THE OUTDOOR CHUMS

 AT CABIN POINT

 OR

 The Golden Cup Mystery

 BY

 CAPTAIN QUINCY ALLEN

 AUTHOR OF "THE OUTDOOR CHUMS, " "THE OUTDOOR CHUMS IN THE BIG WOODS, " ETC. 

 _The_ GOLDSMITH Publishing Co. CLEVELAND OHIO

 COPYRIGHT, 1916, BY GROSSET & DUNLAP

 * * * * *

CONTENTS

CHAPTER

I ON THE WAY TO CAMP

II A COOL CUSTOMER

III TAKING POSSESSION

IV AS BUSY AS BEAVERS

V A CALL FOR HELP

VI THE HOME OF THE OSPREY

VII THE CHAINED DOOR

VIII WHEN THE FLASHLIGHT TRAP WORKED

IX THE FORAGING PARTY

X TRESPASSERS

XI IN THE BIG TIMBER

XII CAUGHT IN THE STORM

XIII TAKING A BEE-LINE FOR CAMP

XIV THE RETURN OF THE VOYAGERS

XV DAYS OF REAL SPORT

XVI SHOWING BLUFF AND JERRY

XVII THE WARNING

XVIII THE ACCUSATION

XIX REPAYING HIS DEBT

XX GROPING IN THE DARK

XXI AN UNEXPECTED APPEAL

XXII FIRST AID TO THE INJURED

XXIII A LIGHT IN THE WINDOW

XXIV THE MYSTERY SOLVED

XXV CONCLUSION

 * * * * *

THE OUTDOOR CHUMS AT CABIN POINT

CHAPTER I

ON THE WAY TO CAMP

"We're going into the woods light this time, it seems, boys. "

"Remember, Bluff, we sent along most of our stuff, such as blanketsand grub, as also the cooking outfit, in charge of old Anthony, thestage driver. "

"That's a fact, Will, and he was to leave it at the abandoned mineshaft, from which point we expect to make pack horses of ourselves. "

"True for you, Jerry! And unless Frank here has made a mistake in hisreckoning we're due to reach that hole in the ground before anotherhour. "

"How about that, Frank?"

"We'll fetch up there in less time than that I reckon, fellows. Totell you the truth, it can't be more than a mile away from here. "

"Bully for that! And after we get over the peak of this rocky ridge weought to be on the down-grade most of the way. "

When Jerry Wallington gave expression to his gratitude after thisfashion, two of his companions waved their hats as though he voicedtheir sentiments. One of these boys was Will Milton, and while he didnot seem to be quite as vigorous as his chums, still his active lifeduring the last two years had done much to build up his strength. Asfor Bluff Masters, any one could see from his looks that he had aconstitution of iron, while his face told of determination borderingon obstinacy. The fourth member of the little party tramping alongthis road leading over the ridge was Frank Langdon. He was a boy ofmany parts, able to take the lead in most matters, and looked up to byhis comrades. 

All of them lived in the town of Centerville, where, on account oftheir love for the open and for camp life, they had become known asthe "Outdoor Chums. " Fortune had indeed been kind to these four boys, and allowed them to enjoy opportunities for real sport that come theway of few lads. 

They had first called themselves the "Rod, Gun and Camera Club, "because their activities in the woods partook of the nature of theseseveral branches of sport. Will was an ardent photographer, and hiswork had received high praise. Indeed, it was only recently that hehad captured a cash prize offered by a prominent newspaper for thebest collection of flashlight pictures of wild animals in their nativehaunts. 

This had been accomplished only after the most persistent andlaborious efforts. It was carried out during a delightful trip, takenby the boys to the Maine country, where they met with some exceedinglyinteresting adventures, all of which were set down in the seventhvolume of this series, under the title of "The Outdoor Chums in theBig Woods; Or, The Rival Hunters of Lumber Run. "

Those readers who have followed the fortunes of Frank and his threewide-awake comrades in previous stories have of course come to look onthem as old friends, and need no further introduction. As there may besome, however, who are now making their acquaintance for the firsttime it may be well to mention a few things connected with their past, as well as to explain why they were now bound for a new camping groundin a region they had never before visited. 

Naturally, they knew every foot of country for many miles aroundCenterville. They had roamed over Oak Ridge and the Sunset Mountains, camped on Wildcat Island, situated in Camelot Lake, and scoured theregion roundabout. 

More than this, wonderful opportunities had come to these boys tovisit distant parts of the States. On one occasion they had taken atrip South, going to the Gulf of Mexico. Another time it had been avisit to the Rocky Mountains where they hunted big game. Then, on ahouseboat belonging to an eccentric uncle of Will's, they voyaged downthe great Mississippi River to New Orleans, meeting with numerousadventures on the way. 

When they returned home after their first year at college, of coursethe regular question came up immediately: "Where shall we go for thenext outing? because we must get into the woods somehow, and liveclose to Nature for a spell, to fish, and take pictures, and justforget all our troubles. "

Many ideas were suggested, but it remained for Bluff Masters to bringup the most catching plan. By some means he had heard of a place agood many miles away from their home town where the big lake lay formany miles between the hills. 

Here he had been told by one who knew that they would be apt to findthe seclusion they sought, since few people lived in that section ofcountry. Small game was plentiful enough to give Will all the fun hewanted in laying his traps, in order that raccoons and opossums andfoxes might be coaxed to snap off their own pictures. 

Fishing ought to be good in the waters of the inland sea, and all ofthem professed to be ardent disciples of the hook and line. In fact, Bluff laid out such an alluring programme that he actually carried theothers by storm. 

