" reminded Silas. "But me and Dan are going<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_405" id="Page_405">[Pg 405]</a></span> to -work for old man Warren this very afternoon, and I'll be around next -Saturday, sure pop."</p> - -<p>"I'll bear that in mind," said Hobson. "If you are not on hand, I shall -ride down to your house to see what is the matter."</p> - -<p>"That's always the way with them kind of fellows," said Brierly, in a -low tone. "As long as you've got plenty of money, and spend it free -with them, you're a first-rate chap; but the very minute you turn over -a new leaf, and try to be honest and sober, they ain't got no use for -you. I'm done with 'em."</p> - -<p>Silas walked home in a brown study. The first thing he did after he -crossed the threshold of his humble abode was to put his gun in its -place over the door, and the second, to take an axe and whetstone out -of the chimney corner. With these in his hand, he went out on the bank -where Dan was still sunning himself.</p> - -<p>"It's a long time since you seen this here little tool, ain't it?" said -Silas, cheerfully; but there was something in the tone of his voice -that made the boy tremble. "Looks kinder like<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_406" id="Page_406">[Pg 406]</a></span> it used to last winter, -don't it? Now, sharpen it up so't you can drive it clear in to the eye -every clip, and after dinner me and you will toddle down to old man -Warren's, and ask him where he wants us to cut that wood; won't we, -Dannie?"</p> - -<p>"No, we won't," shouted Dan.</p> - -<p>"Won't, eh?" said his father, calmly. "Well, them that don't work can't -eat, and a boy that won't help himself when he's got a chance, can't -get no dollar a day out of me when I go into that boat business. He -won't be worth it, and Mr. Warren will think so too, when he hears of -it. I reckon the best thing you can do is to put that there axe in -shape and be ready to go with your pap after dinner."</p> - -<p>When he had taken time to think about it, Dan came to the same -conclusion. It cost him a struggle to do it, but when his father -shouldered his axe and set out for Mr. Warren's house, Dan went with -him.</p> - -<p>The gentleman was glad to hear that Silas did not intend to remain idle -simply because he had twenty-five hundred dollars in <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_407" id="Page_407">[Pg 407]</a></span>prospect, gave -him some good advice, and told him where to go to cut the wood.</p> - -<p>The road they followed to get to it took them close by the cabin of the -young game-warden, whom they found busily engaged in setting things to -rights.</p> - -<p>Of course, it made Dan angry to see his brother surrounded by so many -comforts, and in a position to make his money so easily, but there was -no help for it.</p> - -<p>His father was on Joe's side now; Dan could see that easily enough, and -an attempt on his part to annoy the young game-warden in any way would -bring upon him certain and speedy punishment.</p> - -<p>After that, things went smoothly with Joe Morgan.</p> - -<p>During that fall and winter Mr. Warren's imported game was never -interfered with, and the reason was because all the worst poachers -in the country, including Brierly and his gang, as well as Joe's own -father, had given up the precarious business of market-shooting.</p> - -<p>More than that, when Silas paid his bill<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_408" id="Page_408">[Pg 408]</a></span> at Hobson's, which he did, -according to promise, he gave the loungers about the Halfway House to -understand that he had taken Joe under his protection, and that any one -who troubled either him or Mr. Warren's blue-headed birds, might expect -to answer to him for it.</p> - -<p>As Silas Morgan's prowess in battle was well known to every body for -miles around, the market-shooters took him at his word, and kept away -from Mr. Warren's wood-lot.</p> - -<p>The savage, half-starved dogs in the settlement which had become so -fond of hunting deer that they sometimes chased them on their own -responsibility, were either chained up or given away, and the only -hounds that gave tongue among the Summerdale hills during the winter -were those which, like Tom Hallet's beagle, were trained to hunt foxes -and coons.</p> - -<p>While the pleasant weather continued, the young game-wardens searched -the woods thoroughly, in the hope of finding the guns that the -robbers had thrown away during their flight, but their efforts were -unrewarded,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_409" id="Page_409">[Pg 409]</a></span> and finally the snows of winter came and covered them up.</p> - -<p>One day, just before Christmas, Mr. Warren's hired man came up, -bringing, among other things, a few magazines and papers, a supply of -provisions for Joe's use, some grain for the birds, and a long, shallow -box which he placed carefully upon the table.</p> - -<p>"Mr. Warren says that you will want to go home on Christmas, and -there's a little something for your folks to eat," said he, handing Joe -a nice fat turkey, all dressed and ready for the oven. "In that box you -will find a present from St. Nick. Look at it, and see if you ain't -glad you lost your rusty old single-barrel."</p> - -<p>"I know what it is," replied Joe. "Is it mine to keep, or to use while -I am acting as game-warden?"</p> - -<p>"It is yours to keep. It is intended to replace the one the robbers -stole from you."</p> - -<p>The sight that met the boy's gaze when he unlocked the box made his -eyes open wide with wonder and delight. Inside, was a breech-loader, -with pistol-grip and all the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_410" id="Page_410">[Pg 410]</a></span> necessary loading tools. Of course, it -was a fine weapon. Mr. Warren never did things by halves.</p> - -<p>It was the first Christmas present Joe had ever received.</p> - -<p>Contrary to Mrs. Morgan's expectations, there was not the least trouble -in the house over the young game-warden's money. She had enough and to -spare, and so had Silas and Dan.</p> - -<p>The former worked faithfully, because his ambition had been aroused, -and Dan toiled steadily by his side, because he knew if he didn't, he -would lose the dollar a day he was looking forward to. He got it, too.</p> - -<p>The robbers were duly convicted and sentenced, and, when spring came, -Silas had his twenty-five hundred dollars intact; or, to speak more -correctly, somebody had it for him.</p> - -<p>Silas did not know just where it was, whether in Mr. Warren's hands -or the sheriff's, and indeed he did not care. All the bills he made -in buying his boat, building his new house and fencing the piece -of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_411" id="Page_411">[Pg 411]</a></span> ground that Mr. Warren leased to him, were promptly met by that -gentleman, and Silas highly elated at the prospect of having a paying -business of his own, worked to such good purpose that when the guests -began to arrive he was ready to serve them.</p> - -<p>For the first time in his life, Dan Morgan looked as "spick and span as -anybody" in his blue uniform, with a wide collar and sailor necktie, -all bought with his own money, too; and he often walked up and down in -front of the hotel to show himself to the people who were sitting on -the veranda.</p> - -<p>He proved to be a good boatman, and easily earned the dollar a day his -father paid him for his services.</p> - -<p>Joe held to his resolution, and entered the Bellville Academy when the -spring term opened. He is there now; and he often says that he likes -his school duties much better than those he was called on to perform -while he was acting as Mr. Warren's game-warden.</p> - -<p class="center space-above">THE END.</p> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's The Young Game-Warden, by Harry Castlemon - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE YOUNG GAME-WARDEN *** - -***** This file should be named 62866-h.htm or 62866-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/2/8/6/62866/ - -Produced by David Edwards, Martin Pettit and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This -book was produced from images made available by the -HathiTrust Digital Library.) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The Young Game-Warden - -Author: Harry Castlemon - -Release Date: August 6, 2020 [EBook #62866] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE YOUNG GAME-WARDEN *** - - - - -Produced by David Edwards, Martin Pettit and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This -book was produced from images made available by the -HathiTrust Digital Library.) - - - - - - -+-------------------------------------------------+ -|Transcriber's note: | -| | -|Obvious typographic errors have been corrected. | -| | -+-------------------------------------------------+ - - -[Illustration: THE MYSTERIOUS LETTER] - - -THE YOUNG GAME-WARDEN - -BY - -HARRY CASTLEMON - -AUTHOR OF "THE HOUSE-BOAT BOYS," "GUNBOAT SERIES," -"ROCKY MOUNTAIN SERIES," ETC. - - -THE JOHN C. WINSTON CO. -PHILADELPHIA -CHICAGO TORONTO - - -COPYRIGHT, 1896, BY HENRY T. COATES & CO. - - - - -CONTENTS. - -CHAPTER PAGE - I. SILAS MORGAN, 5 - - II. THE BROTHERS, 17 - - III. THE MYSTERIOUS LETTER, 31 - - IV. HOBSON'S HOUSE, 45 - - V. WHAT DAN OVERHEARD, 55 - - VI. THE YOUNG GAME-WARDEN, 66 - - VII. BROTHERLY LOVE, 77 - - VIII. JOE'S PLANS IN DANGER, 89 - - IX. VOLUNTEERS, 100 - - X. WHY THE LETTER WAS WRITTEN, 109 - - XI. THE PLOT SUCCEEDS, 121 - - XII. A MYSTERY, 134 - - XIII. DAN IS SCARED, 146 - - XIV. THE "HANT," 158 - - XV. JOE'S NEW HOME, 169 - - XVI. JOE'S "FIRST OFFICIAL ACT," 181 - - XVII. WHO FIRED THE FOUR SHOTS? 194 - - XVIII. DAN'S SECRET, 205 - - XIX. DAN TELLS HIS STORY, 216 - - XX. A RUN FOR HOME, 228 - - XXI. A TREACHEROUS GUIDE, 240 - - XXII. MR. BROWN TAKES HIS DEPARTURE, 252 - - XXIII. EXPLORING THE CAVE, 264 - - XXIV. ROBBERS, 277 - - XXV. WHAT THE GRIP-SACK CONTAINED, 289 - - XXVI. MR. HALLET HEARS THE NEWS, 302 - - XXVII. JOE'S PLANS, 315 - -XXVIII. CAPTURE OF BOB EMERSON, 326 - - XXIX. THE HUNT FOR THE ROBBERS, 338 - - XXX. BRIERLY'S SQUAD CAPTURES A ROBBER, 350 - - XXXI. SILAS IN LUCK AT LAST, 362 - - XXXII. BOB EMERSON'S STORY, 374 - -XXXIII. TURNING OVER A NEW LEAF, 386 - - XXXIV. THE TRANSFORMATION, 399 - - - - -THE YOUNG GAME-WARDEN. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -SILAS MORGAN. - - -"I do think in my soul that of all the mean things a white man has to -do, hauling wood on a hot day like this is the very meanest." - -The speaker was Silas Morgan--a tall, broad-shouldered man, whose -tattered garments and snail-like movements proclaimed him to be the -very personification of indolence and shiftlessness. - -As he spoke, he took off his hat and drew his shirt-sleeve across his -dripping forehead, while the lazy old horse, which had pulled the -rickety wood-rack up the long, steep hill from the beach, lowered his -head, dropped his ears, and fell fast asleep. - -The man had two alert and wide-awake companions, and they were a brace -of finely-bred Gordon setters, which, after beating the bushes on both -sides of the road in the vain effort to put up a grouse or start a -hare, now came in, and lay down near the wagon. - -They were a sight for a sportsman's eye, and that same sportsman would -very naturally ask himself how it came that this poverty-stricken -fellow could afford to own dogs that would have won honors at any -bench-show in the land. - -"Yes, I reckon them dog-brutes air just about nice," Silas said, -whenever any inquisitive person propounded this inquiry to him, "and -they were given to me for a present by a couple of city shooters who -once hired me for a guide. You see, birds of all sorts, and 'specially -woodcock, was mighty skeerce that year, but I took 'em where there was -a little bunch that I was a saving for my own shooting, and they had -the biggest kind of sport. They give me them dogs in consequence of my -perliteness to 'em." - -There was no one in the neighborhood who could dispute this story, but -there were those who took note of the fact that at certain times the -dogs disappeared as completely as though they had never existed, and -that they were never seen when there were any strange sportsmen in the -vicinity. - -"The luck that comes to different folks in this world is just a trifle -the beatenest thing that I ever heared tell on," continued Silas, -leaning heavily upon the wood-rack and fanning his flushed face with -his brimless straw hat. "I can think and plan, but it don't bring in no -money, like it does for some folks that ain't got nigh as much sense as -I have. Now, there's them two setter dogs that was accidentally left on -my hands last year! I thought sure that I'd make my everlasting fortune -out of them; but if there's been a reward offered for their safe return -to their master, I never seen or heared of it. I've tried every way I -can think of to make something, so't things in and around my house -won't look so sorter peaked and poor, but I'm as fur from hitting the -mark now as I was ten year ago. I wish I could think up some way to -make a strike, but I can't; and so here goes for that wood-pile. It -won't always be as hot as it is to-day. Winter will be here before -long, the roads will be blocked with drifts, and if this wood ain't -down to the beach directly, me and the ole woman will have to shiver -over a bare hearth." - -With this reflection to put life and energy into him, Silas -straightened up and turned toward the wood-pile with slow and reluctant -steps, all unconscious of the fact that every move he made was closely -watched by two recumbent figures, who, snugly concealed by a thicket of -evergreens, a short distance away, had distinctly caught every word of -his soliloquy. - -The dogs knew they were there, for they had run upon their -hiding-place, but as the recumbent figures were neither birds nor -hares, they did not even bark at them, but gave a friendly wag with -their tails, as if to say that it was all right, and returned to their -master, to whom they gave no sign to indicate that they had discovered -anything. - -Silas went about his work in that indescribably lazy way that a boy or -man generally assumes when he is laboring under protest. Every stick -he lifted from the pile to the wagon seemed to tax his strength to -the very utmost, and he was often obliged to stop and rest; but still -he made a little headway, and when the rack was about half-loaded he -concluded that he could do no more until he had refreshed himself with -a smoke. - -"I have always heared," said Silas, aloud (whenever he thought himself -safely out of hearing, he invariably gave utterance to the thoughts -that were in his mind)--"I have always heared 'em say that all this -country around here is historical, and that if these mountings could -speak, they'd tell tales that would make your eyes stick out as big as -your fist. - -"They do say that there's been a heap of stealing and plundering going -on about here in the days gone by"--as Silas said this he glanced -around him a little apprehensively--"and that there's heaps and stacks -of gold and silver hid away where nobody won't ever think of looking -for 'em. If I thought that was so, wouldn't I try my level best to find -some of it? I'd leave Joe and Dan to run the ferry, and then I'd put a -shovel on to my shoulder and come up here, and never leave off digging -till I'd turned some of these mountings t'other side up. But I guess -I won't smoke. I was fool enough to come away and leave my matches to -home." - -Silas held his pipe in his hand, and ran his eye along the wood-pile as -if he were looking for a light. - -As he did so, he gave a sudden start, his eyes opened to their widest -extent, his under jaw dropped down, and the hand in which he held the -pipe fell to his side. - -The object that riveted his gaze was a letter. It had been thrust into -a crack in the end of a stick of wood, and looked as though it might -have been placed there on purpose to attract his attention. - -"Now, don't that beat you?" exclaimed Silas, who was greatly -astonished. "Who in the world has been using my wood-pile for a -post-office, I'd like to know?" - -If the truth must be told, Silas was frightened as well as surprised. -Like all ignorant men, he was superstitious, and whenever he saw or -heard anything for which he could not account on the instant, he was -sure to be overcome with terror. - -His first thought was to take to his heels, make the best of his way to -the cabin, and send his boys back after the wagon; but if he did that, -they would be sure to see the letter--they couldn't help it, if they -kept their eyes open--and might they not read it and make themselves -masters of some information that he alone ought to possess? - -"It's mighty comical how that thing come there, and who writ it," said -Silas, "and somehow I can't get my consent to tech it." - -And he didn't touch it, either, until he had viewed it from all sides. -First, he bent down, with his hands upon his knees, and twisted his -body into all sorts of shapes in the vain effort to see the other side -of the letter. Then he straightened up and made a wide circle around -it; and finally, he climbed upon the wood-pile and looked at it from -another direction. At last, he must have satisfied himself that it -was a letter and nothing else, for he reached out his hand and took -possession of it. - -"It's mighty comical," repeated Silas, looking first at the letter, -and then turning suspicious glances upon the surrounding woods, "and I -can't for the life of me think who put it there. Now, who'll I get to -read it for me? I can spell out printing with the best of them, but I -can't say that I know much about them turkey-tracks they call writing." - -As Silas was walking around the wood-pile toward his wagon, he turned -the letter over in his hands, and then he saw that there was something -inscribed upon the envelope. The characters were printed, too, and the -man had little difficulty in deciphering the following: - - - "NOTIS - - "to the luckey person in to whose hans this dockyment may happen - to fall. thare is a big fortune for you in this mounting if you - have got the pluck to do what I have writ on the inside. thare - is danger in it, but mebbe that hant won't bother you as it has - bothered me ever since I pushed him in to the gorge." - - -Silas was in another profuse perspiration long before he spelled out -the last word in the "notis," but now the cold chills began creeping -all over him. His breath came in short, quick gasps, and his hand -trembled visibly, as he thrust the letter into his pocket. Then he cast -frightened glances on all sides of him, glided back to his wagon with -long noiseless footsteps and reached for the reins. - -The commands which he usually shouted at his aged and infirm beast, -were uttered in a whisper, and the horse, not being accustomed to that -style of driving, had to be severely admonished with a hickory switch -before he would settle into the collar and start the very light load -behind him. - -Silas never could have told how he got down the hill without breaking -his crazy old wagon all to pieces, for his mind was so completely taken -up with other matters that he never thought to look out for the rough -places in the road, or to give a wide berth to the stumps. He seemed -to be treading on air. He hoped and believed that he was on the point -of making a most important discovery; but, great as was his desire to -make himself the possessor of the fortune that was hidden somewhere in -the mountain he had just left, he could not screw up courage enough to -stop and read the letter. He wanted to put the woods far behind him -before he did that. The "notis" he had read contained some words that -he did not like to recall to mind. - -"Didn't I say that there had been a heap of plundering and stealing a -going on in this country in bygone days?" said Silas to himself. "This -letter proves it, and the words that's printed onto the envelope tells -me some things that I don't like to hear tell of. There's likewise been -some killing a going on up there. A feller has been shoved into one of -the gorges, and his hant (some folks calls it a ghost or spirit) has -come back, and keeps a bothering of the feller that pushed him in. I -don't know whether or not I can get my consent to go up there and dig -for that fortune, even if I knew where to look for it, which I don't." - -At the end of half an hour, Silas Morgan drew a long breath of relief, -and stopped looking behind him. - -He was safely out of the woods, and moving quietly along the river -road, within shouting distance of his cabin. - -Then his courage all came back to him, and he was ready for any -undertaking, no matter how dangerous it might be, so long as there was -money behind it. - -"Now, Silas, let's look at this thing kind o' sensible like," said he -to himself. "There must be as much as a thousand dollars up there in -the mounting. If there wasn't, it wouldn't be a fortune, would it? And -what's to hender you from getting it for you own? If you go up there in -the daytime, that hant can't bother you none, 'cause I've heard folks -say that they never show themselves except on dark and stormy nights; -but if this one comes out and tells you to leave off digging for that -fortune, you can fill him so full of bird shot that he won't be of no -use as a hant any more, can't you? Get along with you!" he shouted, -bringing the heavy switch down upon the horse's back with no gentle -hand. "I ain't got much more wood hauling for you to do, 'cause I'm -going after them thousand dollars." - -A few minutes later Silas reached his home. Dropping the reins and whip -to the ground, he bolted into the cabin, closing the door behind him. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -THE BROTHERS. - - -"Toot! toot! t-o-ot!" - -This was the third time the horn had been blown--first warningly, then -persuasively, and at last angrily. - -The hunters on the other side of the river, who had been trying for -more than twenty minutes to bring the ferryman over to them, were -beginning to get impatient. So was Joe Morgan, the ferryman's youngest -son--a sturdy, sun-browned boy of fifteen, who stood in the flat, -holding one of the heavy sweeps in his hand, all ready to shove off. - -He looked toward the men on the opposite shore, and then he looked at -his brother, who sat on the bank, with his elbows on his knees and his -chin resting on his hands. - -"There's eighty cents in that load," said Joe, who was in a great hurry -to respond to the angry blasts of the horn. "If they get tired of -waiting, and go down to the bridge, we shall be just that much out of -pocket." - -"Let 'em go, if they want to," replied the boy on the bank, in a lazy, -indifferent tone. "There's no law to hinder 'em that I know of. Pap -don't seem to be in no great hurry, and neither be I. I'm sick and -tired of pulling that heavy flat over the river every time anybody -takes a fool notion into his head to toot that horn. Some day I'll get -mad and sink it so deep that it can't never be found again--I will so!" - -"Now, Dan, what's the use of talking that way?" exclaimed Joe, -impatiently. "You know well enough that as long as we run the ferry, -we must hold ourselves in readiness to serve any one who may call upon -us; and if you should destroy the flat, we would have to get another or -give up the business." - -"And that's just what I want to do," answered Dan. - -"Then how would we make a living?" - -"Easy enough. Can't we all shoot birds and rabbits when the season's -open, and snare 'em when it's shut? And can't mother earn a dollar -every day by washing for them rich--" - -"Dan, I'm ashamed of you," interrupted Joe. "What mother wants is rest, -and not more work. Come on; what's the use of being so lazy? You've got -to make a start some time or other." - -But Dan made no move, and Joe, who was very much disgusted with his -brother's obstinacy, threw down the sweep, sprang ashore and ran up the -bank toward the little board cabin that stood at the top. - -Finding that the door would not open for him, Joe ran around the corner -of the building, and looked in at a convenient window, just in time -to catch his father in the act of thrusting a letter into his pocket. -The ferryman's face was flushed, and his movements were nervous and -hurried. The boy saw at a glance that he was greatly excited about -something. - -"As long as I have been acquainted with him, I never knew him to get -a letter before," said Joe to himself. "He has heard some very good -or some very bad news, for he is so upset that he doesn't seem to know -what he is about." - -"I heard 'em blowing, Joey," said Silas, without waiting for the boy to -speak, "and now we'll go and bring 'em over. Thank goodness, I won't -have to follow this mean business much longer. I don't like it, Joey. I -wasn't born to wait on other folks, and I'm going to quit it." - -"Then you will have to quit ferrying," said Joe, as he followed his -father down the bank. - -"That's just what I intend to do," answered Silas, and then the boy -noticed that there was a triumphant smile on his face, and that he -rubbed his hands together as if he were thinking about something that -afforded him the greatest satisfaction. "I've got an idee into my head, -and if I don't make the folks around here look wild some of these days, -I'm a goat," added the ferryman. - -And then he raised a yell to let the men on the other side of the -river know that he had at last made up his mind to respond to their -signals. But before he did so, he shaded his eyes with his hand, and -took a good look at the group on the opposite bank, after which he -walked around the cabin, snapping his fingers as he went. This was a -signal to the dogs that it was time for them to retire from public gaze -for a short season; in other words, to go into a miserable lean-to -behind the cabin, which Silas called a wood-shed, and stay there until -the hunters, who were now on the other side of the river, should have -passed out of sight. They went in in obedience to a sign from the -ferryman, and the latter closed the door and put a stick of cord-wood -against it to hold it in place. - -"If them setter brutes was a present to pap, like he says they was, -it's mighty comical to me why he takes so much trouble to hide 'em -every time some of them city shooters comes along and toot that horn," -soliloquized Dan, as he slowly, almost painfully, arose from the -ground, and, after much stretching and yawning, followed his father -and brother down the bank toward the flat. "He says he's scared that -somebody will take a notion to 'em and steal 'em; but that's all in my -one eye, 'cording to my way of thinking. Now, I'll just tell him this -for a fact. If he don't quit being so stingy with the money I help him -earn with this ferry, I'll bust up the plans he's got into his head -about them dogs--I will so. I wonder what's come over him all of a -sudden? Here he's been clear up the mounting and come back with only an -armful of wood on his wagon, and he don't generally whoop in that there -good-natured way, less'n he's got something on his mind." - -That was true enough. The ferryman's replies to the hails that came to -him from over the river, usually sounded more like the complaints of a -surly bear than anything else to which we can compare them. The tone -in which they were uttered seemed to say, "I'll come because I can't -help myself," and he was so long about it, and made himself so very -disagreeable in the presence of his passengers, that those who knew him -would often go ten miles out of their way to reach a bridge rather than -put a dime into his pocket. But on this particular morning, his voice -rang out so cheerily that it attracted Joe's attention as well as -Dan's. - -Silas was always good-natured when he had something besides his poverty -to think about, and Joe would have known that his father had some new -idea in his head, even if he had not said a word about it. - -"Lively, Dannie!" exclaimed Silas, seizing the steering-oar and pushing -the flat away from the bank. "Put in your very best licks, 'cause there -won't none of us have to follow this miserable business much longer. -There'll be a day when we won't have to go and come at everybody's beck -and call, and that day ain't so very far away neither." - -The two boys took their places at the sweeps, and the flat moved out -into the river. Joe did his best to make a quick passage, as he always -did, while the lazy Dan, who had the current in his favor, merely put -his oar into the water and took it out again, without exerting himself -in the least. His father's hopeful and encouraging words did not infuse -a particle of energy into him. He had heard him talk that way too -often. - -"It ain't right that we should be so poor, while other folks, who never -did a hand's turn in their lives, have got more than they know what -to do with," continued Silas, as he dropped the steering-oar into the -water. "I've got just as much right to have money, and the fine things -that money'll buy, as anybody has, and I'm going to have 'em, too. I -ain't going to live like the pigs in the gutter no longer. Just think -of the hundreds and thousands of dollars that's spent down to the Beach -every summer by the city chaps who come there to loaf! _I_ can't lay -around under the shade of the trees or swing in a hammock just 'cause -the weather's hot. I've got to work. I've got to cut cord-wood in -winter and run this ferry during the summer, in order to make a living; -but other fellows can stay around and do nothing, just 'cause they've -got money. I say again, that such things ain't right." - -"It makes me savage every time I go down to the Beach," chimed in Dan, -"when I see them city folks, who ain't a cent's worth better than I be, -wearing their good clothes, and walking around with their fine guns -and fish-poles on their shoulders--" - -"Like them over there," said his father, nodding his head toward the -bank, which was now but a short distance away. - -Dan faced about on his seat, and took a good look at the party in -question. - -There were ninety cents in the load instead of eighty. There were three -sportsmen in brown hunting-suits, who were walking restlessly about as -if they did not know what to do with themselves, and they had a double -team, with a negro to drive it. - -With them were half a dozen setters and pointers, which were exercising -their muscles by racing up and down the bank. - -The sight of the negro set the ferryman's tongue in motion again, while -the good clothes the strangers wore had about the same effect upon Dan -that a piece of red cloth is supposed to have upon a pugnacious turkey -gobbler. - -"More 'ristocrats!" sneered Silas. "Why don't they drive their own -team?" - -"Probably they don't want to," replied Joe. "Besides, they are able to -hire some one to drive it for them." - -"Of course they are!" exclaimed Silas, who was angry in an instant. -"But I ain't able to hire a nigger to run this ferry for me. I say that -such a state of things ain't right." - -"Well, it isn't their fault, is it?" said Joe. - -"I didn't say it was," snapped his father. "It ain't my fault, neither, -that I haven't got as much money as the richest of them, but it will -be my fault if I don't have it before the season's over. They're going -after woodcock," added Silas, who was a market-shooter as well as a -ferryman and wood-cutter. "I would like to bet them something that they -won't get enough birds to pay them for crossing the river. I've got all -the covers pretty well cleaned out." - -"Them's the sort of fellers I despise," said Dan, turning around on his -seat and resuming his work at the sweep--or, rather, his pretence of -it. "The money them dogs cost would keep me in the best kind of grub -and clothes for a whole year. Just look at the clothes they've got on, -and then cast your eye at these I've got on. Dog-gone such luck! I hope -they won't get nothing, and if they should hire me for a guide, I would -take good care to lead them where such a bird as a woodcock wasn't -never seen." - -"Perhaps they don't need a guide," said Joe. "Because they wear good -clothes and own fine dogs, it is no sign that they don't know woodcock -ground or a snipe bog when they see it, as well as you do. Perhaps they -are all better hunters and wing-shots than you ever dare be." - -"Not much they ain't," exclaimed Dan, who got fighting mad whenever his -brother threw out a hint of this kind. "I can beat any feller who wears -them kind of clothes; and as for them fine dogs of their'n, I'll take -Bony and get more partridges in a day than they can shoot in a week." - -"Well, then, why ain't you satisfied? What are you growling about?" - -"'Cause they're 'ristocrats--that's what I'm growling about," answered -Dan, looking savagely across the flat at his brother, while Silas -nodded a silent but hearty approval. "I am getting tired of seeing so -much style every day, while I am so poor that I can't hardly raise -money enough to buy powder and shot, and some fine day I'll bust up -some of these hunting parties. I've got just as much right to see fun -as they have." - -"So you have, Dannie," said his father. "There ain't no sense in the -way things go in this world anyway, and I am glad to see you kick agin -it. I have always told you, that I would be better off some day, and I -have hit upon the very idee at last. Me and you will stick together, -and I'll warrant that we will make more money than Joe does by toadying -to these 'ristocrats who come here to take the bread out of our mouths, -by shooting the game that rightfully belongs to us." - -"I don't toady to anybody," replied Joe, with some spirit. "I am glad -of the chances they give me to earn something now and then, and I am -sure we need it bad enough." - -"I have thought up a way to get more out of them than you do, and the -first good chance I get I am going to try it on," observed Dan. "I -won't go halvers with you, neither, and you needn't expect me to. You -never give me a cent." - -"Of course I don't. You are as able to make something for yourself as I -am to make it for you. Mother gets all I earn." - -By this time the flat was within a few lengths of the shore, and the -crew were obliged to give their entire attention to the sweeps, in -order to make a landing. The ferryman, who up to this time had been -in a state of nervousness and expectancy, now began to act more like -himself--that is to say, he greeted his passengers with an angry scowl, -and gave them about as much polite attention as he would have bestowed -upon so many bags of corn. - -He had kept his gaze fastened upon them, and he was both relieved and -disappointed to discover that the owner of the dogs that were shut up -in his woodshed was not among them. - -At the proper moment the "apron"--a movable gangway which could be -raised and lowered at pleasure--was dropped upon the bank, and in five -minutes more the team and the passengers were all aboard, and the flat -was moving back across the river. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -THE MYSTERIOUS LETTER. - - -Having landed his passengers and pocketed his money, Silas Morgan made -his way toward the cabin with so much haste that he again drew the -attention of the boys, who gazed after him with no little surprise and -curiosity. Silas was as lazy as a man ever gets to be, and Joe and Dan -could not imagine what had happened to put so much life into him. - -"I knew that something or 'nother had come over pap when he yelled in -that good-natured way to let them fellers on t'other side know that he -was coming," observed Dan, who walked back to his seat on the bank, and -sunned himself there like a turtle on his log, while Joe hauled in the -sweeps and made the flat secure. "He's got another of them money-making -plans into his head, I reckon." - -Those who were well acquainted with Silas Morgan knew that he always -had plans of that kind in his head. He was full of schemes for getting -rich without work, some of which, if carried into execution, would -have brought him into serious trouble with the officers of the law; -but the idea that occupied his busy brain on this particular morning -was a little ahead of anything he had ever before thought of. You will -probably laugh at it when you know what it was, but Silas didn't. - -Of all the thousand and one plans which he had conjured up and pondered -over, this one, which had come into his possession by the merest -accident, seemed to hold out the brightest promises of success. - -"But it wasn't accident, neither," Silas kept saying to himself. "There -isn't a day during the shooting season that them mountings ain't just -covered with hunters, and how did the man that put this letter into my -wood-pile know that I was the one who was to take it out? He didn't -know it. I found it 'cause it was to be so, that's the reason." - -The first thing the ferryman did when he reached the cabin was to -close and fasten the door, to prevent interruption, and the next to -draw from his pocket the mysterious letter, which he spread upon the -table before him. - -To make himself master of its contents was a work of no little -difficulty. Silas did not know much about books, and, besides, some of -the characters that were intended to represent letters were so badly -printed that it was hard to tell what they were intended for. He read -as follows: - - - "DECEMBER 15--IN THE MOUNTINGS. - - "I write this to inform whoever finds it that I have a secret to - tell you. I was born in Europe, and am now forty years of age. I am - a gentleman, and my father is a rich man and a large land-owner. I - am the second son, and fell in love with a girl when I was twenty - years of age. - - "Everything went well till my older brother came home from the war, - and when she found out that I was not entitled to the estates, - she left me, and went to concerts and balls with my brother, and - that was something I could not stand. So I sent her a bottle of - sody-water, with my best wishes, and I put in strickning, and the - next day she was dead. The doctors said she died of heart disease, - but I knew better. So I told my father that I was going to - America. So he gave me five hundred pounds in money--" - - -"Five hundred pounds of money!" exclaimed Silas, after he had spelled -the words over three times to satisfy himself that he had made no -mistake. "How did he ever make out to carry that heft of greenbacks -clear across the ocean and up into these mountings? If I find it, I'll -have to bring it down on my wagon, won't I? And where'll I put it after -I get it so that it will be safe? That's what's a bothering of me now." - -Silas was already beginning to feel the responsibilities that weigh -upon capitalists, one of whom assures us that he finds it harder work -to take care of his money than it was to accumulate it. Silas made a -note of all the good hiding-places which he could recall to mind on the -spur of the moment, and then went on with his reading: - - - --"and the next day I shipped for New York. I wish I had never done - it. A coming over the ocean, I made the acquaintance of a man who - coaxed me to go to Californy with him, and there we fell in with - two more who were as bad as we was, and we went into a bank there, - and took out seventy thousand dollars. So we went to Canady, and - stayed there till the country got too hot for us, and then we come - to these mountings. So we went along till we come to the old Indian - road. One day my chum dropped his pipe down a crack in the rocks, - and he said he would have it again if he broke his neck a getting - it. So he slid down about twelve feet, and there was as nice a cave - in the rock as you ever see. - - "There is a crack in the ground that goes down about twelve feet, - and then you come onto the level, and can go a hundred feet before - you come to the place where a lot of sand and stones has fell in. - The cave has been lived in before, by robbers most likely, 'cause - we found a lot of money and some guns and pistols there, of a kind - that we never see before. I and my chum lived in this cave about - three weeks, and then we started to go to the lake. - - "When we got to the top of the Indian road, I refused to go any - farther, and when my chum made as if he were going to shoot me - for being a coward, I give him a shove, and down he went into the - gulf. He's there now, where nobody will ever find him; but his hant - (ghost) comes back to me every day and night, and that's why I am - going to jump into the lake--just to get away from that hant. Now I - must tell you about the money. - - "There is twelve thousand in bills, and about three hundred in - gold and silver. It is in a leather satchel in the bottom. It has - a false plate on the bottom, put on with screws. And there you - will find the money. I will and bequeath it to you and your heirs - and assanees forever. I leave this in a wood-pile, and the one who - draws the wood will find it. - - "The cave is about a quarter of a mile from the wood-pile, near a - large hemlock tree. There is a rope that goes down into the cave, - and it hangs under the roots of the tree. Look close or you can't - find it. I leave a map of the route from the pile of wood to the - cave in this letter. I hope the hant won't bother you while you are - getting the money, as he has bothered me ever since I have been - writing this letter. - - "JULIUS JONES." - - -Words would fail us, were we to attempt to tell just how Silas felt -after he had finished reading this interesting communication. He hoped -it might be true--that there was a cave with a fortune in it which he -could have for the finding of it--and consequently it was very easy for -him to believe that it _was_ true; but there were one or two things -that ought to have attracted his attention and aroused his suspicions -at once. - -In the first place, there was the document itself. It was now the -latter part of August, and if the letter was left in the wood-pile on -the day it purported to be written, it had been exposed for eight long -months to some of the most furious snow and rain storms that had ever -visited that section of the country, and yet the writing looked fresh, -and there was not a single wrinkle or even the suspicion of a stain -upon the envelope. It could not have been cleaner if it had but just -been taken out of the post office. - -Another thing, the writer would have found it an exceedingly difficult -task to drown himself in the lake during the month of December, for he -would have been obliged to cut through nearly two feet of ice in order -to reach water. - -But the ferryman did not notice these little discrepancies. He gave -his imagination full swing, and worked himself into such a state of -excitement that his nerves were all unstrung; consequently, when hasty -steps sounded outside the cabin, and Dan's heavy hand fumbled with -the latch, it was all Silas could do to repress the cry of alarm that -trembled on his lips as he sprang to his feet. - -Finding that the door was fastened on the inside, Dan came around the -corner, and looked in at the window. - -"Say, pap," he whispered excitedly, "dog-gone my buttons, what did you -go and lock yourself up for? Think somebody was about to steal all the -gold dishes? Open up, quick! Here's a go--two of 'em." - -Although the ferryman heartily wished Dan a thousand miles away, he -complied with this peremptory demand for admission, whereupon the boy -stepped quickly across the threshold and locked the door behind him. - -"Say, pap," he continued, in a hurried whisper, "don't it beat the -world how some folks can make money without ever trying? Now, there's -that Joe of our'n. He don't never seem to do much of nothing but just -loaf around in the woods with them city fellers that come up here to -show their fine guns, and yet he's always got money. He takes mighty -good care to keep it hid, too, 'cause I can't never find none of it." - -"Is that all you've got to say?" exclaimed Silas impatiently. "I know -it as well as you do." - -"Well, it ain't all I've got to say, neither," replied Dan. "I've got -a heap more, if you will only let me tell you. Old man Warren is out -there talking with Joe now. You remember them blue-headed birds you -killed for him last year, don't you?" - -"Them English partridges?" said Silas with a grin. "I ain't forgot 'em. -Old man Warren offered me ten dollars a month if I wouldn't shoot over -his grounds, 'cause he wanted them birds pertected till there were lots -of 'em; but I wouldn't agree to nothing of the kind. He brung them -birds from England on purpose to stock his covers with. They cost him -six dollars a pair, and I made more'n forty dollars out of 'em. Well, -what of it? I don't care for such trifling things any more." - -"Well," answered Dan, "he's gone and got more of them to take the -place of them you shot--old man Warren has--a hundred pair of 'em--six -hundred dollars worth, and--" - -"Ah! that makes it different," said Silas, rubbing his hands and -looking up at his old muzzle-loader, which rested on a couple of -wooden hooks over the door. "It's true that six hundred dollars ain't -no great shakes of money to a man who--hum! But still I am obliged to -old Warren. They won't bring me in no such sum as that, them birds -won't, but they'll be worth a dollar a brace this season easy enough, -and that'll pay me for the trouble I'll have in shooting them. Ain't I -going to make a power of money this winter?" - -"No, you ain't," snapped Dan, who had made several ineffectual attempts -to induce his father to stop talking and listen to him. "And you ain't -by no means as smart as you think you be, neither." - -"What for?" demanded his father. - -"'Cause you keep jawing all the while and won't let me tell you. He's -going to have them birds pertected, the old man is, and you can't shoot -them loose and reckless like you did last winter." - -"_That_ for his pertection!" cried the ferryman, snapping his fingers -in the air. "He can't do it, and I won't pay no heed to him if he tries -it." - -"Then he'll have the law on you." - -"He can't do that, neither, 'cause there ain't no close season for -English partridges. There's no such birds in this country known to the -law. Besides, how is old man Warren going to tell whether it was me or -some of them city sportsmen that shot 'em?" - -"He's going to post his land, and put a game-warden up there in the -woods to watch them partridges," observed Dan. - -"What kind of a feller is that?" asked Silas. "Is it the same as a -game-constable?" - -"Just the same, only the old man will pay him out of his own pocket, -instead of looking to the county to pay him. He's going to have that -there game-warden shoot every dog and 'rest every man who comes on to -the grounds with a gun in his hands, if he don't go off when he's told -to." - -"Well, I'd like to see him shoot one of my dogs, and I wouldn't go off, -neither, less'n I felt like it," said Silas, doubling his huge fists -and looking very savage indeed. "Do you know how much he is going to -give him?" - -"Fifteen dollars a month from the first of September to the first of -May," answered Dan, "and his grub is throwed in--the best kind of grub, -too." - -"Well, that ain't so bad," said Silas, slowly. "Fifteen dollars a month -and grub for eight months--that would be a hundred and twenty dollars, -wouldn't it, Dannie? That's more'n I could make by shooting the birds. -Is old man Warren out there now? If he is, I'll go and tell him that -I'll take the job. You and Joe can run the ferry during the rest of the -summer, and pocket all you can make. I don't care for such trifling -things any more." - -"Whoop! Hold me on the ground, somebody!" yelled Dan, jumping up and -knocking his heels together. - -This was the expression he always used and the performance he went -through whenever he got mad and became possessed with an insane desire -to smash things. - -"Now I'll just tell you what's a fact, pap," continued Dan, spreading -out his feet, and settling his hat firmly on his head. "Me and Joe -won't run the ferry, and neither will you get the chance to grow fat -off good grub this winter, less'n you earn it yourself. Didn't I tell -you the very first word I said that old man Warren had give the job to -Joe?" - -"Not our Joe!" exclaimed Silas, who was fairly staggered by this -unexpected piece of news. - -"Yes, our Joe--nobody else." - -"No, you didn't tell me that," replied his father. - -"Then it's 'cause you want to do all the talking yourself, and won't -let me say a word," retorted Dan. "Yes, that Joe of our'n has got the -job. He's going to have a nice house, with a carpet onto the floor, to -live in, and the grub he'll have to eat will be just the same kind that -old man Warren has onto his table at home. Just think of that, pap! -You'll have to look around for some cheap boy to help you run the ferry -from now till winter, 'cause I'm going up there to live with Joe, and -help him keep an eye on them birds." - -"Dan!" shouted Mr. Morgan, pushing up his sleeves, and looking about -the room as if he wanted to find some missile to throw at the boy's -head--"Dan, for two cents I'd--" - -The ferryman suddenly paused, for he found he was talking to the empty -air. - -When he began pushing up his sleeves, Dan jumped for the door, and now -all that Silas could see of him was one of his eyes, which looked at -him through a crack about half an inch wide. - -He noticed, however, that Dan held the hook in his hand, and that he -was all ready to fasten the door on the outside in case his father -showed a disposition to follow him. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -HOBSON'S HOUSE. - - -"And that ain't all I've got to tell you, neither," shouted Dan. "The -road commissioners has come up here with some surveyors and a jury, and -they're going to build a bridge across the river so's to bust up the -ferrying business." - -Silas would have been glad to thrash the boy for bringing him so -unwelcome news as this, and the only reason he did not attempt it was -because he knew he could not catch him. - -He did not like the "ferrying business," for it was very confining, -and, besides, there wasn't money enough in it to suit him; but still it -enabled him to eke out his slender income, and the mere hint that the -authorities were about to take away this source of revenue by building -a bridge across the river at that point surprised and enraged him. - -"That's just the way the thing stands, pap," continued Dan, who looked -upon his sire's exhibition of bewilderment and anger as a highly -edifying spectacle. "If you think I am trying to make a fool of you, -look out the winder." - -Silas looked, and a single glance was enough to satisfy him that there -was something unusual going on outside the cabin. - -There were at least a score of men gathered about the flat, and among -them Silas saw the town commissioner of highways. He could easily pick -out the surveyor and his party, for the former held a tripod in his -hand, and a queer-looking brass instrument under his arm, while one of -his men carried a chain and the rest had axes on their shoulders. - -A few steps away from this party, and apparently not in the least -interested in what they were saying or doing, were Mr. Warren and Joe -Morgan, who were talking earnestly about something. - -Mr. Warren was the richest man in the country for miles around. -He owned the hotel and most of the cottages at the beach; but he -was seldom seen there, because he said he could find more rest and -recreation in the woods, with his dog and gun for companions, than he -could at a fashionable watering-place. - -The cabin which the Morgans occupied, rent free, belonged to him, and -so did the ground on which it stood; and it was owing to his influence -that Silas had been permitted to establish his ferry. - -But still Silas hated him, as he hated every one who was better off in -the world than he was. - -A little distance farther away stood a solitary individual, who, if -the expression of his countenance could be taken as an index to his -feelings, was mad enough to do something desperate. - -He took the deepest interest in all that was going on before him, and -indeed he had good reason for it. His livelihood depended upon what -the commissioner and his jury of twelve disinterested freeholders -might decide to do. A bridge at that particular place would ruin his -occupation as effectually as it would break up the business of ferrying. - -"That's Hobson," said Silas, looking around for his hat. "I don't -wonder that he's mad. What do they want to put a bridge across here -for, anyway? Ain't there a good ferry right in front of the door, and -can't we take care of them that wants to go back and forth?" - -"We can, but we don't," answered Dan. "When that horn toots, you never -move till you get a good ready." - -"I know that," assented Silas. "I ain't hired myself out for a slave -yet, and them that expect me to jump the minute a man who has got more -money than I have chooses to call on me, will find themselves fooled. I -have always run this ferry to suit Silas Morgan, and nobody else." - -"That there is just the p'int," observed Dan, sagely. "The way you run -it may suit you, but it don't by no means suit the public. That's the -reason they want a bridge here." - -"But there ain't no good road." - -"No, odds; they're going to build one out of the old log road, and make -the distance from Bellville to the Beach shorter by five good long -miles than it is now. They're going to tear t'other bridge down, and -make all the travel come this way." - -"Why, that will shut Hobson out in the cold entirely," exclaimed the -ferryman. "He'll have to quit keeping hotel." - -"That's just what old man Warren and them fellers down to the Beach -wan't to do," said Dan. "I heared 'em say so. He always keeps a -crowd of loafers around him, Hobson does, and there's so many -shooting-matches going on in the grove behind his hotel, that it ain't -safe for folks to drive past there with skittish horses. There's been -five or six runaways along that road already." - -"That's only an excuse for shutting him up, Dannie," said the ferryman, -with a knowing wink at his hopeful son. "Hobson keeps the Halfway -House, and it's natural for folks who are going to and from the Beach -to stop there to water their horses and get a bite of lunch. They spend -money with Hobson that they would otherwise spend at the Beach, and -that's why old man Warren wants that hotel closed. It's about time for -poor people to rise up and pertect themselves, seeing that the law -won't do nothing for them. I don't wonder Hobson looks mad." - -Having found his hat, Silas went out to exchange a few words of -condolence with the man whose name he had just mentioned. He glanced at -Joe's face as he passed, and the pleased expression he saw there was -very different from the malevolent scowl with which he was welcomed by -the proprietor of the Halfway House. - -The latter was quite as angry as he looked to be, and the first words -he uttered as the ferryman came up were: - -"Now what I want to know is this: Are me and you obliged to stand here -with our hands in our pockets, and see these rich men take the bread -and butter out of the mouths of our families?" - -"They are going to do worse by me than they are by you," answered -Silas. "I can't start again if they break up my ferry, but you can." - -"How, I'd like to know?" growled Hobson. - -"Why, all the land around here belongs to old man Warren. Folks say -that he's a mighty kind-hearted chap, though I never saw any signs of -it in him, and you might buy or rent a piece of land, and build another -and better hotel. You have the money to do it, for you have made many a -dollar over your bar during the last two years." - -"That's just what's the matter," cried Hobson, who became so angry -when he thought of it that it was all he could do to restrain himself. -"That's the reason old man Warren wants to shut me up--because he knows -that I am making a little money. He won't sell or rent me a foot of -land, for I tried him as soon as I found out that a new road was coming -through here." - -"That's worse than I thought for," said the ferryman, in a sympathizing -tone which was more assumed than real. - -Hobson's business interests were likely to suffer more severely than -his own, and he was glad of it. - -"It is bad enough, I tell you," said the proprietor of the Halfway -House. "But you can say to your folks that it is going to be a dear -piece of business for old man Warren. If I don't damage him for more -thousands than he does me for hundreds, it will not be because I don't -try." - -"It looks mighty strange to me that he should go out of his way to be -so scandalous mean to some, while he is so good to others," said Silas, -reflectively. "I don't pertend to understand it. Here he is, robbing me -of the onliest chance I had to make a living during the summer, and yet -he's standing over there now, offering that Joe of our'n a chance to -make a hundred and twenty dollars." - -"What doing?" inquired Hobson, who was paying more attention to the -surveyor's movements than he was to Silas. - -"You remember them English pa'tridges he brought over here to stock his -woods, the same year he built that big hotel down to the Beach, don't -you?" asked Silas, in reply. - -"I should say I did," answered Hobson. "You shot the most of them, and -I got the rest, all except the few that Dan managed to catch with -his snares and that little black dog of his'n. I wish I could see him -cleaned out of everything as slick as he was cleaned out of them birds." - -"Well, he's got a new supply of them, old man Warren has--six hundred -dollars' worth." - -Hobson opened his eyes and began taking some interest in what the -ferryman was saying to him. - -"I am powerful glad to hear it," said he. "If he won't let me keep -hotel and support myself, he can just make up his mind that he's got to -keep me in grub. I won't allow myself to go hungry while his covers are -well stocked, I bet you. I'll earn a tolerable good living by shooting -over his grounds this fall and winter." - -"But you will have more bother in doing it than you did last season," -said Silas, who then went on to repeat what Dan had told him concerning -the game-warden who was to live in Mr. Warren's woods, and devote his -entire time and attention to keeping trespassers at a distance. - -This seemed a novel idea to Hobson, who finally said: - -"If that's the case, we'll have to go somewhere else to do our -shooting." - -"What for?" demanded the ferryman, who was not a little surprised. "Do -you think that that little Joe of our'n could 'rest us if we didn't -want him to?" - -"Of course not; but he could report us, and the sheriff could arrest -us," answered Hobson. - -Silas clenched both his fists and glared savagely at Joe, who was just -then holding an animated colloquy with his brother Dan upon some point -concerning which there was evidently a wide diversity of opinion. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -WHAT DAN OVERHEARD. - - -"If I thought that Joe of our'n would be mean enough to carry tales on -me and have me 'rested, I'd larrup him 'till his own mother wouldn't -know him," declared Silas, who grew so angry at the mere mention of -such a thing, that he wanted to catch up a stick and fall upon the boy -at once. - -"And make the biggest kind of a fool of yourself by doing of it," said -Hobson, calmly. "Look a-here, Silas, you want to keep away from old man -Warren's woods this winter." - -"With them six hundred dollars' worth of birds running around loose -and no law to pertect 'em?" cried the ferryman. "I'll show you whether -I will or not. I tell you I'll have the last one of them before the -winter's over. It is true that I don't care for such trifling things as -the ferry any more, 'cause I've got a plan in my head that'll--hum! -But I want to get even with old man Warren for breaking up my business, -don't I?" - -"Of course you do; and the best way to do it is to make him give -something toward your support. Joe ain't of age yet, and you can compel -him to hand over every cent he earns." - -"That's so!" exclaimed the ferryman, who now began to see what his -friend Hobson was aiming at. "That Joe of our'n makes right smart by -acting as guide and pack-horse to the strangers who come here to shoot -and fish; but I never thought to ask him for any of it. He always gives -it to his mother." - -"Why don't you make him give it to you, and then you can spend it as -you please?" said Hobson, hoping that the ferryman would act upon -his advice, and so increase his wealth by the addition of Joe's hard -earnings that he could squander more at the bar of the Halfway House -than he was in the habit of doing. "The head of the family ought to -have the handling of all the money that comes into the house--that's my -creed." - -"And a very good creed it is, too," replied Silas, who told himself -that he must be very stupid indeed not to have seen the matter in its -true light long ago. "I'll turn over a new leaf this very day. Joe -shall give me every cent of them hundred and twenty dollars, and I'll -have what I can make out of them birds besides." - -"There you go again," said Hobson, in a tone of disgust. "You mustn't -go to work the first thing and kill the goose that lays the golden egg. -If you begin on the first day of September, when the pa'tridge season -opens, and shoot all them birds, there won't be none left for Joe to -watch; and then old man Warren will tell Joe that he don't need him any -longer. See the point?" - -"I'd be stone blind if I couldn't see it," answered Silas, "and it -makes me madder than I was before. Don't you understand that old Warren -means to perfect them birds till they have increased to as many as -a million, mebbe, and then he'll bring in a lot of his city friends -and shoot 'em for fun--for fun, mind you--while poor folks like me -and you, who need the money we could make out of 'em to buy grub and -clothes--we'll be took up if we so much as set foot on t'other side his -fences. Dog-gone such doings! 'Tain't right nor justice that it should -be so, and I ain't going to stand it no longer. Thank goodness, I won't -have to! I've got a plan in my head that'll--hum!" - -Hobson made no response. Indeed, he did not seem to hear what Silas -said to him, for he was straining his ears to catch the conversation -that was-carried on by Mr. Warren and the surveyor, who were now coming -up the bank. - -He must have heard more than he wanted to, for, with an oath and a -threat that made the ferryman's hair stand on end, Hobson hurried -toward the place where he had left his horse. He mounted and rode away. - -Mr. Warren and the surveying party left a few minutes later, followed -by the commissioner and his jury; and Silas turned about and walked -slowly toward his cabin. - -He had not made many steps before he found himself confronted by his -hopeful son Dan. - -"Well," said Silas, cheerfully, "we won't have to pull that heavy flat -across the river many more days, and the next time you go over you can -take your gun with you and put a charge of shot into that horn, if you -feel like it. Hallo! What's the matter of you?" - -Dan's clenched hands were held close by his side, his black eyes were -flashing dangerously, and he stood before his father, looking the very -picture of rage and excitement. - -"Can't you speak, and tell me what's the matter of you?" demanded -Silas, who could not remember when he had seen Dan in such a towering -passion before. "I know it's mighty hard to give up the ferry just -'cause them rich folks down to the Beach have took it into their heads -that they don't want one here, but we can make enough out of them birds -of old man Warren's to--" - -Dan interrupted his father with a gesture of impatience, and snapped -his fingers in the air. - -"I don't care _that_ for the ferry," he sputtered. "I am glad to see it -go, for it has brung me more backaches than dimes, I tell you." - -"Well, then, what's the matter of you?" Silas once more inquired. -"You'd best make that tongue of your'n more lively, if you want me to -listen to you, 'cause I ain't got no time to waste. I'm going in to -talk to that Joe of our'n about the job that old man Warren offered to -give him." - -These words had a most surprising effect upon Dan. He bounded into the -air like a rubber ball, knocked his heels together, and yelled loudly -for somebody to hold him on the ground. - -"Of all the mean fellers in the world that I ever see, that Joe of -our'n is the beatenest," said he, as soon as he could speak. "Now, pap, -wait till I tell you, and see if you don't say so yourself." - -The ferryman, recalling some words that Dan let fall during their -hurried interview in the cabin, told himself that he knew right where -the trouble was; but he listened attentively to the story, which the -angry boy related substantially as follows: - -While Dan was taking his ease on the bank, and Joe was hauling in the -sweeps and making the flat secure, Mr. Warren came up, arriving on the -ground five or ten minutes before the commissioner and the surveying -party got there. - -He hitched his horse to the nearest tree, walked down the bank, and -greeted Joe with a hearty good-morning, paying no attention to Dan, who -was so highly enraged at this oversight or willful neglect on the part -of the wealthy visitor, that he shook his fist at him as soon as he -turned his back. - -He was not long in finding out what brought Mr. Warren there, for he -distinctly overheard every word that passed between him and Joe. - -As he listened, the expression of rage that had settled on his face -gradually gave place to a look of surprise and delight; and finally Dan -became wonderfully good-natured, and showed it by rubbing his hands -together, grinning broadly, and winking at the trees on the opposite -bank of the river. - -"Well, Joseph," said Mr. Warren, cheerfully, "going to school next -term?" - -"I am afraid I can't," replied Joe, sadly. "I don't see how I can -afford it. Mother needs every cent I can give her. I must work every -day, and shall be glad to cut some wood for you, if you will give me -the chance." - -"Then you can cut it by yourself, I bet you," muttered Dan. "I won't -help you; I'd rather hunt and trap." - -"I shall need a good supply of wood," said Mr. Warren, "but I thought -of giving your father and Dan a chance at that." - -"Thank-ee for nothing," said Dan, under his breath. "Pap can take the -job if he wants to, but I won't tech it. I am getting tired of doing -such hard work, and am on the lookout for something easy." - -"I think I have better work for you, Joe," continued the visitor; -whereupon Dan, who had thrown himself at full length on the bank, -straightened up and began listening with more eagerness. "It is -something that will take up every moment of your time during the day, -and if you do your duty faithfully, you will find the work quite as -hard and wearisome as chopping wood, and more confining; but you will -have your evenings to yourself, and abundant opportunity to do as -much reading and studying as you please. You know that one of our -greatest men, Martin Van Buren, laid the foundation of his knowledge by -studying by the light of a pine-knot on the hearth after his day's work -was over. But you will not have to do that. I will give you a warm, -comfortable house to live in, supply your table from my own, lend you -books from my library, and furnish you with a lamp to read and study -by. If you lay up a little information on some useful subject every -day, you will have quite a store on hand by the time winter is over." - -"What sort of a job is that, do you reckon?" said Dan to himself. "It's -a soft thing, so far as the perviding goes, but what's the work? that's -the p'int." - -It must have been the very question Joe was revolving in his mind, for -when Mr. Warren ceased speaking, he asked: - -"What will you expect me to do in return for all this?" - -"I am coming to that," answered the visitor, moving a step or two -nearer to Joe, while Dan leaned as far forward as he could, stretched -out his long neck and placed one hand behind his ear, so that he might -catch every word. "You know that I have about six thousand acres of -woodland, which is so utterly worthless that no man, who had his senses -about him, would take it as a gift if he had to clear and cultivate -it. It isn't even good enough for pasture; but it was a tolerably fair -shooting-ground until I was foolish enough to build that hotel down -there at the Beach. That brought in a crowd of city sportsmen, and -between them and the resident market-shooters, the game, both large and -small, has been pretty well cleaned out." - -"Well, what of it," muttered Dan. "If I know anything about such -matters, them deer and birds and rabbits belonged to us poor folks as -much as they did to you." - -"I like to shoot occasionally," Mr. Warren went on, "but the last time -I went up there with a party of friends, we did not get enough to pay -us for the tramp we took; so two years ago I went to considerable -expense to restock those woods, and even offered to pay the -market-shooters if they would let the birds alone until they had time -to increase. But they wouldn't do it, and the consequence was that the -English partridges and quails that cost me six dollars a pair were -served up on somebody's dinner-table." - -"Six dollars a pair!" whispered Dan, who could hardly believe that he -had heard aright. "Pap didn't by no means get that much for them he -shot. It's nice to be rich." - -"My experience with those birds," continued Mr. Warren, "proved to my -satisfaction that they are hardy and able to endure our severe winters. -So I determined to try it again, and day before yesterday I turned down -a hundred pairs of English partridges and quails--six hundred dollars' -worth." - -Dan was almost ready to jump from the ground when he heard this, and it -was all he could do to refrain from giving audible expression to his -delight. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -THE YOUNG GAME-WARDEN. - - -"Whoop-pee!" was Dan's mental exclamation. "I've struck a banana. Me -and pap I'll get rich the first thing you know. But what makes old man -Warren come here to tell us about it?" - -"I certainly hope you will be able to preserve them this time," said -Joe, who could not see what these expensive birds had to do with the -comfortable home, the unlimited supply of books, and the good living, -of which his visitor had spoken. "It would be a great pity to lose them -after going to so much trouble and paying out so much money for them." - -"That's what I think, and it is what Mr. Hallet thinks, also. You know -his wood-lot adjoins mine--there is no fence between them--and he has -turned down the same number." - -The eavesdropper fairly gasped for breath when he heard this; but -quickly recovering from his amazement, he raised his hands before his -face, with all the fingers spread out, and began a little problem in -arithmetic. - -"That makes--makes--le' me see! By Moses it makes twelve--twelve -hundred dollars' worth of birds. I'm going to sell that old -muzzle-loader of mine the first good chance I get, and buy a -breech-loader, and one of them j'inted fish-poles, and some of them -fine hunting clothes, and--whoop-pee! I've struck two bananas; and -I'll look as spick and span as the best of them city sportsmen by this -time next year. But look a-here, a minute, Dan," he added, to himself, -confidentially, "Don't you say a word to pap about them birds that's -been turned loose on Hallet's place. Them's your'n, and you don't go -halvers with no living person." - -"The difficulty in preserving them lies right here," said Mr. Warren. -"Our native birds are protected by law during certain months in the -year, but the law doesn't say a word about imported game. If I catch -a man shooting over my grounds in the close season, I can have him -arrested and fined; but he could shoot these English birds before my -face, and I could not help myself. We hope some day to induce the -Legislature to pass a law protecting imported as well as native game; -but until we can do that, we must protect it ourselves to the best of -our ability. We have men at work now posting our land, and hereafter -any one who sets a foot over my fence or Hallet's will be liable for -trespass. - -"I reckon you'll have to catch him before you can prove anything agin -him, won't you?" soliloquized Dan. "But why don't he tell that Joe of -our'n what he wants of him?" - -"Of course, Mr. Hallet and myself have enough to do without spending -valuable time in watching these birds," added the visitor, "and so we -have decided to employ game-wardens to do it for us. There will be -two wardens, one for each place, and we shall pay them out of our own -pockets. I have selected you because I believe you to be honest and -faithful, and I know that you are ambitious to better your condition. -I am always on the lookout for such boys, and when I find one I like to -give him a helping hand." - -"Then it's mighty strange that you never diskivered me," said Dan, -to himself. "If there's anybody in the world who wants awful bad to -be something better'n the ragged vagabone he is, I am that feller. -Dog-gone such luck as I do have, any way! Why didn't he offer that soft -job to me, instead of giving it to that Joe of our'n? I am older'n -he is, and it would be the properest thing for me to have the first -chance." - -"It is worth something to live up there in the woods alone for -eight months--from the first of September to the last of April--but -your surroundings will be as pleasant as they can be made under the -circumstances. In the first place, there is a tight log-house, with a -carpet on the floor, and a lean-to behind it to serve as a wood-shed. -You know that the fierce winter winds drive the snow into pretty -deep drifts up there in the mountains, and if you are as provident -as I think you are, you will keep that shed full. You don't want to -turn out of a stormy morning, when the mercury is below zero, to cut -fire-wood, when you ought to be scattering grain around for the birds -to eat. There is plenty of furniture in the cabin, and all the dishes -you will be likely to need. I have spent a good many months in camp, -first and last, and being posted, I don't think I have forgotten -anything. Your pay, which you can have as often as you want it, will be -fifteen dollars a month," said Mr. Warren in conclusion. "That is as -much as farm-hands command hereabout, and you will be much better off -than a woodchopper, because you will be earning money all the while, no -matter how bad the weather may be. What do you say?" - -Dan listened with all his ears to catch his brother's reply, but, to -his great surprise, Joe did not make any reply. - -"What's the fool studying about, do you reckon?" was the inquiry which -Dan propounded to himself. "Why don't he speak up and say he'll take -it? If he does, me and pap will have easy times with them birds, 'cause -of course Joe wouldn't be mean enough to pester us. But if he don't -take it, and old man Warren gets somebody else for game-warden, then -the case will be different, and me and pap will have to watch out." - -"You don't say anything, Joe," continued Mr. Warren, seeing that the -boy hesitated and hung his head. "If you must work during the coming -winter instead of going to school, I don't think you can find any -employment that will be more to your liking." - -"I know I couldn't, sir," replied Joe, quickly; "but that isn't what I -am thinking about. The fact is--you see--" - -The boy paused and looked down at the ground again. He knew that his -own father was more to blame than any one else for the loss of the -birds that had been "turned down" in Mr. Warren's wood-lot two years -before, and it was not quite clear to Joe how his wealthy visitor could -have so much confidence in him. Why should he wish to employ the son of -the man who had robbed him, to keep trespassers off his grounds, and -exercise supervision over the new supply of game he had just purchased? - -And there was another thing that came into his mind: - -Silas Morgan and Dan were two of the most notorious poachers in the -county, and Joe knew that when the grouse season opened, they would -be the very first to shoulder their guns, call their dogs to heel and -start for Mr. Warren's woods. - -If he accepted the position offered him, it would be his duty to order -them off. They wouldn't go, of course, and the next thing would be to -report them to Mr. Warren, who, beyond a doubt, would have warrants -issued for their arrest. - -That would be bad indeed, Joe told himself; but would it cause him any -more sorrow than he felt whenever he saw his mother setting out on -one of those long fatiguing walks to the house of a neighbor, where -she earned the pitiful sum of a dollar by doing a hard day's work at -washing or scrubbing? The money he could give her every month would -save her all that, and provide her with many things that were necessary -to her comfort. - -When Joe thought of his mother, his hesitation vanished. - -"I'll take it, Mr. Warren," said he, with an air of resolution, "and -I am very grateful indeed to you for offering it to me. Now, will you -tell me when you want me to go up there, and just what you expect me -to?" - -To Dan's great disappointment and disgust, Mr. Warren took Joe by the -arm, and led him away out of earshot; but he heard him say something -about shooting all the stray dogs that came into the woods, because -they would do more damage among the few deer that were left, than so -many wolves, and that was all he learned that day regarding Joe's -instructions. - -"Luck has come my way at last!" exclaimed Dan, who, for some reason or -other seemed to be highly excited. "I can't hardly hold myself on the -ground. I'll go down to old man Hallet's this very minute, and tell him -that if he's needing a game-warden, I'm the chap he's waiting for. Then -mebbe I won't have a nice little house all to myself, and good grub to -grow fat on, as well as that Joe of our'n. I won't do no shooting, -'cause that would make too much noise, and give me away to old man -Hallet; but I'll do a heap of trapping and snaring, I bet you. Hallo! -who's them fellers?" - -Dan had just caught sight of a large party of men, who were coming -along the road which led from the ferry to the Beach. - -Believing that they were about to cross the river, and that there was -another hard pull in prospect with no money (for him) behind it, Dan -was about to take to his heels, when some words that came to his ears -arrested his footsteps. - -The new-comers were the road commissioner and his party. They did not -look toward Dan at all, and neither did they take the least pains to -conceal the object of their visit from him. - -"This is the place for the new bridge," said the surveyor. "It will -cost the town a good deal less money to fix up the old log road in good -shape, than it will to cut out and grade a new highway." - -"And when the bridge is up, we shall be well rid of two -nuisances--Hobson's grog-shop and Morgan's ferry, neither of which -ought to have been tolerated as long as they have been," remarked one -of the twelve freeholders, who had been summoned by the commissioner to -determine where the bridge and the new road should be located. "When -the other bridge is demolished, and the lower road shut up, the travel -will have to come this way." - -When Dan heard this, he felt like throwing his hat into the air. He -hated the tooting of that horn, which was kept hung up on the limb of a -tree on the other side of the river, as he hated no other sound in the -world; and he was glad to know that he would soon hear it for the last -time. - -He did not make any demonstrations of delight, however, but stole -silently away to carry the news to his father. - -Joe's good fortune, and his own bright dreams of becoming Mr. Hallet's -game-warden, at fifteen dollars a month, and the best kind of food -thrown in, were uppermost in his mind, and they were the first things -he intended to speak about when his father admitted him into the -cabin; but he was so long in coming to the point that Silas grew -impatient, and did not give him an opportunity to mention his own -affairs at all. - -"No matter; they'll keep," thought the boy, as the ferryman put on his -hat and went out to talk to Hobson. "Now I wish old Warren would hurry -up and go about his business, so't I can find out what 'rangements he's -made with that Joe of our'n." - -Dan had not long to wait. Even while he was communing with himself in -this way, Mr. Warren took his leave, first shaking Joe warmly by the -hand, and Dan lost no time in stepping to his brother's side. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -BROTHERLY LOVE. - - -"I don't wonder that you look like you was half tickled to death," was -the way in which Dan began the conversation with his brother. "Did you -ever dream that me and you would have such amazing good luck as has -come to us this day? Now, let me tell you, it bangs me completely. -Don't it you?" - -Joe did not know how to reply to this. He had seldom seen Dan in so -high spirits, and he could not imagine what he was referring to when he -spoke of the good luck that had fallen to both of them. - -"Say--don't it bang you?" repeated Dan. "Ain't me and you going to live -like the richest of them this winter?" - -"You and I?" said Joe, with no suspicion of the truth in his mind. - -"That's what I remarked," exclaimed Dan, who could hardly keep from -dancing in the excess of his joy. "I tell you, Joe," he added, -confidentially, "if there's anything in life I take pleasure in, it's -living in the woods during the winter, when you've got a tight roof to -shelter you and plenty of firewood to burn, so't you don't have to go -through the deep snow to cut it. That's what I call living, that is." - -"I don't see how you happen to know so much about it. You never tried -it." - -"I know I never did; but didn't I tell you almost the very first word I -said, that I'm going to try it this winter?" - -"Oh!" said Joe, who now thought he began to understand the matter. "Are -you going to be Mr. Hallet's game-warden?" - -"Perzackly. You've hit centre the first time trying." - -"Then I wonder why Mr. Warren did not say something to me about it." - -And there was still another thing that caused Joe to wonder, although -he made no reference to it. How did it come that Mr. Hallet, who knew -how persistently Dan broke the law in regard to snaring birds and -hares, and shooting out of season--how did it come that he had selected -this poacher to act as his game-warden? He might as well have hired a -wolf to watch his sheep. - -"Now wait till I tell you," said Dan hastily. "The thing ain't quite -settled yet, 'cause I ain't had no time to run down and see old man -Hallet; but--" - -"Aha!" exclaimed Joe. - -"There ain't no 'aha' about it," cried Dan, who was angry in an -instant. "Wait till I tell you. I ain't been down to see old man Hallet -yet, but I'm going directly, and I'm going to say to him that if he -wants somebody to keep an eye on them birds of his'n, I'm the man he's -looking for. He'll be glad to take me, of course, 'cause if there's any -one in the whole country who knows all about a game-warden's business, -its me. But if he can't take me--if he has picked out another man -before I get a chance to speak to him--me and you will go halvers on -them hundred and twenty, won't we?" - -"No, we won't," replied Joe, promptly. - -"What for, won't we?" demanded Dan. - -"For a good many reasons. In the first place, Mr. Warren seems to think -that he needs but one warden, and that I can do all the work myself." - -"Well, you can't, and you shan't, neither," Dan almost shouted. - -And in order to show his brother how very much in earnest he was about -it, he struck up a war-dance, and called loudly for somebody to hold -him on the ground. - -"And in the next place," continued Joe, who had witnessed these -ebullitions of rage often enough to know that they never ended in -anything more serious than an unnecessary expenditure of breath and -strength on Dan's part--"in the next place, every cent I make this -winter will go to mother, with the exception of the little I shall need -to clothe myself." - -"I'll bet you a good hoss that it don't," roared Dan, who was so angry -that it was all he could do to keep from laying violent hands upon his -brother. "Now let me tell you what's the gospel truth, Joe Morgan: If -you don't go pardners with me in this business, I'll bust up the whole -thing. If I don't get half them hundred and twenty dollars, you shan't -have a cent to bless yourself with. I've been kicked and slammed around -till I am tired of it, and I ain't going to ask my consent to stand it -no longer." - -"If you want money, go to work and earn it for yourself," said Joe. -"You can't have any of mine." - -"I'll show you whether I will or not. Now, let me tell you: I'll make -more out of them birds this winter than you will. You're awful smart, -but you'll find that there are them in the world that are just as smart -as you be." - -"I know what you mean by that," answered Joe, who had fully made up -his mind to see trouble with Dan. "Now let me tell _you_ something: If -I catch you on Mr. Warren's grounds after I take charge of them, you -will wish you had stayed away, mind that. I took this position because -mother needs money, and having accepted it, I shall look out for my -employer's interests the best I know how. But why do you go against me -in this way? You ought to help me all you can." - -"Then why don't you help me?" retorted Dan. - -"You don't need it. You are able to help yourself, because you have no -one else to look out for." - -"Then I won't help you, neither. You want to keep a close watch over -that shanty of your'n, or the first thing you know, you will come back -to it some dark, cold night, almost froze to death, and it won't be -there." - -Joe walked off without making any reply, and Dan stood shaking his -fists at him until he disappeared. Then he turned about to find himself -face to face with his father, to whom he told his story, not forgetting -to make a few artful additions, which he hoped would have the effect of -making the ferryman as angry at Joe as he was himself. - -A disinterested listener would have thought that Joe was the meanest -brother any fellow ever had, and that Dan was deserving of better -treatment at his hands. - -"Now, I just want you to tell me what you think of that," said Dan, -as he brought his highly-seasoned narrative to a close. "He's a most -scandalous stingy chap, that Joe of our'n is. He wants to keep his good -things all to himself. And--would you believe it, pap, if I didn't tell -you?--he said he would as soon shoot your dog or mine as look at 'em, -and that if we come fooling around where he was, he'd have us tooken -up, sure pop." - -Silas Morgan's eyes flashed, and an angry scowl settled on his swarthy -face. - -Dan was succeeding famously in his efforts to arouse his father's ire -against the unoffending Joe--at least he thought so--and he hoped to -increase it until it broke out into some violent demonstration. - -"Them's his very words, pap," continued Dan, with unblushing mendacity. -"Since he took up with that rich man awhile ago, he has outgrowed his -clothes, and me and you ain't good enough for him. Me and Joe could -have had just the nicest kind of times up there in the woods, and by -doing a little extry work on the sly, we could have snared enough of -old man Warren's birds, and Hal--um!" - -Dan caught his breath just in time. He was about to say that he and -Joe could have snared enough of Mr. Warren's birds and Hallet's to run -the amount of their joint earnings up to two hundred dollars; but he -suddenly remembered that his father was not yet aware that Mr. Hallet's -covers had been freshly stocked, and that _that_ was a matter that was -to be kept from his knowledge, so that Dan could have the field to -himself. - -But the ferryman was quick to catch some things, if he was dull in -comprehending others, and Dan had inadvertently given him an idea to -ponder over at his leisure. - -"But then I don't care for such trifling things as birds any more," -said Silas to himself. "If Hallet has been fooling away his money for -more pa'tridges, Dan can have the fun of shooting 'em, if he wants it; -and while he is tramping around through the cold looking for 'em, I'll -be snug and warm at home, living like a lord on the money I took out of -that cave up there in the mountings. What was you saying, Dannie?" - -"I said that me and Joe could have made right smart by doing a little -trapping on the quiet," answered Dan. "But he wouldn't hear to my going -up there to live with him. What's grub enough for one is grub enough -for two, and I could have had piles of things that come from old man -Warren's table, and never cost you a red cent the whole winter. More -than that, being on the ground all the while, it wouldn't be no trouble -at all for me to knock over one of them deer now and then, and that -would save you from buying so much bacon; but that mean Joe of our'n -he wouldn't hear to it, and now I'm going to knock all his 'rangements -higher'n the moon." - -"What be you going to do, Dannie?" Silas asked, in a voice so calm -and steady that the boy backed off a step or two and looked at him -suspiciously. - -Was his father about to side with Joe? Dan was really afraid of it, -and his voice did not have that resolute ring in it when he answered: - -"I'm going to set some snares up there where Joe won't never think of -looking for them, and by the time Christmas gets here I'll have every -one of them English birds in the market and sold for cash." - -The ferryman thrust one hand deep into his pocket, and shook the other -menacingly at Dan. - -"Look a-here, son," said he, in a tone which he never assumed unless he -meant that his words should carry weight with them, "you just keep away -from old man Warren's woods, and let them English birds be. Are you -listening to your pap?" - -"What for?" Dan almost gasped. - -"'Cause why; that's what for," was the not very satisfactory answer. -"You want to pay right smart heed to what I'm saying to you, 'cause if -you don't, I'll wear a hickory out over your back, big as you think you -be." - -"Well, if this ain't a trifle the beatenest thing I ever heard of, I -don't want a cent," began Dan, who was utterly amazed. "Do you want -them--that rich feller to have all the fine shooting to himself?" - -"That ain't what I'm thinking about just now," replied the ferryman. "I -want Joe to earn them hundred and twenty dollars; see the p'int?" - -"Not all of it?" exclaimed Dan. - -"Yes, every cent." - -"Can't I make him go pardners with me?" - -"No, you can't. I want Joe to have the handling of it all." - -"Then you won't never see none of it; you can bet high on that." - -"Yes, I reckon I'll see the whole of it. You and Joe ain't twenty-one -year old yet, and the law gives me the right to take every cent you -make." - -For a moment Dan stood speechless with rage and astonishment; but -quickly recovering the use of his tongue, he squared himself for a -fight, and demanded furiously: - -"And is that the reason you never give me a red for breaking my back -with that ferry? Whoop! hold me on the ground, somebody!" - -"If I had a good hickory in my hands, I reckon I could very soon make -you willing to hold yourself on the ground," said his father, calmly. - -"Whoop!" yelled Dan, jumping into the air, and knocking his heels -together. "This bangs me; don't it you? The men who was here just now -said you was one nuisance, and Hobson was another; and I am so glad -that the business is clean busted up, that--" - -Silas suddenly thrust out one of his long arms, but his fingers closed -upon the empty air instead of upon Dan's collar. The boy escaped his -grasp by ducking his head like a flash, and then he straightened up and -took to his heels. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -JOE'S PLANS IN DANGER. - - -Silas Morgan made no attempt at pursuit, for he had learned by -experience that he could not hold his own with Dan in a foot-race; but -he knew how to bide his time. - -"Never mind, son," he shouted. "I'll catch you to-night after you have -gone to bed." - -"These threatening words arrested Dan's headlong flight, and he stopped -to shout back: - -"You just lay an ugly hand onto me, and it'll be worse for you and -them setter dogs that you've got shut up in the wood-shed. I know well -enough that nobody ever give 'em to you, and that that man with the -long black whiskers who was here last year would be willing to give -something handsome--" - -The ferryman couldn't stand it any longer, for the boy was getting too -near the truth to suit him. He began looking about on the ground for -something to throw at him; whereupon Dan turned and took to his heels -again, and quickly disappeared around the corner of the cabin. - -"I wish that black-whiskered man had them setter dogs, and that I was -shet of them," muttered Silas, as he walked slowly up the bank. "I did -think that mebbe I could get a big reward for giving them back; but I -don't care for such things now. The money that's hid in the cave is -what I'm thinking of these times." - -The ferryman was left to his own devices for the rest of the day; for -Joe, highly elated over his unexpected fortune, had gone to meet his -mother, so that he might tell her the good news without being overheard -by any of the rest of the family, and Dan was on his way to Mr. -Hallet's to offer him his services as game-warden. - -But Silas was glad to be alone at this particular time, for he had -something mysterious and exciting to think about--a cave in the -mountains that had an abundance of treasure in it. He had long looked -forward to something of this sort, for he had often dreamed about it; -and when he read in a torn newspaper, which came from the store wrapped -around one of his wife's bundles, that some workmen, while digging for -the foundations of a public building in a distant city, had come upon -an earthen jar that was filled to the brim with American and Mexican -coins of ancient date--when he read this, Silas took it as an omen that -his bright dreams of acquiring wealth without labor were on the eve of -being realized. - -The man's first care was to let out the dogs and unhitch the horse from -the wood-rack, and his second to hunt up a shady spot on the bank and -look for the letter which he had stowed away in his pocket. - -But it was not to be found. The ferryman's clothes, like all the other -things that belonged to him, were sadly in need of repairs, and when -he went to shut up the dogs, the letter had worked its way through -his pocket, down the leg of his trowsers, and fallen to the ground -in front of the wood-shed door, where it lay until Dan came along and -picked it up. - -Meanwhile Joe was strolling leisurely along the road in the direction -from which he knew his mother would come, when her day's work was over. - -"She will be glad to learn that she has done her last washing and -scrubbing for other folks," the boy kept saying to himself. "When -winter comes, and the roads are blocked with drifts, she can sit down -in front of a warm fire and stay there, instead of wading through the -deep snow to earn a dollar. I am in a position to take care of her -now, and I could do it easy enough if father and Dan would only let me -alone. They call me stingy because I will not share my hard earnings -with them; but they never think of sharing with me, nor did I ever see -one of them give mother anything. On the contrary, if they know that -she's got a dime or two saved up for a rainy day, they never give her a -minute's peace till they get it for themselves. Now, is there any way I -can work it so that mother can have everything she wants, and yet be -able to say that she hasn't got a cent in the house?" - -While Joe was revolving this problem in his mind, he heard a familiar -bark behind him, and faced about to see his brother Dan approaching on -a dog-trot. He was followed by the only friend and companion he had in -the world--a little black cur, which no self-respecting boy would have -accepted as a gift. - -But mean and insignificant as he looked, Bony was of great use to his -master. He was the best coon, grouse and squirrel dog in the country -for miles around, and it was by his aid that Dan earned money to buy -his clothes and ammunition. Bony got more kicks than caresses in return -for his services, but that did not seem to lessen his affection for Dan. - -"I allowed that I knew where you was gone, and that I'd come up with -you directly," said the latter, as soon as he arrived within speaking -distance. "Say, Joe, have you thought over that little plan of mine?" - -Joe replied that he had not. - -"Then, why don't you think it over?" continued Dan. "Of course, I don't -expect you to go pardners with me for nothing. I've got my consent to -do all I can to help you. I'll even agree to cut the wood, cook the -grub, keep the shanty in order, and do all the rest of the mean work, -while you are taking your ease or looking after the birds. All you've -got to do is to say the word, and me and you will have the finest kind -of times this winter." - -But Joe didn't say the word. In fact, he did not say anything, and, -of course, his silence made Dan angry again. The latter was bound to -handle at least a portion of his brother's wages, and he did not care -what course he took to accomplish his object. - -"You ain't forgot what I told you awhile back, I reckon, have you?" -said Dan, with suppressed fury. - -"No, I haven't forgotten it. I can recall everything you said to me." - -"Then, why don't you pay some heed to it? Do you want to see your -business busted up? Look a here, Joe Morgan: You say you are going to -give all that there money to mam. If you do, I'll have some of it in -spite of you. I'll tell mam that I want my share, and she'll hand it -over without no words, 'cause she knows well enough that I'll turn the -house out doors if she don't do as I say. She's heard me calling for -somebody to hold me on the ground, and she don't like to see me that -way, 'cause she knows I'm mad." - -"I know that you have worried a good deal of money out of mother, first -and last," said Joe, angrily, "but you needn't think you can frighten -her into giving you any of mine, because she won't have any." - -"You stingy, good-for-nothing scamp! you're going back on your mam, are -you?" shouted Dan, who could scarcely believe that he was not dreaming. -"I never thought that of you. You're going to have the softest kind of -a job all winter, and make stacks and piles of money, and never give a -cent of it to mam, be you?" - -"Mother will have everything she wants, but still she will not touch a -cent of my earnings," answered Joe, calmly. - -"Whoop! Hold me on the ground, somebody!" yelled Dan, striking up his -war dance. "Then how'll mam get the things she wants?" - -"On a written order, and in no other way." - -"Who'll give that there order?" - -"Mr. Warren, whom I shall ask to act as my banker. I've got to do -something to keep you from bothering the life out of mother, and that -is what I have decided upon." - -"Whoop!" shouted Dan again. "Pap won't agree to no such bargain as that -there, I bet you, and neither will I." - -"What has father got to say about my business?" - -"He's got a good deal to say about it, the first thing you know," -answered Dan, with a triumphant air. - -His only object in hastening on to overtake his brother was that he -might torment him by calling his attention to a point of law that Joe -had never thought of before. - -"You ain't twenty-one year old yet, my fine feller, and pap's got the -right to make you hand over every red cent you earn. He told me so; -and he furder said that he was going to take the last dollar of them -hundred and twenty that you are going to make this winter. So there, -now. I told you that there was them in the world that's just as smart -as you think you be, and me and pap are the fellers. He's a mighty hard -old chap to get the better of, pap is, and so be I. You can't do it -nohow you fix it." - -It looked that way, sure enough, thought Joe, who was greatly surprised -and bewildered. - -He knew very well that his father could take his earnings, if he were -mean enough to do it, but, as we have said, the matter had never been -brought home to him before. He had always given his money to his -mother, and Silas had never raised any objection to it. - -The reason was because he did not think of it, and besides, the amounts -were too small to do him any good; they were not worth the rumpus which -the ferryman knew would be raised about his ears if he interfered and -tried to turn Joe's earnings into his own pocket. - -But things were different now. The young game-warden's prospective -wages amounted to a goodly sum in the aggregate, and Silas was resolved -to "turn over a new leaf," and assert his authority as head of the -house. - -Joe, on the other hand, was fully determined that his mother alone -should profit by his winter's work, and as he was a resolute fellow, -and as fearless as a boy could be, it was hard to tell how the matter -was destined to end. But there was trouble in store for him; there -could be no doubt about that. - -"What do you say now?" asked Dan, who had little difficulty in reading -the thoughts that were passing through his brother's mind, they showed -so plainly on his face. "You're thinking of kicking agin me and pap, -but I tell you that you'd best not do it. Will you be sensible and go -pardners, or have your business busted up?" - -"Neither," answered Joe, turning so fiercely upon his persecutor that -the latter recoiled a step or two. "Now, if you don't let me alone, I -will go to Mr. Warren and see if he can find means to make you." - -"Sho!" said Dan, with a grin, "you don't mean it?" - -"Yes, I do. It may surprise you to know that you have put yourself in -danger of being locked up." - -"Not much, I ain't," said Dan, confidently. "I ain't done a single -thing yet." - -"But you have made threats, and Mr. Warren could have you put under -bonds." - -"He'd have lots of fun trying that," replied Dan, who laughed loudly at -the idea of such a thing. "Why, man, I ain't got none." - -"Of course you haven't, and you couldn't furnish them either, so you -would have to go to jail." - -"Great Moses!" Dan managed to ejaculate. - -There was no grin on his face now, nor even the sign of one. He was -astonished as well as frightened. - -It had never occurred to him that his brother could invoke the law to -protect him, but he saw it plainly enough now, and he knew by the way -Joe looked at him that he had been crowded just about as far as he -intended to go. - -When the latter moved on down the road, Dan made no attempt to stop -him. He backed toward a log, sat down on it, and kept his eyes fastened -upon Joe until a bend in the road hid him from view. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -VOLUNTEERS. - - -"I don't know what answer to make you, boys. I have no desire to -interfere with your pleasures, and I think you have always found me -ready to listen to any reasonable proposition; but this latest scheme -of yours looks to me to be a little--you know. I don't believe that -Bob's father will consent to it." - -"Suppose you give your consent, and then we will see what we can do -with Bob's father. If we can say that you are willing, he'll come to -terms without any coaxing." - -"I don't see what objection there can be to it. We can't get into -mischief up there in the mountains, and we'll promise to study hard -every spare minute we get. There!" - -"And be fully prepared to go on with our class when the spring term -begins. Now!" - -The first speaker was Mr. Hallet, who leaned back in his easy-chair and -twirled his eye-glasses around his finger, while he looked at the two -uneasy, mischief-loving boys who stood before him. - -Tom Hallet was his nephew and ward, and Bob Emerson was the son of an -old school-friend who lived in Bellville, ten miles away. - -Bob, who was a fine, manly fellow, was a great favorite with both uncle -and nephew, and had a standing invitation to spend all his vacations -with them at their comfortable home among the Summerdale hills. - -To quote from Bob, Mr. Hallet's house was eminently a place for a tired -school-boy to get away to. The fishing in the lake, and in the clear, -dancing streams that emptied into it, was fine; young squirrels were -always abundant after the first of August; and when September came, the -law was "off" on grouse, wild turkeys and deer. Hares and 'coons were -plenty, and Tom's little beagle knew right where to go to find them. -Better than all, according to the boys' way of thinking, Mr. Hallet was -a jolly old bachelor, who thoroughly enjoyed life in a quiet way, and -who meant that every one around him should do the same. - -Taking all these things into consideration, it was little wonder that -Bob Emerson looked forward to his yearly "outings" with the liveliest -anticipations of pleasure. - -The Summerdale hills, in days gone by, had been a hunter's paradise; -but, sad to relate, their glory was fast passing away, like that of -many another place which had once been noted for the abundance of its -game and fish. - -Mr. Warren, to use his own language, had been foolish enough to build a -hotel at the Beach, and to connect it with Bellville by a stage route. -This brought an influx of strangers, some of whom called themselves -sportsmen, who did more to depopulate the woods and streams than Silas -Morgan, Hobson, and a few others of that ilk, could have accomplished -in a year's steady shooting and angling. - -Their advent gave rise to a class of men who had never before been -known in that region--to wit, guides. There were some good and honest -ones among them, of course; but, as a rule, they were a shiftless, -lawless class--men who lived from hand to mouth, and who looked upon -game laws as so many infringements of their rights, which were to be -defied and resisted in any way they could think of. - -Up to the time the hotel was built, these men lived in utter ignorance -of the fact that there were laws in force which prohibited hunting and -fishing at certain seasons of the year; but one year the District Game -Protector came up on the stage to look into things, and when he went -back to Bellville he took with him a guide and his employer, whom he -had caught in the act of shooting deer, when the law said that they -should not be molested. - -This unexpected interference with their bread and butter astonished -and enraged the rest of the guides, who at once held an indignation -meeting, and resolved that they would not submit to any such outrageous -things as game laws, in the making of which their opinions and desires -had not been consulted. - -They boldly declared that they would continue to hunt and fish whenever -they felt like it, and any officer who came to the hills to stop them -would be likely to get himself into business. - -A few of the residents, including Mr. Warren and Mr. Hallet, had tried -hard to bring about a better state of things. - -They had gone to the expense of restocking their almost tenantless -woods, and had been untiring in their efforts to have every poacher -and law-breaker arrested and punished for his misdeeds; but all they -had succeeded in doing thus far was to call down upon their heads the -hearty maledictions of the whole ruffianly crew, who owed them a grudge -and only awaited a favorable opportunity to pay it. - -This was the way things stood on the morning that Tom Hallet, -accompanied by his friend Bob, presented himself before his uncle, with -the request that he would permit them to keep an eye on his English -partridges and quails during the ensuing winter--in other words, that -he would empower them to act as his game-wardens. - -Mr. Hallet was not at all surprised, for the boys had sprung so many -"hare-brained schemes" on him, that he was ready for anything; but -still he took a few minutes in which to consider the proposition before -he made them any reply. - -"What in the world put that notion into your heads, anyway?" said Mr. -Hallet, continuing the conversation which we have so unceremoniously -interrupted. "Is it simply an excuse to get out of school for the -winter?" - -The boys indignantly denied that they had any idea of such a thing. -They liked their school and everything connected with it; but they -thought it would be fun to spend a few months in the woods. And since -Uncle Hallet would have to employ somebody to act as game-warden, or -run the risk of having all his costly birds killed by trespassers, why -couldn't he employ them as well as any one else? - -"Well, you two do think up the queerest ways for having fun that I even -heard of," said Mr. Hallet. "I know something about camp-life, and you -don't; and I tell you--" - -"Why, Uncle," exclaimed Tom, "haven't we already spent a whole week in -camp since Bob came up here?" - -"A whole week!" repeated Mr. Hallet. "Yes, and it tired you out, and -you were glad enough to get home. I know that 'camping out' looks very -well on paper, but I tell you that it is the hardest kind of work, even -for a lazy person, to say nothing of a couple of uneasy youngsters, -who can't keep still for five minutes at a time to save their lives. -Besides, how do I know that you wouldn't shoot some of my blue-headed -birds, as Morgan calls them?" - -"Don't you suppose that we know a ruffed grouse from an English -partridge or quail?" demanded Tom. "We are not so liable to make -mistakes in that regard as others might be. Who is Mr. Warren going to -hire for his warden?" - -"I believe he has gone up to Morgan's to-day to speak to Joe about it." - -"I don't know how that will work," said Bob, reflectively. "Joe is all -right, but his father and brother are not, and I am afraid they will -make trouble for him." - -"I thought of that, and so did Warren," answered Mr. Hallet, "and it -is a point that you two would do well to consider before you insist -on going into the mountains this winter. I am told that Hobson is -furious over the opening of the new road, and that he and a few of -his friends have threatened to burn the houses Warren and I built up -there in the woods, and to drive out anybody we may put there to act as -game-wardens." - -When Tom and Bob heard this, they exchanged glances that were full of -meaning. - -Uncle Hallet's words showed them that there was a prospect for -excitement during the coming winter, and the knowledge of this fact -made them all the more determined to carry their point. - -"Oh, you needn't look at each other in that way," said Mr. Hallet, with -a laugh. "I know what you are thinking about, and I have no notion of -allowing you to do something to get these poachers and law-breakers -down on you. However I am going to the village directly, and perhaps -I'll drop in and see what Bob's father thinks about it." - -"Don't forget to tell him that we have your full and free consent," -began Tom. - -"But I haven't given it," interrupted Mr. Hallet, adjusting his -eye-glasses across the bridge of his nose and reaching for his paper. - -"And that we shall go along with all our lessons just as fast as the -boys in school will," chimed in Bob. - -"I'll not forget it; but I shall be much surprised at your father if he -believes it." - -Uncle Hallet resumed his reading, and the boys, taking this as a hint -that he had said all he had to say on the subject, put on their hats -and left the room. - -"It's all right, Bob," said Tom, gleefully. - -"I am sure of it," replied Bob. "We've got Uncle Hallet on our side, -and it will be no trouble for him to talk father over. Now let's finish -that letter to Mr. Morgan, and then go up and put it in his wood-pile." - -So saying, Bob went up the stairs three at a jump, Tom following close -at his heels. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -WHY THE LETTER WAS WRITTEN. - - -When the boys reached the landing at the head of the stairs, they -turned into Tom's room, the door of which stood invitingly open. - -Bob seated himself at a table and picked up a pen, while Tom leaned -over his shoulder and fastened his eyes upon the unfinished letter, to -which reference was made at the close of the last chapter. - -"Let's see--how far did we get?" said the latter. "I believe we were -talking about a bank they were supposed to have robbed somewhere in -California. Well, say that they took a pile of money--seventy thousand -dollars out of it. But I say, Bob! That's awful bad printing. I don't -know whether Silas can make out to read it or not." - -"Then let him get somebody to help him," answered Bob. "I can't be -expected to furnish him with the key, after going to so much trouble to -write the letter." - -"But if he can't read it, what use will it be to him?" asked Tom. - -"Probably he's got friends who can spell it out for him, and I'm sure -I don't care how much publicity he gives it. 'And there we took out -seventy thousand dollars,'" said Bob. "Go on; what next? They went to -Canada after that, didn't they? There is where all the crooks go these -days." - -"Put it down, anyway. 'So we went to Canady (be careful about the -spelling) and staid there till the country got too hot for us.' -That reads all right," said Tom, throwing himself into the big -rocking-chair, and wondering, like the minister in the "One-Hoss Shay," -what the Moses should come next. "Don't forget to say something about -the 'hant' who guards the treasure in the cave." - -"Can't you wait till I come to the cave?" replied Bob, who could not -print the letter as fast as his friend could think up things to put -into it. "I don't altogether approve of this ghost business, anyway. -I am afraid it will scare the old fellow so badly that he will make no -attempt to find the treasure that is concealed in the cave." - -"Don't you worry about that," Tom replied. "All we've got to do is to -word the letter so that he will believe the money is really there, and -he will go after it, even if he knew that he would have to face all -the ghosts that ever haunted the Summerdale hills; and their name is -legion, if there is any faith to be put in the stories I have heard." - -"I say, Tom," exclaimed Bob, throwing down his pen and settling-back -in his chair, "wouldn't it be a joke if some of those same ghosts -should take it into their heads to visit us during the winter? It must -be lonely up there in the mountains, when the roads are blocked with -drifts, and all communication with the outside world is cut off, and -wouldn't we feel funny if we should hear something go this way some -dark and stormy night--b-r-r-r?" - -Here Bob uttered a hollow groan, drew his head down between his -shoulders, and tried to shiver and look frightened. - -"No doubt it would; but we shan't hear anything go this way--b-r-r-r," -replied Tom, imitating Bob's groan as nearly as he could. "Now I think -you had better go on with that letter, and I will draw the map that is -to guide him in his search for the robbers' cave and plunder. We've -wasted a good hour and a half already; and if we don't hurry up, we -shan't be able to give him the letter to-day. Let me think a moment! -There's a deep gorge about a quarter of a mile from Morgan's wood-pile, -and I don't believe it has ever been explored. That would be a good -place to put the cave, wouldn't it?" - -Bob said he thought it would, and went on with his writing, while Tom -hunted up a piece of paper and began drawing the map. - -Bob pronounced it perfect when his friend presented it for his -inspection, and indeed it ought to have been. There was no one in -the neighborhood who was better acquainted with the hills than Silas -Morgan, and if the map had guided him to a place that really had no -existence, except in Tom's imagination, he would have known in a minute -that somebody was trying to play a trick upon him. - -The letter was finished at last, to the entire satisfaction of both the -boys, and the next thing was to put it where the man for whom it was -intended would be sure to find it. - -Do you ask what it was that suggested to them the idea of making the -shiftless and ignorant ferryman the victim of one of their practical -jokes? - -Simply an accident, coupled with the want of something to do, and their -innate propensity to get fun out of everything that came in their way. - -On the previous day they made it their business to stand guard over the -English partridges and quails which Uncle Hallet had "turned down" in -his wood-lot, and it so happened that they stopped to eat their lunch -within a short distance of Silas Morgan's wood-pile, but out of sight -of it. They heard the creaking of the ferryman's old wagon, as his -aged and infirm beast pulled it laboriously up the steep mountain-side, -and not long afterward the setters, which accompanied Silas, wherever -he went, spied out their resting-place. - -But the animals did not give tongue, as they would no doubt have done -if the boys had been utter strangers to them. They thankfully ate the -bits of cracker and broiled squirrel that were tossed to them, and then -went back to wait for Silas. - -"That man has no more right to those valuable dogs than I have," said -Bob. "They're worth a hundred dollars apiece, and no one ever gave a -guide that much money in return for a single day's woodcock shooting. -Who is he talking to, I wonder?" - -"To no one," answered Tom. "He likes to talk to a sensible man, and he -likes to hear a sensible man talk; consequently, he has a good deal to -say to Silas Morgan. That's the fellow he is talking to." - -And so it proved. The ferryman was engaged in an animated conversation -with the ferryman, asking and answering the questions himself, and so -fully was his mind occupied with other matters, that it never occurred -to him that possibly his words might be falling upon ears for which -they were not intended. - -Tom and his companion had no desire to play the part of eavesdroppers. -They were not at all interested in what Silas was saying to himself--at -least they thought so; but it turned out otherwise. - -Having finished their lunch, they began making preparations to set out -for home; but in the meantime Silas reached the wood-pile, and, leaning -heavily upon his wagon, he gave utterance to his thoughts in much the -same words as those we used at the beginning of this story. - -"I just know that I wasn't born to do no such mean work as I've been -called to do all my life," declared Silas, stooping over, and throwing -the perspiration from his forehead with his bent finger. "I can't get -my consent to slave and toil in this way much longer, while there are -folks all around me who never do a hand's turn. They can loaf around -and take their ease from morning till night, while I--wait till I -tell you. Such things ain't right, and I won't stand it much longer. -The other night I dreamed of that robber's cave, with piles of gold -and greenbacks into it, and yesterday I read about the finding of -that earthen crock that was plumb full of money; so't I know I shall -be a rich man some day. 'Pears to me that day isn't so very far off, -neither. If I should come up here some time and find a letter telling -me where there was a robber's cave with stacks and piles of money in -it, I shouldn't be at all astonished; would you?" - -"Not in the least," whispered Bob, giving his friend a prod in the ribs -with his elbow; whereupon Tom laid his finger by the side of his nose -and winked first one eye and then the other, to show that he fully -understood Bob. - -"Stranger things than that have happened," continued Silas, in a voice -that was plainly audible to the two boys behind the evergreens, "and -I don't see why it can't happen to me as well as to anybody else. -Wouldn't that be a joyful day to me, though? I'd bust up that flat the -very first thing I did, and tell the fellers that tooted the horn that -I was done being servant for them or anybody else. No, I wouldn't do -that, either," added Silas, after reflecting a minute. "I'd give it to -Dan and Joe to make a living with, and then I wouldn't have to spend -any of my fortune on their grub and clothes." - -"What a stingy old hulks he is!" whispered Bob, as the ferryman took a -reluctant step toward the wood-pile. "I say, Tom, don't you think there -is a robber's cave about here somewhere? I should think there ought to -be, with so many ghosts hanging around. It don't look to me as though -they could be here for nothing." - -"That's what I think," replied Tom, in the same cautious whisper. "I -shouldn't wonder a bit if there was a freebooter's stronghold somewhere -in these mountains." - -"With lots of money in it?" continued Bob. - -"Piles of it," said Tom. "As much as there is in the treasury at -Washington." - -Bob turned toward his friend with a look of indignant astonishment on -his face. - -"And you knew it all the time, and never told Silas about it!" he -exclaimed. "Can't you see how badly he wants it, and how confident he -is that he is going to get it? You ought to have attended to it long -ago." - -"You're very right," said Tom, meekly. "Now I will tell you what I'll -do: If you will print a letter--it must be printed, you know, for Silas -can't read writing--telling how the money got into the cave in the -first place, I'll draw a map that will aid him in finding it." - -Bob said it was a bargain, and the two boys shook hands on it; after -which they again turned their attention to the ferryman, who kept up -his soliloquy while he was loading the wood on the wagon. The burden of -it was that his lot in life was a very hard one, that he never worked -except under protest, and that he firmly believed that the future had -something better in store for him. - -Tom and his companion went home, fully determined that if they lived to -see the dawn of another day, Silas should find the wished-for letter in -his wood-pile. - -They took one night to "sleep on it," and make up their minds just what -they wanted to say to him, and bright and early the next morning they -went to work. - -By their united efforts they finally produced the letter which we laid -before the reader in the third chapter; but they were a long time about -it. Every sentence and suggestion had to be weighed and discussed at -length, and it was when Tom remarked that he would like to see the -upshot of the whole matter, that a bright idea suddenly occurred to Bob. - -"We can stay up there to-morrow, and see what he will do when he finds -the letter," observed the latter, "but we can't run to the top of the -Summerdale hills every day to watch him go after the money, can we? -It's too far, and-- Say, Tom, let's ask Uncle Hallet to make us his -game-wardens." - -"Oh, let's!" exclaimed Tom, who was always ready for anything that had -a spice of novelty or adventure in it. "Of course, we shall have to -live up there in the woods, the same as Mr. Warren's man does." - -"To-be-sure. Then we shall be right on the ground, and it will be but -little trouble for us to keep track of Morgan's movements. If he tries -to find the cave, we may be on hand to give him a scare." - -"Well, that's a black horse of another color," said Tom, looking down -at the floor, in a deep study. "Silas Morgan never goes into the woods -without his double-barrel for company, and he is so sure a shot that -I don't think it would be quite safe for the spectre of the cave to -materialize while he is around." - -Bob hadn't thought of that before, nor did he stop to think of it now, -because it was a matter that could be settled at some future time. It -was enough for him to know that Tom was strongly in favor of the rest -of his scheme, and the two posted off to find Uncle Hallet, and see -what he thought about it. - -The result of the conference they held with him, so far as it was -reached that day, we have already chronicled. We must now hasten on and -tell what happened in and around the Summerdale hills after Silas found -and lost the letter, and Dan got hold it. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - -THE PLOT SUCCEEDS. - - -Tom's map having been duly examined and approved, and Bob's letter read -and commented upon, the latter folded them both up together and placed -them in an envelope, which he sealed with a vigorous blow of his fist. - -"I suppose it ought to have a stamp on it, in order to make it look -ship-shape," said he, "but I haven't got two cents to waste in addition -to the time and exhausting mental effort I have spent upon the -production of this interesting and important communication. I ought to -put a hint of its contents upon the envelope, I should think." - -"By all means," answered Tom. "Print anything that occurs to you, -so long as it will excite his curiosity and impel him to a further -examination. How does this strike you: 'Notis to the lucky person -in to whose han's this dockyment may hapen to fall.' That sounds all -right, doesn't it? Well, put it down, and then add something about the -'hant' that watches over the cave." - -For a few minutes Bob's pen moved rapidly, and at last he drew a long -breath of relief and slammed the blotting-paper over what he had -written. - -"It's done, I'm glad to say, and the next time we find it necessary -to communicate with Mr. Morgan, or with any other gentleman who has -not gone deep enough into the arcana of letters to be able to read -good, honest writing, we'll hire a cheap boy to do the printing for -us. Now, what shall we take besides our lunch? I don't want to carry -my breech-loader up to the top of the mountains for nothing. I know -it weighs only seven and a quarter pounds, but I'll think it weighs a -hundred before I get back." - -"If you will sling your pocket-rifle case over your shoulder, I'll take -my little tackle-box, and then we shall be fully equipped," replied -Tom. "We'll be sure to get a young squirrel or two while we are going -by the corn-field, and I know a stream in which there are still a few -trout to be found." - -Acting upon his friend's advice, Bob put the letter into his pocket, -and picked up the neat leather case in which his little rifle reposed, -while Tom seized his tackle-box and led the way to the kitchen. - -A few minutes later they left the house, with a substantial lunch -stowed away in a fish-basket which Tom carried under his arm, and bent -their steps toward Silas Morgan's wood-pile, where they arrived after -an hour's fatiguing walk up the mountain. - -The first thing in order was a reconnaissance in force, followed by a -careful inspection of the ground, both of which satisfied them that -they had reached the spot in ample time to carry out all the details of -their scheme. The wheel-marks in the ground were not fresh, and neither -were the footprints, and this proved that the ferryman had not yet been -up after his daily load of wood. - -"He is later than usual," said Bob. "I hope nothing has happened to -keep him away, for I wouldn't miss being around when he gets the -letter for anything. It will be as good as a circus." - -"There he comes now!" exclaimed Tom, as a series of dismal wails arose -from the valley below. "Don't you hear the creaking of his wagon? Shove -the letter into the end of this stick, and then we'll dig out for the -place where we ate lunch yesterday. We can hear and see everything from -there." - -Bob hastily complied with his friend's suggestion, inserting the letter -into a crack in a protruding stick in so conspicuous a position that -Silas would be sure to see it, if he made any use whatever of his eyes, -and then the two boys betook themselves to their hiding-place behind -the evergreens. - -In due time the ferryman came in sight. He was clinging with both hands -to the hind end of the wagon, and if he had let go his hold he would, -beyond a doubt, have rolled clear back to the bottom of the hill, not -being possessed of sufficient life and energy to stop himself. - -Whenever the horse halted for a short rest, which he did as often -as the idea occurred to him, Silas raised no objections, but leaned -heavily upon the wood-rack and rested, too, talking earnestly to -himself all the while. - -He was so long in reaching the wood-pile that the boys became very -impatient; but when he got there and found the letter, the fright and -excitement he exhibited, and the extraordinary contortions he went -through, amply repaid them for their long waiting. - -Bob's prediction, that "it would be as good as a circus," was -abundantly verified. They observed every move he made, and heard -every word he said. They were especially delighted to see him climb -the wood-pile, and reach over and take possession of the letter; and -when he snatched up the knotted reins and fell upon the horse with -his hickory, because the animal would not move in obedience to his -whispered commands, Bob caught Tom around the neck with both arms, and -the two rolled on the ground convulsed with merriment. - -When they recovered themselves sufficiently to get up and look through -the evergreens again, they saw Silas disappearing around the first -turn in the road; but he was in sight long enough for them to take note -of the fact that he was stepping out at a much livelier rate than they -had seen him accomplish for many a day. When the trees hid him from -view, Tom and Bob sat down on the ground and looked at each other. - -"Well," said the former, wiping the tears from his eyes, "so far so -good. Now, what comes next?" - -"Nothing more of this sort to-day; at least I hope not," answered Bob. -"I couldn't stand another such a laughing spell right away, unless I -could give full vent to my feelings. I thought I should split when I -heard Silas say that he didn't know whether or not he could get his -consent to touch that letter." - -Silas being safely out of hearing by this time, there was no longer any -reason why Bob should restrain his risibilities, and he gave way to a -hearty peal of laughter, in which Tom joined with much gusto. - -"It was when he went through his antics on top of the wood-pile that I -came the nearest losing control of myself," said the latter, as soon -as he could speak. "I didn't suppose that there was so much ignorance -and superstition in this whole country as that man has given us proof -of this day." - -And neither did Tom imagine that while he and Bob were writing that -letter, "just for the fun of the thing," they were setting in motion a -series of events which were destined to create the greatest excitement -far and near, and to come within a hair's-breadth of ending in -something very like a tragedy. - -It was a long time before the boys had their laugh out. Tom, who was an -incomparable mimic, went through the whole performance again, for his -own delectation as well as for Bob's benefit, reaching for invisible -letters, and climbing imaginary wood-piles, and so perfectly did he -imitate the ferryman's actions, and even the tones of his voice, that -Bob at last jumped to his feet, slung his rifle over his shoulder, and -hastened away, declaring that he could not stand it any longer. - -The first thing the two friends did, after they became sobered down -so that they could do anything, was to retrace their steps to the -corn-field, where they hoped to secure an acceptable addition to the -lunch that was in Tom's creel. - -Nor were they disappointed; the game they sought was out in full -force; Bob's diminutive rifle spoke twice in quick succession, and two -young squirrels, after being neatly dressed and wrapped in buttered -tissue-paper, were placed in the basket with the lunch. - -Then the boys went in quest of the trout stream of which Tom had -spoken. When Bob got down to it, and saw what a place it was in, he did -not wonder that there were still a few fish to be found in it. On the -contrary, he wondered if there had ever been any taken out of it. He -had never seen an angler, no matter how enthusiastic and long-winded he -might be, who would willingly stumble through five miles of trackless -woods, climb over as many miles of tangled wind-fall, and scramble -down the almost perpendicular side of that deep gorge, for the sake of -catching a few trout, and he did not hesitate to tell Tom so. - -"Wait till you see the beauty I am going to snatch out from under that -log in less than a minute after I drop in my hook," said the latter, -who carried his open knife in his hand, and was looking about among the -bushes for a pole to take the place of the split bamboo he had left at -home. "But you needn't grumble, young man. You may see the day when -you will be willing to tramp farther than this to have the pleasure of -depositing a single trout in your creel." - -"When things get as bad as that I won't go trout-fishing," said Bob, -in reply. "I'll take it out on black bass in the lake. Besides, these -trout are not at all high-toned. They don't know enough to take a fly, -and there's no fun in fishing with any other bait." - -"We're not looking for fun now; we're after our dinner," answered -Tom, who, having found a pole to suit him, was kicking the bark off -a decayed log in search of a grub to put on his hook. "Would it -inconvenience you to stir around and get a fire going? You might as -well have your scales ready, too; there's a trout under that log that -weighs about-- There he is!" - -Sure enough, there he was. - -While Tom was speaking he dropped his hook into the water, and before -the white grub on it had sunk out of sight, it was seized by a monster -trout, which turned and started for the bottom with it, only to find -himself yanked unceremoniously out of his native element, and by a -dexterous movement of his captor's wrist, landed at Bob's feet on the -opposite bank. - -"I haven't elbow-room for any display of science in handling fish," -said Tom, as his companion unhooked the prize and quieted his struggles -by a blow on the head with the handle of his heavy knife. "Main -strength and awkwardness are what do the business in these tangled -thickets. What do the scales say in regard to his weight?" - -"A pound and nine ounces," replied Bob. "Now suppose you hand over that -pole and see if I can catch one to match him." - -Tom, who was quite willing to comply, jumped across the brook and set -to work to kindle a fire and get the dinner going, while Bob took the -rod and threaded his way through the thick bushes toward another -promising hole which his friend told him of, farther up the stream. - -He was not gone more than twenty minutes, and when he came back he -brought with him three trout, one of which was larger and heavier than -Tom's. - -Bob could easily have taken more but did not do it, because he knew -that he and Tom could not dispose of them. He knew, too, that they -would be a drug in the home market, Uncle Hallet having often declared -that he had eaten so many trout since Bob came to his house that it was -all he could do to keep from jumping into every puddle of water he saw. - -The boys were adepts at forest cookery, and hungry enough to do full -justice to their dinner. - -When the meal was over, the only dish they had to wash was the small -tin basin in which their tea was made, the squirrels and trout having -been broiled over the coals on three-pronged sticks cut from the -neighboring bushes. - -After an hour's rest they put out the fire by drenching it with water, -which they dipped from the brook with their drinking-cups. - -Bob often paused in his work to look up at the high bank above, which -was so steep that the top seemed to hang over the bed of the stream, -and finally he declared that it would take so much of his breath and -strength to get up there that he wouldn't have any left to carry him -over the five miles of wind-fall that lay between the gorge and Silas -Morgan's wood-pile. - -"Well, then, we'll follow the brook," said Tom. "It will take us to -the lake, if we stick to it long enough, or we can turn out of the -gorge when we reach the place where our robber's cave is supposed to be -located. What kind of traveling we shall find I don't know, for I have -never been down this gulf; but I do know that we shall have farther to -walk than if we go back the way we came." - -Bob at once declared his preference for the "water route," reminding -his companion that the longest way around is often the shortest way -home. - -He felt relieved after that, for he dreaded the almost impassable -wind-fall over which his tireless friend had led him a few hours -before; but whether or not it was worse than some things that happened -as the result of his decision, and which he was destined to encounter -before the winter was over remains to be seen. - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - -A MYSTERY. - - -The traveling in the gorge was quite as difficult as the two friends -expected to find it. The bushes on each side were so thick that they -could not walk on the bank, and the bed of the stream was covered with -rocks and boulders, over which they slipped and stumbled at every step. - -Now and then the way was obstructed by deep, dark pools which would -have gladdened the eye of an angler, for it is in such places that the -"sockdolagers" of the brook abide. But Tom and his companion looked -upon them as so many obstacles that were to be overcome with as little -delay as possible. - -They floundered through them without stopping to see how deep they -were, and before they had left their camp half a mile behind, their -high rubber boots were full of water. - -The gorge was beginning to grow dark when Tom, after taking a survey of -the bank over his head, announced that they were just about opposite -Silas Morgan's wood-pile, and that it was time for them to find a place -to climb out. - -"I am overjoyed to hear it," said Bob, seating himself on the nearest -boulder. "But it's going to be hard work to get up there, the first -thing you know, because we've got several pounds more weight to carry -than we had when we started. This is worse than the windfall." - -While Bob was resting, Tom walked slowly down the gorge, hoping to find -a spot where the bushes were not so thick, and the bank easy of ascent; -but before he had gone a dozen yards, his footsteps were arrested by an -occurrence that was as startling as it was unexpected. - -The thicket in front of him was suddenly and violently agitated, and -an instant afterward there arose from it the most blood-curdling -sound the boys had ever heard. An Indian war-whoop could not compare -with it--they were certain of that. It was not a shriek, a laugh or a -groan, but it was a combination of all three; and it was so loud and -penetrating that the echoes caught it up and repeated it, until the -hideous sound seemed to fill the air all around them. - -Tom came to a sudden standstill, and the face he turned toward his -companion was as white as a sheet. - -Bob was frightened, too, but he retained his wits and his power of -action, and his first thought was to put a safe distance between -himself and the thing, whatever it was, that could make a noise like -that. - -Without saying a word he arose from his seat, dived into the bushes and -began scrambling up the bank. How he got to the top he never knew (he -afterward affirmed that in some places the bank was as straight up and -down as the side of a house), but he reached it in an incredibly short -space of time, and turned about to find Tom close at his heels. - -"What in the name of sense and Tom Walker was it?" panted Bob, -pulling out his handkerchief and mopping his forehead, on which the -perspiration stood in great beads. - -"I give it up," gasped Tom. "It must be something awful, if one may -judge by the screeching it is able to do. I heard a couple of laughing -hyenas give a solo and chorus in a menagerie once, and I thought I -should never get the sound out of my ears; but that thing in the gulf -can beat them out of sight. I'm going home now, but I'll come up here -to-morrow with Bugle and Uncle Hallet's Winchester, and if I can make -the dog drive him out of the bushes so that I can get a fair sight at -him, I'll pump him so full of holes that he'll never make any more of -that noise." - -Tom at once drew a bee line for his uncle's house, and Bob fell in -behind him. When they reached the wood-pile, he proposed that they -should sit down and rest and compare notes. He was still quite nervous -and uneasy, while Bob, who had had leisure to look at the matter in all -its bearings, was as serene and unruffled as usual. - -"Well, what do you think of it by this time?" inquired the latter. - -"I don't think anything about it," replied Tom; "it is quite beyond me. -But this much I know: That thing has got to be 'neutralized' before I -will consent to come up here and live as Uncle Hallet's game-warden." - -"Aha!" exclaimed Bob, with a laugh, "didn't you assure me that we -wouldn't hear anything go b-r-r-r?" - -"Yes, and I'll stick to it; but there's something in these mountains -that I don't want to hear screaming around our cabin this winter, now I -tell you. What kind of a beast do you think it was, anyway? You heard a -panther screech while you were hunting in Michigan last winter. Did he -make a noise like that?" - -"No," answered Bob; "it wasn't a beast, either." - -"What makes you say that?" - -"I have two very good reasons. In the first place, if there are any -animals in these mountains that are more to be feared than the wolves, -they have found hiding-places so secure that the hunters have not been -able to discover them for ten years and better. In the next place, if -that thing in the gulf is a beast of prey, he would not have given us -notice of his presence. He would have waited till we came close to the -bushes so that he could jump out and grab one of us." - -"That's so," said Tom. "Well, go on; what was it?" - -"You placed our robbers' cave down there, didn't you?" - -"Oh, get out!" exclaimed Tom; "I'm in no humor for nonsense. I was -badly frightened, and I haven't got over it yet." - -"Neither have I. I am in dead earnest. There's somebody down there in -the gulf, and he took that way to let us know that he didn't want us to -come any nearer to him." - -"It was Silas Morgan, for a million dollars!" exclaimed Tom, who needed -no more words to convince him that his friend's reasoning was correct. -"It's perfectly clear to me now. He didn't waste any time in going -after that money, did he?" - -"Quite the contrary. He has been so very quick about it, that I'm -inclined to believe it wasn't Silas at all; but if it was he, why is he -camping there?" - -"Camping?" repeated Tom. - -"Yes. Just before that horrid shriek came out of the bushes, I thought -I could smell burning wood; but I didn't have time to call your -attention to it." - -"Perhaps the mountain is on fire somewhere." - -"Oh, I guess not. If that was the case, we'd smell the smoke now, -wouldn't we?" - -"That's so," said Tom, again. "Well, who's down there?" - -"I'm sure I don't know; but I am satisfied that it is some one who has -reasons for keeping himself hidden from the world. Now, what's to be -done about it?" - -"I don't see that we are obliged to do anything, unless we want to make -ourselves a laughing stock for the whole country," replied Tom, who had -had time to form some ideas of his own. "I couldn't be hired to tell -Uncle Hallet of it, because he would ask, right away, 'Why didn't you -go ahead and find out what it was that frightened you? You are pretty -fellows to talk about living up there alone in the woods this winter, -are you not?' And he'd never leave off poking fun at us. No doubt there -is a party of guests from the hotel down there, and one of them yelled -at us just for the fun of seeing us scramble up the bank. I only wish -they might stay there long enough to play the same game on Silas Morgan -when he comes after the money that is hidden in the cave." - -The two friends spent half an hour or more in comparing notes after -this fashion, but they did not succeed in wholly clearing up the -mystery. They both agreed that it was a man, and not a savage beast of -prey, that was hidden in the gulf; but who the man was, where he came -from, and what he was doing there, were other and deeper questions, -which probably never would be answered. - -"I'll tell you what's a fact, Bob," said Tom, as he arose from the -ground and led the way down a well-beaten cow-path that ran toward his -uncle's barn, "We are not the only fellows in the world who like to -play tricks upon others, and I'll venture to say that there is some -one in the gorge at this minute who is laughing at us as heartily as -we laughed at Silas Morgan when he found the letter that we put in his -wood-pile. The guests at the hotel come up here to have fun, and they -don't care much how they get it." - -"Perhaps you're right," replied Bob, who nevertheless still held to -the belief that there was some one in the gorge who was hiding there -because he dared not show himself among his fellow-men. "But if I were -sure of it, I should be very much ashamed of myself and you, too. -However, I don't see how we are to get at the bottom of the matter, -unless we go back and interview the party in the gulf; and I can't say -that I am anxious to do that." - -There was still another point on which the boys fully agreed, and that -was that they would not say a word to Uncle Hallet about it; but the -latter heard of it, all the same, and it turned out that Tom was wide -of the mark when he insisted that some one had played a joke upon -himself and his companion. - -The boys reached home just at supper-time, and found that Uncle Hallet -had returned from Bellville with good news for them. He had seen Bob's -father, and the latter, after declaring that it was one of the wildest -things he had ever heard of, and wondering what foolish notion those -two boys would get into their heads next, finally decided that since -Tom had made up his mind to live in the woods during the winter, Bob -might stay and keep him company. - -"He desired me to tell you that he shall expect to hear a good account -of you, both as student and game-warden," said Uncle Hallet, shaking -his finger at Bob. "If you don't keep up with your class, or if you -neglect your business and allow some pot-hunter to kill off all my -English birds, so that there won't be any left for your father to shoot -when I invite him up here, he will be sorry that he didn't keep you -in school. What's the matter with you two anyway?" suddenly demanded -Uncle Hallet, who had a faint suspicion that the boys were not as -highly elated as they ought to have been. "This morning you were fairly -carried away with this new idea of yours, and now you don't seem to -say anything. Have you thought better of it already?" - -The boys hastened to assure Uncle Hallet that they had not--that they -were just as eager to assume the duties of game-wardens as they had -ever been, and that that was the last night they expected to pass under -his roof for eight long months. - -It was all true, too; but each of them made a mental reservation. If -the man in the gulf was a fugitive from justice, as Bob thought he was, -he might prove to be a very unpleasant fellow to have around, and until -he had been "neutralized," as Tom expressed it, they could not hope to -enjoy themselves. - -They did not want to enter upon their duties feeling that there was a -portion of Mr. Hallet's preserves from which they were shut off by the -presence of one who had no business there. - -"He suspects something," whispered Tom, as he and his friend arose from -the supper-table and made their way to their rooms. "Now I'll just tell -you what's a fact. I am going wherever I please in my uncle's woods, -and any one who tries to turn me back will get himself into trouble." - -"I am with you," was Bob's reply. "If that howling dervish has settled -down there for the winter, how shall we get rid of him?" - -Tom couldn't answer that question, so he said that perhaps they had -better sleep on it, and that was what they decided to do. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -DAN IS SCARED. - - -When Mr. Warren's newly-appointed game-warden turned away from Dan and -went on down the road to meet his mother, he left behind him one of the -maddest boys that had ever been seen in that part of the country. - -In spite of all he had said to the contrary, Dan had no intention of -asking Mr. Hallet to employ him to watch his birds and keep trespassers -out of his wood-lot, for he knew very well that if he proffered such a -request he would be met by a prompt and emphatic refusal. - -Mr. Hallet was too well acquainted with his poaching propensities to -give his imported game into his keeping, and Dan was painfully aware of -the fact. - -What he wanted more than anything else was that his brother should -accept him as a partner, so that he could handle half the earnings, -while Joe did all the work and shouldered all the responsibility; that -was the plain English of it. But Joe was resolved to paddle his own -canoe, and more than that, he had threatened to call upon a powerful -friend to make Dan behave himself, if he didn't see fit to do it of his -own free will. - -"I've got be mighty sly about what I do," thought Dan, resting his -elbows on his knees and looking down at the ground, after kicking Bony -out of his way. "Don't it beat you when you think of the luck that -comes to some fellers, while others, who are just as good as they be, -and who work just as hard, can't make things go right no way they can -fix it? I tell you it bangs me. I ought to have help to drive that Joe -of our'n out of them woods, for, to tell you what's the gospel truth, I -don't quite like the idee of facing him alone. I can't fight agin him -and pap, with old man Warren throwed in." - -While Dan was talking to himself in this way, he stretched his leg out -before him and drew from his pocket the letter he had found in front -of the door of the wood-shed. He little dreamed what an astounding -revelation it contained. He had not the slightest idea where it came -from, and neither could he have told why he picked it up. - -He proceeded to examine it now, simply because he had nothing else to -occupy his mind, except his many and bitter disappointments, and he had -already expressed himself very feelingly in regard to them. - -With great deliberation Dan spread the letter upon his knee, and, with -a caution which had become habitual to him, looked up and down the road -to make sure that there was no one in sight. Then he addressed himself -to the task of reading the "notis" that was scrawled upon the envelope; -but no sooner had he, with infinite difficulty, spelled out all the -words in it, than the letter fell from his nerveless fingers, and Dan -jumped to his feet and whooped and yelled like a wild Indian. - -"Now don't it bang you what mean luck some fellers do have? Here's a--" - -Dan checked himself very suddenly when he became aware that he was -shouting out these words with all the power of his lungs. Filled with -apprehension he looked up and down the road again, but as there was no -one in sight, he resumed his seat and went on with his soliloquy; but -this time he spoke in a much lower tone of voice. - -"There's a fortune up there in the mounting, as much as two or three -hundred dollars mebbe, but I dassent go after it on account of the hant -that's up there," said Dan, to himself. "I've heared 'em say that them -hants cuts up powerful bad when anybody comes fooling around where they -be, and it ain't no use to think of driving them away, 'cause bullets -will go through 'em as slick as you please and never hurt 'em at all. -How come this dockyment in front of the wood-shed, do you reckon?" - -Dan was greatly confused and excited, and it was a long time before he -could control himself sufficiently to pick up the envelope, take out -the inclosure and read it through to the end--or, to be more exact, -nearly to the end; for, as we shall presently see, Dan never had a -chance to read the whole of it. He kept up a running fire of comments -as he went along, and to have heard him, one would suppose that he had -long been looking for something of this sort. - -That was hardly to be wondered at, for he had often heard his father -indulge in the most extravagant speculations concerning the future, -and Dan certainly had as good a right to waste his time in that way as -Silas had. - -But when he came to read about the "hant" which bothered the writer so -persistently that he was obliged to jump into the lake in order to get -rid of him, Dan could stand it no longer. He got upon his feet, at the -same time returning the letter to the envelope and making a blind shove -with it at his pocket, and drew a bee-line for home. - -He was so badly frightened that he could not run, and he was afraid -to look behind him. He glided over the ground with long, noiseless -footsteps, his lank body bent nearly half double, and his wild-looking -eyes roving from thicket to thicket on each side of the road in front -of him. - -Presently the climax came. A squirrel, detecting his approach, sought -to escape observation by jumping from one tree to another, and he made -a great commotion among the light branches as he did so. The noise was -too much for Dan's overtaxed nerves. - -"It's the hant, as sure as I'm a foot high," said he, in a frightened -whisper. "He can't pester t'other feller any more, 'cause he's gone and -drownded himself in the lake; but he's going to foller whoever has got -the letter telling where the fortune is, and that's me. I wonder could -I out-run him?" - -Dan thought this a good idea, and he lost not a moment in acting upon -it. He was noted far and near for his lightness of foot, but no one -in the Summerdale hills had ever seen him run as he ran that day. -He hardly seemed to touch the ground; and the farther he went the -faster he went, because his increasing fear lent him wings. He was so -hopelessly stampeded that if the road had been crowded with teams or -people he would not have seen one of them. He did not slacken his pace -until he reached the wood-shed, and then he came to an abrupt halt -and looked behind him. There was no one in the road over which he had -passed in his headlong flight, and the woods were silent. - -"Well, I done it, didn't I?" exclaimed Dan, drawing a long breath of -relief, and thrusting his hand into the pocket in which he thought he -had put the letter. "It ain't no use for anything that gets around on -two legs to think of follering me when I turn on the steam. Now, then, -where's that there--" - -"That there what? And who's been a-follering of you?" demanded a -familiar voice, almost at his elbow. - -Dan was frightened again. He looked up, and there stood his father, who -had been keeping up a persistent but of course fruitless search for the -letter ever since Dan went away. - -One glance at his angry face was a revelation to the boy. He knew now -that Silas had lost the letter where he found it. Dan would have been -glad to take it out and hand it over to him--he didn't want anything -more to do with it after the experience he had already had with the -"hant"--but he found, to his unbounded amazement and alarm, that he -could not do it. He had dropped the letter somewhere along the road. - -"Who's been a-follering of you? and what have you lost?" repeated -Silas, who began to have a faint idea that he understood the situation. - -"There was a hant follering of me," replied Dan, as soon as he could -speak. "He was coming for me, 'cause I could hear him slamming through -the bushes; but I can run faster'n him, else I wouldn't be here now." - -"You can't bamboozle your pap with no tale about a hant, for I don't -believe in such things," declared Silas, but his face told a different -story. He looked fully as wild as Dan did, and he was almost as badly -frightened. "Why don't you come to the p'int, and tell me that you have -lost the letter that was left in my wood-pile last winter, and which I -never seen till this morning? If you will tell me the truth about it, -I will tell you something that will make your eyes stick out as big as -your fist." - -"And won't you larrup me for losing of it?" asked Dan, who saw very -plainly that it was useless for him to deny that he had once had the -letter in his possession. - -"No, I won't do nothing to you; honor bright. Did you read what was -into it?" - -"Not all of it. I didn't have time, on account of that hant, who -rattled the bushes behind me. When I heared that, I just shoved the -letter into my pocket and skipped out," replied Dan, who could not for -the life of him tell a thing just as it happened. "But it bangs me -where that letter is now, 'cause I ain't got it." - -Dan expected that his father would go into an awful rage when he heard -this, and held himself in readiness to take to his heels at the very -first sign of a hostile demonstration; consequently he was very much -surprised to hear Silas say, without the least show of anger: - -"It don't much matter, 'cause I had a chance to read all that was -into the letter, and take a good look at the map that come with it. I -know right where to look for that robbers' cave, but I shan't go down -that there rope, I bet you, for I don't want to dump myself into the -presence of that hant before I have a look at him. We'll go in at the -mouth of the gulf, and work our way up till we come to the hiding-place -of the money." - -"We?" echoed Dan. - -"Yes, me and you." - -"Not much we won't," declared Dan, throwing all the emphasis he could -into his words. - -"What for?" demanded Silas. - -"'Cause why. It's enough for me, to hear hants a chasing of me. I ain't -got no call to go where they be, so't I can see 'em. I wouldn't go up -to that there cave if I knowed there was a thousand dollars into it." - -"A thousand dollars!" repeated Silas. "Didn't you read in the letter -about the grip-sack with a false bottom to it?" - -"I don't reckon I did," answered Dan, after thinking a moment. "The -hant scared me away before I got that far." - -"Well, there's a grip-sack there," continued Silas, "and there's twelve -thousand dollars in bills and three hundred dollars in gold into it. I -was calkerlating all along that me and you would go snucks on it. Now, -will you hand over that letter, so't I can take another look at the map -and make sure that I know where the cave is?" - -"Twelve thousand dollars in bills and three hundred more dollars in -gold!" gasped Dan, who could hardly believe his ears. "Pap, I would -give you the letter in a minute, but it's the gospel truth that I ain't -got it." - -And to prove his words, Dan turned all his pockets inside out, to show -that they were empty. - -"Then I reckon we'll have to go back along the road and look for it," -said Silas, desperately. "That's a power of money, more'n I ever -thought to have in my family, and sposen somebody should come along and -find that there letter, and go up to the cave and steal it away from -us? Just think of that, Dannie!" - -Dan did think of it, and it was the only thing that kept him from -beating a hasty retreat when his father spoke of going back to look for -the letter. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -THE "HANT." - - -"Now, let me tell you what's a fact," said Dan, after he had taken a -few minutes in which to consider his father's proposition. "I don't -reckon it will be any use for us to go back and try to find that there -letter. I'll bet anything that the hant has found it and carried it -miles away before this time." - -"Dannie, what's the use of talking that way?" exclaimed Silas, -impatiently, "Don't you know that hants can't tote nothing away, 'cause -they're sperits? All they can do is to jump up in front of a feller and -frighten him; but they can't do no harm to you. We'll take our guns -along, and if he's fool enough to show himself we'll pepper him good -fashion." - -"And never hurt him at all," said Dan. "He'll be just as sassy with his -hide full of bird-shot as he was before. Now, pap, you wait and see if -I ain't right." - -Silas did not pay much attention to these words of warning, but -they were afterward recalled to his mind in a manner that was most -unexpected and startling. What he was thinking of just now was the -letter. He was very anxious to find it, for he was afraid that it might -fall into the hands of some one who would use it to his injury. When -he turned about and led the way into the cabin, Dan followed him with -reluctant steps. - -"You needn't be no ways skeery about going up the road in broad -daylight," said Silas, encouragingly. "It ain't likely that that there -hant will go away from the cave and roam around the country, scaring -folks, for the fun of the thing. He ain't out there in the woods, and -you never heard him." - -"I did, for a fact," protested Dan. - -"I don't believe it, all the same," answered Silas, as he took down his -heavy double-barrel and measured the loads in it with the ramrod. "He's -come back to the cave to watch them five hundred pounds of money, and -see that nobody don't carry 'em away; and he'll never leave there." - -"Then how are we going to get that fortune?" inquired Dan. - -"We'll just walk right in and take it without saying a word to him," -said Silas boldly. "I've heard my father tell that them hants can't -harm you if you ain't afraid of 'em." - -"Well, I'll tell you one thing, and that ain't two," said Dan, as he -shouldered his gun and followed his father from the cabin. "I ain't a -going to run no risk. I'll help you find the cave, but I won't go into -it, I bet you. I don't want to hear something screeching at me through -the dark, and see great eyes of fire--" - -"Don't Dannie!" exclaimed Silas, shivering all over, as if some one had -drawn an icicle along his back. - -"Well, that's the way them hants do, ain't it?" asked the boy. "I'd as -soon be knocked in the head with a club as to have something scare me -to death. Come on, if you're coming. I ain't going ahead, and that's -all there is about it." - -The two brave fellows were by this time fairly in the road, and Silas -was prudently slackening his pace, to allow Dan to get in advance of -him. - -The latter's description of the greeting that would be extended to them -by the guardian spectre, when they went into the cave after the money -that was supposed to be concealed there, had taken all his courage away -from him, and, if there was any danger ahead, Silas did not want to be -the first to meet it. - -Dan, who was quick to notice this, also slackened his own pace, and the -two walked slower and slower, until they came to a dead stop. - -"I see what you're up to, old man," said Dan, shaking his clenched hand -at his sire, "and you might as well know, first as last, that you can't -play no such trick onto me. I'll stick close to you, and face the music -as long as you do; but you shan't shove me in front of you not one -inch." - -It was no use for Silas to protest that he had no intention of doing -anything of the kind, for the case was too clear against him; so he -pushed ahead again, and Dan, true to his promise, kept close at his -side. They walked on for a quarter of a mile or more, holding their -guns in readiness for instant use, and never saying a word to each -other, and at last the deep silence that brooded over the surrounding -woods became too much for the ferryman's nerves. He broke it by saying, -in a suppressed whisper: - -"You read far enough in that letter to know that there's five hundred -pounds of money into that there cave, didn't you? That's as much as me -and you both can pack away on our backs in one trip, and it beats me -how that feller could have toted it so far. Now where be we going to -hide it? That's what's been a bothering of me. Can't you think up some -good--Laws a massy! what's the matter of you?" exclaimed Silas; for Dan -suddenly seized his father's arm with a grip that made him wonder. - -They were just going around the first turn in the road. Instead of -replying to his father's question in words, Dan raised his hand and -pointed silently toward the bushes a short distance away. - -Silas looked, and was just in time to catch a glimpse of something -which got out of the range of his vision so quickly that he could not -tell what it was. He turned to Dan for an explanation. - -"It's the hant," whispered the latter. "I know it is, for didn't he go -into them evergreens without making the least stir among the branches?" - -Silas couldn't say whether he did or not, and neither did he stop to -argue the matter. Forgetting that he had brought his double-barrel -with him on purpose to "pepper" the ghost, in case he saw fit to make -himself visible, Silas faced about and took to his heels; but before -he had taken half a dozen steps, Dan flew past him as if he had been -standing still. - -His father made a desperate effort to catch him as he went by, but Dan -sprang out of his reach and bounded onward with increased speed, never -stopping to take breath or to look behind him, until he found himself -safe in the cabin. When his father stepped across the threshold, a few -minutes later, Dan made all haste to close and lock the door. - -"You're a purty son, you be, to run off and leave your poor old pap to -face the danger alone," said the ferryman, sinking into the nearest -chair and fairly gasping for breath. "I won't give you none of my -fortune when I get it, just to pay you for that mean piece of business." - -"I don't care," answered Dan, doggedly. "You run first, and I wasn't -going to stay behind with that thing there in the bushes. I reckon -you're willing to believe now that he was a chasing of me a while ago, -ain't you? I tell you, pap, he follers the letter, and he'll never -leave off pestering the man that's got it. I'm glad it's lost." - -"So be I," said Silas, who had not thought of this before. "He bothered -his pardner, who was the only one who knew that there was a fortune -in the cave, and his pardner had to jump into the lake to get shet of -him. It stands to reason, then, that he'll show himself to every one -who finds out about that money. I 'most wish that that letter hadn't -been put in my wood-pile, 'cause I can't rest easy while that hant is -loafing about here." - -"Now I'll tell you this for a fact," added Dan. "You'd best let the -whole thing drop right where it is. The hant will be sure to foller -the money wherever it goes, and as often as you step out to your -hiding-place to get a dollar or two, you will find him there waiting -for you." - -"Dannie," said Silas, slowly, "I'll bet you have hit centre the first -time trying. But it 'pears to me that if he wanted to keep the secret -of that cave hid from everybody, he ought by rights to have scared me -away when he saw me taking the letter out of my wood-pile." - -"You can't never get the money, and that's all there is about it," said -Dan, confidently. - -"Yes, we can!" exclaimed Silas, jumping up to put his gun back in its -place. "I've just thought of something, and I want you to tell me if -you don't think it about the cutest trick that was ever played on a -hant or anything else. He'll stay around where that letter is till some -one finds it, won't he?" - -Dan thought it very likely. - -"Then he'll go with the feller, to keep track of the letter, won't he?" - -Dan was sure he would. - -"And if it ain't found right away, he'll hang around so's to keep an -eye on it and see where it goes to. Don't you think he will?" - -Dan replied that he did. - -"Well, now, that's what I am going to work on," continued Silas, -gleefully. "The hant is out of the cave now--we're sure of that, for we -both seen him when he went into them bushes--and we must work things -so's to keep him out." - -"You keep saying 'we' all the time," interrupted Dan, "and I tell you, -once for all, that I ain't going to have nothing to do with it. You can -have all the money, for I won't go nigh the cave." - -"I don't ask you to," Silas hastened to assure him. "That's the trick I -was telling you about. All I want you to do is to walk up and down the -road to-morrow--it's getting too late to do anything to-day--and make -the hant believe that you're looking for the letter you lost." - -"Well, I won't do it," said Dan, promptly. - -"That'll keep him away from the cave," continued the ferryman, paying -no attention to the interruption, "and while he is watching you, I'll -slip up and gobble that fortune without asking any other help from you. -And I'll give you half, the minute I get my hands on to it--the very -minute." - -"Well, I won't do it," said Dan, again. "Why don't you stay and watch -the hant, and let me go after the money?" - -This proposition almost took the ferryman's breath away. He wouldn't -have agreed to it if the robber's treasure had been twice twelve -thousand dollars. - -"Why, you don't know where the cave is," he managed to articulate. - -"No more do you," retorted Dan. - -"Yes, I do, 'cause I looked at the map. I can go right to it on the -darkest of nights." - -"Here comes mam and that Joe of our'n, and so you'd best hush up," said -Dan, in a hurried whisper. "I ain't a going to play 'Hi-spy' all alone -with that there hant, and that's all there is about it. But I do hate -to give up my good clothes, and breech-loader and j'inted fish-pole," -he added, after thinking a moment, "and mebbe I'll go with you up to -the cave to-morrow, and make him keep his distance while you go in and -bring out the money. Who knows but what the smell of powder and the -whistle of shot about his ears will scare him so't he will go away and -never come back?" - -Silas caught the idea at once, and felt greatly encouraged by it; but -before he could say anything the door, which Dan had unlocked while he -was talking, was thrown open, and Mrs. Morgan and Joe came in. - -The latter looked cheerful and happy, but it was plain that his mother -was worried and anxious. She knew that there would be trouble in that -house in just one month from that day. - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - -JOE'S NEW HOME. - - -The ferryman and his family always arose at an early hour, and it was -probably more from force of habit than for any other reason, for Joe -and his mother were the only ones who did any work. The former kindled -the fire and laid the table, while Dan and his father loafed around and -watched them. - -But on the morning following the events we have recorded in the last -chapter, these two worthies had something to talk about, so they went -out and sat under a tree on the bank of the river, and far enough away -from the cabin to escape all danger of being overheard. - -Joe and his mother, however, did not bother their heads about them, for -they had their own affairs to talk over. - -Joe was to enter upon his duties as game-warden that very day. Of -course he was impatient to see his new home, and to get his hands upon -some of those books that Mr. Warren had promised to lend him; but, -above all, he was anxious to earn something for his mother. She needed -a good long rest, and Joe was rejoiced to know that he would soon be in -a position to give it to her. - -A night's refreshing sleep had an astonishing effect upon Dan and his -father. They did not talk or act much like the frightened man and boy -we saw running along the road a few hours before. They were as brave -as lions. Twelve thousand dollars in bills and three hundred dollars -in gold were well worth working for, and they repeatedly assured each -other that they were willing to face any danger in order to obtain them -for their own. - -But there was one thing that Dan held to in spite of all the appeals -and arguments that his father could bring to bear upon him, and -that was, that the hant must be met and overcome, or outwitted, as -circumstances might seem to require, by their united forces. He wasn't -going philandering away in one direction, while his father went on -a wild-goose chase in another, because that wasn't the way to fight -ghosts. - -"Then we'll stick together," said Silas, at length. "We'll hang around -the house till that Joe of our'n goes away, and then we'll fire off our -guns and load 'em up with heavier charges of shot, so't we'll be ready -for anything that comes along." - -"I did want powerful bad to live up there in the woods this winter with -that Joe," said Dan, with something like a sigh of regret. "What he's -going to get he's sure of, but we ain't. I am going into this thing -to win, I tell you," he added, sticking out his lips and calling a -very reckless and determined look to his face. "I ain't a-going to let -no little brother of mine beat me. When I get started for that there -money, I'm going to have it before I turn back." - -"That's the way to talk," said Silas, approvingly. - -"Joe's going to give all he earns to mam, but I ain't," continued -Dan. "I am going to spend all my six thousand dollars for myself. -I'm going to have good clothes, and a breech-loading bird gun, and a -j'inted fishing-pole, and by this time next summer I'll be so much of -a gentleman that the folks who come here to hunt and fish will be glad -to hire me for a guide, 'cause they won't know that I am Dan Morgan at -all. They'll take me for somebody else." - -"Course they will!" exclaimed Silas, bringing his heavy hand down upon -Dan's shoulder with such force that the boy shook all over. "Just bear -that in mind, son, when we find the cave. I'm 'most certain that the -hant won't show himself to us, for he'll be down the road somewhere, -looking for the letter you lost yesterday; but if he does come out, you -just say, 'six thousand dollars' to yourself, and walk right into him -with the bird-shot that's in your gun." - -"And what'll you be doing?" queried Dan. - -"Oh, I'll be there, and I'll shoot, too," replied Silas; and a stranger -would have thought that he was a man who never got frightened at -anything. - -Just then Joe came to the door of the cabin and shouted, "Breakfast!" -and that put a stop to the conversation. There was little said while -they were seated at the table, for they were all busy with their own -thoughts. Silas and Dan wished from the bottom of their hearts that the -day was over, and that the robbers' treasure was safely stowed away in -a hiding-place of their own selection. Wouldn't they make good use of -some of it before many hours had passed away? - -"That Joe of our'n feels mighty peart this morning," thought Dan, -glancing at his brother's radiant face. "He thinks he's smart because -he is going to earn a hundred and twenty dollars; but what would he -think of himself if he knew that I am going to have six thousand -dollars before night comes? Now I'll tell you what's a fact," added -Dan, who was firmly resolved that he would not come home empty-handed. -"When we get that money I'll make pap count out my share at once, and -then I'll take care to see that he don't know where I hide it. He'll -bear a heap of watching, pap will." - -"I wonder what has come over Dan all on a sudden?" said Joe, to -himself. "I don't know when I have seen him look so pleasant before. -He's got an idea of some kind in his head, and if I am not constantly -on my guard I shall hear from him to my sorrow I wonder if there's -another boy in the world who has a brother as mean as Dan is?" - -The latter, who was impatient to begin the serious business of the day -and get through with it, and have it off his mind, did not eat a very -hearty breakfast. He simply took the sharp edge off his appetite, and -then pushed back his chair and arose from the table. - -Silas groaned inwardly, for now the ordeal was coming. He would have -been glad to put it off a little longer, but he knew that if he did -he would be accused of cowardice. Everything depended upon keeping up -Dan's courage. If the boy saw the least sign of faltering, the whole -matter, so far as he was concerned in it, would end then and there. He -would refuse to take a step toward the cave, and no amount of money -would have tempted Silas to go there alone. So he got upon his feet, -took down his gun and game-bag, and followed Dan out of the cabin. - -Joe looked through the window without leaving his chair, and saw that -they were striking a straight course for Mr. Warren's wood-lot. - -"Now just watch them," said he, bitterly. "They're going to begin the -slaughter of those English birds before I have time to get up there and -order them away. I don't see why they can't lend me a helping hand, -instead of trying by every means in their power to get me into trouble. -But I told Dan yesterday, that if I caught him in Mr. Warren's woods -I would report him, and he will find that I meant every word of it. I -shall not try to shield them any more than I would if they were utter -strangers to me. Good-by, mother; I must be off; I am sorry to see you -look so downhearted and sorrowful when you ought to be smiling and -happy, but I will do everything I can to bring about a different state -of affairs. You'll get the money I earn, in spite of all that father -and Dan can do to prevent it; you may depend upon that." - -"It isn't the money I care for, Joe," said Mrs. Morgan between her sobs. - -"I know it," replied Joe, hastily. "You want father and Dan to behave -themselves, and let me alone. So do I; and if they won't do it, I'll -make them." - -Joe caught up the small bundle of clothing that had been made -ready for him while he was setting the table, shouldered his long, -single-barreled gun, kissed his mother good-by, and hurried away. - -He did not follow directly after his father and Dan, but took a short -cut through the woods, and, at the end of an hour, had his first -look at the snug little cabin that was to be his home during the -winter--that is, if his brother or some other desperate poacher did not -get mad at him and burn it down. - -Mr. Warren's double team stood in front of the open door, and that -gentleman and one of his hired men were busy transferring baskets and -armfuls of things from the wagon to the interior of the cabin. - -"Well, Joe, you're on hand bright and early," was the way in which Mr. -Warren greeted his young game-warden, "and you are in light marching -order, too," he added, glancing at the boy's bundle, and wondering at -the size of it. "Mr. Hallet had to take one of his teams to move Tom -and Bob up to their house." - -"Tom and Bob?" repeated Joe. - -"Yes. Oh, you didn't know that Hallet had hired them for wardens, did -you? Well, he has; so you will have good neighbors, almost within reach -of you." - -"Why, what in the world possessed them--" - -"What possesses them to do a thousand and one things that nobody else -would ever think of," exclaimed, Mr. Warren, who knew what Joe was -going to say. "It looks to me like a foolish notion, and I'll venture -to say, that they will be glad enough to go home and stay there, after -they have stood one snow-storm up here in the mountains. They came well -prepared, though. They had two trunks, and they were full to the top. -But I like your way the best. When you go into the woods, go light, -even if you know that you are going to spend the most of your time in -a permanent camp. Come in, and see if we have forgotten anything." - -Joe followed Mr. Warren into the cabin, and listened attentively while -he described the contents of the different bundles and baskets that -were scattered about the floor. - -"Your carpet is in there--it was made to fit, so you will not have any -trouble with it--and in one of those baskets you will find a hammer and -tacks to put it down with. I have brought a few books and papers, which -will keep you busy until you can come down and make a selection from my -library to suit yourself. This is your cot, and I guess the bedding is -in there. That's a side of bacon, and here are your dishes and a supply -of provisions. When you get out, come down to my house and ask for -more." - -As Mr. Warren spoke, he opened the door of a small safe that stood in -one corner near the fire-place, and showed Joe an array of well-filled -shelves. Among other things, there were a number of paper-bags, which -gave promise of better meals than the boy was accustomed to sit down -to at home. - -"That door leads into your wood-shed, which I would advise you to fill -up with the least possible delay," continued Mr. Warren, "and there's -the axe to do it with. Hallet has given his nephew and that chum of his -permission to shoot all the grouse and squirrels they can eat, and I -will extend the same privilege to you; but you mustn't make a mistake -and knock over one of my English partridges for your dinner. Of course, -you know enough to shoot wolves, foxes, minks, and such varmints, -without being told, and if you see a half-starved hound in these woods, -hunting deer on his own hook, put a bullet into him without a moment's -delay." - -"You mean a charge of buck-shot," said Joe. - -"No, I mean a bullet; and there's the rifle, right there," replied the -gentleman, pointing to a Marlin repeater, which stood in the corner -opposite the safe. - -Mr. Warren continued to talk in this way, while the hired man was -unloading the wagon, and when the last bundle had been carried into -the cabin, he bade his game-warden good-by, and drove off leaving him -to his reflections. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - -JOE'S "FIRST OFFICIAL ACT." - - -Joe Morgan stood in front of the cabin, watching his employer as long -as he remained in sight, and then he went in and picked up the rifle. - -"My first official act is going to be one that I would rather leave for -some one else to perform," said he, to himself. "I must hunt up father -and Dan, and tell them to make themselves scarce about here. I could be -as happy and contented as I want to be during the next eight months, -if they would only let me alone. With a business I like, to keep me -occupied while daylight lasts, plenty of books and papers to help me -pass the evening hours pleasantly, and a fair prospect of earning money -enough to make mother comfortable during the coming winter--what more -could a boy ask for? If father and Dan get into serious trouble by -trying to upset my arrangements, they must not blame me for it." - -While Joe communed with himself in this way, he filled the magazine -with cartridges, which he took from a box he found on the table, and -went out, locking the door behind him. - -But where should he go? That was the question. Mr. Warren's wood-lot -covered a good deal of ground, and the birds he was employed to protect -might be at the farthest end of it. - -If that was the case, Silas and Dan with the aid of the three dogs they -had brought with them, could easily find some of the flocks, and create -great havoc among them with their heavy guns, before Joe could put a -stop to their murderous work. - -"When snow comes I shall not have any of this trouble," soliloquized -the young game-warden. "I shall feed the birds near the cabin twice -each day, and that will get them in the habit of staying around so that -I can keep an eye on them; and I shall know in a minute if there are -any pot-hunters about, for I can see their tracks." - -For an hour Joe worked hard and faithfully to find the two hunters, who -as he believed, had come up there to kill off Mr. Warren's imported -game, but he could neither see nor hear anything of them. - -Finally he told himself that he did not think his father and Dan had -come to those woods, because the birds he put up did not act as though -they had been frightened before. If they had been shot at, Joe would -have heard the report of the gun. - -"I'd give something to know what it was that took those two off in such -haste this morning," thought he. "They're up to some mischief or other, -or else the face that Dan brought to the table belied him. Well, it's -none of my business what they do, so long as they let my birds alone. -Hallo, here! I'm afraid that I am going to have more to do than I -thought for. Go back where you came from!" - -As Joe said this he bent over quickly, caught up a stick, raised it -threateningly in the air, whereupon a brace of pointers, which had -just emerged from a thicket a short distance away, turned and beat a -hasty retreat, giving tongue vociferously as they went. - -A moment later, suppressed exclamations of surprise arose from a couple -of men who were following the dogs, and who forthwith set themselves to -work to find out what it was that had sent the pointers back to them in -such a hurry. - -Joe heard them making their way through the bushes in his direction, -but he did not say anything until he became aware that the invisible -hunters were stalking him with the same caution they would have -exhibited if he had been some dangerous beast of prey. - -Fearing that in their excitement one or the other of them might send a -charge of bird-shot at his head without taking the trouble to ascertain -who or what he was, Joe called out: - -"Go easy, there! There's nothing around here for you to shoot at." - -The reply that came to his ears was the heaviest kind of an oath, and -the man who uttered it came through the thicket with such energy that -one would have thought he meant to do something desperate as soon as he -reached the other side of it. When he came into view, Joe recognized -him as a guide who had more than once been arrested and fined for -hounding deer and shooting game during the close season. - -"What air you doing here, Joe Morgan?" he demanded, in savage tones. -"You thought to steal them p'inters, I reckon, didn't you? Get out o' -this, and be quick a doing of it, too!" - -"Get out yourself," answered the game-warden. "I've more right here -than you have, and I'm going to stay; but if you know when you are well -off, you will lose no time in putting yourself on the other side of Mr. -Warren's fence. This land is posted, and you are liable for trespass." - -The guide was both angry and astonished; but before he could make a -suitable rejoinder to what he regarded as Joe's insolence, the bushes -parted again, and the second hunter came out. He was the guide's -employer; Joe saw that at a glance. - -"What's the trouble here?" were the first words he uttered. - -"It's a pretty state of affairs, I do think," answered the guide. -"Here's this Joe Morgan, who takes it upon himself to say that we -shan't stay in these woods." - -"Why not, I'd like to know?" - -Brierly--that was the guide's name--turned toward Joe, and intimated -that, if he could, he had better explain the situation. - -"I am Mr. Warren's game-warden," said the boy, taking the hint. "I have -been put here to watch his birds, and warn off all trespassers. This -land is posted, and you must know it. There's a notice on that tree -over there," he added, indicating the exact spot with his finger. "I -can see it from here; and when you saw it, you ought to have turned -back." - -"How is this, Brierly?" exclaimed the guide's employer. "I paid you -handsomely for a good day's shooting, and you assured me that you knew -right where I could get it, without interference from any one." - -"And you shall get it in these very woods, Mr. Brown," was the -guide's reply. "You told me that you didn't care how much them English -birds cost, or how bad old man Warren wanted to keep 'em for his own -shooting, you would just as soon have them as any other game; and -seeing that there ain't no law to pertect 'em, what's to hender you -from getting 'em? Send out the p'inters and come on. This fool of a -boy ain't got no power to make an arrest, and I'll slap him over if he -gives us a word of sass." - -"I know that I have no authority to take you into custody, but I -can report you to one who has, and I'll do it before you are two -hours older, if you don't get out of these woods at once," said Joe, -resolutely. - -"You will, eh?" Brierly almost shouted. "Then why don't you report -_them_ fellers?" - -When the guide began speaking, it was with the intention of abusing -Joe roundly for his interference with their day's sport, but just then -there came an unexpected interruption. - -It was a regular fusilade--four shots, which were fired as rapidly as -the men who handled the guns could draw the triggers. - -Joe's heart sank within him. His father and Dan were slaughtering Mr. -Warren's blue-headed birds at an alarming rate in a distant part of the -wood-lot, and he was not there to stop them. - -The guide must have been able to read the thoughts that were in Joe's -mind, for he repeated, with a ring of triumph in his tones: - -"Why don't you report them fellers, and have them arrested?" - -"Four shots," said Mr. Brown, admiringly. "They got in their work -pretty lively, didn't they? I have heard that these English partridges -and quails are the nicest birds in the world to shoot, and I'd give -twenty dollars if we could get a chance to empty four barrels at them -in that fashion. I wonder if they are good shots, and how many birds -they got." - -When Mr. Brown said that he had given Brierly a handsome sum of money -to lead him to a place where he could have a good day's shooting among -Mr. Warren's imported game, he had given Joe a pretty good insight into -his character; but now, the boy was quite disgusted with him. - -Could it be expected that ignorant fellows like Brierly would yield -willing obedience to the laws, when intelligent men deliberately -violated them because they wanted to brag over the size of the bags -they had made? - -"They are good shots, Mr. Brown," said Brierly, with a grin. "I could -tell the noise them guns make among a million, and I know the names of -the man and boy who were behind them when they were fired. They were -Silas and Dan Morgan--this chap's father and brother." - -"Well, he's a pretty specimen for a game-warden, I must say!" exclaimed -Mr. Brown. "No doubt he wants to keep all the fine shooting for his own -family. I don't believe a word he has said to us, and I think we can go -on with our sport without wasting any more time with him." - -"I don't care whether you believe me or not," answered Joe, the hot -blood mantling his face as he spoke. "If you shoot over these grounds, -you will find out before night that I have told you nothing but the -truth." - -"Look a-here, Joe," said Brierly, shaking his fist in the boy's face. -"It was your father and Dan who fired them guns a bit ago, wasn't it?" - -"I don't know--I have no proof of it, and neither have you." - -"You do know it," replied the guide. "I've got all the proof I want -that it was them, 'cause I know them guns of their'n when I hear 'em go -off. Now let me tell you what's a fact, Joe Morgan. If you say a word -to anybody about seeing me and Mr. Brown up here, I'll report Silas -and Dan for trespass and shooting out of season; and if I do, they'll -have to go to jail, and salt won't save 'em. There ain't nary one of -'em worth five cents a piece, and where be they going to get the money -to pay their fines? Answer me that. Now, will you hold your tongue, or -not?" - -"No, I won't," answered Joe, without the least hesitation. "If I can -find any evidence against them, I will report them myself as quick as I -will report you if you don't get off these grounds." - -"I hardly think you will," replied Mr. Brown, with something like a -sneer. - -"It ain't no ways likely, for it don't stand to reason that he would be -willing to say the words that would put some of his own kin into the -lock-up," assented Brierly. "But I'll do the work for him as soon as we -go home, and what's more, I'll report him, too, for--for--" - -"Neglect of duty," prompted Mr. Brown. - -"Perzactly. Them's the words I was trying to think of. Then, old man -Warren, he'll say to him that he ain't got no use for such a trifling -game-warden as he is--that is, if he _is_ one, which I don't believe. -Now, Joe, will you hold your jaw?" - -Joe replied very decidedly that he would not. He knew what his duty was -better than they could tell him, and Brierly might as well hold his own -jaw, and stop making threats, because he couldn't scare him into saying -anything else. - -"I don't want to get into any trouble with the officers, for it is -absolutely necessary that I should start for home bright and early -to-morrow morning," said Mr. Brown, who could not help admiring Joe's -courage, although he would have been glad to see his guide thrash him -soundly for his obstinacy. "It is very provoking to have this boy show -up just in time to spoil all our fun. Let's go over to Hallet's woods, -and see if we can scare up another so-called game-warden." - -"Well, you can," said Joe, who wanted to laugh when he saw the look of -surprise that settled on the guide's face. "You'll scare up two over -there, and, Brierly, one of them is a chap that you will not care to -fool with. When you find him, it will be very easy for you to ascertain -whether or not I have told you the truth; that is, if you care enough -about it to ask him a few questions." - -"Who is he?" asked Brierly. - -"Tom Hallet," answered Joe; and, without waiting to listen to the -expressions of anger and disgust that came from the lips of the guide, -he shouldered his rifle and hurried off. - -"I wonder what they will conclude to do about it?" thought Joe, as he -threaded his way through the thick woods in the direction from which -the poachers' guns sounded. "Brierly agreed to give his employer a -good day's sport, and now that he can't keep his promise, will he hand -back the money that Mr. Brown paid him? I don't think he will." - -He didn't either, and Joe afterward learned how he got out of it. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. - -WHO FIRED THE FOUR SHOTS? - - -It is hardly necessary to assure the reader that the young -game-warden's heart was not in the task he had set himself. He believed -that his father and Dan had come upon a bevy of Mr. Warren's imported -birds and fired both barrels of their guns into it; and, as they were -both good wing-shots, it was not probable that very many of the birds -had escaped unhurt. Joe's business was to intercept them if he could, -and to report them, regardless of consequences, if he found anything -except squirrels in their game-bags. - -"But I don't expect to find the least evidence against them," said Joe, -to himself, "and there's where they are going to take advantage of -me. What is to hinder them from doing as much shooting as they please -at one end of the wood-lot, while I am skirmishing around the other -end? They know well enough that the sound of their guns will draw my -attention, and as soon as they have killed the birds they'll gather -them up and dig out before I can stop them. It seems as though every -business has its drawbacks." - -And the longer Joe lived the firmer grew this opinion. - -Half an hour's rapid walking took the young game-warden past his -father's wood-pile, which now stood a good chance of staying where -it was until it mingled with the mold beneath it, and down a little -declivity to the brink of the gorge in which Tom Hallet had located the -robbers' cave. Although he made constant use of his eyes and ears, he -could not see or hear anything of the poachers, and neither were there -any suspicious sounds behind him to indicate that Mr. Brown and his -guide had kept on to Mr. Hallet's woods "to scare up another so-called -game-warden." - -"This is the way it is going to be all winter," said Joe, to himself. -"Anybody who feels like it can slip in here, shoot all the birds he -wants and slip out again before I can get a sight at him. There's -Brierly, now; and that's his employer, looking out from behind that big -tree on the right. They have followed me to see what I would do if I -found father and Dan shooting Mr. Warren's birds." - -While Joe was walking along the brink of the gorge, wondering if it -would pay to scramble down one side of it and up the other, when he was -sure that he couldn't catch the poachers if he did, he suddenly became -aware that he was an object of interest to a couple of persons who were -so anxious to avoid discovery that they kept themselves concealed--all -except their heads, and them they concealed, too, when they saw that -Joe was looking in their direction. - -But Joe was wide of the mark when he declared that they were Mr. Brown -and his guide, who were watching his movements in the hope of finding -some grounds for complaint against him. - -The concealed parties were watching him, it is true, but for a -different purpose, and instead of seeing any reason for finding fault -with him, they told each other that Mr. Warren's game-warden was wide -awake, and that the fellow who shot any birds on those grounds would -have to be lively in getting away with them, or Joe would catch him -sure. - -When they saw the latter looking at them, they moved out from behind -their respective trees, and stood forth in full view. They were Tom -Hallet and his friend Bob Emerson. - -"Look here!" shouted Joe, who little dreamed what it was that brought -the two boys on his grounds, and so far from their own quarters. "These -woods are posted, and you can't get out of them too quick." - -"You don't say so!" replied Tom. "Come up here and talk to us. You've -had visitors already, haven't you? Who fired those four shots a while -ago, and what did they shoot at?" - -Joe slowly mounted to the top of the hill, and shook hands with Tom and -Bob, before he made any reply to these questions. Then he said: - -"I have had visits from two parties. One of them I saw, and the other -I didn't see, and they were the fellows who did the shooting. They are -on the other side of the gulf, most likely, and when I saw you dodging -behind trees, I was trying to make up my mind whether or not I ought to -cross over and hunt them out." - -"What's the use of going to all that trouble?" exclaimed Tom. "I don't -believe they got any birds; but if they did, they made all haste to -pick them up and run with them. You say you saw the other party. Who -were they? Did they have any birds?" - -Joe answered the last question first. - -"I took particular pains to see that their game-bags were empty," said -he. "The guide was Brierly, and he called his employer Mr. Brown. He's -no sportsman, whoever he is; he's a butcher," added Joe, who then went -on to give the particulars of the interview, and to rejoice in the fact -that Mr. Brown was several dollars out of pocket, having been confiding -enough to pay Brierly in advance for the day's sport he thought he was -going to have among the imported game that had just been "turned down" -in Mr. Warren's woods and Hallet's. - -"Hallet's!" exclaimed Tom. "Did they have the impudence to go over -there after you left them." - -"Mr. Brown suggested it, but I didn't see them go anywhere," was Joe's -reply. "I warned them that they would find two game-wardens there -instead of one, adding that if they wanted to know whether I had told -the truth regarding myself they had better question you." - -"Let's go back and see what they are up to," suggested Bob. "I -say, Joe," he added suddenly, but not without a certain hesitation -and constraint of manner that was too plain to escape the young -game-warden's attention, "while you were walking along the gulf, you -didn't--er--you didn't see anything at all suspicious, did you?" - -"I didn't see anything but trees and bushes." - -"And you didn't hear anything either, I suppose?" continued Bob. - -"Not a sound. Why do you ask?" - -"Oh--er--the idea just occurred to me, that's all." - -"Do you think that the men who fired those guns are hiding in the -gulf?" exclaimed Joe. "Perhaps I had better go down there and see." - -This proposition called forth so emphatic a protest from both the boys, -that Joe did not know what to make of it. They declared with one voice -that such an idea had never occurred to them--that the poachers were -safe out of harm's way long ago, and, besides, it would be putting -himself to altogether too much trouble. - -He'd find it awful hard work to make his way through the thick bushes -and briars that covered the steep sides of that gorge, and long before -he reached the bottom, he would wish he had let the job out. They knew -all about it, for they had tried it. - -With this piece of advice the boys bade Joe good-by, and hastened away -in search of Brierly and his employer. - -"Do you think Joe suspects anything?" asked Tom, as soon as Mr. -Warren's game-warden had been left out of hearing. "I thought he -looked at us as if he had a vague idea that we had other reasons than -those we gave for telling him to keep out of the gulf." - -"That's my opinion," answered Bob; and his companion took note of the -fact that his voice trembled when he spoke. "I hold to my belief that -those guns were fired by Silas Morgan and some one he has taken into -his confidence. But of this I am certain: Silas went after that money -this morning, and shot at the man who ran us out of the gulf yesterday." - -"You still think it was a man, and not a wild beast that yelled at us?" -said Tom. - -"I know it as well as if I had been at his side when he did it," -replied Bob, positively. "And, Tom, if Silas and his friend have shot -somebody-- Great Scott! If I ever take a hand in any more jokes of that -sort, I hope I shall be shot myself." - -"Seems to me, that Tom and Bob don't take any too much interest in -their business," thought the young game-warden, as he started down -the mountain toward his cabin. "The gorge runs through Mr. Hallet's -wood-lot, and if those boys are going to confine their scouting to -the covers on the lower side of it, I don't see how they are going to -protect the birds. Well, it shan't stop me. As soon as I get around to -it, I am going to cut a path down one side and up the other, and after -that I shall cross over every day to take a look at things." - -Joe was hungry when he reached his cabin, and then he found that there -was one thing that had been forgotten--a clock. - -He had already laid out a regular routine of work--setting aside -certain things that were to be done at certain hours of the day or -evening; but how was he going to follow it without the aid of a -timepiece? - -A few minutes reflection showed him a way out of his quandary. Among -the other relics of better days that were to be found in his father's -cabin was an old-fashioned bull's-eye watch which had not seen the -light of day for many a long year. - -Joe wasn't sure that it would run, but it wouldn't cost him anything -more than a two-hours' walk to find out, and he decided that he would -go down and ask his mother for it as soon as he had eaten his dinner. - -"I can't set my house to rights to-day anyhow," thought he, "because I -have wasted too much time in looking for father and Dan; but I'll have -it all in order to-morrow, unless some other law-breakers call me up -the mountain, and the day after that, I'll begin on my routine, and -stick to it as long as I am here." - -If you had been there, reader, to take a look around Joe's cabin, -you would have told yourself that there was another and still more -important thing that had been forgotten--a cooking-stove. - -But Joe didn't miss it, for never in his life had he seen a meal -prepared over a stove. He would not have known how to use one if he -had had it; but give him a bed of coals in a fire-place, or on the -mountain-side, and he could get up as good a dinner as any hungry boy -would care to have set before him. - -He had everything in the way of pots, pans and kettles that he could -possibly find use for, but on this particular day he did not call many -of them into service--nothing, in fact, but the pot in which he made -his tea, and the frying-pan in which he cooked two generous slices of -bacon. - -He found potatoes in one of the baskets and a huge loaf of bread in -another, and with the aid of these he made a very good dinner. - -Then he shouldered his rifle (knowing the thieving propensities of the -majority of the poachers who infested the mountains, he could not think -of leaving so valuable a piece of property behind him), locked the door -and set out for home. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII. - -DAN'S SECRET. - - -Although the young game-warden stepped out lively enough, his heart was -as heavy as lead. He was sure that his father and Dan had come back -from the mountain with a goodly number of Mr. Warren's valuable birds, -which had fallen to their murderous double-barrels, and that they would -take pains to keep out of his sight when they saw him approaching the -cabin; consequently he was much surprised to find them sitting on the -bank of the river, widely separated from each other, and to notice that -they did not show the least desire to avoid him. - -When he stepped across the threshold of his humble home, he was still -more surprised to see that his mother appeared very nervous and -anxious, and that there was an expression on her pale face that he had -never seen there before. - -"What's the matter?" queried Joe. "What's happened?" - -"I am sure I don't know," answered Mrs. Morgan, in a faltering voice. -"But it must be something terrible. Have you seen your father and -Daniel since they left the house this morning?" - -"Not until this very minute; but I tried to find them, for I heard them -shoot, and knew they were after my birds. How many did they bring home -with them? This is not a pleasant thing for me to do, mother, but they -will get into trouble just as sure--" - -"I don't think they shot any birds," Mrs. Morgan interposed. "If they -did, they have concealed them somewhere. But they must have done -something, for I never saw them act so before." - -"Act how?" inquired Joe. - -"Why, as if they were frightened out of their wits. When I looked out -of the window and saw them coming, they were running at the top of -their speed; and the minute they got into the house, they closed the -door and fastened it, and began trying to load their guns. But their -hands trembled so violently that they spilled the powder all over the -floor; and then they sat down and swayed back and forth in their chairs -as if they did not have strength enough to hold themselves still. There -was not a particle of color in their faces, and they acted for all the -world as if they had taken leave of their senses." - -"What ailed them?" asked Joe, who was profoundly astonished. - -"I don't know. I couldn't get them to say a word. Whenever I spoke to -them they stared at me as if they didn't know what I meant, then shook -their heads and went on rocking themselves in their chairs. When they -could muster up courage enough to unlock the door and go out, I heard -your father say that he had hauled his last load of wood down from the -mountain." - -"Well, that beats me," said Joe, who did not know what else to say. -"But there's one comfort, mother; I shall have two pot-hunters less to -watch during the winter." - -"Why, Joseph, you are not going back there?" exclaimed Mrs. Morgan, who -trembled visibly at the bare thought of the unknown perils to which he -might be exposed. - -"Of course I am going back," replied Joe, quickly. "Why shouldn't I? -There's where I am going to earn the money to keep you from paddling -off through the deep snow this winter." - -"Oh, Joe, let the money go and stay at home with me," said his mother, -pleadingly. "I shall be so uneasy every minute you are away. If -anything should happen to you--" - -"Now what in the world is going to happen to me," asked the young -game-warden, who told himself that Silas and Dan must have behaved in -a most extraordinary manner to frighten and excite his mother in this -way. "What is there up there in the hills that's going to hurt me?" - -"That I can't tell. I do wish I knew just what happened to your father -and Dan. The reality couldn't be any worse than this uncertainty and -suspense." - -"I wonder if I couldn't induce Dan to give me a hint of it," said Joe, -standing his rifle up in one corner of the room. "I believe it will pay -to have a shy at him. He can't keep a secret for any length of time to -save his life; and if I work it right, I think I can worm this one out -of him." - -So saying, Joe stepped to the door to take a look at the motionless -figures on the river bank. There was only one of them there now. Silas -had disappeared and Dan was left alone. - -Joe thought that nothing could have suited him better. Dan might be -inclined to be reticent with his father sitting in plain sight of him; -but now there was nothing to restrain him, and he could talk as freely -as he pleased. - -Walking leisurely along, as if he had no particular object in view, Joe -went down to the bank and seated himself a short distance away from -his brother, who sat with his elbows resting on his knees and both -hands supporting his head. He never moved when he heard the sound of -Joe's footsteps, and neither did he utter a sound; so Joe began the -conversation himself, and with no little anxiety, it must be confessed, -as to the result. Dan was an awkward boy to manage, and if Joe had -entered at once upon the subject that was uppermost in his mind, his -brother would have shut himself up like a clam. - -"Well, old fellow," said Joe, cheerily, "why didn't you come around and -see my new home? I tell you, I've got things nice there; or, rather, -I'm going to, as soon as I have time to straighten up a bit. You were -up there, because I heard you shoot--you and father. I didn't expect to -see you back so soon." - -Dan slowly raised a very pale face from his hands, and gazed at his -brother with a pair of wild-looking eyes. He did not look like himself -at all. - -After staring hard at his brother for full half a minute, and running -his eyes up and down the bank to make sure that there was no one else -in sight, he said, in hollow tones: - -"And I didn't look to see you back again so soon, either. I didn't -never expect to set eyes on to you no more." - -"You didn't?" exclaimed Joe. "Why not?" - -"Did he show himself to you, too?" asked Dan, in reply. "You don't look -like you'd seen him." - -"Seen who? I met some men up there on the mountain, if that is what you -mean." - -"It wan't no man, Joey," said Dan shaking his head solemnly--"it wan't -no man. It was something wusser." - -"Why, Dan, I don't know what you mean," said Joe. - -And then he checked himself. His brother was in a fair way to reveal -something to him, and he did not want to lose the chance of hearing it -by exhibiting too much impatience. - -"How many birds did you get?" - -"Didn't get none," answered Dan. "Didn't see nary one. They are as safe -from me and pap, from this time on, as though they wasn't there." - -"Then what did you shoot at?" - -Dan looked behind him, and allowed his eyes to roam up and down the -bank, before he replied. - -"I'm 'most afraid to tell you," said he, in a scarcely audible voice. -"Joey," he added, straightening up, and giving emphasis to his words -by pounding his knee with his fist--"Joey, I wouldn't live up there in -old man Warren's shanty two days--no, nor half of one day--for all the -money there is in--" - -Dan was about to say, "for all the money there is in that robbers' -cave," but he caught himself in time, and finished the sentence by -adding, "for all there is in Ameriky." - -"I can't, for the life of me, make out what you are trying to get at," -said Joe, rising from the ground and turning his face toward the cabin, -"and neither can I waste any more time with you. I came down after -father's watch, and as soon as I get it I must hurry back. I don't want -the dark to catch me--" - -"I should say not!" gasped Dan, shivering all over. "Say, Joe," he -continued, reaching up and taking his brother by the hand, "don't go -up there no more. Go and tell old man Warren that he'll have to get -somebody else to be his game-warden." - -Joe was more amazed than ever. Dan was in sober earnest, there could be -no doubt about that, and he could not imagine what he had seen to scare -him so badly. - -"Don't go back," pleaded Dan. "The hant is in the gulf now, but as -soon as it gets dark it will come out--that's the way they all do--and -come up to your shanty; and when you see it walking around there, all -in white, like me and pap seen it, I tell you--Say, Joey, you won't go -back, will you?" - -"Dan, I am surprised at you, and heartily ashamed as well," said Joe, -who was more than half inclined to be angry at his brother. "You've -heard some foolish story or other, and it's frightened you out of a -year's growth. There's no such thing as a 'hant.'" - -"I tell you there is, too," Dan protested. "I seen it with my own two -eyes, and so did pap. If he was here he'd tell you the same thing, -pervided he told you anything at all. We heard it yelling at us, too, -and such yelling! Oh, laws a massy! I don't never want to listen to the -like again," cried Dan, covering his ears with both hands, and rocking -himself from side to side, as if he were in the greatest bodily -distress. - -Joe now thought it time to hurry matters a little. He was really -anxious to hear his brother's story. - -"I should like to know just what you and father saw and heard this -morning," said he; "but I can't waste any more precious moments with -you. You know my time is not my own any longer. It belongs to Mr. -Warren." - -"Do you mean to say that you're going back?" - -"Yes. I am going to start this very minute." - -These words seemed to arouse Dan from his lethargy. - -"Set down, Joey," said he, at the same time casting apprehensive -glances on all sides of him. "Come clost to me, so't that hant can't -tech me, and I'll tell you everything." - -"Will you be quick about it?" - -"Just as quick and fast as I know how, honor bright," replied Dan. "And -will you promise, sure as you live and breathe, that you won't lisp a -word of it to nobody? 'Cause why, I'm afeared that if you do, he'll -show himself to me again, and I don't want to see him no more." - -"I shall make no promises whatever," answered Joe, who saw very plainly -that he could say what he pleased, since Dan would not permit him to -depart until he had eased his mind by confiding to him everything there -was in it. "If there is any dangerous thing up there in the gulf, I am -going to hunt him or it out the very first thing I do." - -"Joey, don't you try that," exclaimed Dan, who really seemed to be -distressed on his brother's account. "You can't hurt a hant. Me and pap -fired four charges of No. 8 shot into him, and we never so much as made -him wink. He kept on yelling at us just the same, and now and then he -would make a lunge for'ard, as if he was coming right at us." - -"Go on with your story," said Joe, whose patience was all exhausted; "I -am listening." - -Thus adjured, Dan settled himself into a comfortable position, and -began his narrative. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX. - -DAN TELLS HIS STORY. - - -Having fully determined to get rid of his tremendous secret at once -and forever, Dan went deeply into all the details, and did not omit a -single thing that had the least bearing upon his story. - -He could not give a very connected account of the finding of the -letter, for that was a matter that Silas had touched upon very lightly. -The letter was found in the wood-pile, because his father said so, and -that was all that Dan knew about it. - -He had read the document very carefully after it came into his -possession, and some portions of it were so firmly fixed in his memory -that he repeated them word for word. - -Then the muscles around the corners of Joe's mouth began to twitch, -and when Dan told, in a frightened whisper, how the man who pushed his -"partner" into the gorge had been obliged to jump into the lake in -order to free himself from the presence of the "hant," which followed -him day and night--when Joe heard about that, he couldn't stand it any -longer. He threw himself flat upon the ground, and laughed so loudly -that he awoke the echoes far and near. - -Dan, who had not looked for anything like this, was not only -overwhelmed with astonishment, but he was fighting mad in an instant. - -"Whoop!" he yelled, jumping up and knocking his heels together. "Hold -me on the ground, somebody, or I'll larrup this Joe of our'n till I put -a little more sense into him nor he's got now. What you laughing at, -you big fool?" - -"Sit down and behave yourself," replied Joe, who was not at all alarmed -by these hostile demonstrations. "Let me ask you a few questions, and -then we'll find out who is the biggest fool, you or I." - -"No, I won't," said Dan, shortly, "'cause why I know that already." - -"All right," replied Joe; "then I'll get the watch and go back to my -work." - -"But you haven't heared all of my story yet," exclaimed Dan. "Wait till -I tell you, and I'll bet that you won't never go back there no more." - -"There are a few things about the story that I don't quite understand," -began Joe. - -"No more do I," interrupted Dan. - -"But if you will answer a question or two I have in mind, I think we -can get at the bottom of the matter." - -"You needn't ask 'em, cause you'll laugh at me again." - -"No, I won't," protested Joe; and he kept his promise, although he -sometimes found it hard to do so. "The first question is this: Did the -letter that father took from his wood-pile look faded and soiled, as if -it had been rained and snowed on?" - -"Not a bit of it, that I could see. It was as spick and span as you -please." - -"That's one point gained," said Joe. "Did the writer say anything -about cutting a hole through the ice, so that he could jump into the -lake to get away from the 'hant'?" - -"Nary word." - -"Did you find the rope that led down to the cave, when you went up -there this morning?" - -"We didn't look for it. We went up the beach till we struck the brook -that comes out of the gulf, and we follered that till--till--" - -"You found the cave?" suggested Joe. - -"Till we come purty nigh to where the cave is," corrected Dan. "We -didn't see the cave, 'cause we run against something that wouldn't let -us go no furder." - -"What was it?" - -"The hant I was telling you about." - -"What did it look like? Now go on with your story, and I won't say a -word till you get through. What did you see up there in the gulf that -frightened you so badly?" - -These words drove away Dan's anger, and called up all his old fears -again; but he sat down and resumed his narrative. - -It related to a few things which the reader ought to know in order to -understand what happened afterward; but Dan told it in such a rambling -way, and made so many impossible statements, which he insisted should -be received as absolute facts, that Joe found it hard to follow him, -and we will not attempt it. - -His narrative, stripped of all the monstrous exaggerations that his -excitement and terror led him to put into it, ran about in this way: - -When Silas and Dan shouldered their guns that morning and set out to -find the robbers' cave, and the treasure that they firmly believed was -concealed in it, they told each other that no matter what happened -they would not come back until they had accomplished their object. The -former, as we know, was not as eager to brave the terrors of the gorge -as he pretended to be, but Dan was thoroughly in earnest, and he built -so many gorgeous air-castles, and talked in such glowing language about -the fine things they could have for their own as soon as the money was -found, that finally Silas became worked up to the highest pitch of -excitement and impatience, and showed it by striding ahead at such a -rate that Dan had to exert himself to keep pace with him. - -"You needn't be in such a hurry, pap," said Dan, when he found that -he was growing short of breath. "It'll keep till we get there, 'cause -there ain't nobody else that knows about it, seeing that you got the -first grab at the letter." - -"I know it," was the ferryman's reply, "but I'm powerful oneasy to get -a hold of that grip-sack that's got the false bottom into it. We don't -care if they do put a bridge down there to our house and bust up the -ferrying business, do we, Dannie? And anybody that wants that old scow -for their own can have it, can't they?" - -"I don't care what becomes of it, or where it goes to," said Dan, -spitefully. "It ain't a going to bring me no more backaches, I bet you." - -"Course not," assented Silas. "You'll be a gentleman directly, and then -you can buy a nice boat, if you want it." - -"I don't care so much for boats as I do for breech-loading bird-guns -and j'inted fish-poles," observed Dan. "Them's the things that make a -feller look nobby when summer comes. Say, pap, what be we follering -the beach for? The rope that leads to the cave is way up there in the -hills." - -"Look a-here, Dannie," said Silas, stopping short, and bestowing a very -knowing wink upon the boy at his side. "We ain't nobody's fools, if we -be poor and ragged. As I told you yesterday, we don't want to slide -down that there rope, 'cause why, it'll dump us right down in front of -that hant, and he'll bounce us before we can get our guns ready. See -the p'int? If we go up the gorge, easy like, and keep our eyes open -all the time, we shall see him as soon as he sees us. Understand? But -I don't reckon he's up here. I'm a thinking that he's down the road -somewhere, watching for the feller that finds that letter." - -"I hope he is," said Dan, "for then we won't have no trouble in getting -hold of the money. Looks powerful dark and lonesome in there; it does -for a fact." - -They had now reached the brook, and were standing in full view of the -mouth of the gorge. It did, indeed, look dark and lonely in there; so -much so, in fact, that if Dan had shown the least sign of fear, Silas -would have faced about at once, and made the best of his way back to -the cabin, leaving the treasure to stay where it was until the mildew -and rust had eaten it up. - -"Them thick bushes shuts out all the light of the sun, don't they?" -said Silas. "And it's so ridiculous crooked, that we might run right on -to the hant in going around some sharp bend, and never see him till we -was clost to him. The brook is plumb full of rocks and such, and the -cave must be as much as five miles away, I reckon--mebbe more. It'll be -hard work to go up there after that money." - -"But it would be harder to get it by chopping wood for it," said Dan; -"so here goes, hant or no hant." - -"You're the most amazing gritty feller I ever seen," declared Silas, -who was really astonished at the boy's hardihood. "You go on ahead, -for you ain't as old as I be, and your eyes are sharper, and I'll stick -clost to your heels." - -For a wonder, Dan did not object to this arrangement. - -"I know well enough that pap's afeard," said he to himself; "but that -don't scare me none. If we have to run to save ourselves from the grip -of that hant, the hindermost feller is the one who will be in the place -of danger, and that'll be pap. With two or three jumps I can put myself -so far ahead of him, that he won't never see me again till I get ready -to stop and wait for him to come up." - -With these thoughts to comfort and encourage him, Dan did not hesitate -to lead the way into the gulf. - -The traveling was bad enough at the start, and the farther they went -into the gorge, the worse it became. - -A dozen times or more, in going the first quarter of a mile, were they -obliged to climb over or crawl under immense logs which had fallen into -the stream from the bluffs above; and when these obstructions had been -left behind, foaming cascades, some of them forty feet in height, and -which they surmounted by scaling the steep face of the cliffs, took -their places. - -It was a bad location for a surprise and a retreat, in which the hant -would have every advantage of them. Beyond a doubt, he could skip from -one boulder to another, and plunge headlong over all the falls that -came in his way with perfect immunity. But how would it be with them? -Dan asked himself. - -It was a wonder that he did not get disheartened, and declare that he -would not go any farther. - -Silas hoped he would, for he was growing weary, and, in spite of all -he could do to prevent it, the disagreeable thought would now and then -force itself upon him, that perhaps there wasn't any money up there, -after all, and that they were destined to return as empty-handed as -they came. - -Dan also had some misgivings, but he would not allow them a place in -his mind. The belief that there was a fortune of six thousand dollars -almost within his grasp, had taken full possession of him; and even if -he had not been sure of it, his pride would not permit him to say the -first discouraging word. - -He was determined that it should come from his father, so that if -their expedition failed he could blame him for it. He pressed steadily -and patiently onward, without saying a word, and his father followed -silently at his heels. - -They were now between four and five miles from the lake, and the cliffs -on each side were so high, and the bushes and trees that covered them -from base to summit were so thick, that twilight always reigned at the -bottom of the gorge, let the sun shine never so brightly. - -On a cloudy day it must have been as dark as a pocket down there. Silas -couldn't think of anything that would have induced him to stay alone in -that gloomy place for five minutes. - -"Say, pap," whispered Dan, so suddenly, that his father started and -almost dropped his gun, "how long before we'll be abreast of that -wood-pile of our'n?" - -Silas raised his head long enough to look about him and take a glance -at the cliffs above, and then the blood all fled from his face, leaving -it as pale as death itself. - -"Laws a massy, Danny," he managed to articulate, "we're abreast of it -now." - -There was something so unnatural in the tones of his father's voice, -and in the face he turned on him, that Dan felt the cold chills -creeping over him, and it was all he could do to refrain from crying -out with terror. - - - - -CHAPTER XX. - -A RUN FOR HOME. - - -"Yes, sir," repeated Silas, after he had taken another brief look at -his surroundings, to make sure that there was no mistake about it; -"we're abreast of our wood-pile at this blessed minute, 'cause why--you -see that leaning hickory up there on the top of the bluff? Well, I shot -a squirrel off'n there about three weeks ago, and that there tree is -only a quarter of a mile from the wood-pile. I wish you wouldn't look -so scared-like, Dannie. The best part of this mean job is over now, and -we ain't seen nothing to be afeard of yet. Look around, and see if you -can find anything of that rope. If you can, there's the cave. Go ahead, -Dannie, and when you feel yourself getting trembly all over, just say, -'breech-loading bird-guns and j'inted fish-poles,' and that'll put -pluck into you." - -Silas rattled on in this way simply to gain time, and Dan knew it; but -before he could make any reply, the performance of the previous day, -which had proved so trying to Tom Hallet's nerves and Bob Emerson's, -was repeated for their benefit, followed by a new and startling -variation. First, a dismal howl arose on the air, and the echoes took -it up and threw it from one cliff to the other, until it seemed to the -terrified Dan that every tree and hush within the range of his vision -concealed some awful thing that was howling at him with all its might. - -Gradually the sound grew into a scream; and at the same moment there -arose above the bushes, not more than thirty yards in advance of -him, a grotesque figure, clad all in white. Its head was concealed -by something that looked like a night-cap; but its face was visible, -and it was as white as chalk--all except the places where its eyes, -nose and mouth were, or ought to have been, and they were as black as -ink. It held its arms stiffly by its sides, and when the scream was -at its loudest, it made a sudden dart forward as if it were on the -point of jumping over the bushes, to take vengeance upon the daring -fortune-hunters. - -"Oh, my soul!" groaned Silas; and his legs refusing to support him any -longer, he sat down among the rocks and covered his eyes with his hand. - -But Dan was made of sterner stuff. For a moment or two he stared at the -figure with eyes that seemed ready to start from their sockets, and -then his gun came quickly to his shoulder, and two loads of shot went -straight for the ghost's head. - -This aroused his father, who was not a second behind him; but the -four charges had no more effect upon the spectre than so many blank -cartridges. - -When the smoke cleared away, there he stood, and his actions seemed to -indicate that he was about to assume the offensive. He began growing -before their eyes; and when he had risen in the air until his height -overtopped that of the tallest man they had ever seen, Dan, who did -not care to wait until he had lengthened himself all out, uttered a -yell that was almost as loud and unearthly as those that came from the -direction of the cave, and turned and took to his heels. - -He quickly gave his father the place of danger--the rear--and when -Silas, lumbering along behind, and stumbling over rocks and barking his -shins at almost every step, reached the first bend in the stream, Dan -was nowhere in sight. - -Knowing that it would be of no earthly use to call to him to come back, -Silas took one quick glance behind him to make sure that the spectre -was not coming in pursuit, and then darted into the bushes which -fringed the base of the cliff, and climbed slowly and laboriously to -the top. - -He was a long time in reaching it, for his terror seemed to have robbed -him of all his strength and agility, while it had just the opposite -effect upon Dan, whom he found at last; sitting on a log near the -wood-pile. - -"Well, we know now for certain that the money's there, don't we?" said -Silas, as soon as he could speak. - -"Yes; and we know that the hant's there too," replied Dan. "If I'd -known that he was such a looking feller as that, you can bet your -bottom dollar that I wouldn't have gone nigh him. He didn't have them -white clothes on yesterday. You needn't set down, thinking that I'm -going to wait for you, 'cause I'm going straight home." - -Tired and weak as he was, Silas was obliged to go, too, for he hadn't -the courage to stay there alone until he was rested. He wasn't very -steady on his legs, and by no means as sure-footed as he usually -was; but he managed to keep along with Dan, who, as fast as his wind -came back to him, increased his pace, first to a slow trot, then to -a fast trot, and finally to a dead run, every fresh burst of speed -calling forth a corresponding exertion on the part of his father, who, -struggling gamely to keep up, was so nearly exhausted by the violence -of his efforts that he was often on the point of falling in his tracks. - -[Illustration: A RUN FOR HOME] - -This was the way they were moving when Mrs. Morgan discovered them -approaching the house. She was greatly astonished when she saw the -nervous haste with which they closed and locked the door, and witnessed -their frantic but unsuccessful attempts to recharge their guns, and she -was frightened when she caught a glimpse of their faces; but with all -her questioning, she could not get a word out of them. - -They stared stupidly at her, as they rocked about in their chairs, but -did not seem to possess the power of speech. - -"Our tongues were stiffer'n a couple of boards, and we couldn't nary -one of us open our heads," was the way in which Dan wound up his story. -"At first I thought the hant had put some kind of a spell or 'nother on -to us; but it went away after a while, and now we can both talk as well -as we ever could. I reckon you won't go back, will you, Joey?" - -To Dan's utter amazement, the young game-warden replied with the -greatest promptness: - -"Of course I shall go back. What would Mr. Warren think of me if I -should throw up my situation before I had fairly entered upon its -duties? I haven't seen anything to get frightened at." - -"But I have," exclaimed Dan. - -"I don't doubt it in the least," answered Joe, who had a theory of his -own regarding the strange things that had happened in the gorge. "If -I don't bother the 'hant' I don't see why he should take the trouble -to climb out of his cave to bother me. I don't want the treasure he is -guarding. I never expect to get a dollar that I don't work for; and, -Dan, if you and father would make up your minds to the same thing, and -quit your foolish wishing and go to work in dead earnest, you would be -better off six months from now. I wouldn't go near those woods again if -I were in your place." - -"You're right I won't," said Dan, earnestly. "I want my new gun and -fish-pole awful bad, and I do despise to have to give 'em up; but I'll -wait till that there hant dies or goes away, before I try that gulf -again, I bet you. Be you going back to your shanty now?" - -Joe said he was. - -"Well, mebbe it's best so," continued Dan, reflectively. "You have got -to earn all the money that comes into the family this winter, ain't -you?" - -"I suppose I shall earn all I get," said Joe, who saw very plainly what -his brother was driving at, "and I know that you and father will earn -every red cent you get." - -"It sorter bothers me to see how we are going to do it," replied Dan. -"Don't it you?" - -"Not at all. Earn it as you did last winter--cut wood." - -"Why, that would take us up there clost to the gulf," cried Dan, -looking up in amazement. "And didn't I just tell you that I wasn't -going there no more?" - -"Now, Dan, that's only an excuse on your part. You know very well that -Mr. Warren and Mr. Hallet are not the only ones who will want cord-wood -this winter. I don't blame you for keeping away from the gorge; but you -can find plenty to do elsewhere, if you are not too lazy to look for -it. Well, good-by." - -"What a teetotally mean, stingy feller, that Joe of our'n is!" -soliloquized Dan, gazing after his brother, who was walking toward the -cabin with a light and springy step. "He ain't a going to go halvers -with me and pap, is he? I wish in my soul that the hant would run him -outen the mounting this very night." - -The young game-warden carried a very bright and smiling face into his -mother's presence, and Mrs. Morgan felt immensely relieved the moment -she looked at it. Instead of locking the door, as Dan and his father -always did whenever they wished to hold a secret interview with each -other, Joe sat down on the threshold so that he could talk to his -mother and keep watch of Dan at the same time. - -The latter was inclined to be "snooping," and it would be just like -him, Joe thought, to slip up and crouch under the open window, so that -he could hear every word he uttered. Dan had an idea of doing that very -thing; but he straightway abandoned it when he looked up and saw his -brother sitting at ease in the open door. - -"Now, mother," said the latter, cheerfully, "throw your fears to the -winds. I've got at the bottom of the whole matter, and know there's -nothing to be afraid of." - -Then he went on to repeat the story to which he had just listened, but -he did not take up so much time with the narration as Dan did, because -he used fewer words. - -"Dan was so badly frightened that he didn't know whether he stood on -his head or his heels," said Joe, in conclusion. "But it is an ill wind -that blows nobody good, and this is the best thing that could have -happened for me. I told you this morning that if father and Dan didn't -behave and let my birds alone, I would find means to make them, but I -guess the ghost has taken that most unpleasant job off my hands, and I -should really like to thank him for it." - -"Then you think there is some one hidden in the gulf?" said Mrs. Morgan. - -"I am sure of it; and the reason that father and Dan did not do any -damage with their four charges of bird-shot was, because they sent -them into a dummy. If they had held a little lower, and fired into the -bushes, there might have been another story to tell." - -"Have you any idea who the man is?" - -"Not the slightest; but--but--well I don't care who he is, or why he is -hiding there, if he will only make it his business to drive away every -market-shooter who goes into those woods." - -It had been right on the point of Joe's tongue to say that he would -know all about the mysterious party who was hiding in the gorges before -he came home again; but he didn't say it. - -His mother was smiling now, and he did not want to bring the old -expression of fear and anxiety back to her face. He was none the less -determined, however, to sift the matter to the bottom. - -"I will see Tom and Bob to-morrow," he went on. "By the way, you didn't -know that they are Mr. Hallet's game-wardens, did you? Neither did I, -until this morning. I couldn't have better fellows for company, could -I? You see, mother, the place where all these things happened is on the -dividing line that runs between Mr. Warren's woods and Mr. Hallet's, -and as the ghost will help Tom and Bob quite as much as he will me, I -want to know what they think about letting him stay there." - -There was another reason why Joe was anxious to have an interview with -Mr. Hallet's game-wardens, but he did not think it best to say anything -to his mother about it. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI. - -A TREACHEROUS GUIDE. - - -Having told his story, and set all his mother's fears at rest, Joe -thought it time to speak of his own affairs, and asked for his father's -watch; whereupon, that ancient relic and heirloom was duly fished -out of a dark corner in one of the bureau drawers, set in motion, -and handed over to him, after being regulated by the not altogether -reliable clock that ticked loudly on the mantel. - -The young game-warden went away from home with a very light heart -beating under his patched jacket. By some fortunate combination of -circumstances, which he did not pretend to understand, he had been -relieved of a heavy responsibility. The two market-shooters of whom he -stood the most in fear had been most effectually disposed of, for a -while at least. It would be a long time, Joe told himself, before his -father and Dan could muster up courage enough to come into the woods -of which he had charge. If Silas was afraid to draw the wood which was -to keep him warm during the winter, it was not at all probable that he -would be reckless enough to hunt through Mr. Warren's covers. - -When Joe reached his cabin, there was barely enough daylight left -to aid him in his search for the lamp which he knew was stowed away -somewhere among the things that were scattered over the floor. While -he was groping about in the gloom, he wondered how much money it would -take to induce Dan or his father to come up there and stay alone in -that cabin all night. It would not have been at all strange, in view of -the harrowing story to which he had listened a few hours before, if his -own nerves had been a trifle "trembly;" but they were not. The sighing -of the evening breeze through the thick branches of the evergreens -that surrounded the cabin on three sides, and the mournful song of a -distant whip-poor-will, were sounds that some people do not like to -hear, because they make one feel lonely; but they were company for Joe, -and he delighted in listening to them. - -He found the lamp after a protracted search, filled it outside the door -just as the last ray of daylight gave way to the increasing darkness, -and when he touched a match to the wick and put on the chimney, his -surroundings began to assume a more cheerful aspect. - -It was the work of but a few moments to start a blaze in the fireplace, -and while he was waiting for it to gather headway, so that he could -pile on the hard wood which was to furnish the coals for the broiling -of his bacon, he busied himself in setting things to rights. - -He didn't bother with the carpet--that would have to wait until -to-morrow; but he put up his cot, laid the mattress upon it, and was -about to spread the bed-clothes over that, when he heard the snapping -of twigs and heavy, lumbering footfalls outside the door, and looked -up to see a white, scared face pressed close against one of the -window-panes. - -Joe was startled, and during the instant of time that he stood -motionless by his cot, he felt the hot blood rushing to his heart, and -knew that his own face must be as white as the one at the window. - -His first emotion was one of fear, but it speedily gave place to anger -and excitement. He wondered if the man who was hiding in the gorge -labored under the delusion that he could drive him away with the same -ease that he had driven off Dan and Silas. - -"This thing might as well be settled now as a week from now," thought -Joe. "I am here on legitimate business, and I'll ride rough-shod over -anybody who attempts to interfere with me." - -With one bound, Joe sprang clear across the cabin, and when he turned -about he held his cocked rifle in his hands. He was ready to shoot, too. - -But the man at the window had seen the movement, and lost no time in -drawing his head out of sight. - -"Hold on there!" said a frightened voice. - -Instead of "holding on," Joe jumped for the door, jerked it open, -and in an instant more the muzzle of his heavy weapon was covering a -crouching figure under the window. - -"Speak quick," said he. "Who are you?" - -"Mr. Brown! Mr. Brown!" came the answer, in tones that Joe recognized -at once. "What are you pointing that gun at me for? I'm lost, and want -help to find my way out of the woods." - -"Then why didn't you come to the door and say so like a man, instead of -trying to scare me by looking in at the window? You ought to know that -you put yourself in danger by doing that." - -"I didn't mean to frighten you," replied Mr. Brown. - -And Joe could easily believe it. His visitor had risen to an upright -position by this time, and Joe saw at a glance that he was too badly -frightened himself to think of playing tricks upon others. - -"Why did you not answer my calls for help?" demanded Mr. Brown, who, -now that he was safe, seemed to grow indignant when he remembered how -near he had come to spending the night alone on the mountain, with no -cheering camp-fire to illumine the darkness. - -"Because I didn't hear any calls for help," answered Joe, shortly. - -"Well, I did call, and called again, until I was too hoarse to speak -above a whisper," said Mr. Brown, walking into the cabin, and placing a -camp-chair in front of the fire. - -Just then the pointers came into view and went in also, stretching -themselves out on the hearth with long-drawn sighs of relief, and the -three took up about all the spare room there was in the game-warden's -little domicile. - -"I don't know who has the most impudence, the man or his dogs," thought -Joe, as he closed and fastened the door. "They have come here to run -things, judging by the way they shut me off from the fire." - -"This is glorious," continued Mr. Brown, depositing his double-barrel -in the chimney-corner, and spreading his benumbed hands out in front of -the genial blaze. "The air begins to get cold up here on the mountain -just as soon as the sun sinks out of sight, and I am chilled through. -Now, how am I to get to the Beach? That's the question." - -"You will have to answer it for yourself, for I can't," Joe replied. -"You had a guide the last time I saw you." - -These innocent words seemed to irritate the man to whom they were -addressed, for he turned upon Joe almost fiercely. - -"Yes, I did have one," said he. "But where is he now?" - -"I don't know," answered Joe. - -And he might have added that he did not care. - -"You heard me remind him that I had given him a handsome sum of money -to put me in the way of a good day's shooting, did you not? I knew him -to be perfectly familiar with these woods, and I supposed he could do -it. Of course, I was aware that I couldn't take home a bag of grouse; -but I knew there was no law protecting the English birds that have just -been turned down in these covers, and I looked for jolly good sport, -and for twenty-five or thirty brace of birds to distribute among my -friends." - -"Don't you think it was kind of Mr. Warren to pay six dollars a pair -for those birds, just to give you the fun of shooting them?" asked Joe. -"You ought to thank him for it." - -Mr. Brown stared hard at the bold speaker, shrugged his shoulders, and -turned around on his camp-chair to bring the heat of the fire to bear -upon the back of his shooting-jacket. - -"Well," said he, slowly, "if any man is foolish enough to squander his -money in that way, I don't know that it is any business of mine, or -yours, either; and neither do I consider it my duty to refrain from -shooting birds that are not protected by law, as often as my dogs flush -them. Now, let me go on with my story." - -"But first suppose that you send the dogs under the table, and move -back out of my way, so that I can cook supper," suggested Joe. - -But Mr. Brown and his four-footed companions were very comfortable -there in front of the fire, and not until Joe, losing all patience, -jerked the door wide open and caught up a broom, could any of them -muster up energy sufficient to move out of his way. - -Then the pointers, which were really well trained and obedient, were -easily induced to get under the table, while Mr. Brown retreated into -the chimney-corner. - -"Now I am ready to listen," said Joe, after he had piled an armful of -hard wood upon the fire. "Where is your guide, and why didn't he show -you the way to the Beach?" - -"He is at home, I suppose," said Mr. Brown, growing spiteful again. -"When I learned that these birds were protected, and that Brierly, -instead of giving me a day's shooting had rendered both himself and -me liable to trespass, I told him that he had better hand back the -twenty-five dollars I had given him--" - -"Twenty-five dollars for a single day's shooting!" exclaimed Joe. - -"That is what I paid him," said Mr. Brown. "But do you imagine that he -gave it back, even when he knew that he could not fulfil his promise? -No, sir! He got out of it by leading me away off into the woods and -losing me there. I had a fearful time working my way out, and it was -only by the merest accident that I blundered within sight of the light -that streamed from your window." - -"Good for Brierly!" was Joe's mental comment. "I wish he would serve -every law-breaking pot-hunter who takes him for a guide in the same -way." Then, aloud, he asked, "Did it frighten you to think that you had -a fair prospect of lying out all night?" - -"It was by no means a pleasant reflection, but that wasn't what -frightened me. I ran across a couple of men up there," said Mr. Brown, -giving his head a backward jerk. "Their stealthy actions seemed to -indicate that they were abroad for no good purpose, and I was not sorry -to see the last of them." - -"Did they say anything to you?" asked Joe. - -"Not a word. They made all haste to lose themselves among the thickets, -and so did I. It was the prospect of passing the night alone on the -mountain while there were prowlers around that tested my nerves, and I -was glad indeed to come within sight of your light." - -This piece of news was not at all quieting to the feelings of the young -game-warden. It aroused in his mind the suspicion that there was more -than one man hiding in the gorge, and that they made a business of -roaming around after dark to see what they could find that was worth -picking up. - -If this suspicion was correct, Mr. Warren's woods might prove a very -unpleasant place for him to live for eight long months, Joe told -himself. He could not remain on guard duty at the cabin all the time, -for the work he came there to do would take him to the remotest nooks -and corners of the wood-lot; and how easy it would be for those men to -slip up during his absence and carry away everything he possessed! - -"If they are outlaws, and I really believe they are," thought Joe, as -he poked up the fire, which had by this time almost burned itself down -to a glowing bed of coals, "they ought to be hunted out of that gorge -without loss of time. I will find Tom and Bob the first thing in the -morning, and ask them what they think of it." - - - - -CHAPTER XXII. - -MR. BROWN TAKES HIS DEPARTURE. - - -"How far is it to the beach?" inquired Mr. Brown, who had got pretty -well thawed out by this time. - -"Eight long miles," replied Joe, "and the most of the way lies through -the thickest woods that are to be found among these hills. I can't -direct you so that you could keep a straight course, and indeed I don't -think I could keep it myself on a dark night like this. You had better -give up the idea of going there to-night, and stay here until morning." - -"You seem to have but one bed," said Mr. Brown, doubtfully. - -"Well, you may take that, and I'll look out for myself." - -Most men would have expressed their regrets that circumstances -compelled them to trespass upon the young game-warden's hospitality; -but Mr. Brown wasn't that sort. He had a cheerful fire to sit by, -a clean, if not luxurious bed to sleep in, a substantial meal in -prospect, and what more could a belated hunter ask for? If his presence -put Joe to any inconvenience, why, that was no concern of his. - -The supper that Joe served up to his uninvited guest was plain but well -cooked, and no sooner had it been disposed of than Mr. Brown threw -himself upon the cot, boots and all, and speedily went off into the -land of dreams. - -Joe spent the evening in looking over the books and papers with which -Mr. Warren had provided him, and when his watch told him that it was -ten o'clock, he lay down before the fire, with his coat for a pillow, -and went to sleep. - -The first gray streaks of dawn that came in through the uncurtained -window awoke him, but his guest still slumbered heavily, and Joe did -not disturb him until he had made the coffee and slapjacks, and fried -the bacon and eggs. - -Mr. Brown did not take the trouble to respond to the boy's hearty -good-morning, but seated himself at the table, after performing a hasty -toilet, and attacked the savory viands without ceremony. - -When he had eaten rather more than his share of them, his tongue became -loosened, and he asked if it were possible for him to reach the Beach -in time to take the stage for Bellville. - -Joe said it was, provided he did not waste too much time in making a -start, and then he began railing at Brierly for the mean trick he had -served him. - -"I wish I could prosecute him and compel him to give up my money," said -he, "but I don't see that I can make out a case against him. More than -that, I can't wait to go through a law-suit, and neither do I want to -give Mr. Warren a chance at me. He might take a notion to have a hand -in the business." - -"Very