Accordingly, preparations were made to go to the distant lake. Frank, as was his habit, did everything in his power to pick up informationconcerning the lay of the land. He even made up a sort of map, basedon what he was able to learn, although frankly admitting that it mightprove faulty in many places. It was going to be one of his personaltasks to rectify these mistakes, and bring back an accurate chart ofthe whole district. 

Besides being an ardent photographer, Will had taken up the study ofmedicine, as he anticipated some day being a physician. The boys werein the habit of calling him "Doctor Will" at times; and whenever therearose an occasion that called for his aid he was only too willing toapply his knowledge of the healing art. 

Bluff Masters had perhaps been well named by his boy friends for hewas not only a frank sort of boy, but there were many times when justout of a desire to tease he would try to "bluff" those with whom hechanced to be arguing. 

At the same time Bluff was a hearty boy, with plenty of good nature, and was a favorite with his companions. He and Jerry were both apt tobe a little boisterous, and to express their dislikes rather forcibly, but the others knew their little failings and paid small attention tothem as a rule. 

As they mentioned in their chatter while they tramped along the roughup-hill road, they had found a chance to send most of their campoutfit ahead of them by the stage. It was to be left at the shaft ofthe old abandoned mine, which they had heard so much about, though ofcourse had never seen. 

After reaching that point they expected to leave the road and plungedirectly into the woods, taking a short-cut for the big lake. Herethey had planned to search for an old cabin situated on a point thatstretched out into the beautiful bay, and which Frank believed mightserve them in lieu of a tent; indeed, trusting to the informationthey had received, they had not bothered to carry any canvas alongwith them on the trip. 

"What if that old cabin proves to be a myth after all, Frank?" Bluffwas asking as they toiled along, with a wall of rock on one hand and adizzy precipice close on the other side. 

"Perhaps we'll be sorry about leaving out that fine waterproof tent ofours, " suggested Will, who did not like to "rough it" quite so much asdid the others. 

"Shucks!" ejaculated Jerry, with fine scorn, "what's the matter withour building a shelter of logs, bark and driftwood on the shore of thelake, if the worst strikes us? It wouldn't be the first time we'd donesuch a thing either, eh, Frank?"

"I reckon we could do it without straining a point, " the otherobserved quietly. "But don't borrow trouble, Bluff. Time enough tocross your bridges when you get to them. That old cabin stood therelast summer, I was told, and likely to hold out for a good many moreseasons unless some one should deliberately burn it down. "

"Who would be apt to do such a silly thing as that, tell me?" demandedBluff. 

"I don't think any one would, " Frank hastened to reply; "but I've beentold there's a peculiar old hermit living on an estate not a greatway distant from Cabin Point. He is said to be a rich man, but seemsto want to keep away from his fellows, and has built a house up hereon his property. "

"You mean Aaron Dennison, of course, Frank, " said Will. "I wasinterested in what we were told about him. He seems to be a regularbear, and refuses to make friends with anybody drifting up here. "

"The loggers over at Edmundson Cove tell queer yarns of the things hehas done, " Frank continued, with a faint smile; "and to own up to thetruth, I'm rather hoping we run across old Aaron. He must be quite acharacter from all we've heard, and somehow I've grown curious abouthim. "

"And if I get half a chance, " observed Will, whose mind usually ran inthe one channel, which of course covered his hobby, "I mean to snapoff a picture of him. I've got a lot of freaks in my collection, butnary a hermit nor a crank. "

"All I hope for, " said Jerry, "is that he doesn't try to make itunpleasant for us up here. For one, I expect to give him a wide berth. These hermits are not much to my fancy. You never know what to expectfrom the lot. But, Frank, after all, we're not the only fellowstraveling along this mountain road. Look up ahead and you'll see achap hurrying this way. "

"He's not much older than any of us, it seems, " remarked Bluff, as allof them immediately focussed their gaze on the figure that had turneda bend in the rough road, and was hurriedly advancing in a somewhatcareless fashion. 

"He's carrying a bag just like my new one, " remarked Will, patting thearticle in question affectionately, as though it contained somethingwhich he valued very much. 

"I shouldn't be surprised if he were heading for that railroad stationwe struck a mile back, " suggested Frank. "It was only a flag station, but trains stop there on signal most likely. "

"But where on earth could that natty young fellow come from, do youthink?" Will asked. "I hope there isn't a camp of city boys up hereanywhere, because if that turned out to be the case there'd be smallchance for me to get the pictures of game I'm hoping to strike. "

"He sees us now, " remarked Jerry, "but is coming along faster thanever. Perhaps he's running away from something, for he looked backjust then over his shoulder. "

"Yes, and came near taking a nasty fall in the bargain, " commentedWill, who had started with sudden fear; "it strikes me he's a prettycareless sort of fellow. On a dangerous road like this it pays towatch your step, as a fall might mean a broken leg, or even worse. Oh!look there, boys, he's stumbled again, and gone over the edge of theprecipice!"

All of them stared in awe, for what Will called out was only too true. The advancing figure was no longer in sight, for upon making thatfalse step he had fallen to his knees, made a violent effort to keepfrom slipping over the edge, and then disappeared. 

CHAPTER II

A COOL CUSTOMER

"Come on everybody!" shouted Jerry, starting to run up the grade inhis customary impetuous way. 

The other three were close at his heels. All were inspired by an eagerdesire to find out whether the stranger had actually fallen all theway down the face of that steep declivity, or had managed to catchhold of some friendly projection. 

If the chums had felt tired before that thrilling moment they quiteforgot the circumstance in their wild anxiety to learn what hadhappened to the strange boy. Fortunately the spot where they had lastseen the other vanish was not far away, and they soon came to theplace. 

Jerry was already flat on his stomach and peering over the edge whenthe other boys arrived. Even before they could see for themselves hisshout announced that he had made an important discovery. 

"He's hanging to a point of rock down there, as sure as anything, Frank! Oh! how are we going to get to him before his arms give way?See how he's throwing his feet up, trying to ease the strain, butthere's nothing doing. Shall I go down there after him, Frank?"

"Don't you think of it, Jerry!" cried the alarmed Will; "let Frankmake up a plan. You'd only tumble yourself, don't you know?"

Frank Langdon had an exceedingly active mind. He seemed to be able tograsp a situation instantly, and to decide quickly the best thing todo in an emergency. 

Even while running to the spot he had used his eyes to advantage. 

"Wait for me!" was what he snapped as he flung himself around. 

Bluff, twisting his head backwards, saw that Frank was making for atree that had been blown down at some previous time. It chanced to beclose at hand, and in a dozen seconds the running boy had gained thespot. 

Then Bluff gave a cry of mingled delight and admiration. 

"It certainly takes Frank to hatch up a clever scheme on the spur ofthe moment! He's dragging that old wild grave-vine out from the wreckof the tree!" was what Bluff exclaimed in an ecstasy of satisfaction. "Oh! why didn't he tell me to go along with him? What if he can'tmanage it alone?"

Bluff was in the act of clambering to his feet when Jerry halted him. 

"It's all right, Bluff, for he's got it loose now, and is whooping itup this way like everything. If only that fellow can hold on a littlelonger we'll pull him up O. K. Hey, down there, take a fresh grip andstick fast! We've got a vine rope coming on the jump! Steady now, oldchap; we're standing by you!"

"Hurry!" they heard the other gasp. Undoubtedly after all hisexertions he must have been short of breath, though the face he turnedup toward them did not appear to be stamped with any great degree offright. 

Just then Frank arrived on the spot, and instantly started to lowerthe section of wild grape-vine he had secured from the fallen tree. Itwas at least a dozen or fifteen feet in length, and any one acquaintedwith the amazing strength of such a parasite did not need to beassured that it would easily bear the weight of several persons theweight of one who was in such peril on the rock below. 

"Can you change your hold to the vine?" called Frank, when presentlyhe could see that the lower end of his substitute rope dangled closealongside the other. 

It required more or less agility and reserve strength to carry such aproceeding through successfully. The stranger, however, appeared topossess these necessary qualifications, Frank was pleased to see. 

Will felt as though his heart was up in his throat as he watched theother hang on to the spur of rock with one hand, and seize thedangling object with the other. Frank had lowered the larger end ofthe vine. He had also sent it below the jutting rock, so that the onethey meant to rescue could clasp his legs about it, and thus secure amuch better grip. 

When they saw he had really accomplished the difficult feat oftransferring his weight to the vine the boys, whose heads projectedbeyond the ledge above, uttered encouraging shouts. 

"Well done, old top!" called out Bluff, carried away by hisenthusiasm, and acting as though he had known the other a long time. "Now just give us a little time and we'll run you up here in greatshape. Here you come, then! Heave-oh, boys!"

It required their united strength to raise the boy who dangled at theend of the grape-vine. This was on account of the fact that theirmake-believe rope refused to bend very well, thus making its haulingup a clumsy business. 

Still every foot helped, and all the while some of them kept callingout encouragingly to the boy below. In the end his head appeared inview, upon which he was seized by the arms by Frank and Bluff, anddragged over the edge. 

Somewhat to the surprise of the boys, he immediately started tobrushing himself off, as though the dust on his clothes bothered himmore than any slight bruises he may have received in his ugly fall. Frank made up his mind when he saw this that the other was certainlynonchalant, or, as Frank himself expressed it, "a cool customer. "

"I hope you're not hurt by your tumble?" Frank asked, at which theother shook his head, and continued dusting his coat as he replied:

"Don't think I got even a scratch, which is about my ordinary luck. But only for your coming I'd have dropped the rest of the way down tothe bottom of the hole, and that might have changed things some. Thankyou very much for helping. And that scheme of the wild grave-vine wasa corker, too. I'd never have thought of such a thing, I'm positive. "

"Oh! trust Frank for hitting the right nail on the head every time, "boasted Will, who never lost a chance to magnify the deeds of the onehe admired above any among all his friends. 

The other now took occasion to look them over curiously, as though hehad begun to wonder who they were, and what brought four boys up intothis region. Frank guessed this much, for he immediately introducedhimself and his chums. 

"We're from Centerville, a town that's a good way off from here. Myname's Frank Langdon, this is Will Milton, the one next to him isBluff Masters, and the other fellow, Jerry Wallington. We have alwaysbeen mighty fond of camping, and just now mean to put in a few weekson the shore of the big lake at a place called Cabin Point. Our stuffhas gone ahead of us on the stage that came along here yesterday. "

Somehow Frank thought the other started a little and looked keenly athim when this announcement was made. He could not understand, though, why it should interest any one to know that they intended to camp atany particular spot on the lake shore, since there were many miles tochoose from. 

"Oh! my name is Gilbert Dennison. I've been at college, and mean tospend my vacation playing golf. You see they do say I'm runner-upamong the amateurs on the green links. Sent my clubs and luggage offyesterday, and was on the way to the train to-day when the horsesmashed a wheel of the rig. I had to put out afoot, for, you see, Iwouldn't miss making that train for a good deal, because of thematch. "

He took out his watch and held it in a hand that hardly trembled inthe least, which Frank thought rather remarkable, seeing what a strainhad been upon him lately. Altogether, Frank considered him the coolestperson he had ever met. If he could control his nerves in this fashionwhen playing in a match it was no wonder he was looked upon as acoming wonder on the golf links, where such a gift counts heavily. 