likely he would," said Joe, dryly. "You knew well enough that -these grounds are posted, and you ought to have cleared out when you -saw the first notice." - -"You will guide me to the Beach, of course?" said Mr. Brown, who did -not appear anxious to discuss this point. - -"I will put you on the road, but I can't promise to go all the way with -you," was Joe's reply. "I am paid to stay here." - -Mr. Brown was not quite satisfied with this arrangement--he was very -much afraid that he might get lost again--but he was obliged to put up -with it. - -An hour later, Joe stood by his father's wood-pile, taking a last look -at his departing guest, who was hurrying down the dim wagon-road toward -the valley below. All he had received in return for his services was a -slight farewell bow. - -"I have seen a good many sportsmen first and last," thought the young -game-warden, as he shouldered his rifle and retraced his steps down the -mountain, "but Mr. Brown beats me. If he ever spends another night in -my house, he will take off his boots before he goes to bed, and pay me -in advance for his meals and lodging." - -Remembering the prowlers of whom Mr. Brown had Spoken, Joe went -straight back to his cabin, took a good look around to make sure that -everything there was just as he had left it, and then started off in -search of Tom and Bob. - -He found them setting their house in order. A note of warning from -Tom's little beagle brought them both to the door, where they remained -until Joe came up. - -They were somewhat surprised at his actions. Instead of replying to -their greetings, he leaned on the muzzle of his rifle and looked -quizzically at them. - -"Halloa! What has come over you all of a sudden?" exclaimed Bob. - -Still Joe did not speak. He shut his left eye, and looked at Bob -through the half-closed lids of the other. - -"What do you mean by that pantomime?" chimed in Tom. - -By way of reply, Joe shut his right eye and looked at Tom with the -left; whereupon all the boys broke out into a hearty laugh. - -"Say," said Joe at length, "I wish you would tell me just how much you -know about the ghost that has taken up his abode down there in the -gorge." - -"What ghost?" asked Bob, staring hard at his friend Tom, and trying to -look surprised. - -"Down where in what gorge?" inquired Tom, returning Bob's stare with -interest. - -"Of course you don't know anything about it," said Joe, with a look -which said that they knew _all_ about it; "but if you are as ignorant -as you pretend to be, why were you so anxious to keep me out of the -gorge yesterday?" - -"Why--er--you see, we didn't want you to walk yourself to death for -nothing," said Tom, wondering if Joe had anything better than mere -suspicion to back him. "We knew there were a couple of fellows down -there, for we heard them shoot, and we advised you to keep out of the -gorge because we were satisfied that you couldn't catch them, and that -it would be a waste of breath and strength for you to make the attempt." - -"Was that the only reason you had for giving me that advice?" asked -Joe, with a smile. "You might as well confess that there was something -down there you did not want me to see. There were two fellows in the -gorge yesterday, but they were not hunting birds. They were after the -twelve thousand dollars in bills and three hundred dollars in gold that -you said were hidden there." - -"We never said so!" exclaimed both the boys, in a breath. - -"But the letter you wrote said so," insisted Joe. "And what do you -think those trespassers did while they were there?" he continued, with -great impressiveness. "They sent four charges of shot into the head of -that ghost, which wasn't a ghost at all, if you only knew it." - -"Great Moses!" ejaculated Bob, who was really surprised now, as well as -alarmed. - -The way in which Joe spoke was calculated to excite the gravest -suspicions in his mind and Tom's. - -"Did--did they hit him?" Tom managed to ask. - -"I should say they did!" answered Joe, solemnly. "They could not miss -him very well, seeing that he was only thirty yards away from the -muzzles of their guns." - -"Was--was it a man?" Tom ventured to ask. - -"Animals don't generally have 'hants,' do they?" asked Joe, in reply. -"There was a man there, and he howled and screamed--" - -"Oh, great Scott!" groaned Tom, while Bob rubbed his hands together, -and gazed down the mountain, as if he were meditating instant flight. - -"And he kept it up after he received those four charges of shot in his -head, and--" - -These words had a magical effect upon Tom and Bob, who were really -afraid that their practical joke had resulted in a terrible tragedy. - -They looked at Joe so steadily that the latter could control himself -no longer. He sat down on a convenient log, threw back his head, and -laughed till the tears rolled down his cheeks. - -"You shot closer to the mark than you thought for when you made -that letter say there was something in the gorge," said Joe, at -last. "There's a man down there--two of them, according to my way of -thinking." - -"Well," said Bob, who was immensely relieved by this sudden and -unexpected turn of affairs, "we knew it. We went into the gorge day -before yesterday, to catch a trout for dinner, and when we came home -we followed the stream, thinking it would be easier than to climb up -the bluff. That was the way we found it out. When we came to the place -where we had located our robbers' cave our ears were saluted by such -sounds as we never listened to before, but we didn't see anything." - -"What sort of an object was it that Dan shot at?" asked Tom, who was -glad to see that Joe was not inclined to be angry over the trick that -had been played upon his father and brother. "Was it a dummy?" - -"If it had been anything else I might have had a different story to -tell you," was Joe's reply. "There are at least two outlaws in hiding -there, and they have taken that way to make inquisitive hunters keep at -a distance." - -"What makes you think there are two of them?" - -"Because Mr. Brown ran against two prowlers in the woods last night." - -"Who is Mr. Brown?" - -Joe replied that he was one of the men he had been obliged to order out -of Mr. Warren's woods on the previous day, and then he went on to tell -of the visit he had had from him the night before, and how frightened -he was when he saw the man's face at the window. - -When he described how Brierly had managed to evade his employer's -demand for the return of the twenty-five dollars that had been paid -him, Tom and Bob laughed heartily, and declared that Brierly had served -him just right. - -Joe did not neglect to tell how Mr. Brown had abused his hospitality, -and his account of it aroused the ire of the two listeners, who -declared that if that man ever got lost in their woods, he need not -trouble himself to hunt up their cabin, for they would not take him in. - -"What kind of a looking thing was that dummy?" inquired Bob, coming -back to the matter in which he was interested more than he was in Mr. -Brown and his fortunes. - -Joe was obliged to confess that he could not answer that question, -because Dan's description of the thing that he and his father shot -at, surpassed all belief. Whether it was the appearance of the ghost -itself, or the fact that the four loads of shot that had been fired at -it had had no perceptible effect upon it, or the terrifying shrieks -that awoke the echoes of the gorge--whether it was one or all of these -that had frightened Silas into saying that he would not haul any more -wood down from the mountain, Joe could not tell; but he thought those -men ought to be made to give an account of themselves. If they had not -violated the law in some way, why did they take so much pains to keep -out of sight? - -"We were at first inclined to believe that some of the mischief-loving -guests at the Beach had a hand in it," observed Tom. "When a lot of -city people turn themselves loose in the country, they will go for -anything that has fun in it, no matter what it is." - -"You mean that that was _your_ explanation of it," corrected Bob. "I -thought when the thing happened, that it was an outlaw who yelled at us -until we were glad to get out of hearing of him, and I think so now." - -"So do I," said Joe. "And I shall hold fast to that opinion until we go -down there and get at the bottom of the mystery. I am ready to start at -once. What do you say?" - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII. - -EXPLORING THE CAVE. - - -Ever since the mysterious inhabitant of the gorge had driven them -from his presence by his unearthly howling, there had been a tacit -understanding between Tom and Bob that some day, after they had time -to get a good ready, they would return and drive him out of his -hiding-place; or, if they failed in that, find out who he was, and what -brought him there. - -It was the hope of being able to carry out one or the other of these -ideas that had prompted them, on the previous day, to seize their guns -and run for the gorge when they heard those four shots fired there. - -When they found Joe, and learned that he was more than half inclined -to go in search of the poachers, who, he thought, were pursuing their -nefarious work on the other side of the gulf, they endeavored to -dissuade him, because they were afraid he might encounter something he -would not care to see. But it turned out that Joe knew more about the -matter than they did, and furthermore that he wouldn't rest easy until -he knew _all_ about it. - -Tom was the first to speak. - -"I wonder if a stranger thing than this ever happened?" said he. "We -wrote a letter and put it into your father's wood-pile, just for the -fun of the thing--" - -"And by that means unearthed a brace of thieves, or something worse," -said Joe. "You needn't look at me in that way. I don't bear you the -least ill-will for what you did. On the contrary I thank you for it, -and if I were sure that those parties in the gorge would let us alone -this winter, I should be strongly in favor of letting them alone, too; -for, as long as they stay there, we are safe from two of the worst -game-law breakers in the country." - -"But the mystery of that gulf is known to but few," said Tom. - -"It will be known to more by this time next week," answered Joe. "Dan -will tell it to every man and boy he meets, and in that way it will -become noised abroad. But here's the difficulty: they won't let us -alone. I have not the slightest doubt that they frightened Mr. Brown -last night. If you could have seen the face he put against my window, -you wouldn't doubt it either; and that seems to prove that, although -they keep closely hidden during the day, they go out on foraging -expeditions as soon as darkness comes to conceal their movements. If -that is the case, what is there to hinder them from robbing our cabins -at any time? You have the advantage of me, for one of you can stay here -on guard while the other is attending to business; but when you see Joe -Morgan, you see all there is of my party, and I can't be in two places -at the same time. That's why I am so anxious to have those fellows out -of there." - -"I understood you to say that you got your information from Dan," -observed Bob. "What did he say? Did he tell you everything that -happened in the gulf?" - -"Yes, and more, too," said Joe, with a laugh. "I went home yesterday -after a time-piece, and Dan concluded to take me into his confidence." - -"Well, tell us the story, just as he told it to you, so that we may -know." - -"Oh, I couldn't begin to do that, and besides, you wouldn't believe me -if I did!" exclaimed Joe. - -"Then tell it in your own way, so that we may know just what we shall -have to face, if we decide to go down there," said Tom. "Wait until I -get something for us to sit down on, and then we'll take it easy." - -Tom went into the cabin, reappearing almost immediately with three -camp-chairs in his hands. When each boy had appropriated one, Joe began -his story, making no effort to follow Dan's narration, but telling it -in such a way that his auditors saw through it as plainly as he did -himself. Indeed, the whole thing was so very transparent that Tom and -Bob marveled at Dan's stupidity. - -"It seems to me that a child ought to have seen through it without half -trying," said Joe, in conclusion. "But simple as the trick was, it is -going to end in something besides fun; mind that, both of you." - -"Then they wouldn't use the rope, because they were afraid that they -would dump themselves down in front of the 'hant' before they could get -a chance to shoot him," said Bob. "Well, they saved time by not looking -for it, because it wasn't there. I never thought of the rope after I -spoke about it in the letter. Well, Tom, what do you say? I am ready to -face the spectre of the cave if you are." - -"Talk enough," was Tom's reply. - -And to show that he was in earnest about it, he picked up his -camp-chair and went into the cabin. - -When he came out again, he carried his double-barrel in his hands and -his cartridge belt was buckled about his waist. - -No one could have accused these three boys of cowardice if they had -decided that they would not go near the gorge at all. It was plain -that the men who were in hiding there--they were satisfied now that -there were at least two of them--were fugitives from justice, and such -characters ought to be left to the care of the officers of the law. - -It is true that their presence in the gorge was a continual menace to -the peace and comfort of the young game-wardens. They seemed to say, by -their actions, "We are here to stay, and you can't get us out." - -The boys took the events of the last two days as a challenge to them -to come on and see what they could make by it, and the promptness with -which Joe Morgan proposed the expedition, and the nervous eagerness -exhibited by Tom and Bob in preparing to take part in it, indicated -that they meant to do something before they came back. - -"There's one thing about it," said Bob, after he had armed himself, and -closed and locked the door, "we are not to be turned from our purpose -by a dozen dummy ghosts, and neither will those horrid yells have the -same effect upon us that they did the first time we heard them. If Dan -had fired into the bushes, instead of aiming at the 'hant's' head--" - -"I hope you don't intend to do that!" cried Joe, in alarm. "If you do, -you will get into trouble as sure as the world. Beyond a doubt, there -was a man behind the bushes." - -"Of course there was," assented Bob. "But you need not worry about me. -I shall not allow my excitement to lead me into anything reckless." - -Tom Hallet, who was leading the way, took a short cut through the -woods, and his route did not take him and his companions within a mile -of Joe Morgan's cabin. - -If they had gone there, instead of holding a straight course for the -gorge, they might have been in time to see something surprising. They -did not know that the enemy was operating in the rear while they were -marching upon his stronghold, but they found it out afterward. - -They moved along as silently as so many Indians, and when they reached -the gorge, spread themselves out along the brink, looking for a place -that gave promise of an easy descent to the bottom. - -Before they had made many steps, Joe uttered an exclamation of -astonishment, and with a motion of his hand, called his companions to -his side. - -"This is the spot we are looking for," said he, in a suppressed -whisper. "Push the bushes aside and you will see it." - -Tom did so, and, sure enough, there was a clearly-defined path, which -seemed to run straight down to the brook below. - -It looked more like an archway than anything else to which we can -compare it, for the tops of the bushes were entwined above it, and they -were so dense and matted that they shut out every ray of the sun. - -"Now what's to be done?" whispered Bob. "No doubt the path leads -straight down to their hiding-place, and I am free to confess that I -don't want to come upon them before I know it." - -Joe's reply was characteristic of the boy. He did not say a word, but -worked his way through the bushes, and moved down the path with slow -and cautious footsteps. - -"That looks like business," whispered Bob, who lost not a moment in -following his daring leader, Tom and Bugle being equally prompt to -bring up the rear. - -In this order they moved at a snail's pace toward the bottom of the -gorge, stopping every few feet to listen, and all the while holding -themselves in readiness to fight or run, as circumstances might seem -to require, and to their great surprise they came to the foot of the -path without encountering the least opposition, or hearing any alarming -sound. - -The deep silence that brooded over the gorge aroused their suspicions -at once. What if the enemy had heard their approach, in spite of all -the pains they had taken to keep them in ignorance of it, and prepared -an ambush for them? - -Joe thought of that, and the instant he found himself in the gorge, he -moved promptly to one side, so that his companions could form in line -of battle on his left--a manoeuvre which they executed at double quick -time. - -"Great Scott! There's our cave," whispered Tom, who was so nearly -overcome with amazement that he could scarcely speak plainly. - -"And there's the ghost," chimed in Joe, pointing to a scarecrow in -white raiment that lay prone on the rocks under a dense thicket. "Just -take a look at its head! Those four loads of shot tore it almost to -pieces." - -But Tom and Bob did not stop to look at the ghost, for they were -too busy taking notes of their surroundings while awaiting an onset -from the owners of the camp. For it was a camp in which they found -themselves, and everything in and about it seemed to indicate that it -had been occupied for some length of time--two or three weeks at least. - -Tom's cave proved, upon closer inspection, to be something else--a -rude but very comfortable shelter, in the building of which nature's -handiwork had been improved upon by the ingenuity of man. The slanting -roof, which for ten feet or more from the entrance was quite high -enough to permit a tall man to stand upright, was the bottom of a -huge rock, firmly embedded in the face of the overhanging bluff. The -walls of the cabin, or whatever you choose to call it, were made of -evergreens, which had been piled against the rock, top downward, to -shed the rain; and that one little thing showed to the experienced -eyes of the boys that the men who lived there were old campers. - -In front of the wide, open entrance were the smouldering remains of a -camp-fire, over which a hasty breakfast had been cooked and eaten. - -The boys were sure that the meal had been a hurried one, because the -dishes were left unwashed; and that is a disagreeable duty that no -old-time "outer" ever neglects, unless circumstances compel him to do -so. - -When the fire was in full blast, and the flames were roaring and -crackling and the sparks ascending toward the clouds, it was probable -that the interior of the cabin was bright and cheerful; but now it -looked dark and forbidding, thought the boys, as they stretched their -necks, twisted their bodies at all sorts of angles, and strained their -eyes in the vain effort to see through the gloom that seemed to have -settled over the other end of it. - -It was a fine place for an ambuscade, but if the enemy had concealed -themselves there, why did they not come out? Now was the time for them -to make their presence known and felt. - -All this while Tom Hallet's little beagle, upon which the boys had been -depending to warn them of the proximity of any danger that their less -acute senses might not enable them to detect, had been acting in a most -unusual manner. He was generally foremost in every expedition in which -his master took part, but in this one he was quite contented to remain -in the rear. - -He went into the camp boldly enough, but after he had taken one look -at its surroundings, and caught a single sniff of the tainted air, he -stuck up the bristles on the back of his neck, dropped his tail between -his legs, and ran behind his master for protection. - -"I really believe they are in there. 'St--boy! Go in and hunt them out! -Sick 'em!" whispered Tom, pointing to the cabin. - -But Bugle was in no hurry to go. He was usually prompt to obey the -slightest motion of his master's hand; but now he refused to budge an -inch--except toward the rear. - -He ran to the foot of the path and stood there, saying as plainly as a -dog could that he would go back to the top of the bluff before he would -advance a step nearer to the cabin. - -The boys closely watched all his movements, and told themselves, -privately, that perhaps they had done a foolhardy thing in coming down -there. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV. - -ROBBERS. - - -"You're a coward!" exclaimed Tom, shaking his fist at the frightened -beagle, and forgetting in his anger that this was the first time the -animal had ever refused to yield ready obedience to his slightest wish. -"I'll trade you off for the meanest yellow cur in Bellville, and hire a -cheap boy to steal the cur. Come back here and see what there is in the -cabin, I tell you!" - -"Don't scold him," interposed Joe. "I don't much like the idea of -venturing in there myself, but here goes." - -As he spoke he drew back the hammer of his rifle, and, with steady, -unfaltering steps, walked into the cabin, little dreaming of the -astounding things that were to grow out of this simple act. - -Tom and Bob promptly moved up to support him, but the sequel proved -that it wasn't necessary, for there was no one in the cabin to oppose -them. - -When Joe announced this fact, which he did as soon as his eyes became -accustomed to the darkness, so that he could see what there was in -front of him, Tom wanted to know where the robbers were, but that was a -point on which his companions could not enlighten him. - -"They have gone off on a plundering expedition, of course," continued -Tom, "and there's no telling when they will be back. We don't want to -let them catch us here." - -"And neither do we want to leave until we have found out something -about them," answered Joe. "Come in here, one of you. I have discovered -a lot of plunder of some sort, and if we give it an overhauling we may -be able to find out who it belongs to, and what brought them here. The -other had better stay outside and keep watch." - -Tom volunteered to stand guard, and so Bob went into the cabin. It was -large enough to accommodate half a dozen men, he found when he got into -it, but the "shake downs," which were spread upon the floor at the -farther end of it, indicated that probably not more than two or three -persons were accustomed to seek shelter there. - -Bob had not been gone more than a minute when he called out to his -friend at the entrance: - -"Say, Tom, here's our grip-sack." - -Tom was amused as well as surprised. He and Bob had made that letter -up all out of their own heads, and with not the slightest suspicion -in their minds that there was anything to be found in that particular -gorge, except, perhaps, a solitary grouse or two, which had hidden -there to get out of the way of the shooters who made their headquarters -at the Beach, and yet they had located a concealed habitation, and -described at least one of the things that were to be found in it. - -It was a little short of wonderful, and again Tom asked himself if such -a thing had ever happened before. - -"Has it got a false bottom in it?" he inquired. - -"Don't know," answered Bob. "Here it comes. Examine it yourself, if you -can open it, and let us know what you find in it." - -The valise was locked when it left Bob's hand and went sailing toward -the entrance, but the force with which it struck the rocks burst it -open, giving Tom a view of its contents. - -While he was taking a look at them, Joe and Bob were giving the cabin a -most thorough overhauling, tearing the beds to pieces, and peering into -every dark corner they could discover, and at every turn they found -something to strengthen them in the belief that they had stumbled upon -a den of thieves, sure enough. - -In the way of provender, they found a whole ham, a bushel of potatoes, -and an armful of corn; and Joe declared that the last two must have -been stolen the night before, because the dirt was not dry on the -potatoes, and the husks on the ears of corn were perfectly fresh. - -"Mr. Hallet's fields furnished those things, and I should not wonder -if the ham came from his smoke-house," said Joe. "But what could have -been their object in stealing these sheets and pillow-cases? Campers -don't generally care to have such things around, because they can't be -kept clean." - -"Don't you think they used them to dress up their ghost?" inquired Bob. -"That dummy out there under the bushes has got a sheet on." - -"So it has," replied Joe. "I'd give something to know what it was that -suggested to them the idea of scaring folks away with that thing. They -must know that everybody can't be frightened by white scare-crows. What -is it? Found a false bottom in that grip-sack?" - -"Or the twelve thousand dollars in bills, and three hundred in gold?" -chimed in Bob. - -These questions were addressed to Tom Hallet, who just then called -attention to himself by uttering an exclamation indicative of the -profoundest amazement. - -By way of reply he shook a handful of greenbacks at them, and then -dropped it to pick up a large roll of postage stamps. By the time they -got out to him he had exchanged the stamps for two elegant gold watches. - -"This grip-sack is full to the brim of valuables, money, and -securities," said Tom, in a scarcely audible whisper, "and I--stop your -noise!" he added, turning fiercely upon Bugle, who just then uttered a -sound that was between a whine and a bark, and came running from the -foot of the path where he had laid himself down to wait until the boys -were ready to leave the camp. "Shut your mouth, you coward!" - -The beagle crowded close to his master's side, in spite of the efforts -the angry boy made to push him away, looked toward the path, and whined -and growled, and exhibited other signs of terror and excitement. - -With a warning gesture to his companions, Joe moved farther away from -the cabin, and stood in a listening attitude. - -In a second more, he turned about, jumped back to the valise and began -throwing the things into it in the greatest haste. - -[Illustration: TREASURE TROVE] - -"Hurry up, all of us!" said he in a thrilling whisper. "The men -are coming down the path. I don't know whether or not they have -seen anything to arouse their suspicions, but they are moving very -cautiously, and talking in low tones. There you are," he added, when -all the things that Tom had taken out of the valise had been crowded -promiscuously into it again. "Grab it up and run with it before Bugle -gives tongue to let them know that we are here. Bob and I will cover -your retreat." - -Tom lost not a moment in acting upon this suggestion. In less time than -it takes to tell it, they had all disappeared in the bushes. - -Tom made good time toward the first bend in the brook, hoping to get -out of sight before the men had opportunity to discover that their camp -had been disturbed during their absence, and he accomplished his object. - -As soon as he passed the first bend, and left the camp out of sight, -Tom turned into the bushes and scrambled up the bluff, his watchful -guard following close behind him. - -Knowing full well that the robbers were thoroughly armed, and that -it would be an easy matter for them to bushwack them during their -retreat, the boys did not relax their vigilance in the slightest degree -when they reached the top of the cliff, and neither did they neglect to -cover their flight by making use of every tree, rock and bush that came -in their way. - -The experience they had gained in stalking the wild game of the hills -stood them in good stead now, and so stealthy were they in their -movements that the dry leaves that covered the ground scarcely rustled -beneath their tread. - -Tom held a straight course for Joe's cabin, which was the nearest haven -of refuge, but no sooner did he get a glimpse of it than he came to a -sudden halt, and motioned to Joe to hasten to his side. - -"What's the matter?" asked Joe. "There are no enemies in front of us, I -hope." - -"Did you forget to close and lock your door when you left home this -morning?" inquired Tom. - -"Of course I didn't. I took particular pains to-- Now can anybody tell -me what that means? The door is standing wide open, as sure as I live." - -"Has Mr. Warren got two keys to that lock?" queried Bob. - -"Not that I know of," answered Joe. - -"Then that open door means this," continued Bob: "While we were -prowling about the robbers' camp, they, or some of their kind, seized -the opportunity to come here and see what you--" - -Joe waited to hear no more. Without giving his friends a hint of his -intentions, he ran toward the cabin at the top of his speed, hoping to -corner somebody there, and cover him with his rifle so that he could -not escape. But in this he was disappointed. - -It was plain that some one had been there while he was gone, for -the window was open, as well as the door, and the cabin was in the -greatest confusion. It had been ransacked as thoroughly as Joe and his -companions had ransacked the robbers' camp. Knowing that he could not -do the matter justice in English, the young game-warden leaned on the -muzzle of his rifle and said nothing. - -"Who did it? Anything missing? This is a pretty state of affairs, I -must say!" were a few of the exclamations to which Tom and Bob gave -utterance, as they crowded into the cabin and took a hurried survey of -things. - -Had it not been for Dan's encounter with the ghost on the previous day, -Joe would have thought at once that his brother was the guilty party; -but he did not suspect him now, because he knew that Dan would not dare -to come up there alone to take revenge upon him for his refusal to -admit him to a full partnership in his business. Silas was afraid to -come up there, too; and even if he were not, it wasn't likely that he -would do anything of this kind, because he wanted Joe to stay there and -earn the hundred and twenty dollars, so that he could take it away from -him. - -"If the blame doesn't rest with Hobson or some of that clique, it rests -with the men to whom that grip-sack belongs," said Joe, confidently. -"I don't know whether they have stolen any of my things or not. I must -look them over first." - -Tom offering to assist him in his work, Bob volunteered to stand guard -over them, adding: - -"It begins to look to me as though this thing of playing game-warden -has its drawbacks, as well as going to school. Tom and I thought we -were going to have the finest kind of times up here this winter, -growing fat on grouse and squirrels, and enjoying the freedom of -camp-life; but I have my doubts. We came here only yesterday morning, -and just look at the fuss we have had already. What is it, Joe?" - -"Do you see my shotgun anywhere, either of you?" asked Joe in reply. "I -am afraid it is gone. Yes, sir, it has been stolen," he added, after -he had looked in every place where so large an article could find -concealment. "I wish they might have left me that; but they didn't, and -with it they took my game-bag, powder-flask and shot-pouch. I know that -the whole outfit isn't worth any great sum; but I worked hard for it, -and somehow I don't like to lose it." - -"I should say not," exclaimed Tom, who would hardly have exhibited -greater anger if his fine double-barrel had been carried off by the -thieves. "Look here, fellows," he added, suddenly, "that grip-sack was -found on Mr. Warren's grounds, and I suppose we ought to hand it over -to him, hadn't we? Well, then, shall we tell him about the ghost, or -shall we skip that?" - -Bob and Joe didn't know how to answer this question. They hadn't -thought of it before. - - - - -CHAPTER XXV. - -WHAT THE GRIP-SACK CONTAINED. - - -"And look here, fellows," said Tom, again, "If we forget to tell about -the ghost, how shall we account for the extraordinary interest we have -taken in the parties who live in the gorge? Answer me that, if you can." - -"The manly way is the best way," observed Joe. - -Tom and Bob knew that as well as Joe did. They were quite willing to -tell Mr. Warren, when they gave the valise into his keeping, that the -events of the day (all except the robbery of Joe's cabin, of course) -had been brought about by their fondness for practical joking, but they -could not make up their minds to do it, because they did not know how -Joe would feel about it. - -If Silas and Dan were their father and brother, they wouldn't care to -have every one in the country for miles around know what fools they -had made of themselves over the letter which the former found in his -wood-pile. - -"It isn't my fault that father and Dan believed the story that letter -told them," continued the young game-warden, "and I don't see that I am -under any obligation to keep their secret from my employer. I shall not -ask him to keep it still, although I shall expect him to do so; but if -the robbers are captured, as I hope they will be, the whole thing will -come to light just as soon as the lawyers get hold of it." - -"Have you any idea where the things in this grip-sack came from?" said -Bob, looking in at the door. "Have you heard of a heavy robbery being -committed in these parts lately? Seen any account of it in the papers, -Tom?" - -"No," replied the latter. "You have kept me so busy since you came up -here that I haven't had a chance to look at a newspaper." - -"Neither have I," said Joe, with a smile; "not because I have been too -busy, but for the reason that we can't afford to take one. I have -no show whatever to keep posted in matters that happen outside the -Summerdale hills." - -"Well, if you don't keep posted this winter, it will be your own -fault," said Tom, banging the table with a package of illustrated -papers which he had picked up from the floor. "Bob and I look to Uncle -Hallet to keep us supplied with reading matter, and you are welcome to -anything he gives us." - -"Thank you," said Joe. "I have the promise of all the books I want from -Mr. Warren's library, and I should judge by the looks of that package -that he intends to provide me with papers, also. Have you seen anything -in the shape of grub, Tom?" - -"Nary thing," was the answer. "Have much of a supply?" - -"Enough to last a week, I should think." - -"It isn't here now," said Tom, looking around. "It has gone off to keep -company with the shot-gun, most likely." - -"I am afraid it has, and that I shall be obliged to pack up a fresh -supply on my back." - -"Coming up here again to-night?" asked Tom. - -"Of course I am," exclaimed Joe, who seemed surprised at the question. -"I belong here, don't I? Are you not coming back?" - -"Certainly. But there are two of us, and only one of you; and, -besides, you have no watch-dog to warn you of--oh, you needn't laugh! -I know that Bugle acted the part of a coward to-day, but he is a good -watch-dog for all that. He will be sure to awaken us if any one comes -prowling around our cabin, and that is all we ask of him. There sir, -your cot is all right again." - -"It's a wonder to me that they didn't steal my blankets," said Joe. -"But, after all, they've got a pretty good supply, and probably they -don't want any more to carry about the country with them, when they -find themselves obliged to break up housekeeping in the gulf, and -strike for new quarters. Now, I think we might as well go on to Mr. -Warren's. I haven't missed anything yet except my provisions and -shooting rig." - -Bob caught up the valise, Joe fastened the door by replacing the -staple that had been pulled out of it, and the three boys struck -through the evergreens toward the cow-path before spoken of, which ran -from Silas Morgan's wood-pile to Mr. Warren's barn. - -They were still much excited, and showed it plainly in their actions -and speech. - -Although they had no reason to believe that the robbers were anywhere -near them, they did not forget to stop and listen now and then, and -look along the path behind; and if a squirrel jumped from one tree to -another, or the wind caused a sudden rustling among the neighboring -bushes, they were prompt to drop their guns into the hollow of their -arms and face in the direction from which the sound came. - -"I declare I am as nervous as any old woman," said Bob, at length. "I -act and feel as if I had been frightened half out of my wits, and yet I -haven't seen a single thing." - -"But you heard the robbers coming down the path, didn't you? And you -know that they would be only too glad to have revenge on the parties -who took their ill-gotten gains away from them," said Joe. "Now that I -think of it, what right had we to touch this grip-sack?" - -"We took it 'on general principles,' as the policemen say when they -arrest a person against whom they have no evidence, but who they think -is getting ready to do something he ought not," was Bob's answer. "If -those men came honestly by the things that are in that valise, we are -liable to get ourselves into a pretty pickle for laying hands on it; -but I'll bet you anything you please that they'll not come down to Mr. -Warren's house after their property. 'Cause why, they haven't a shadow -of a right to it." - -When the boys came within sight of the barn, they left the cow-path, -crawled through a pair of bars, and turned into the wide carriage-way -that ran around the house and past the front door. - -Their vigorous pull at the bell brought out Mr. Warren himself. - -"What are you doing here?" he asked, trying to look surprised and to -bring a frown to his jolly, good-natured face. "Is this what you -young gentlemen are paid for--to run about the country, while the -market-shooters slip up to those wood-lots and shoot all the birds?" - -"If market-shooters were the only things we had to look out for, we'd -have a fine time this winter," replied Bob, as the gentleman shook -hands with him. "Do you see this grip-sack? Well, there's a tale -hanging to it." - -Mr. Warren said he couldn't see any, and asked the boys to come in. - -"That's because the tale is in our heads," replied Bob, seating himself -in the chair that was pointed out to him. "Will you be kind enough to -dump the things out of this valise and tell us what you think of them. - -"What's in it?" inquired Mr. Warren, who looked puzzled. - -Bob, by way of response, waved his hand toward Tom, who said, in answer -to the gentleman's inquiring glance: - -"I didn't have time to make a very thorough examination of its -contents, for the robbers didn't stay away long enough; but--" - -"The robbers!" exclaimed Mr. Warren. - -"Yes; the men who are camping in the gorge. But I can't make you -understand it, unless I go at it right," said Tom, who then went on to -tell his story, to which Mr. Warren listened with the closest attention. - -When Tom ceased speaking, he said: - -"And so you knew that there was something in the gorge before you took -possession of your cabin, did you? Well, your Uncle Hallet suspected -it." - -"I don't know what right he had to suspect anything," said Tom. "We -never told him of our experience in the gorge." - -"I know you didn't, and the reason was because you were afraid he would -laugh at you. But he knew very well that you were keeping something -from him. When the idea of playing game-wardens first took hold of -you, you were very enthusiastic over it; but when you returned from -your trip down the gorge, and learned that Mr. Emerson had given Bob -permission to stay in the woods with you during the winter, you didn't -dance about and go into ecstasies, as you ought to have done. That's -why your Uncle suspects something; but, I declare, he didn't look for -anything like this," exclaimed Mr. Warren, gazing in surprise at the -contents of the valise, which he had turned out upon the carpet. "You -have done a good piece of detective work, for these things were stolen, -beyond a doubt, and if they came from the place I think they did, you -are entitled to a reward of ten thousand dollars." - -"Great Scott!" exclaimed Tom and Bob, while Joe Morgan fairly gasped -for breath, and his mind suddenly became so confused that he could not -calculate how much his share of that reward would amount to. But he had -a dim idea that it would be something over three thousand dollars; and -wouldn't that place his mother above want for a good many years to come? - -The young game-warden never once thought of himself, until his father's -scowling visage and Dan's arose before his mental vision, and then he -wondered what tactics they would resort to, and what new system of -persecution they would adopt, in order to squeeze the last cent of -those three thousand dollars out of him. - -While he was thinking about it, he sat down on the floor beside Tom and -Bob, who were kneeling in front of Mr. Warren. When the latter laid one -of the watches aside, with the remark that it was a valuable timepiece, -and no doubt the rightful owner would be glad to get it back, Bob -picked it up and opened it. An inscription on the inside of the back -part of the case caught his eye, and he read it aloud as follows: - - - "Geo. Y. Seely, Esq. With the regards of his grateful friend, Joel - Burnett." - - -"What's that?" cried Mr. Warren. "Read that again, please." - -Bob complied, and then handed over the watch, so that Joe's employer -could read it for himself. - -"I know both those men," said the latter, at length. "I went to school -with them in the old academy at Bellville, and so did your father and -uncle," nodding at Tom and Bob. "Seely helped Burnett out of a tight -place, when his business was about to go to ruin, and Burnett gave him -this watch to show his gratitude." - -"Then those things must have some from Hammondsport," exclaimed Tom. -"Say, Bob, don't you remember reading an account of the disappearance -of a lot of securities from the county treasurer's office in -Hammondsport, on the same night that several burglaries were committed -there?" - -"I believe I do," replied Bob, after thinking a moment. "If my memory -serves me, the treasurer himself was suspected of having a hand in -it--that is, in the loss of the bonds; but they couldn't prove anything -against him." - -"Of course, they couldn't," said Mr. Warren, indignantly. "The missing -papers are right here. I never did believe in his guilt, for I have -known him for years, and I never saw the least thing wrong with him. He -is under a cloud now, but it will break away as soon as your exploit -becomes known through the country. You have rendered him a most -important service, if you did but know it." - -"I am glad that we have been of some use in the world," said Bob. - -"Well, that was what you were put here for, wasn't it? How much do you -think these things are worth?" said Mr. Warren, as he put the various -packages back into the valise. - -The boys couldn't tell; but they remembered now that the thieves had -taken a good deal of property out of Hammondsport on the night of their -raid, and Tom and Bob thought that perhaps they had secured as much as -forty or fifty thousand dollars' worth. - -"You boys don't know much," replied Mr. Warren. "That valise, just as -it stands, couldn't be bought for a cent less than a hundred and fifty -thousand dollars. The bonds and securities are worth a pile of money, -I tell you; and there must be two or three thousands in greenbacks in -there, to say nothing of the watches. Boys, you have done something to -be proud of; and it's a lucky thing for Tom and Bob that they did not -try to find out where the howls that frightened them came from. The -robbers were at home then, and if they had not succeeded in driving -you away, they would have shot you down without ceremony." - -"Then we had a perfect right to take that grip-sack, didn't we, Mr. -Warren?" said Joe, whose mind was not quite easy on that score. - -"I should say you had," replied Mr. Warren, with a laugh. "You have -made yourselves wealthy, too, for you are fairly entitled to the -reward." - -"Well, what are we going to do about arresting those thieves?" said Tom. - -When all the packages had been put back into the valise, he and his -two companions had got upon their feet and shouldered their guns, -supposing, of course, that Mr. Warren would bestir himself as if he -meant to do something; but, instead of that, he settled back into his -chair and put his hands into his pockets. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVI. - -MR. HALLET HEARS THE NEWS. - - -"What are you going to do about it?" repeated Tom, who was impatient -to begin operations at once. "The robbers have by this time discovered -that their ill-gotten gains have slipped through their fingers, and of -course they are not going to stay there in the gulf till the sheriff -comes and gobbles them up. While we are idling here, they may be taking -themselves safe off." - -"They may, and then again they may not," said Mr. Warren. "If they are -at all acquainted with these hills--and if they are not, I don't see -why they came here in the first place--they must know that there's not -another spot in the whole country, of the same size, that affords so -many excellent hiding-places. But we'll talk about them by-and-by. Joe -is the fellow I am thinking about just now." - -The young game-warden looked his surprise, but did not speak. - -"Yes," continued Mr. Warren, "somehow I don't like to think about the -visit they made to his cabin while you boys were in the gorge. Did they -take any of your things, Tom?" - -That was the first time it had ever occurred to Tom and his friend that -the robbers might have given their own house an overhauling, and that -possibly Joe Morgan was not the only one who had suffered at their -hands. They looked blankly at each other, and at last Bob managed to -say that they had not been near their cabin since they left it in Joe's -company, early in the morning. - -"Then perhaps it would be worth while for you to go up there and look -into things," said Mr. Warren, "while I go down and talk to Hallet. It -is possible that we shall decide to take this valise to Hammondsport -before I come back. I am sure I don't want to keep it in the house over -night, for if those robbers should by any means get on the track of -it, they wouldn't be at all backward about coming here after it." - -"I don't see how they could get on the track of it," Joe remarked. - -"Did it ever occur to you that they might have followed you at a -distance when you came down from the mountain?" inquired Mr. Warren. - -Yes, the boys had thought of that, and it had kept them on nettles. But -they were never off their guard, held their guns ready for instant use, -and faced about whenever they head the slightest sound. If the men were -on their trail, why did they not rush up and grab the valise? - -"Because they did not care to face the bullets and bird-shot that were -in those guns--that's the reason," answered Mr. Warren. "They will not -do anything openly; I am not at all afraid of that. But I _am_ afraid -that they will be full of life and action when night comes. Perhaps, -after all, you boys had better bring your things down and stay at home, -until the sheriff has had opportunity to take those fellows into -custody. Joe, I give you an order to that effect." - -"I don't much like the idea of deserting my post on account of -imaginary dangers," replied Joe. - -"That's the idea; neither do I!" exclaimed Tom. - -"It's my opinion that your Uncle Hallet will be quite positive on -that point," said Mr. Warren, who laughed heartily when he saw the -expression of disappointment and disgust that overspread the faces of -the young game-wardens. - -"If he is, I'll kick, I bet you!" declared Tom. - -"And much good will that do you. Now, Tom, be a good boy, and do a -little errand for me. Go out to the barn and tell Fred to hitch the -blacks to the canopy top. Then we'll all ride down to Uncle Hallet's -and see what he thinks of this morning's work." - -Depositing his double barrel in one corner of the hall, Tom hastened -out to comply with this request, and Mr. Warren addressed himself to -Bob and Joe. - -"This beats anything I ever heard of," said he. "Who would have -imagined that your love of mischief was destined to bring rogues to -justice, clear an honest man's reputation, and make you rich into the -bargain? Joseph, I am sorry you lost your gun; but you shall not go -hungry because they carried off your provisions." - -"The gun wasn't worth much," was Joe's reply, "and perhaps I haven't -lost it yet. I shall live in hopes of having it returned to me when -those men are arrested. Do you really think I had better stop at home?" - -"Of nights? Yes, I do." - -"I am not at all afraid," began Joe. - -"I haven't so much as hinted that you were," interrupted his employer, -"but I can't see the use of your putting yourself in the way of danger -for nothing. If there was any real need that you should stay up there, -the case would be different. My object, and Hallet's, in building those -cabins, was to provide comfortable quarters for our wardens, so that -they would not have to wade through the deep snow in going to and from -their work. If you will spend the day in walking around the woods and -looking out for market-shooters, it is all I shall ask of you, until -those robbers have been shut up. Even after that you may have trouble, -for you have got Brierly down on you." - -"I don't see why Brierly should be down on him," said Bob. "By turning -him back, Joe helped him get twenty-five dollars for nothing." - -"I am well enough acquainted with him to know that he will never -forgive Joe for threatening to report him," said Mr. Warren. "The first -good chance he gets, he will be even with him for that." - -While they were talking in this way, Tom Hallet came bounding up the -steps, and a few minutes later the canopy top was driven up to the door. - -The boys got in, in obedience to a sign from Mr. Warren; but one of -them, at least would have objected, if he had thought that he could -gain anything by it. - -That one was Joe Morgan, who scarcely knew whether he stood on his head -or his feet. Mr. Warren's confident assertions regarding the value of -the property which he and his two friends had found in the robbers' -hiding place had turned him completely upside down--at least, that was -what he told himself. His share of the ten thousand dollars, if he ever -got it (and his employer did not seem to have any misgivings on that -point), would make a great change in his circumstances. It would put it -in his power to obtain the schooling he wanted, and give his mother the -good long rest of which everybody, except Silas and Dan, could see that -she stood so much in need. - -"But won't they be hopping mad when they hear of it?" Joe asked -himself, over and over again. "And what would they have done with the -things that are in that valise, if they had found them? The money they -could have spent, of course; but they would not dare wear the watches -and jewelry, and the papers they would have destroyed, and with them -their only chance of putting in a claim for the reward. As things have -turned out, mother will receive the most benefit from this morning's -work, unless it be the county treasurer, who was unjustly accused of -crookedness. He can thank Bob and Tom for that, and if I ever see him, -I shall take pains to tell him so. If they had not played that joke on -father and Dan, he might have remained under a cloud all his life." - -The young game-warden was so fully occupied with these thoughts that he -did not know what was going on around him, until Bob Emerson seized him -by the arm and shook him out of his reverie. - -"Isn't that so?" he demanded. - -"Certainly; it's all true," replied Joe. - -"It was a nice place, wasn't it?" continued Bob. - -"Splendid," said Joe, who had no idea what particular place Bob was -referring to. - -But the latter did not notice his abstraction. He and Tom were telling -Mr. Warren what a nice camp the robbers had made for themselves under -the bluff, and dilating upon the amount of work they must have done in -making so good a path through those dense thickets. - -"In front of the cabin--that's the way we always speak of it, for it -wasn't really a cave, you know--there was a cleared half-circle that -was fully as large as your parlor," said Bob. "In this circle we saw a -few battered cooking utensils, the smoking ashes of a camp-fire, and -the ghost that frightened Dan Morgan so badly that he dared not carry -the secret to bed with him. I said from the first that it was a man and -not an animal that yelled at us when Tom and I came down that gorge day -before yesterday, and I finally succeeded in making Tom think so, too; -but he insisted that it wasn't an outlaw, but some one who took it into -his head to play a trick on us, just for the fun of seeing us run. Not -until Joe told us his story, and gave us his ideas regarding matters -and things, did we know just what we would have to face if we went into -that gorge." - -"You say the ghost seemed to grow in height while Dan looked at it," -observed Mr. Warren. "Did Dan's fears make him say that, or was it a -part of the trick?" - -"Of course I am not positive on that point," was Bob's reply, "but I -think it was a part of the trick. I gave but one hasty glance at the -dummy, but I took note of the fact that it was rigged on a very long -pole, and it would have been easy for the man who was managing it to -raise it higher and higher above the bushes, if he wanted to do it. I -also noticed that the face was made of a stuffed pillow-case, which had -been blackened with a piece of coal to show where the eyes, nose and -mouth ought to be." - -"What do you think suggested to them the idea of making use of a dummy -to frighten folks away from their hiding-place?" - -"I don't know, unless it was the success that attended their efforts to -keep Tom and me from going there," answered Bob. - -But the sequel proved that, although he had guessed pretty closely on -some things, he had shot wide of the mark when he guessed at this one. - -"As good luck would have it, you went into the gorge while the robbers -were absent on a plundering expedition," said Mr. Warren. "But suppose -you had found them at home, and ready to receive you--what then?" - -"But we didn't, you see!" exclaimed Tom, triumphantly. "We had the camp -all to ourselves." - -"I must say that you are a reckless lot," declared Mr. Warren, "and it -would be serving you just right if Uncle Hallet should order you to be -ready to start for school when the next term begins." - -Bob looked blank, but Tom hastened to quiet his fears by saying: - -"He will never think of such a thing. He is a firm friend of Mr. -Shippen," (that was the name of the county official who was suspected -of making way with the bonds and other valuable documents that had been -placed in his hands for safe keeping), "and when Uncle Hallet knows -that we can clear him, he will be so delighted that he won't think of -scolding us. There he is now. He has been out to get some flowers for -his library table." - -Mr. Hallet was surprised to see his neighbor drive into his yard -with the three game-wardens, who ought to have been far away on the -mountain attending to business, and almost overwhelmed with amazement -when he heard the story they told him while seated on the porch. - -When Mr. Warren showed him the recovered securities, at the same time -remarking that their mutual friend Shippen would be cleared of all -suspicion the moment those papers were produced in Hammondsport, Uncle -Hallet went into the hall after his hat and duster, declaring that it -was a matter of the gravest importance, and must be attended to at once. - -Then he added something that gave his nephew the opportunity to "kick." - -"I am going over to the county-seat with Mr. Warren, and you two boys -had better stay here until I return," was what he said. - -"Now, just look here--" began Tom. - -"I know all about it," interrupted his uncle, turning his head on one -side and waving his hands up and down in the air, "and I am in too -great a hurry to listen to any argument. Joe Morgan has seen one -white face looking at him through his window, and if you stay up there -to-night you will see two; but they will be white with anger, and -not with fear. You have got yourselves in a box by your prying and -meddling," added Uncle Hallet, who was delighted with the exploit the -boys had performed and proud of their pluck, "and I want you to keep -away from those hills after dark, I tell you." - -"Well," said Tom, with a long-drawn sigh, "I suppose I shall have to -submit." - -"I think I would, if I were in your place," said Mr. Warren. - -And as he spoke he brought so comical a look to his face that every one -on the porch broke out in a hearty laugh. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVII. - -JOE'S PLANS. - - -When they had had their laugh out, Mr. Warren said to Uncle Hallet: - -"Don't you think it would be a good plan for the boys to bring their -outfit to a place of safety until the sheriff has had time to go up -there and take care of those robbers? If they take it into their heads -to burn the cabins, we don't want them to burn everything there is in -them." - -"Of course not," assented Mr. Hallet. "Tom, tell Hawley to hitch up and -move you down at once--you and Joe. Mind, now, I want him to go with -you." - -"We don't need him," protested Tom. "We can take care of ourselves." - -Uncle Hallet did not think it necessary to discuss this point. He had -given his orders, and he knew that they would be strictly obeyed. - -He stepped into Mr. Warren's wagon, and the latter drove out of the -yard, leaving the boys to themselves. - -"He didn't say that we couldn't go back again as soon as the robbers -have been caught, did he?" observed Bob, whose fears on that score were -now set at rest. "It's going to be a bother to walk up there and back -every day, when we might just as well remain in our cabins, but it -seems that we've got to do it." - -Tom replied that it certainly looked that way; adding, that it would be -of no use for them to "kick," because he knew by the expression that -was on Uncle Hallet's face when he laid down the law to them, that he -meant every word he said. - -They went out to the barn, and found Hawley, the hostler, gardener, and -man-of-all-work, who could hardly believe the story they told him while -he was hitching up; and it needed the sight of Mr. Warren's blacks, -stepping out for Hammondsport at their best pace, and an examination -of the broken fastenings of Joe's cabin, to convince him that the boys -had not dreamed it all, and that there had really been something going -on up there on the mountain. - -"I wouldn't sleep in one of these shanties as long as those robbers are -at liberty for twice fifteen dollars a month, and I think Uncle Hallet -did just right in telling you to keep away from here after dark," said -Hawley. - -And he was in such haste to get the things into his wagon and start for -home, that the boys were surprised, and wondered if he would be of any -use to them if they got into any trouble. - -"There," said Tom, at length; "Joe's cabin is as empty as it was two -days ago. Now, let us go over to our own domicile, and see how things -look there. We can move faster than you can, Hawley, so we will go on -ahead." - -"Well, I guess you'd better not," was the man's reply. "I judged from -what you said that it was your uncle's wish that I should keep an eye -on you. And how am I going to do it if you don't stay with me?" - -"We are in a great hurry to find out whether or not our house was -robbed at the same time that Joe's was," replied Bob, "and we can look -out for ourselves. Come on boys!" - -"He acts as if he were afraid to be left alone," whispered Joe Morgan. - -"And I believe he is," answered Bob. "Events may prove that we are in -more danger up here than we think for." - -Bob didn't know how close he shot to the mark when he uttered these -careless words, but he found it out afterwards. - -Paying no heed to Hawley's remonstrances, the boys hastened on in -advance of him, and in due time came within sight of Tom's cabin. -Nothing there had been disturbed. - -If the robbers knew of its existence, they probably did not think it -safe to go there, because it was so far from their hiding-place. - -"We don't want those things to go," said Tom, when Hawley drove up and -jumped out of his wagon. "We've kept out grub enough for our dinner." - -"Ain't you going back with me?" inquired the man. - -"What's the use? We would have to come up here again, and we don't -care to prance up and down this mountain any more times than we are -obliged to. It is understood that we are to stay here during the day. -If we didn't, these wood-lots would be black with shooters in less than -twenty-four hours." - -"Well, I wouldn't stay, day or night," said Hawley. "Them birds ain't -worth the danger that you fellows put yourselves in every minute you -spend here." - -Hawley's anxiety to get through with his work and start for home, was -so apparent, that it is a wonder the young game-wardens did not grow -frightened and decide to go back with him; but they didn't think of -it. They helped him load his wagon, and saw him depart without any -misgivings. - -"Now, what arrangements shall we make about dinner?" said Bob, as soon -as Hawley was out of sight. "I say, let's eat it at once, and be done -with it; then we will save ourselves the trouble of packing it around -through the woods for an hour and a half." - -The boys were all hungry, and knowing by experience that a loaded -haversack or game-bag is an awkward thing to carry through bushes, they -agreed to Bob's proposition, and set to work immediately. - -By their united efforts a substantial meal was quickly made ready and -as quickly disposed of, and then they bade one another good-by and -separated. - -"Joe's got good pluck, I must say," exclaimed Tom Hallet, turning about -to take a last look at Mr. Warren's warden, who was just disappearing -in the gloom of the woods. "I don't think I should be afraid to be left -here alone, but I am very well satisfied to have you with me." - -And Joe Morgan would have been better satisfied if he, too, had had -a companion to talk to, instead of being obliged to roam about by -himself. But he was working for money, of which his mother stood in -need, and he did his duty, although (candor compels us to say it) he -gave the gorge a wide berth. - -The startling events of the morning and the many warnings he had -received were of too recent occurrence to be forgotten, and he didn't -care if he never saw that gorge again; still, he would have gone even -there if he had seen or heard the least thing to indicate that poachers -were at work in that vicinity. - -He kept a sharp eye on his watch, and when the clumsy-looking hands -told him that he had just time enough left to get home before dark, -he bent his steps toward the wood-pile, which he always took as his -point of departure, carrying a light heart in his breast, and the happy -consciousness that he had left nothing undone. - -"On the contrary, it's the best day's work I ever did," said Joe, to -himself. "Three thousand three hundred dollars, and a little more for -my share of the reward! Wh-e-w! I do wish I could think of some way to -keep it from father's knowledge and Dan's; but they are bound to hear -of it, and make me all the trouble they can concerning it, and I don't -know but I might as well face the music to-night as any other time." - -The future looked as bright to the young game-warden as it did to Silas -Morgan the first time we saw him moving down that road. But there was -this difference between the two: Joe had something tangible upon which -to build his hopes, while his father had nothing but the letter he held -in his hand. - -His mother was the first to greet him when he reached home; indeed, she -was the only one of the family there was in sight. She was surprised -and startled to see him, but she saw at a glance that there was no -cause for alarm. - -"Where's father and Dan?" inquired Joe, taking the precaution to open -the door, which had been closed behind him. - -He did not want either of the two worthies whose names he had just -mentioned to slip up and hear what he had to say to his mother. - -"I don't know where they are now," was Mrs. Morgan's answer. "Daniel -has been sitting there on the bank almost ever since you went away; but -your father, would you believe it, Joe?--he has been down to the Beach -to give up the setters that he has had in his keeping so long." - -"Good enough!" exclaimed Joe, who was delighted to hear it. "I have -been afraid that those dogs would get him into trouble sooner or later, -and they would, too, if he had held fast to them much longer. Did he -find the owner?" - -"No; but he gave them to the landlord, to be kept until they were -called for. I don't know what sort of a story he told regarding them, -but he seemed to feel better when he came back." - -"Have you any idea what induced him to take that step?" - -"I think it was the fright he had." - -"Good enough!" said Joe, again. "Those hants--for there are two of -them--are the best friends we ever had. Now, don't say a word, for I -want to tell you something before anybody comes to interrupt me. I -repeat, they are good friends of ours. They have led father into making -restitution of property that he never ought to have had in his hands, -and they have been the means of--" - -Before he told what the hants had been the means of doing, Joe stepped -to the door and looked out. - -It was pitch dark now, but the light that streamed from the door of the -cabin was bright enough to show him that there was no eavesdropper in -sight. - -Why didn't he think to go around the corner and look behind the chimney? - -"They have made us rich, mother," continued Joe, stepping to Mrs. -Morgan's side, and speaking in low but distinct tones. "I made three -thousand three hundred dollars this morning by doing less than two -hours' work. Hold on till I get through. I know you are astonished, and -so am I; but it's all true. Sit down, for I've a long story to tell." - -The young game-warden, who stood in constant fear of interruption, -talked rapidly, but he went into all the details, and, by the time he -got through, his mother knew as much about it as he did himself; but -she said she was afraid it was too good to be true. - -"No, it isn't," exclaimed Joe. "When Tom told our story to Mr. Hallet's -hired man, he declared that we had been asleep and dreamed it all. But -it isn't reasonable to suppose that we could all dream the same thing, -is it? When other folks begin talking about it, you will find that it -is true, every word of it. I wish there was some one here to hold me on -the ground," cried Joe, jumping from his chair and swinging his arms -around his head. "Mother, your hard days are all over, and I can go to -school, can't I? I am going to study hard this winter, and whenever I -get stumped, I'll ask Tom and Bob to help me out." - -Having worked off a little of his surplus enthusiasm, Joe sat down -again and talked coolly and sensibly with his mother regarding his -prospects for the future. - -So deeply interested did he become in what he was saying, that he did -not hear the very slight rustling behind the cabin that was occasioned -by his brother Dan, who withdrew his ear from the crack between the -boards against which it had been closely pressed, and stole off into -the darkness. - -But Dan was there and heard it all; and he pounded his head with both -his fists as he walked away. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVIII. - -CAPTURE OF BOB EMERSON. - - -Although the young game-warden did not see them, Silas Morgan and his -hopeful son Dan were both sitting on the river bank, in plain view of -the cabin, when he came home. They were both surprised to see him, and -Dan gave it as his private opinion that one night alone in the woods -had effectually taken away all Joe's desire to act as Mr. Warren's game -protector during the winter. - -"And I'm just glad of it," said Dan, spitefully. "I hope in my soul -that that hant came and looked in at his winder, and howled and -screeched at him like he did at us." - -"Well, I hope he didn't," answered Silas. "If Joe is drove away from -there, I don't know what we will do for grub and such when winter -comes. I ain't a going up to old man Warren's wood-lot to work, I bet -you!" - -"Neither be I," said Dan. - -"Then where's the money to come from? We can't live without money, you -know." - -"Well, Joe ain't going to give you none of his'n, 'cause he told me -so. He's going to give every cent of it to mam, and you and me can go -hungry for all he cares." - -"No, I don't reckon we'll go hungry. I know when pay-day comes as well -as he does; and when I know that he's got the month's wages in his -pocket, can't I easy steal it outen your mam's possession after he -hands it over to her? Didn't think of that, did you?" - -"Well, you won't never steal any money outen mam's pocket, nuther," -replied Dan. "Whenever she wants anything from the store, Joe he'll -give her an order on old man Warren, and mam won't tech none of his -earnings. He told me so. You're mighty sharp, pap, but that Joe of -our'n is one ahead of you this time." - -Dan looked to see his father go into a fearful rage when he said this, -but Silas did not do anything of the sort. He sat with his elbows -resting on his knees and his hands supporting his head, gazing off into -the darkness toward the opposite side of the river. - -"What do you reckon that stingy Joe of our'n has come back here to tell -mam?" continued Dan. - -Silas was obliged to confess that he didn't know, and followed it up -with the suggestion that it might be a good plan for him to creep up -and find out. - -"Creep up yourself, if you want to know wusser'n I do," was Dan's -reply. "Can't you see that the door is wide open?" - -"What of it?" said Silas. "Can't you creep up behind the chimbly! -There's a crack there atween the boards that you've often listened at, -'cause I've seen you. Who knows but Joe may be telling her something -about the money that's in the cave?" - -Dan said it was not likely that Joe knew anything about the cave, -beyond what he himself had told him; but still his father's words -aroused his curiosity, and awakened within him a desire to learn what -Joe had to say to his mother. - -He waited a moment or two to bring his courage up to the sticking -point, and then threw himself upon his hands and knees and crept away -from his father's sight. He was gone about twenty minutes, and when -he returned, he acted so much like a crazy boy that Silas was really -afraid of him. - -"What's the matter of you?" he demanded, in an angry whisper. "Did Joe -say anything so't you could hear it?" - -"You're right he did," Dan managed to say, at last. "Oh, pap, we'll -never in this world have another chance like that. We had the best kind -of a show to get rich, and we let it slip through our fingers, fools -that we was." - -Silas fairly gasped for breath. He stared fixedly at Dan, who sat on -the bank, rocking himself from side to side; but he was too amazed to -speak. - -"The money was there all the time," Dan went on, "and that Joe of our'n -he went and got it, dog-gone the luck!" - -"And all along of your telling him about it, you idiot," snarled Silas. -"If you had kept your mouth shet, that Joe of our'n wouldn't never have -known that the money was there. I have the best notion in the world -to--" - -"Now, can't you wait until I tell you?" exclaimed Dan, whose senses -came back to him very speedily when he saw that his father was pushing -up his sleeves. "It wasn't all along of my telling him, nuther, that -Joe found out about the cave. Tom and Bob told him, for they were the -ones that writ the letter you took outen your wood-pile." - -The ferryman's astonishment quickly got the better of his rage, and he -listened in a dreamy sort of way to the story that Dan had to tell him; -but when the latter reached the end of it, and Silas found out that he -had really been within a few yards of a valise whose contents could not -be purchased for less than one hundred and fifty thousand dollars, and -that the white thing that frightened him was not a ghost, after all, -but a dummy, managed by a man who might have been disabled by a single -charge from his double-barrel--when Silas heard this, he was ready to -boil over again. - -The fact that a third of the handsome reward that had been offered for -the recovery of the stolen bonds would come into his family did not -serve as a balm for his wounded feelings. He wanted the money himself; -and the reflection that after coming so near to securing it, he had -allowed himself to be frightened away by-- - -"Oh, my soul!" groaned Silas, jumping to his feet, and striding up and -down the bank, with both hands tightly clenched in his hair. "Here's -me and you, as poor as Job's turkey, while that Joe of our'n has got -more'n twice as much as he oughter have. He's rich, and after this he -won't do nothing but loaf around and spend his money, while me and -you-- Now, wait till I tell you! Did you ever hear of such amazing -mean luck before? Toot away!" he cried, shaking both his fists at the -opposite bank. "I wouldn't go over after you if I knew I'd get five -dollars for it. What's five dollars alongside the ten thousand we -might have had if we hadn't been such fools? Oh, Dannie, why didn't we -shoot a little lower?" - -While Silas was talking, the blast of a horn sounded from the other -side of the river. It was a notice to the ferryman that there was -some one over there who wanted to cross the stream, but Silas was in -no humor to respond to it. Again and again the signal was given, and -finally a hail came through the darkness. - -"Hallo, there!" shouted a familiar voice. "Is Joe Morgan at home?" - -"No, he ain't!" growled Dan in reply. - -"Yes, he is!" shouted the owner of that name, who had come out to -assist in taking the flat across the river. "Is that you, Tom Hallet?" - -"Yes. Have you seen anything of Bob?" - -"Not since dinner," was Joe's answer. "What's the matter with him?" - -"We hope there isn't anything the matter with him," shouted Tom; "but -we begin to think-- Say, Joe, come over, and bring a lantern. I have -something to show you." - -"I don't know how he's going to get over, unless he is able to manage -the flat all by himself," said Dan, in an undertone. "I won't help him, -I bet you." - -Silas was about to say the same, but his curiosity, of which he had -considerably more than two men's share, got the better of him. - -"What do you reckon he wants to show you?" said he, addressing himself -to Joe; "and what's become of Bob?" - -"I am sure I can't tell," answered Joe. "But if you will help me to -take the flat over, we will find out all about it. I am sure you will -hear something worth listening to if you will lend a hand." - -"All right; I'm there," said Silas, jumping up with alacrity. - -"But I ain't," said Dan, doggedly. - -"Who said anything to you?" demanded his father, almost fiercely. "Set -where you are if you feel like it. Me and Joe can get along without -none of your help; and furder'n that," he added, in a lower tone, as -Joe ran to the house to bring a candle and some matches--there being no -such thing as a lantern in the ferryman's humble abode--"me and Joe -will go snucks on his share of the reward, and you shan't see a cent of -it. So there, now!" - -These words were sufficient to infuse a good deal of life and energy -into Dan. He believed that his father would yet contrive some way to -swindle Joe out of every dollar that came into his possession, and if -he (Dan) hoped to get any of it for his own, he must be very careful -how he went contrary to his father's wishes. - -When Joe came back with the candle, Silas and Dan were standing in the -flat, all ready to shove off. - -The young game-warden could not remember when he had carried so heavy a -heart across the river as he did on this particular evening. - -He did not say anything, for he knew that his father and Dan could not -understand his feelings, but his brain was exceedingly busy. - -Bob Emerson had disappeared in some unaccountable way. He knew that -much, and somehow Joe could not help connecting this circumstance with -some words the missing boy had let fall the last time he was in his -company. - -"We may be in more danger while we are up here than we think for," and, -"This thing is going to end in something besides fun." - -These words, which Bob had uttered without giving much heed to what he -was saying, now seemed to Joe to be prophetic of disaster. - -Of course, this reflection made him uneasy, and he exerted himself -to get the heavy flat over to the other side with as little delay as -possible. So did Dan, for a wonder, and the result was, that they made -a much quicker passage than they usually did. - -When the flat came within sight of the bank, Silas, who was at the -steering-oar, leaned forward and informed Joe, in a whisper, that Tom -was not alone--that his uncle Hallet, old man Warren, and both their -hired men were with him, as well as two strangers whom he didn't -remember to have seen before. But a moment later, he added, in tones of -excitement: - -"Yes, I have seen 'em, too. They're the sheriff and one of his -deputies. Well, they can't do nothing to me. Ain't it a lucky thing for -me, Joey, that I give up them setter dogs to-day?" - -"I am glad you did," replied Joe, "but I shall always be sorry that you -ever had anything to do with them in the first place." - -With a few long sweeps of his steering-oar, Silas brought the flat -broadside to the bank, and Joe Morgan sprang out. Tom Hallet was the -first one to speak to him. - -"Did I understand you to say that you have not seen Bob since we ate -dinner together?" said he in a trembling voice. - -"That is just what I said," answered Joe, whose worst fears were now -fully confirmed. "You and he went off together, and I haven't seen him -since. Where is he?" - -"I wish I knew," replied Tom. "We felt sorry for you, when we saw you -going away alone; but you got back safe and sound, while we didn't. You -see-- Where's your lantern?" - -Joe replied that he had brought a candle, and proceeded to light -it. Then Bob handed him a slip of paper on which were written the -following fateful words: - - - "If you will bring back the property you stole from us, and put it - where you found it, we will give up our prisoner. If you don't, - or if you attempt to play tricks upon us, you will never see him - again." - - -This portion of the note was written in a strange hand, but under it -was a postscript which Tom declared had been penned by nobody but Bob -Emerson. It ran thus: - - - "They've got me, Tom, and that's all there is about it. For - goodness sake, bring back that valise! And be quick about it, for - they threaten to do all sorts of dreadful things to me, if their - demands are not complied with in less than twenty-four hours." - - -Joe handed back the piece of paper, and looked at Tom without speaking. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIX. - -THE HUNT FOR THE ROBBERS. - - -"Bob was right when he declared that this thing was destined to end in -something besides fun, wasn't he?" observed Tom, giving utterance to -the very thoughts that were passing through Joe Morgan's mind. "But -I don't believe he ever dreamed that anything like this was going to -happen." - -"Do you think the robbers have got hold of him?" faltered Joe, who knew -that Tom expected him to say something. - -"I know it?" was the answer. - -"Where were you when they captured him?" - -"I don't know. The way it happened was this: After you left us we -decided to make the entire round of uncle's wood-lot, and as we -couldn't do it if we stayed together, we separated, and that was the -last I saw of Bob Emerson. Before parting we agreed to meet at the -cabin at six o'clock, sharp. I was there at the minute, but Bob wasn't, -and while I was waiting for him, I happened to see this notice, which -was fastened to the door of the shanty with a wooden pin. That's all -there is of it." - -"Why don't you go down to the gorge?" - -"We went there the first thing, and we've been everywhere else that we -could think of," replied Tom. "They left their camp in a great hurry; -but where they went is a mystery. But we will have them before many -hours have passed away," added Tom, confidently. "These officers have -come up from Hammondsport on purpose to arrest them, and they are not -going back without them. We are taking them down to the Beach now, to -raise a "hue and cry" among the guides there, and by daylight to-morrow -morning the mountains will be full of men. There is an additional -reward offered for the arrest of the thieves, you know, and it is big -enough to stimulate everybody to extra exertion." - -While Tom and Joe were talking in this way, the rest of the party had -gathered about Silas, whom they were trying to induce to join in the -general hunt that was to be made on the following day. - -Dan, being left to himself, listened with one ear to what Tom was -saying to his brother, and with the other tried to keep track of the -conversation that was going on in his father's neighborhood. - -When he heard Tom say that a reward had been offered for the -apprehension of the robbers, as well as for the recovery of the -property they had stolen, he stepped closer to him, and whispered: - -"Do you know how much it is?" - -"Five thousand dollars for both of them, or half of it for one," -answered Tom. "Now, Dan, there's a chance for you to make yourself -rich." - -"But that there hant--" began Dan. - -"Is no hant at all," replied Tom. "Why, man alive, there are no such -things, and I thought everybody knew it. I took a good look at this one -while we were up there to-night, and found that it was nothing but a -long pole with a stuffed pillow-case on one end of it for a head, and a -short cross-piece for the shoulders. The man who managed it and made it -act as if it were about to spring at you was behind the bushes out of -sight. He and his companion did the yelling, and you never hurt either -one of them, although your four charges of shot tore the pillow-case -all to pieces." - -"Yes," replied Dan, "Pap 'lowed that we'd oughter fired into the bresh." - -"Exactly. If you had showed a little more pluck, you and your father -might have had ten thousand dollars to divide between you. As it turned -out, Joe is entitled to only a third of it, but he'll get that, sure." - -"Dog-gone such luck!" exclaimed Dan, in a tone of deep disgust. - -"Well, it was a windfall to your family, anyway," observed Tom, "and -you can add more to it to-morrow, if you're smart." - -"And what will poor Bob be doing while we are hunting for him?" -inquired Joe. "He seems to be frightened, for he wants you to give up -the valise, and be quick about it." - -"Oh, nonsense!" exclaimed Tom; "you don't know Bob Emerson as well as -I do. He wrote that postscript, of course, and so would you if you had -been in his place. But Bob would be the maddest boy you ever saw if we -should pay the least attention to it." - -At this moment Uncle Hallet and Mr. Warren turned toward the place -where the boys were standing, the former saying, with some impatience -in his tones: - -"Well, Silas, if you are afraid to come you can stay at home; but I -would have a little more pluck if I were in your place. You'll come, -won't you, Joe, and help us hunt down those villains who have kidnapped -Bob Emerson?" - -"Indeed I will," answered Joe, promptly. - -"I knew that would be your reply," continued Mr. Hallet. "Now, if you -will bring the flat to the bank and drop the apron, we'll get our team -aboard and go on to the Beach." - -The ferryman and his boys went to work with a will, and when the flat -reached the other side of the river, the passengers got into their -wagon and drove toward the Beach, after telling Silas that they would -go home by way of the bridge, and he need not stay up to ferry them -back; while Joe hurried off to tell his mother what he had learned -during his short interview with Tom Hallet. - -"It's the greatest outrage I ever heard of," said he, indignantly; "but -they needn't think they are going to make anything by it. Don't I wish -I might be lucky enough to gobble at least one of those robbers!" - -"Oh, Joseph, I don't know whether I want you to go up there or not," -said his mother, growing frightened again. - -"I must!" replied Joe, decidedly. "I have promised to be at Tom's cabin -to-morrow morning at daylight, and that settles it. I wonder if father -and Dan will go?" - -That was the very question that Silas and his worthy son were -propounding to each other as they sat side by side on the river's bank. - -The terrible fright they had sustained on the day they went after the -money was still fresh in their minds; but then, there was the reward, -which was a sure thing this time, provided they could be fortunate -enough to capture the robbers. - -They were both willing, and even eager, to join in the "hue-and-cry" -that was to be raised against the thieves, provided they could do it in -their own way; and the plans they were revolving in their minds, but of -which they did not speak, were the same in every particular. - -For example, Dan wanted his father to stay at home, and after he got -into the mountains, he wanted nobody but Joe for company. - -The latter had showed himself to be bold as well as lucky, and if they -two should happen to catch one of the robbers, Dan would not feel that -he was under the slightest obligation to share the reward with his -brother, because Joe had more than three thousand dollars of his own -already. But if his father went with him, he would lay claim to half -the money, and he would be likely to get it, too, for he had the right -to take every cent Dan made. - -This was the way Dan looked at the matter; and it was the very way his -father looked at it. The result was, that although they spent an hour -or more in looking it over, they went to bed without deciding whether -they would go or not. - -Nevertheless, they had well-defined plans in their heads, and each one -resolved that he would carry them out regardless of the wishes of the -other. - -Silas, in order to throw Dan off his guard, began operations by saying -to his wife, the moment he entered the cabin: - -"I ain't a-going to jine in the rumpus the sheriff kicks up after them -fellers to-morrow. It's mighty comical to me how easy some people can -talk to you about putting yourself in the way of getting a charge -of bird-shot sent into you, while they keep outen range themselves. -I ain't got no call to resk my life a finding of Bob Emerson, and I -shan't do it to please nobody." - -Dan was secretly delighted to see his father work himself into a rage -over the supposition that somebody would be pleased to see him go in -the way of danger. - -"If he will only stick to that, I'm all right," said he, to himself. -"Pap sleeps sounder'n a dozen men oughter, and if Joe don't call him in -the morning, you can bet your bottom dollar _I_ won't." - -Knowing his failing in this particular, Silas made the mental -resolution that he would not go to sleep at all. The young game-warden, -who was one of those lucky fellows who can wake at any hour they -please, could be relied on to make an early start, and Silas told -himself that he would lie perfectly still and wide awake until -breakfast was ready, when he would jump up, eat his full share of the -bacon and potatoes, and set out for the mountain when Joe did. - -But even while he was thinking about it, he went off into a deep -slumber. He did not awake when Joe got up, and neither did the rattling -of the dishes nor the savory odors of the bacon and coffee arouse him -to a consciousness of what was going on in the cabin. - -Having heard him say that he did not intend to join the sheriff's -posse, Mrs. Morgan and Joe did not think it worth while to disturb him, -and Dan would not do anything to interfere with his own plans, which -thus far were working as smoothly as he could have desired. - -"But I've got a sneaking idee that there'll be trouble in this here -house when pap does wake up, and finds me and Joe gone," thought Dan. -"No matter. I won't be here to listen to his r'aring and pitching, -so he can go on all he wants to. And if me and Joe should catch one -of them robbers--whoop-pee! Then I'll have the reward all to myself; -'cause I ain't a going to put myself in the way of getting shot at, and -then go snucks with a feller that's got more'n three thousand dollars -a'ready. I'll see him furder first." - -The hours dragged along all too slowly for the tired, patient woman who -sat in the open door with her sewing in her lap, and her tear-dimmed -eyes fastened upon the hills among which the only member of the family -who cared for her, or who tried in any way to smooth her pathway and -make her burdens easier to bear, might at that very moment be rushing -to his destruction. She wished he might have stayed at home and let -some one else go in his place; but Joe was loyal to his friend, and -Mrs. Morgan had not tried to turn him from his purpose. She wished, -too, that the weary day was over, so that the young game-warden could -come back and say something comforting to her. - -Just then somebody did say something, but the voice belonged to one who -was not often guilty of saying or doing anything to comfort her. - -"Na-r-r-r!" came from a distant corner of the cabin, and Silas Morgan -threw off the blankets and started up in bed, to find that it was broad -daylight, that breakfast had been cooked and eaten, and that the boy he -had hoped to outwit was gone. He saw it all at a glance, but he wanted -an explanation. - -"Where be they?" he demanded. - -"They have been gone almost three hours," was the meek response. - -"And you let 'em go without saying a word to me?" roared the angry and -disappointed man. - -"Why, father, you told me last night that you didn't intend to go," -said his wife. - -"And you didn't have any better sense than to believe it!" shouted -Silas. "Did they go off together? Well, old woman, you have cooked -your goose this time--you have for a fact. I wanted to go with Joe -myself, and leave Dan to home, 'cause he ain't no account when there's -any shooting and such going on. He's too much of a coward to stand -fire, Dan is. I had kind o' made it up in my mind that me and Joe -would captur' one, and mebbe both, of them bugglars, and I kalkerlated -to give you the most of my share of the money; but now you won't get -none, and it serves you just right for letting me sleep when you -oughter called me up. But I'll tell you one thing for a fact--the three -thousand that Joe has made already, and the hundred and twenty he's -going to earn this winter, is mine; likewise all the reward him and Dan -get to-day, if they get any." - -So saying, Silas shouldered his double-barrel and left the cabin, -paying no sort of attention to his wife's entreaties that before he set -out for the mountain he would take a cup of coffee and a bite of the -breakfast she had kept warm for him. - - - - -CHAPTER XXX. - -BRIERLY'S SQUAD CAPTURES A ROBBER. - - -When Morgan arose from his "shake-down" on the morning of this -particular day, he was promptly joined by his brother Dan, whose -actions told him as plainly as words that he had reasons of his own for -not wishing to disturb his father's slumbers. - -Dan was generally the last one of the family to bestir himself in the -morning, and even after he got upon his feet, it took him a good while -to wake up; but it was not so in this instance. His senses came to him -the moment he opened his eyes, and, for a wonder, he brought in the -wood, and lent a hand at setting the table. - -He moved about the room with noiseless footsteps, spoke in scarcely -audible whispers, and cast frequent and anxious glances toward his -father's couch. - -"Well, sir, we done it, didn't we?" said he, when breakfast had been -eaten and he and Joe were hurrying along the road toward the place of -meeting. - -"Did what?" inquired his brother. - -"Got away without waking pap up," said Dan, who was in high glee. "I -knew he said last night that he didn't mean to go, but I wasn't such -a fool as to believe it. He wanted to go with you; and then do you -know what would have happened if you and him had captured one of them -bugglars? Well, sir, he would have laid claim to the whole of the -reward, and never give you a cent of it. I'm onto his little games. And -he's going to make you hand over them three thousand dollars you made -yesterday. He's a mighty mean, stingy feller, pap is, and you want to -watch out for him." - -Dan talked to keep up his courage, which began to ooze out of the ends -of his fingers when he found himself drawing near to the gorge; but Joe -was so deeply engrossed with his own thoughts that he did not hear a -dozen words of it. - -The young game-warden was not building air-castles. He was by no means -as confident as Dan appeared to be, that it would be his luck to assist -in the capture of one of the robbers, and, if the truth must be told, -he hoped that that dangerous duty would fall to somebody else. - -He had more money now than he had ever expected to possess, and his -brains were busy with plans for keeping it out of his father's reach. - -While he was turning them over in his mind, they came within sight of -his cabin. Dan insisted on seeing the inside of it, so Joe pulled out -the loosened staple, and threw open the door. - -"Ain't you mighty glad that you wasn't here when them robbers come up -and stole your grub and things?" said he, after he had taken a look -around. "Say, Joey, you'll keep old man Warren's rifle, to take the -place of the scatter-gun you lost, won't you?" - -"Of course not," was Joe's indignant reply. "Why, Dan, this rifle is -worth forty or fifty dollars!" - -"So much the better," answered Dan, who evidently thought that a fair -exchange with Mr. Warren could not by any means be looked upon in -the light of a robbery. "You lost your gun while you was working for -him, and through no fault of your'n, and I say he'd oughter give you -another. Them's my sentiments." - -"Well, they are not mine," said Joe, closing the door, and replacing -the staple. "I wouldn't have the face to look at a man again if I -should ever mention the matter to him." - -Dan did not know how to combat these sentiments, which were so widely -at variance with his own, and as there was no longer any necessity that -he should talk to keep his courage up, seeing that there was a large -number of officers and guides almost within the sound of their voices, -he said nothing. - -A quarter of an hour's walk brought them to Tom's cabin, where they -found a score or more of men, who were leaning on their rifles, or -lounging around on the ground in various attitudes. - -These, they afterward learned, comprised but a small portion of the -crowd that had assembled there that morning in obedience to the summons -of the sheriff and his deputy, the others having gone off in squads of -four men each to begin the search. - -Mr. Warren told Joe that Tom Hallet was so impatient to be doing -something for his friend, that he had left with the first squad that -went out. He said, also, that a good many more men had gone, or were -going, out from Bellville and Hammondsport; so the capture of the -robbers was a foregone conclusion. - -"By dividing into small parties we shall be able to give all the -ravines and every piece of woods in the country, for miles around, a -thorough overhauling before night," added Mr. Warren, "and we thought -that four men were enough for each squad. They won't care to have the -reward divided among too many, you know. I am going with the sheriff, -and shall be glad to have you make one of our party." - -"And I shall be glad to do it," replied Joe. - -As Mr. Warren walked away to speak to the officer, Dan pulled his -brother's coat-sleeve, and whispered: - -"He didn't say that he'd be glad to have me make one of his party, did -he? Well, I'm going, all the same. Say, Joey, if our squad gobbles both -them bugglars, how much'll that be for each of us?" - -"Twelve hundred and fifty dollars," was the reply. - -"Well, now, sposen our squad catches one of 'em, and some other squad -away off somewheres else catches t'other one--how much will that be for -each feller?" - -"A little over three hundred dollars." - -"Is that all?" said Dan. And, to have heard him speak, you would have -thought that he was in the habit of carrying a good deal more money -than that loose in his pockets every day. "And you've got more'n three -thousand dollars a coming to you! Dog-gone such luck as I do have, any -way!" - -It was probable that Dan had more to say on this point. He usually had -a good deal to say whenever he fell to talking about his bad luck; but -just then Mr. Warren beckoned to Joe, who promptly stepped forward to -join his squad, Dan keeping close to his heels. - -"I wish I could think up some plan to get even with old man Warren -for the way he's acting," thought Dan, who was indignant because the -gentleman did not show him a little more respect. "I don't reckon he -wants me along, but I don't care whether he does or not. I'm here to -stay, no odds if there is five men instead of four in the party, and -if we catch them bugglars I'll make 'em hand over my share. That'll -be--lemme see." - -After an infinite deal of trouble and much hard thinking, Dan arrived -at the conclusion that his share of the reward, if any were earned by -that squad, would be just one-fifth of five thousand dollars. - -But Joe would come in for a share, also, and then he would have four -thousand dollars, while Dan would have but one. Did anybody ever hear -of such luck? Joe was ahead, and Dan didn't see any way to catch up -with him. - -The sheriff's squad walked far and hunted faithfully all that day. -There was no thicket too dense for them to penetrate, and no gorge so -dark and gloomy that they were afraid to go down into it; but they saw -nothing of the robbers, and neither did they happen to come upon either -of the other searching parties. - -They stopped for lunch on the banks of a trout brook, and the sheriff -was filling his pipe for a smoke, when all on a sudden he struck -a listening attitude, at the same time enjoining silence upon his -companions by a motion of his hand. - -"That's two," said he, in a low voice. "Now wait. That's three. Now -wait a little longer, and perhaps we shall hear some gratifying news." - -The others held their breath to listen, and presently, faint and far -off, and rendered somewhat indistinct by intervening hills, and by -the echoes that mixed themselves up with the sound, they heard three -reports of heavily-loaded shotguns. - -"Hurrah for law and order," cried the sheriff. "Our work is half done, -and some lucky squad will have twenty-five hundred dollars to divide -among its members." - -"We don't get none of it, do we?" whispered Dan to his brother. - -"Did we have any hand in making the capture?" asked Joe, in reply. "Of -course, we don't." - -"Dog-gone such luck!" murmured the disappointed Dan. - -"One of the outlaws has come to grief," continued the sheriff, "and -that proves that they must have separated. I should much like to know -what they did with their prisoner. It seems to me, from where I stand, -that they were guilty of an act of folly when they gobbled Bob. They -ought to have known that by doing a thing of that kind, they would get -every able-bodied man in the country after them." - -The officer and his squad were so anxious to have a hand in completing -the work so well begun, that they did not remain long in camp, -although they might have passed the rest of the day there for all the -good they did. - -Every now and then they stopped to listen, but they never heard any -signals to indicate that the other robber had been apprehended. That, -however, was no sign that such signals had not been given; for the -Summerdale hills covered a good deal of territory, and the searching -parties were so widely scattered that it would have taken a field-piece -to signal to all of them. - -Finally, the sheriff announced, with a good deal of reluctance, that it -was time to go home; and it was with equal reluctance that the members -of his squad turned their steps towards Tom Hallet's cabin. - -It was almost dark when they came in sight of it, but still there was -light enough for Joe Morgan to see that the cabin had been visited -during their absence, and that there was a communication of some sort -awaiting them. - -It was fastened to the door, and Joe ran ahead of the squad and -took it down. Then he found that it was not intended for any one in -particular, but had been left for the information of everybody who had -taken part in the search. - -"Shall I read it, Mr. Warren?" asked Joe, when his employer came up. -"It is in Tom Hallet's own hand." - -"Let us hear it at once," replied Mr. Warren. - -And Joe read as follows: - - - "Good and bad news.