"You must excuse me for rushing off in such a beastly hurry, fellows!"Gilbert exclaimed, as he looked around for his bag, which, fortunately, had not fallen over the precipice at the time hestumbled; "some other time perhaps I'll run in on you at your camp, and be able to thank you in a more decent way for giving me a lift. Ithink I can make that train in half an hour. "

Bluff and Jerry had not a word to say. They stood and stared at theother, astonished beyond measure. Really in all their experiences farand wide they had never met with such a self-possessed young person asthis. 

He picked up his bag, waved them a flippant good-bye, and thenactually started to run down the slope. Bluff scratched his head andgrinned, while Jerry exclaimed in disgust. 

"Gee whiz! if that wasn't the queerest thing ever! You'd think he'djust stubbed his toe, and we happened along in time to help him rubthe same. He sure is a cool customer, believe me, fellows!"

"Such base ingratitude I never ran across, " ventured Will, indignantly. "Why, only for Frank's fetching that grape-vine along, and our pulling him up so neatly, he'd have had to let go his holdbefore now. And say, it was all of thirty feet down to the bottom ofthe hole from the rock he held on to; an ugly fall, I'd call it. "

"Oh! well, " observed Frank, more amused than otherwise by the singularcircumstance, "when a fellow pursues any fad as he does golf he seemsto chase it just as we've all done one of those jack-o'-lanterns inthe marsh. When the fever is on him he can't think of anything else. That match on the links is, in his mind, the greatest event under thesun. We've all been there, boys, remember. "

"But where did he come from, do you think?" asked Will. 

"There's a village, I recollect, over the hills that way, " Frankexplained; "and it's just barely possible his folks live there. Beingoff the railroad, you see they have to make a little journey of somemiles every time they want to go to the city. We may run on to thebroken-down buggy further on. "

"He's still running right along, " remarked Jerry. 

"And hasn't bothered to look back once, " added Will, as though hecould not understand why the other should so easily forget about theservice they had done him. 

"Well, looking back caused him his other stumble, and it's taught hima lesson, I reckon, " laughed Frank, always ready to offer excuses forothers' failings, but never for his own. 

"We might as well be going on our way then, boys, " suggested Bluff, ashe gave his knapsack a fling that caused it to land squarely on hisback. 

The others picked up their scanty possessions for, as has been saidbefore, the main part of their belongings had been sent on in advanceby the stage. 

"For one, " observed Will with a little sigh, "I own up I'll be gladwhen we get to the lake. Seems to me this bag keeps on growing heavierall the time; and yet when I started out this morning I thought it aslight as a feather. "

"It's always that way, " he was told by Frank, consolingly; "even yourfeet often begin to drag as though weighted down with lead, when onceyou find yourself growing tired. But, Will, say the word and I'll toteyour bag for you. "

"Not much you will, Frank! though it's certainly kind of you to offerto do it. I'd be a nice Outdoor Chum, wouldn't I now, if I let someother fellow shoulder my burdens? If I were sick or lame it might be adifferent thing; but that doesn't happen to fit the case now. I'll getalong all right, so don't worry. "

Accordingly they pushed on up the road, and presently arrived at thecrest of the ridge. The trees prevented an extended view, however, much to the disappointment of Will, who wanted to make use of hiscamera. 

They saw no signs of the wrecked vehicle mentioned by the youngcollege chap who had given them his name as Gilbert Dennison, andhence concluded it must be further along the road. 

A short time afterwards Frank announced that they were near theabandoned mine, which his informants had told him lay close to theborder of the road they had followed over the rocky ridge. 

CHAPTER III

TAKING POSSESSION

Frank had learned that many years back there had been a companyorganized to mine the iron that was known to exist in certain sectionsof the hills in that region. 

Considerable work had been done, and some ore even shipped away, when, for some reason or other, the scheme had been given up after a shafthad been sunk for fifty feet or more, and workings started. 

The entrance to the abandoned mine had been visited by curious peoplecoming to that locality. It was even marked on the old map which Frankhad used in making the outlines of his own little chart. 

"Here it is, boys!" cried Jerry, who had pushed to the front; "Frankwas correct when he said he could see where the wheels of the stagehad run in off the road just back there. I hope our stuff is allright. "

"So do I!" echoed Will, anxiously, "because I've got most of my newrolls of films, as well as my flashlight apparatus, in my big pack. I'm only carrying a lot of precious developed films in this bag, withother things I need. You see I'm meaning to put in quite a bunch oftime while up here experimenting and that's why I carried them along. "

They had their fears quickly relieved, for their property lay justinside the old shaft leading into the abandoned iron mine. 

"It all seems to be here, and in decent shape, " remarked Frank. "Thatstage driver kept his word when he said he'd take good care of ourstuff. And now to divide it up so every one has a share. "

"No funny business, Frank, " Bluff reminded him; "every one of usexpects to get an equal tote load. "

"That's what I say, too, " echoed Will, who suspected he might betreated too generously by his chums, and given less than his properproportion to carry, for Will was over-sensitive concerning his lackof physical strength. 

In the end they managed to distribute the blankets, food, and otherthings in a fashion that was fairly equitable, and then resumed theirjourney. At this point they expected to leave the road, and follow atrail that if stuck to would take them to the shore of the big lakearound Cabin Point, their intended destination. 

"Our course should be almost due northwest from here on, " the guideinformed his three companions as they set forth. "I'm telling you thatfor a purpose, you understand. "

"You mean in case we lose the pesky trail that seems so faint, we cankeep going in the right direction all the same; is that it, Frank?"asked Jerry. 

"You've struck the right nail on the head, Jerry, for that was what Imeant. But by keeping our eyes on the trail we ought to have littletrouble following this old path. "

"It strikes me the trail hasn't been worked much for some time, " Bluffobserved. 

"That's true enough, " said the pilot of the expedition, "but once atrail has been well worn you can find it years and years afterward ifyou look the right way. It's easy to notice heaps of signs that tellthe story, where the earth was worn away by passing feet. When you'rein doubt just push back the grass and there it lies as plain as day. "

Frank always prided himself more or less on his ability to followtracks where others might give up the task in despair. Nothing pleasedhim half so much as to run across a puzzle along these lines thatrequired his best work in order to find the answer. 

After they had gone on for some time a rest was called. 

"That's a good idea, Frank, " Jerry declared when he heard the ordergiven to drop their burdens and lie around for ten minutes or so. "Notthat I'm feeling played out you understand; but I've always been toldit was poor policy to whip a willing nag. "

"It's certainly a pretty rough path, all right!" Will admitted. 

"But we must be about half-way across by now, " added Bluff. 

"How about that, Frank? Let's take a look at your map again, " saidJerry. 

Upon examination it was found to be about as Bluff had thought; theshore of the big water could not be more than half a mile further on. Cheered by this information, even Will expressed himself as willing tostart again. 

"When you've got anything unpleasant to do, " he told them, "I believein getting it over with as soon as you can, and off your mind. "

"Huh! that pleases me a heap to hear you say so, Will, " chuckledBluff; "because you know there's that dicker I wanted to make with youfor that new hunting knife I took such a fancy to. I offered you myold one and something to boot in the bargain. Now I understood fromthe way you acted the deal wasn't pleasant to you; so please get itover with as soon as possible. "

"I'll see you in Guinea, Bluff, before I trade that splendid blade, "retorted the other, "but I told you where I got it, and any time youfeel like it you can send for one just like mine. Let it go at thatthen. "

There came another hard pull. Sometimes the way was so rough that allof them panted more or less. Will showed real grit by keeping up withthe others, though he had to shut his teeth hard together, and takehimself mentally to task when he felt his legs tremble under him withweakness. 

All at once Jerry, always the first to discover things, gave vent to ayell. 

"Hey there, fellows! I see water ahead through the trees! Yep, it'sthe big lake as sure as anything! We've got there at last!"

"Good!" muttered Will in an undertone, as though he did not wish theothers to hear him; to tell the truth, he felt as though he could notstagger on much further over that rough trail, and carry the heavypack in the bargain, as well as the new bag containing his preciousfilms. 

The sight of the splendid sheet of water seemed to inspire them allwith new energy, for they perceptibly quickened their pace untilimpatient Jerry was almost running in his eagerness to get to hisdestination. 

After a while they found themselves standing on the shore of theinland sea, where the waters were lapping the shore with a murmuringsound that was sweet music in the ears of Frank Langdon. 

"Well, one thing's settled anyhow, " remarked Will, presently, as heheaved a sigh of relief; "we didn't get lost, did we, fellows?"

"Shucks! that was the last thing to bother me, " declared Bluff with afine appearance of scorn. "For one, I've passed the novice stage inwoodcraft, and reckon myself able to get along with the next chap. "

"All the same, " he was told by Frank, "I've known the time when you_did_ manage to lose your bearings and run up against a whole bunch oftrouble in consequence. "

"But that's past history, " remonstrated the other; "and times havechanged since then, Frank. I should hope I've learned my lesson bynow. "

"Now where do you think this Cabin Point lies, that we're going tohunt up, with the idea of making our home there during our stay?"Jerry demanded. 

"Just look to the left and I think you'll see a wooded cape thatreaches out into the lake like a tongue or a finger, " the pilotexplained, pointing as he spoke. 

"Frank, you're all to the good there, that must be our goal, " Bluffhastened to assert; for indeed since there was no other similarprojection of the shore in sight, it seemed reasonable to believeCabin Point was before their eyes. 

"We'll soon settle that matter, " observed Frank, once more making astart. 

They did not have far to go, for the half-concealed and whollyovergrown trail reached the lake close to the wooded cape. Perhapslong before, when loggers had a camp in that region while felling thevirgin growth of forest, the point of land was a favorite camp withthem. That would account for the trail, and why it had grown up inrecent years. 

Once on the ground, they began to look earnestly for signs of theabandoned cabin which it was hoped would afford them shelter duringtheir outing. For some little time this search bore no fruit, and Willwas beginning to feel quite disconsolate. 

"Looks to me as if it was going to be our job to start a brush shantythat will give us shelter for a couple of nights till we can put up amore substantial affair, " he told Bluff, who happened to be close tohim, looking to the right and to the left in a vain attempt to be thefirst one to make a pleasant discovery. 

Will had hardly spoken when they heard a call from Jerry. 

"I might have known it was no good trying to beat his sharp eyes out, "grumbled Bluff, as though really disappointed because he had failed tolocate the cabin. 

"What difference does it make who turns the trick?" ventured Will, looking happy again; "so long as it's done. The end and not the meansis what counts. Hello! Jerry, have you struck pay dirt?"

"Here it is!" came the triumphant answer, and the others hurriedforward, to discover the log structure partly concealed from view bybranches of trees, vines, moss, and every sort of green growth. 