--Robber No. 1 was captured by Brierly's squad - at half-past twelve. Bob Emerson is with me now, and none the worse - for his adventure. That's the good news. - - "Nothing has been seen or heard of robber No. 2, who doubtless fled - deeper into the hills than any of our searching parties had time - to go. The Bellville and Hammondsport squads say they will try him - again to-morrow. That's the bad news." - - -"And it isn't so very bad, either," said the sheriff. "If he gets lost, -as I hope he will, we'll have him to-morrow, sure; but if he works his -way out of the hills, we shall have to call upon the telegraph to help -us. So Brierly has made himself wealthy by this day's work. I should -think that he could afford to let your blue-headed birds alone, now, -Mr. Warren." - -"Did any living person ever hear of such luck?" muttered Dan. -"Everybody is getting wealthy, 'cepting me." - -The squad broke up here, Mr. Warren and two companions turning into the -cow-path that led down the mountain by the shortest route, and Joe and -Dan striking for home, where a most astonishing discovery awaited them. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXI. - -SILAS IN LUCK AT LAST. - - -Dan Morgan did not have as much to say on the way home as he did while -he and his brother were passing over that same road in the morning. - -Another one of his air-castles had fallen about his ears, and a portion -of the money he had hoped to earn would go into Brierly's pocket. - -One of the robbers had been captured, but the other had taken himself -safely off, and that was the end of all his dreams. Did anybody ever -hear of such luck? It made him very angry to see how light-hearted Joe -seemed to be. - -"I reckon you're glad 'cause I ain't got a cent to bless myself with, -ain't you?" said he, savagely. "Then, what do you keep up such a -whistling for? You can afford to be happy, when you know that you -can have a pile of money by asking for it; but I ain't a going to be -treated this here way no longer." - -The young game-warden did not pay the least attention to his brother's -ravings, because he had something of more importance to think -about--his future. - -He was sadly in need of such training as he could get at the Bellville -academy, and he had sense enough to know it; and the point he was -trying to decide was: Should he ask his employer to release him from -his contract, so that he could go to school during the winter? or would -it be better to make sure of the hundred and twenty dollars he could -earn during the next eight months, and look to Tom and Bob to help him -along with his studies? - -While he was thinking about it, the cabin hove in sight, and at the -same time an exclamation from Dan called him back to earth again. - -Joe looked up, and saw his father sitting motionless on a chair in -front of the cabin. His double-barrel lay upon the ground within easy -reach of him, his elbows were resting upon his knees, and his chin was -upheld by the palms of his hands. He appeared to be gazing steadily at -some object that was hidden from Joe's view by the corner of the house. - -"How do you reckon he feels over the trick we played on him this -morning?" said Dan, with a grin. "He thinks he's a sharp one, pap does, -but he ain't got no business along of me." - -"If there was any trick played upon him, you did it, and not I," -answered Joe. "Father hasn't worked half as hard as we have, and yet he -is just as well--What in the name of wonder is that?" - -While Joe was speaking, he and Dan moved around the corner of the -house, and then the object at which Silas was looking so fixedly was -disclosed to view. - -It was a man who was sitting on a bench beside the door, and who was so -closely wrapped up in a clothes-line that he could scarcely stir one of -his fingers. - -[Illustration: SILAS AND THE BANK ROBBER] - -Hearing the sound of their footsteps, the man, whoever he was, slowly -turned his head toward the corner of the cabin, whereupon Silas -shouted out, in a savage voice: - -"None of that there, I tell you! You can't get away, 'cause you're -worth a power of money to me, and I'm bound to hold fast to you -till--Human natur'!" yelled Silas, jumping to his feet, with both -barrels of his gun cocked. "Oh, it's you, is it? I kinder thought it -was t'other robber coming to turn his pardner loose." - -Silas was so completely wrapped up in his own affairs that the boys -got close to him before he was aware of their presence, and it is the -greatest wonder in the world that he did not shoot one of them in his -excitement. - -He was really alarmed; but when he had taken a good look at the -newcomers, in order to make sure of their identity, he laid his gun -across the chair, pushed up his sleeves, and shook both his fists at -Dan. - -"So you thought you would fool your poor old pap this morning, did you, -you little snipe?" he shouted. "Well, you see what you made by it, -don't you?" - -"I never tried to make a fool of you," stammered Dan, who had a faint -idea that he understood the situation. "I never in this wide world!" - -"Hush your noise when I tell you I know better," yelled Silas; and one -would have thought, by the way he acted and looked, that he was very -angry, instead of very much delighted, at the way things had turned -out. "Here you have been and tramped all over them mountings, and -never got a cent for it, while I have made a clean twenty-five hundred -dollars, if I counted it up right on my fingers; and I reckon I did, -'cause your mam put in a figger to help me now and then." - -"Why, how did it happen?" exclaimed Joe, who, up to this moment, had -not been able to do anything but stand still and look astonished. - -He knew that his father had captured one of the robbers without help -from any one, and that was more than fifty other men had been able to -do, with all their weary tramping. - -"The way it happened was just this," said Silas, who could not stand -in one place for a single moment. "Hold on there!" he added, turning -fiercely upon his prisoner, who just then moved uneasily upon the -bench, as if he were trying to find a softer spot to sit on. "I've got -my eyes onto you, and you might as--" - -"Why, father, he can't get away," Joe interposed. "You've got him tied -up too tight. Why don't you let out that rope a little?" - -"'Cause he's worth a pile of money--that's why!" exclaimed Silas; "and -I won't let the rope out not one inch, nuther. You, Joe, keep away from -there." - -"I really wish you would undo some of this rope," said the prisoner, -who, like Byron's Corsair, seemed to be a mild-mannered man. "I have -been tied up ever since two o'clock, and am numb all over. I couldn't -run a step if I should try." - -"Don't you believe a word of that!" exclaimed Silas. "Come away from -there and let that rope be, I tell you." - -"Say, father," said Joe, suddenly, "what are you going to do with your -captive? Do you intend to sit up and watch him all night long?" - -"I was just a studying about that when you come up and scared me," -replied Silas, dropping the butt of his gun to the ground, and leaning -heavily upon the muzzle. - -He never could stand alone for any length of time; he always wanted -something to support him. - -"What do you think I had better do about it? I don't much like to keep -him here, 'cause--Why just look a here, Joey," added Silas, moving up -to the door, and pointing to some object inside the cabin. "See them -tools I took away from him?" - -The boys stepped to their father's side, and saw lying upon the table, -where Silas had placed it, a belt containing a brace of heavy revolvers -and a murderous-looking knife. - -"Now, them's dangerous," continued Silas, "and if this feller's pardner -should happen along--" - -"But he won't happen along," interrupted Dan. "Brierly's squad gobbled -him." - -The ferryman looked surprised, then disgusted, and finally he turned an -inquiring glance upon Joe, who said that Dan told the truth. - -"You don't like it, do you?" said the latter to himself. "It sorter -hurts you to know that there is them in the world that are just as -lucky and smart as you be, don't it? Yes, that's what's the matter with -pap. He don't want no one else to be as well off as he is." - -And when Dan said that, he hit the nail fairly on the head. - -"The other robber is not in a condition to attempt a rescue," said Joe; -"but, all the same, I don't think you ought to keep this man here all -night. The sheriff is now at Mr. Warren's house, and it is your duty to -hand the prisoner over to him at once. Be careful how you point those -guns this way." - -This last remark was called forth by an action on the part of Silas and -Dan that made Joe feel the least bit uncomfortable. - -While the latter was talking, his hands were busy with the rope; and -when the prisoner arose from the bench and stamped his feet to set the -blood in circulation again, his excited and watchful guards at once -covered his head and Joe's with the muzzles of their guns. - -"Turn those weapons the other way," repeated Joe, angrily. "You don't -think this man is foolish enough to try to run off while his hands are -tied, do you? Now, father, how did you happen to catch him?" - -"It was just as easy as falling off a log," replied Silas, resuming his -seat and resting his double-barrel across his knees. "When you and Dan -went away this morning, I just naturally shouldered my gun, walked up -the road to the foot of the mounting, and set down on a log to wait for -game to come a running past me, just the same as if I was watching for -deer, you know." - -This was all true; but there was one thing he did that he forgot to -mention. The only "game" Silas expected to see was Dan Morgan, when he -returned from the mountain at night, and the ferryman was prepared to -give him a warm reception. Before he devoted himself to the task of -holding down that log by the roadside, he took the trouble to cut a -long hickory switch, and to place it beside the log, out of sight. He -meant to give Dan such a thrashing that he would never play any more -tricks upon him. - -"Well, about one o'clock, or a little after, while I was a setting -there and waiting for the game to come along, I heared a noise in the -brush, and, all on a sudden, out popped this feller. He was running -like he'd been sent for, and that's why I suspicioned him. Of course -I didn't know him from Adam, but I asked him would he stop a bit. And -he 'lowed he would, when he seed my gun looking him square in the eye. -I brung him home, and your mam she passed out the clothes-line, and I -tied him up." - -"Where is mother now?" asked Joe. - -"Gone off after more sewing, I reckon," replied Silas, in a tone which -seemed to say that it was a matter that was not worth talking about. -"She helped me figger up what I would get for catching him, and then -she dug out. I'm worth almost as much as you be now, Joey, and that -there mean Dan, who wouldn't stay by and help me, he ain't got a cent. -Now, don't you wish you hadn't played that trick on me this morning." - -"Never mind that," interposed Joe, who did not care to stand by and -listen to an angry altercation which might end in a fight or a -foot-race between his father and Dan. "If we are going to deliver this -man to the sheriff to-night, we had better be moving." - -"Do you reckon the sheriff will hand over the twenty-five hundred when -I give up the prisoner?" inquired Silas, as the party walked down the -bank toward the flat. - -"Of course he won't." - -"What for won't he?" - -"Because he hasn't got it with him. Perhaps it was never put into his -hands at all. I haven't received my share yet." - -"Then I reckon I'd best hold fast to him till I'm sure of my money," -said Silas, reflectively. "I guess I won't take him down to old man -Warren's to-night." - -"I guess you will, unless you want to get into trouble with the law," -said Joe, decidedly. "If you don't give him up of your own free will, -the sheriff will take him away from you." - -Silas protested that he couldn't see any sense in such a law as that, -but he lent his aid in pushing off the flat. - -Dan, who was almost too angry to breathe, had more than half a mind -to stay at home; but his curiosity to hear and see all that was said -and done when the prisoner was turned over to the officers of the law -impelled him to think better of it. When the flat was shoved off, he -jumped in and picked up one of the oars. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXII. - -BOB EMERSON'S STORY. - - -We have said that Tom Hallet was so anxious to help his unlucky friend -Bob in some way that he joined the very first squad that went out in -search of him. - -The man who had the name of being the leader of it was the sheriff's -deputy; but the two stalwart young farmers who belonged to his party -were longer of limb than he was, and they pushed ahead at such a rate -that the deputy speedily fell to the rear, and stayed there during most -of the day. - -"Me and Cyrus have come out to win that there reward," said one of the -young men, when Tom remonstrated with them for leaving the officer so -far behind, "and we can't do it by loafing along like that sheriff -does. We've got a mortgage to pay off on the farm, and we don't know -any easier way to raise the money for it than to capture one of them -rogues." - -But this sanguine young fellow was not the only one who was destined -to have his trouble for his pains; and what made his disappointment -and his brother's harder to bear, was the reflection that if they had -left Tom's cabin half an hour earlier than they did, they might have -succeeded in earning a portion of the money of which they stood so much -in need. - -They were not more than a quarter of a mile away, when Brierly's signal -guns announced that one of the robbers had been captured. They ran -forward at the top of their speed, hoping to reach the scene of action -before the arrest was fairly consummated, but in this they were also -disappointed. - -When they came in sight of the successful party, they found the robber -securely bound, and Brierly wearing the belt that contained his weapons. - -"Too late, boys!" exclaimed the guide, who was highly elated over his -good fortune. "You can't lay claim to any of our money, if that's what -brung you up here in such haste." - -"We don't care for the money," panted Tom. "Where's Bob?" - -"That's so," said Brierly, who had not bestowed a single thought upon -the prisoner during the whole forenoon. "Where is he? Say, feller, what -have you done with him?" - -"I have not seen him for two hours," replied the prisoner. "As soon as -we found out that the hills were full of men, we set him at liberty, -and I suppose he made the best of his way home. We didn't want to keep -him with us, for fear that he would set up a yelp to show where we were -hiding." - -Just then the deputy, who had been sitting on a log to recover his -breath, managed to inquire: - -"What have you done with your partners?" - -"There were only two of us, and the other man has gone off that way," -answered the captive, nodding his head toward an indefinite point of -the compass. - -Tom Hallet had no further interest in the hunt. He stood by and -watched the officer as he unbound the prisoner and substituted a pair -of handcuffs for the rope with which his arms had been confined, and -when Brierly's party started off with their captive, Tom fell in behind -them. - -He went as straight to his cabin as he could go, and there he found Bob -Emerson, who was rummaging around in the hope of finding something to -eat. - -"I haven't had a bite of anything since last night, and you'd better -believe that I am hungry," said Bob, after he and Tom had greeted each -other as though they had been separated for years. "But I am not a bit -of a hero. I haven't had an adventure worth the telling." - -"There's nothing in there," said Tom, seeing that his friend was -casting longing eyes toward his game-bag. "I didn't take much of a -lunch with me, and I was hungry enough to eat it all. Can you stand it -till we get home?" - -"I'll have to," replied Bob. "By-the-way, did you ever see that -before?" - -As he spoke, he put his hand into his pocket and drew out a soiled and -crumpled letter, which looked as though it might have been through the -war. - -It was the same precious document that he and Tom had left in Silas -Morgan's wood-pile. - -"One of the robbers gave it to me last night," continued Bob, in reply -to his companion's inquiring look. "You will remember that Dan Morgan -lost the letter within a few feet of the log on which he sat when he -read it, and that when he and Silas went back to find it, they were -frightened away by something that dodged into the bushes, before they -could get a sight at it, and which they took to be a ghost. Well, it -wasn't a ghost at all, but one of the thieves, who had been to the -Beach after supplies. He found the letter and read it. Of course he -was greatly alarmed, and so was his companion; for they couldn't help -believing that some one had got wind of their hiding-place. They could -hardly believe me, when I told them that you and I made that letter up -out of the whole cloth, and that we never dreamed there was any one -living in the gorge." - -"But we did know it," said Tom. - -"Of course we did, after they frightened us, but not before. They spoke -about that, too. We took them completely by surprise the day we came -down the gorge. We were close upon their camp before they knew it, -and for a minute or two they didn't know what to do. Then one of them -conceived the idea of making that hideous noise, and when the other saw -how well it worked, he joined in with him." - -"But didn't they know that we would be back sooner or later to look -into the matter?" asked Tom. - -"Of course they did, and that was another thing that frightened them. -They saw very plainly that their hiding-place was broken up, and -were making preparations to leave it when Silas and Dan put in their -appearance. The robbers saw and heard them long before they got to the -camp, and the one who found the letter recognized them at once. It was -at his suggestion that that ghost was rigged up." - -"But they must have known that they could not scare everybody with that -dummy," observed Tom. - -"To be sure they did, and they were in a great hurry to get away from -there; but they needed provisions, and by stopping to get them they -fell into trouble. They took Joe Morgan's house for a woodchopper's -cabin and while we were robbing them, they were foraging on Joe. I tell -you, Tom, it's a lucky thing for us that we got out of that gorge when -we did. They were mad enough to shoot us on sight." - -"I don't wonder at it," replied Tom. "It would make most anybody mad to -lose a hundred and fifty thousand dollars in money and securities, no -matter how he came by them. Where did they catch you? Did they treat -you well?" - -"They treated me well enough," was Bob's reply, "but I believe that -if they had not stood in fear of immediate capture I should have a -different story to tell, if, indeed, I were able to tell any. I told -you nothing but the truth in the postscript I added to their note." - -"I knew they made you write it, and that you did not express your -honest sentiments when you told us to be in a hurry about giving back -that valise." - -"I was sure you would understand it; but what could a fellow do with a -cocked revolver flourished before his eyes by a man who was in just the -right humor to use it on him?" - -"He would do as he is told, of course," answered Tom. "But do you -suppose they thought they could get that valise back by threatening -you?" - -"I don't know what they thought, for they acted as if they were crazy. -They caught me in less than half an hour after I left you, and it was -through my own fault. I ran on to them before I knew it, and do you -imagine I thought 'robbers' once? As true as you live I didn't. I took -them for poachers, and told them, very politely, that these grounds -were posted and they couldn't be allowed to shoot there, when all on a -sudden it popped into my head what I was doing. They saw the start I -gave, and in a second more they had me covered. If I could have got -away without letting them see that I suspected them, they wouldn't have -said a word to me." - -"Well, they covered you with their revolvers; then what?" - -"Beyond a doubt, they made a prisoner of me before they thought what -they were doing, and when they came to look at it they found that they -had got an elephant on their hands. Then they would have been glad to -get rid of me; but they did not see just how they could do it with -safety to themselves, so they made up their minds to use me." - -"At first they thought they would wait and see if anything would come -of the notice they left on the door of the cabin, and then they thought -they wouldn't--that they would hunt up another hiding-place as soon as -possible; so they ordered me to take them where nobody would ever think -of looking for them. And I could do nothing but obey." - -"Were you acting as their guide when they released you?" - -Bob replied that he was. - -"Why didn't you veer around a bit, and lead them toward the railroad?" - -"If I had I shouldn't be here now," answered Bob, significantly. "They -warned me to be careful about that, and they were so well acquainted -with the hills that I was afraid to attempt any tricks. We camped over -on Dungeon Brook last night, and set out again at an early hour this -morning, but before we had been in motion an hour, we found ourselves -cut off from the upper end of the hills, and that was the time they -made up their minds to let me go. They didn't say so, but still I had -an idea that they didn't want me around for fear I would make too much -noise to suit them." - -"I know they were afraid of it," said Tom. "The robber that Brierly's -squad captured said so." - -"Is one of them taken?" exclaimed Bob, who hadn't heard of it before. -"That's good news. Where's the other?" - -"Don't know. They separated after they let you go, and Brierly captured -one of them. Perhaps we shall hear something about the other one now," -added Tom, directing his companion's attention to a large party of men -who were at that moment discovered approaching the cabin. "We went out -in squads of four, and there are a dozen men in that crowd." - -"But I don't see any prisoner among them," said Bob. "They have all -got guns on their shoulders, and that proves that they have not seen -anything of robber number two." - -As the party came nearer, the boys saw that it was made up of citizens -of Bellville and Hammondsport, who had abandoned the search for the -day, and were now on their way home. - -They were surprised to see Bob Emerson there, safe and sound, and -forthwith desired a full history of the letter which had been the means -of bringing about so remarkable a series of events. - -Bob protested that he was too hungry to talk, but when he saw the -generous supply of bread and meat which one of the men drew from his -haversack, he sat down on a log in front of the cabin and told his -story. - -His auditors declared that the way things had turned out was little -short of wonderful, adding, as they arose to go, that they were coming -out again, bright and early the next morning, to resume the search for -robber number two. They were not going to remain idle at home, they -said, as long as there were twenty-five hundred dollars running around -loose in the woods. - -When the bread and meat were all gone, and the boys were once more -alone, Tom wrote the notice which Joe Morgan found pinned to the door -of the cabin, and then he and Bob set out for Uncle Hallet's. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIII. - -TURNING OVER A NEW LEAF. - - -Although Silas Morgan had received the most convincing proof that he -had nothing more to fear from the "hant" which had so long occupied all -his waking thoughts and disturbed his dreams at night, he would not -have taken one step toward Mr. Warren's house before morning, had he -not been urged on by the hope that the sheriff would be ready to pay -over his money as soon as the robber was given up to him. The desire to -handle the reward to which he was entitled was stronger than his fear -of the dark. - -"And what shall I do with them twenty-five hundred after I get 'em, -Joey?" said he. "That's what's a bothering of me now." - -And it was the very thing that was bothering Joe, also. His father -had always been in the habit of spending his money as fast as he got -it, and the boy fully expected to see this large sum slip through his -fingers without doing the least good to him or anybody else. - -"I'll tell you what I _wouldn't_ do with it," said Joe, after a little -hesitation. "I wouldn't give Hobson any of it." - -"You're right I won't!" exclaimed Silas. "He's got more'n his share -already. What be you going to do with yours, when you get it?" - -"I think now that I shall put it in the bank at Hammondsport," answered -Joe. "It will be safe there, and if I am careful of it, it will last me -until I get through going to school. You don't want to go to school, -but you might go into business and increase your capital." - -"That's it--that's it, Joey!" exclaimed Silas, who grew enthusiastic at -once. "I never thought of that. But what sort of business? It must be -something easy, 'cause I've worked hard enough already." - -"Mr. Warren says that there is no easy way of making a living," began -Joe; but his father interrupted him with an exclamation of impatience. - -"What does old man Warren know about it?" he demanded. "He never had to -do a hand's turn in his life." - -"But he don't know what it is to be idle, and he is busy at something -every day," said Joe. "I'll tell you what I have often thought I would -do if I had a little money, and I may do it yet, if you don't decide -to go into it. The new road that is coming through here is bound to -bring a good many people to the Beach, sooner or later. As the trout -are nearly all gone, the guests will have to devote their attention to -the bass in the lake, and consequently there will be a big demand for -boats." - -"So there will!" exclaimed Silas, who saw at once what Joe was trying -to get at. "That's the business I've been looking for, Joey, and it's -an easy one, too. Of course, I can let all my boats at so much an hour, -and I won't have nothing to do but sit on the beach and take in my -money." - -"And what'll I be doing?" inquired Dan, who had not spoken before. - -"You!" cried Silas, who seemed to have forgotten that Dan was one of -the party. "You will keep on chopping cord wood, to pay you for the -mean trick you played on me this morning. You see what you made by it, -don't you? I reckon you wish you'd stayed by me now, don't you? How -much will them boats cost me, Joey?" - -"I should think that ten or a dozen skiffs would be enough to begin -with," answered Joe, "and they will cost you between three and four -hundred dollars; but you would have enough left to rent a piece of -ground of Mr. Warren and put up a snug little house on it." - -"Then I'll be a gentlemen like the rest of 'em, won't I?" exclaimed -Silas, gleefully. - -"No, you won't," said Dan, to himself. "That bridge ain't been built -yet, and I don't reckon Hobson means to have it there. He is going to -bust it up some way or 'nother, and I'm just the man to help him, if -he'll pay me for it. Everybody is getting rich 'cepting me, and I ain't -going to be treated this way no longer!" - -Silas was so completely carried away by Joe's plan for making money -without work that he could think of nothing else. He forgot how -determined and vindictive Dan was, and how easy it would be for him to -place a multitude of obstacles in his way, but Joe didn't. - -The latter knew well enough that Dan intended to make trouble if he -were left out in the cold, but what could be done for so lazy and -unreliable a fellow as he was? That was the question. - -While Joe was turning it over in his mind, he led the way through Mr. -Warren's gate and up to the porch, where he found his employer sitting -in company with the sheriff and both Uncle Hallet's game wardens. The -deputy was in an upper room, keeping guard over the other prisoner. - -Of course, Tom and Bob, who were greatly surprised as well as delighted -to see Joe and his party, wanted to know just how the capture of robber -number two had been brought about, and while Joe was telling the story, -the sheriff marched the captive into the house and turned him over to -his deputy. - -Then he came back and sat down; but he did not put his hand into his -pocket and pull out the reward as Silas hoped he would. - -"This has been a good day's work all around," said Tom, who was in high -spirits. "The next time there is any detective work to be done in this -county, Bob and I will volunteer to do it. We can catch more criminals -by sitting still and writing letters than the officers can by bringing -all their skill into play." - -The sheriff laughed, and said that was the way the thing looked from -where he sat. - -"The fun is all over now," continued Tom, "and to-morrow we will go to -work in earnest. You will be on hand, of course?" - -Joe replied that he would. - -"By-the-way," chimed in Bob, "did this robber of yours have a gun of -any description in his hands when he was captured?" - -"No." - -"Then, Joe, you and I are just that much out of pocket. The guns are -gone up." - -"What has become of them?" - -"They are out in the hills somewhere," answered Bob. "When the robbers -made up their minds that they had better let me go, one of them had my -gun and the other had yours; but the robber Brierly captured says that -the weapon impeded his flight, and so he threw it away. Whereabouts he -was in the hills when he got rid of it he can't tell. No doubt your gun -was thrown away also, and the chances are not one in a thousand that we -shall ever find them again." - -While this conversation was going on, Silas Morgan, who stood at the -foot of the steps that led to the porch, kept pulling Joe by the -coat-sleeve, and whispering to him: - -"Never mind the guns. Tell the sheriff that I'm powerful anxious to see -the color of them twenty-five hundred." - -Joe paid no sort of attention to him, and finally Silas became so very -much in earnest in his endeavors to attract the boy's notice, that the -officer saw it; and when there was a little pause in the conversation, -he said carelessly: - -"Oh, about the reward, Silas--" - -"That's the idee," replied the ferryman, who thought sure that he -was going to get it now. "That's what I'm here for. You have got the -burglars in your own hands now, and I don't reckon you would mind -passing it over, would you?" - -"I?" exclaimed the sheriff. "I haven't got it. I have never had a cent -of it in my possession." - -"Then who's going to give it to me?" demanded Silas, who wondered if -the officer was going to cheat him out of his money. - -"Well, you see, Silas," said the sheriff, "the reward is conditioned -upon the arrest and conviction of the burglars. They have been -arrested, and their conviction is only a matter of time; but you can't -get your money until they are sentenced." - -"And how long will that be?" - -"The court will sit again in about six weeks. As some of the money was -offered by the county, and the rest by the men who lost the jewelry and -things that were found in that valise, you will get your reward from -different parties, unless they hand it over to me to be paid to you in -a lump." - -"That's the way I want it," said Silas, who was very much disappointed. -"I'm going into business." - -"What sort of business?" inquired Mr. Warren. - -"I am going to keep a boat-house down to the Beach." - -"Well now, Silas, that's the most sensible thing I have heard from you -in a long time," said Mr. Warren. "I'll rent you a piece of ground big -enough for a garden, and you can set yourself up in business in good -shape, build a nice house, and have money left in the bank. If you -manage the thing rightly, you and Dan ought to make a good living of -it." - -"Who said anything about Dan?" exclaimed Silas. - -"I did. Of course, you can't ignore him, because you are wealthy. -He wants a chance to earn an honest living, and he needs it, too. -He's a strong boy, a first-rate hand with a boat, knows all the best -fishing-grounds on the lake, and would be just the fellow to send out -with a party who wanted a guide and boatman. You can easily afford to -pay him a dollar a day for such work as that." - -"Well, I won't do it," said Silas, promptly. "He's a lazy, -good-for-nothing scamp, Dan is, and I won't take him into business -along with me." - -"But you will hire him, and give him a chance to quit breaking the -game-law, and make an honest living," said the sheriff. "By-the-way, -Silas, I guess you had better bring up those setters, and save me the -trouble of going after them." - -"What setters?" exclaimed Silas, who acted as if he were on the point -of taking to his heels. "I ain't got none. I took 'em down to the hotel -and give 'em up." - -"I am glad to hear it, because it will save me some trouble," replied -the officer, "I have had my eyes on those dogs ever since you got hold -of them, and I should have been after them long ago, if I had known -where to find the owner. Don't do that again, Silas. Honesty is the -best policy, every day in the week." - -"If you will leave your business in my hands I will attend to it for -you, and you will not have to go to Hammondsport at all," continued -Mr. Warren. - -And Joe was glad to hear him say it, because it showed him that the -gentleman did not intend that his father should squander all his money, -if he could help it. - -"It is too late in the season for you to do anything with your boats -this year, but I will give you and Dan a steady job at chopping wood, -and if you take care of the money you earn, instead of spending it at -Hobson's bar, you can live well during the winter. If the reward is not -paid over to you by the time spring opens, I will advance you enough to -start you in business and build your house. Then I think you had better -give Dan a chance." - -"So do I," whispered Tom to his friend Bob. "Dan has lived by his wits -long enough, and if Silas doesn't begin to take some interest in him, -the sheriff will have a word or two to say about those setters. I can -see plainly enough that he intends to hold that affair over Silas as a -whip to make him behave himself." - -"Do you think Silas will ever have the reward paid him in a lump?" -asked Bob. - -"No, I don't, because he doesn't know enough to take care of so much -money. Joe can get his any time he wants it, for Mr. Warren knows that -he will make every cent of it count." - -Then, aloud, Tom said: - -"Well, Bob, seeing that we've got to get up in the morning, we had -better be going home. Come over bright and early, Joe, and we will take -your things back to your cabin." - -"And I will send up another supply of provisions," said Mr. Warren. - -Joe thanked his employer, bade him good-night, and led the way out of -the yard. - -For a time he and his party walked along in silence, and then Silas, -who began to have a vague idea that he had been imposed upon in some -way, broke out fiercely: - -"What did old man Warren mean by saying that if I didn't get all my -money by the time spring comes, he would advance enough to set me up -in business?" Silas almost shouted. "Looks to me like he'd 'p'inted -himself my guardeen, and that he means to keep a tight grip on them -twenty-five hundred, so't I can't spend it to suit myself. That's what -I think he means to do, dog-gone the luck!" - -Joe thought so, too, and he was glad of it. If that was Mr. Warren's -intention, Joe's mother would be likely to reap some benefit from the -reward; otherwise, she would not. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIV. - -THE TRANSFORMATION. - - -Silas Morgan was one of the proudest men that the sun ever shone upon, -and he would have been supremely happy if it had not been for two -things, over which he could exercise no control. - -One was that Mr. Warren and the sheriff intended to keep a sharp eye on -him, and see that he did not squander any of the money he had earned -by capturing the robber. The other was that Dan claimed recognition, -and was determined to have it, too, in spite of the mean trick he had -played upon his father. - -When Silas arose the next morning the first thought that came into -his mind was that he was a rich man. It excited him to such a degree -that he could not eat any breakfast. He managed to drink a single cup -of coffee, and then shouldered his gun and set out for Hobson's, -to exhibit himself to the loafers who made the Half-way House their -headquarters, while Joe hastened off to Mr. Hallet's to assist Tom and -Bob. - -Dan was left to pass the time as he pleased, and it suited him to sun -himself on the bank of the river and bemoan his hard luck. - -The first man Silas saw as he drew near to Hobson's place of business -was Brierly, who dropped some hints that set him to thinking. After -congratulating Silas on his good fortune, he inquired what use he -intended to make of the reward when he got it. - -"I ain't just made up my mind yet," was Silas Morgan's guarded reply. -"I don't reckon I'm going to get it right away, 'cause old man Warren -he's went and 'p'inted himself to be my guardeen, and I say that ain't -right. I ketched that there bugglar without no help from anybody. The -reward belongs to me, and I had oughter have it!" - -To his utter astonishment Brierly promptly answered: - -"No, you hadn't. You don't know how to take care of so much money, -more'n I do, and it's the properest thing that somebody should look -out for it. I tell you, Silas, I ain't the man I was when that Joe of -your'n ordered me out of old man's Warren's wood lot. Do you know what -I did the minute I got home yesterday? Well, I went down to the hotel -and give the landlord the twenty-five dollars that I had cheated Mr. -Brown out of. The landlord knows where he lives, and will send it to -him." - -"Joe tells me that Mr. Brown was a mighty scared man after you lost him -in the woods," observed Silas. - -"It was a mighty mean trick," declared Brierly; "but the fact of it was -I was hard up for money, and didn't care much how I got it. I think -different now. I've got a chance to be something better'n the lazy, -ragged vagabone I have always been, and I am going to keep it. I am, -for a fact! I have been waiting for it, and now that I have got it, I -intend to make the most of it. I think I shall let the heft of my money -stay where it is this winter, and get my grub and clothes by chopping -wood for old man Warren. You want to look out for Hobson. He's got an -eye on them dollars of your'n. He tried to shove lots of things onto me -this morning, but I wouldn't take 'em." - -Silas Morgan never expected to hear such counsel as this from Brierly, -who, like himself, had always been in the habit of squandering his -slim earnings as fast as he could get hold of them, and it excited a -serious train of reflections in his mind. Being on his guard, Hobson's -blandishments had no effect upon him. - -"You're the luckiest man I ever heard of!" exclaimed the proprietor of -the Half-way House, coming out from behind his counter and greeting -Silas with great cordiality. "Warren's hired man told the stage driver -all about it, and he told us. Want anything in my line this morning?" - -"There's plenty of things I want," replied Silas; "but I ain't got a -cent of money." - -"No matter for that. Your credit is good." - -"And what's more, I don't reckon I can get any of that reward under six -weeks," continued Silas. "The court don't sit till then, you know, -and I won't see the color of them dollars till the bugglars gets their -sentence." - -"But Joe's pay-day will come sooner than that," suggested Hobson. - -"Well, now, look here," said Silas, slowly. "Don't you think it would -be mighty mean for a man who is worth twenty-five hundred dollars to -take the money his little boy makes by living up there alone in the -woods? I do. And I've about made up my mind that I won't do it." - -"Didn't you tell me that you thought the head of the family ought to -have the handling of all the money that came into the house?" demanded -Hobson, who was really astonished to hear such sentiments as these come -from Silas Morgan. - -"I did think so once, but I don't now," was the reply. "And furder'n -that, I don't reckon I'll get my money all in a lump, like I thought -I was going to, 'cause old man Warren he's gone and made himself my -guardeen; and if I run in debt now, I'll have to give you an order on -him for the money. Of course he would want to see the bill, and mebbe -he'd take particular notice of the items that's into it." - -"Do you mean to let him boss you around in that way?" exclaimed Hobson. -"I thought you had more pluck than that. You are old enough to be your -own master, if you are ever going to be." - -"Well," said Silas, again, "there's one thing that I ain't master of, -and I know it. That's money. Whenever I get a dollar bill in my hands, -it burns me so't I have to drop it somewheres. I reckon I won't touch -that reward this winter." - -Hobson was so angry and disgusted that he could not say a word in -reply. He went around behind his counter, and when Silas turned to -go out, he informed him, in a savage tone of voice, that there was a -little difference of a dollar and a half between them, and he would be -glad to have him settle up then and there. - -"Didn't I tell you when I first come in that I ain't got a cent to -bless myself with?" reminded Silas. "But me and Dan are going to -work for old man Warren this very afternoon, and I'll be around next -Saturday, sure pop." - -"I'll bear that in mind," said Hobson. "If you are not on hand, I shall -ride down to your house to see what is the matter." - -"That's always the way with them kind of fellows," said Brierly, in a -low tone. "As long as you've got plenty of money, and spend it free -with them, you're a first-rate chap; but the very minute you turn over -a new leaf, and try to be honest and sober, they ain't got no use for -you. I'm done with 'em." - -Silas walked home in a brown study. The first thing he did after he -crossed the threshold of his humble abode was to put his gun in its -place over the door, and the second, to take an axe and whetstone out -of the chimney corner. With these in his hand, he went out on the bank -where Dan was still sunning himself. - -"It's a long time since you seen this here little tool, ain't it?" said -Silas, cheerfully; but there was something in the tone of his voice -that made the boy tremble. "Looks kinder like it used to last winter, -don't it? Now, sharpen it up so't you can drive it clear in to the eye -every clip, and after dinner me and you will toddle down to old man -Warren's, and ask him where he wants us to cut that wood; won't we, -Dannie?" - -"No, we won't," shouted Dan. - -"Won't, eh?" said his father, calmly. "Well, them that don't work can't -eat, and a boy that won't help himself when he's got a chance, can't -get no dollar a day out of me when I go into that boat business. He -won't be worth it, and Mr. Warren will think so too, when he hears of -it. I reckon the best thing you can do is to put that there axe in -shape and be ready to go with your pap after dinner." - -When he had taken time to think about it, Dan came to the same -conclusion. It cost him a struggle to do it, but when his father -shouldered his axe and set out for Mr. Warren's house, Dan went with -him. - -The gentleman was glad to hear that Silas did not intend to remain idle -simply because he had twenty-five hundred dollars in prospect, gave -him some good advice, and told him where to go to cut the wood. - -The road they followed to get to it took them close by the cabin of the -young game-warden, whom they found busily engaged in setting things to -rights. - -Of course, it made Dan angry to see his brother surrounded by so many -comforts, and in a position to make his money so easily, but there was -no help for it. - -His father was on Joe's side now; Dan could see that easily enough, and -an attempt on his part to annoy the young game-warden in any way would -bring upon him certain and speedy punishment. - -After that, things went smoothly with Joe Morgan. - -During that fall and winter Mr. Warren's imported game was never -interfered with, and the reason was because all the worst poachers -in the country, including Brierly and his gang, as well as Joe's own -father, had given up the precarious business of market-shooting. - -More than that, when Silas paid his bill at Hobson's, which he did, -according to promise, he gave the loungers about the Halfway House to -understand that he had taken Joe under his protection, and that any one -who troubled either him or Mr. Warren's blue-headed birds, might expect -to answer to him for it. - -As Silas Morgan's prowess in battle was well known to every body for -miles around, the market-shooters took him at his word, and kept away -from Mr. Warren's wood-lot. - -The savage, half-starved dogs in the settlement which had become so -fond of hunting deer that they sometimes chased them on their own -responsibility, were either chained up or given away, and the only -hounds that gave tongue among the Summerdale hills during the winter -were those which, like Tom Hallet's beagle, were trained to hunt foxes -and coons. - -While the pleasant weather continued, the young game-wardens searched -the woods thoroughly, in the hope of finding the guns that the -robbers had thrown away during their flight, but their efforts were -unrewarded, and finally the snows of winter came and covered them up. - -One day, just before Christmas, Mr. Warren's hired man came up, -bringing, among other things, a few magazines and papers, a supply of -provisions for Joe's use, some grain for the birds, and a long, shallow -box which he placed carefully upon the table. - -"Mr. Warren says that you will want to go home on Christmas, and -there's a little something for your folks to eat," said he, handing Joe -a nice fat turkey, all dressed and ready for the oven. "In that box you -will find a present from St. Nick. Look at it, and see if you ain't -glad you lost your rusty old single-barrel." - -"I know what it is," replied Joe. "Is it mine to keep, or to use while -I am acting as game-warden?" - -"It is yours to keep. It is intended to replace the one the robbers -stole from you." - -The sight that met the boy's gaze when he unlocked the box made his -eyes open wide with wonder and delight. Inside, was a breech-loader, -with pistol-grip and all the necessary loading tools. Of course, it -was a fine weapon. Mr. Warren never did things by halves. - -It was the first Christmas present Joe had ever received. - -Contrary to Mrs. Morgan's expectations, there was not the least trouble -in the house over the young game-warden's money. She had enough and to -spare, and so had Silas and Dan. - -The former worked faithfully, because his ambition had been aroused, -and Dan toiled steadily by his side, because he knew if he didn't, he -would lose the dollar a day he was looking forward to. He got it, too. - -The robbers were duly convicted and sentenced, and, when spring came, -Silas had his twenty-five hundred dollars intact; or, to speak more -correctly, somebody had it for him. - -Silas did not know just where it was, whether in Mr. Warren's hands -or the sheriff's, and indeed he did not care. All the bills he made -in buying his boat, building his new house and fencing the piece -of ground that Mr. Warren leased to him, were promptly met by that -gentleman, and Silas highly elated at the prospect of having a paying -business of his own, worked to such good purpose that when the guests -began to arrive he was ready to serve them. - -For the first time in his life, Dan Morgan looked as "spick and span as -anybody" in his blue uniform, with a wide collar and sailor necktie, -all bought with his own money, too; and he often walked up and down in -front of the hotel to show himself to the people who were sitting on -the veranda. - -He proved to be a good boatman, and easily earned the dollar a day his -father paid him for his services. - -Joe held to his resolution, and entered the Bellville Academy when the -spring term opened. He is there now; and he often says that he likes -his school duties much better than those he was called on to perform -while he was acting as Mr. Warren's game-warden. - - -THE END. - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's The Young Game-Warden, by Harry Castlemon - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE YOUNG GAME-WARDEN *** - -***** This file should be named 62866.txt or 62866.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/2/8/6/62866/ - -Produced by David Edwards, Martin Pettit and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This -book was produced from images made available by the -HathiTrust Digital Library.) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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