"No wonder we couldn't see it easily, " expostulated Bluff; "everybodydoesn't happen to have microscopic eyes like Jerry here. I warrant younow I passed within thirty feet of this spot several times, and nevertumbled to what was so close by. "

"One of the first things we'll do, fellows, " suggested Frank, "will beto get busy and cut down a lot of this stuff that keeps us fromhaving a fine outlook over the bay and the big lake beyond. "

"How about the cabin itself?" asked Will. "Seems to me the chimney issort of dilapidated on top. "

"That can be soon remedied, and I'll take care of it, " Frank assuredhim. "Then this door is hanging on one rusty hinge; we'll find a wayto stand it up again. Let's step inside and look around a bit; I'mmore anxious about the roof than almost anything else, for that's aptto leak like a sieve until we fix it. "

"Go a little slow, " Will warned them, "for I've known of wild cats orother wild beasts taking up their quarters in an abandoned cabin. "This remark caused Bluff and Jerry to laugh, for they could themselveslook back to a ludicrous experience of the kind. 

It turned out that the cabin had no ferocious occupant and uponinvestigation they found that the roof was not very bad after all. 

"In one corner only it looks as if the rain had come in, " said Frankfinally; "or water when the snow melted, which tries a roof more thananything else. Why, given half a day and we shall have a weather-prooftop all over. Take note of that big yawning fireplace, will you? I cansee what jolly times we'll have sitting around there on cool nights;and up here we're apt to have many such. "

"We can make bunks against this wall where you can see the remains oftwo right now, " Bluff intimated. 

"Until then we'll spread our blankets on the floor and rough it, whichsuits me all right, " Jerry announced. 

Will had lowered his burdens to the floor. He seemed anxious to getsettled after some fashion. First of all he opened the new bag. Theother boys were still looking curiously around, finding a number ofinteresting features connected with the lone cabin on the point, whenthey heard Will give a cry of utter astonishment. Turning quickly theysaw him staring down into the bag he had opened, with a look ofconsternation on his face. 

CHAPTER IV

AS BUSY AS BEAVERS

"What under the sun ails Will?" demanded Bluff. 

"It's his bag, don't you understand?" added Jerry. "Something'shappened to upset him terribly. He looks as if he'd seen a ghost. Tenchances to one now he forgot to put the films in. "

"What is it, Will?" called out Frank, who, being busy just then, hadonly turned his head when the cry bubbled from the other's lips. 

"Oh! Frank, they're gone!" gasped Will. 

"What's that? Do you mean your films?" demanded the other. 

"Yes, oh yes, gone, worse luck! I don't understand it at all. Seems asthough I must be dreaming, Frank!" and Will began to rub his eyesvigorously, as though by that means he hoped to get his proper sightback; after which he stared again at the open bag on the floor. 

"You're dead sure you put them in the bag, are you, Will?" questionedthe skeptical Jerry. 

"Of course I am!" he was indignantly told. "But I can't understandwhere these silly things came from. They don't belong to me, that'ssure. "

"Hello! here's a mystery all right, " said Bluff, scrambling to hisfeet and hurrying over to the other; in which action he wasimmediately imitated by the other two. 

"Well, I declare that's queer!" burst out Jerry; "a lot of golf balls, a white sweater, and a pair of rubber-soled shoes! Why, Will, what hashappened?"

"I'm sure I don't know, " said the bewildered one, shaking his headsadly. "Here I pack my films and a few other little things in this newbag, and start out. Then when I open it, see what I get! Who's beenplaying a trick on me, I'd like to know?"

"Wait a minute, " interrupted Frank, just when the injured one wasbeginning to frown and look suspiciously at Bluff and Jerry; "nobodyhere has had a hand in the thing, Will; but I think I know whathappened. "

"Then for goodness' sake, Frank, hurry up and tell us!" cried Bluff;"for Will here is beginning to have awful thoughts, and looks at me asif he could eat me. "

"Yes, please explain the mystery, Frank, if you can, " pleaded Will. 

"To my mind it's as simple as anything could well be, " began theother, soberly. 

"You remember our meeting on the road with the young chap callinghimself Gilbert something or other? Well, I happened to notice thatthe bag he carried was as near like your new one as two peas could be. When he hurried away to catch his train in his excitement he must haveunconsciously picked up the wrong bag!"

"Then this one belongs to him, does it?" asked Jerry. 

"Don't you remember, " remarked Frank, "his saying something about hisbeing runner-up in the amateur class of golfers, and that he was goingto a tournament right then, which accounted for his haste?"

Will uttered a deep groan. He was evidently very much dejected overthe unfortunate accident that had befallen him so early in theirouting. 

"What tough luck I've struck!" he said, as he stared down at the golfballs, as useless to him as so many stones. "I do hope that chap won'tbe so mad when he finds out what he's done as to destroy my preciousfilms. What if he went and put a match to them? You know they'd flameup something fierce, and it'd be good-bye to all my hard work up inMaine. "

"Oh! the chances are small that he'd be so venomous as all that, "returned Frank, "especially when he must know it was all his ownfault. "

"But what do you think he'll do about it?" questioned Bluff. 

"If I were Gilbert, " suggested Jerry, drily, "my first job would be tohire some caddy with a heavy foot to kick me good and hard. Then I'dset out to get a new sweater and another supply of golf balls. Lateron I'd make it a point to head back this way and hunt you up, toapologize humbly and to hand over your bag intact. "

"Well said, Jerry, " was Frank's hearty commendation. 

Will picked up a little hope at that. Perhaps after all matters mightnot be quite so bad as they looked at first glance. Even if he didlose a week of time, there were plenty of other things he could bedoing, since he had his camera and flashlight apparatus intact. 

"Thanks, Jerry. I guess you are right, " he told the other. "Everycloud has a silver lining, they say, if only you look for it. I'll tryto hope for the best after this. My precious films may come back to meagain undamaged. I hope so, anyway; but you know there's no tellingwhat a fellow may do when in a sudden rage. "

"Think again, Will, " said Frank. "We all agreed that this Gilbertfellow was as cool a customer as we'd ever met. Now the chances arehe'll grasp the situation at a glance, laugh at his blunder, put_your_ bag safely away, and hustle to remedy the mistake so as not tobe left out of the tournament. Believe that, Will, for your own peaceof mind. "

So the forlorn chum finally fastened the bag and hung it on a peg. 

"I hope to see it give way to my own bag by the time a week or so haspassed, " he forced himself to say. 

As the afternoon was getting well along the boys busied themselveswith what appeared to be the most urgent duties. Such things as roofmending and the like could wait for another time, since there did notseem to be any possibility of a storm coming up, on that night atleast. 

"But we must surely pay attention to that roof the first thingto-morrow, " Frank told them, as they began to make preparations forthe cooking fire. 

"Yes, that's right, " Jerry added; "because we mustn't be like theIrishman in the old story who never did mend the hole in his roof, although always going to do so; and when they asked why he keptputting it off explained by saying: 'Whin it rains I _can't_ mind it, and whin it's dry and fair, be jabers! phy should I bother?'"

Of course things were in something of a turmoil that evening, thoughthe boys were beginning to plan just how they meant to store theirpossessions away so as to have their customary system about the cabincamp. 

When the odors of supper began to fill the interior of the cabin theboys discovered that their camp appetites were already beginning tomanifest themselves. They certainly appreciated that first meal in theopen. It brought back to memory many other camps they had enjoyedtogether. 

And later on while sitting around in front of the blazing fire it wasonly natural that the talk should be of those earlier events, whichhave been set down in such an interesting way between the covers ofprevious volumes of this series. 

Having no cots or bunks as yet, they spread their blankets on the hardfloor, and after this crude fashion settled down for the first night. None of them expected to obtain a good rest, because the first nightout is always a wakeful one on account of strange surroundings. But indue time all this would wear away and in the end it might even proveto be a difficult task to arouse some of the heavy sleepers atsunrise. 

After breakfast the next morning all of them set to work. Even Willwas not allowed to begin with his beloved photography until somesemblance of order had been brought about. 

They had brought a few tools along with them, Frank resting under thebelief that a hand-saw, a hammer, and some nails would not come inamiss when they meant to start housekeeping in an old cabin that mightneed considerable repairing to make it habitable. 

It was this habit of looking ahead possessed by Frank Langdon that sooften made things much easier for himself and his chums than theymight otherwise have been. 

So while Frank busied himself at the roof, he had one of the othersmending the door, and the remainder of the party searching for woodthat could be utilized in making their rude bunks along the wall. 

It was found that they could take down some boards that were reallynot needed, and saw them into the necessary strips required. So duringthe entire morning there was more or less hammering and sawing goingon that must have greatly astonished the timid little woods folkdwelling in that vicinity, so long given over to solitude and quiet. 

At noon-time things began to look a little shipshape. To begin with, the roof had been repaired, and Frank believed it would turn water inany storm short of a cloud-burst. Then the door also was swinging ontwo hinges, one of stout leather, also carried in Frank's pack for anemergency. 

The four bunks were coming along nicely, and the amateur carpenterswho worked on them promised a complete job before nightfall. 

"And now, " said Frank, as they munched a cold lunch at noon, havingdecided not to go to the bother of doing any cooking at that time, "Iwant Will to come with me to make a little search for that old boat wewere told could be found hidden under a shelving rock near the shore. It hasn't been used for some years, and is apt to be in poor shape, but I've got some oakum and a calking tool. With those, I hope to putit in condition, so with frequent baling we can use it on the lake. "

They made a systematic search all along the shore, but it was notuntil nearly an hour had passed that they discovered the spot where, under a shelf of rock, the old craft lay. 

After making an examination, Frank declared he could mend the rowboatso that it would afford them more or less pleasure. Its planks hadsurvived many a winter, thanks to the protection afforded by the shelfof rock. 

Since the gaps in the open seams were so large that it would leak likea sieve, he realized his work would have to be done at the spot wherethe boat was found. This meant only a tramp of a quarter of a mile atmost, going and coming. 

"I'll get busy the first thing in the morning, " Frank told Will. "Altogether, the job oughtn't to take me more than a day. Then we canall get together and drag the boat down to the water, and one of uscan paddle around to Cabin Point, where there's a splendid cove to tieup in. "

"The oars are good enough for our use, though splintered some, "suggested the other. 

"That will save us a hard job, " Frank admitted, "because I don't thinkI ever shaped an oar in my life, and it's no little task, believe me!"

In their wanderings the boys had discovered a stream that emptied intothe lake. Frank promised himself the pleasure of following it up someday, and finding what the country looked like in that direction. 

"I've got a notion, " he told Will, "that this stream runs through theproperty of that old hermit, Aaron Dennison; at least that's what oneman told me. Perhaps he'll take it badly when he learns that a parcelof boys have squatted down for a month's stay so close to his place. "

"I hope we do run across the queer old man some of these fine days, "ventured Will; "and that I'm carrying my camera along with me, becauseI'd like to snap off the picture of a real hermit. I've got some oddpeople in my collection, but nothing so queer as that. I surely wouldlike to get him. "

On arriving at the cabin they found the other pair had beenexceedingly industrious during their absence. The sleeping quarterswere beginning to look shipshape, and promised more or less comfortwhen completed. 

"Now if you fellows would only turn in and give us a helping hand, "suggested Jerry, "we could get through in a couple of hours. "

"Just what I was going to propose on my own account, " Frank told him. "Many hands make light work, you know. So tell us what you want done, and we'll get busy. "

All of them being handy with tools, they made a good job of the bunks. Indeed, considering what poor material they had to work with, theresult did them great credit. 

"Now who's going to be the first to pick his bunk?" laughed Will, whenit was decided there could be nothing more done to make the sleepingquarters comfortable. 

"No, you don't!" exclaimed Frank, when unconsciously all faces wereturned toward him. "Every fellow is going to have a square show. Here, I'll hold four splinters of wood in my hand, all of different lengths. Each one draw, and the longest has first choice. "

"That's a fair bargain, " agreed Bluff, "though for my part one bunk ispretty much like another. "

It turned out that Will was given first choice, and he took a lowerberth, for they had been arranged in sections of two, on account oflimited room. Frank, having second pick, took the one above, and theothers then divided the remaining two between them. 

After they had arranged their warm blankets, the place began to takeon quite a cheery appearance. 

"We'll get at that cranky table next, and steady it, " said Frank;"then we need another bench, because as it is we have to use blocks ofwood for seats. In fact, I can already see a dozen things to be done, with more to follow. "

Jerry in passing across the cabin tripped, and uttered a grunt asthough he had stubbed his toe. 

"That makes three times that loose plank has caught me, " he muttered, "and the old motto says 'three times and out. ' So I'll just yank thatplank up and settle it down afresh. A few of those big spikes youbrought along ought to do the trick, Frank. "

Accordingly the determined boy set about carrying this little planinto execution. Prying up one end of the plank, he managed to get agrip of it, and then raised it completely. It came up much more easilythan Jerry had anticipated. 

"Why, hello!" the others heard him say, "here's an old rat's nest madeyears ago, I should think; and look what's lying beside it, willyou?"

CHAPTER V

A CALL FOR HELP

Jerry was holding something up when he said this, which he had justpicked out of the cavity under the loose plank. 

"Why, it looks as though it had once been a baby's shoe, I shouldsay, " suggested Frank. 

"Just what it is, but as old as the hills, " remarked Jerry. "I wondernow, did it slip down here, or was it carried by the old mother ratwhen this nest was made?"

He fumbled among the scraps of paper and such stuff that had gone toform the nest of the rodent. One piece seemed to be a part of anenvelope. The writing was fairly visible, though age had yellowed thepaper. 

"What do you think of this, fellows?" Jerry demanded, as thoughinterested. "I can make out part of a name here, and whose do youreckon it is?"

"Oh, tell, and don't keep a fellow guessing!" urged Bluffimpatiently. 

"The word Aaron is as plain as anything, " pursued Jerry, "and thenthere's part of the next one Denni--so you see it really looks as ifaway back, twenty years ago or perhaps even much longer, the rich oldhermit used to actually live here in this log cabin. In those days hewas land poor, mebbe; and say, the shoe--why, he must have had a wife, and a baby, too!"

All of them looked at the poor little memento of the dim past whichhad been discovered under such singular conditions. Then Jerrycommenced smoothing the earth level under the plank so that it wouldset more evenly. In the midst of this he uttered another exclamation. 

"All sorts of queer things are coming my way, I tell you!" he calledout. "See what I've dug up now!"

"Looks like a half dollar, " remarked Bluff decidedly interested. "Andsee here, if you've struck a miser's hoard, remember we're all chums, Jerry; it's share alike, I hope. "

A vigorous hunt failed to disclose any mate of the coin, and in theend they were compelled to believe it must be only a lone specimen. 

"Perhaps old Aaron was a money grabber in those days, " Bluff ventured, "and laid the foundation for his fortune while living here in thiscabin. And this hole under the loose plank--wouldn't it be just thejolliest hiding-place for a miser to stow his valuables in?"

"Either that, " added Frank thoughtfully, "or else the half dollarmanaged to slip down through a crack. Have you examined it to see thedate, Jerry? Because if it happens to be one that was coined withinthe last half-dozen years we'd know it couldn't have been left herelong ago. "

"I can make it out easily enough, Frank; and it's away back ineighteen-eighty. So that allows plenty of leeway, you see. "

The little incident gave them considerable food for exchangingopinions. They even tried to picture what the cabin on the Point mayhave looked like many years ago, when a woman's hands took care of thehome, and the prattle of a child sounded among those great treesoverhead. 

Still, none of the boys dreamed that the cavity under the floor wouldplay a part in the future happenings that were destined to come theirway, though such proved to be the case. 

The second night things began to shape themselves much morecomfortably. All of the boys declared they had enjoyed a sound sleepwhen dawn once more found them stirring, and ready to take up the newduties of the day. 

One thing after another was finished, and it gave them considerablesatisfaction to find how much of an improvement this sort of workmade in the cabin and surroundings. 

Frank himself cut away much of the thick growth of bushes and branchesthat interfered with their view of the big water. When he hadcompleted his task it was possible to look from the open door and seefor miles out over the lake. They believed they would never tire ofwatching the play of the waves that at times could be heard so plainlybreaking on the shore near by. 

There was seldom a time during daylight when some fish-hawk could notbe seen sailing serenely over the water, looking for a fish for hisyoung fledglings. On several occasions the boys also discovered abald-headed eagle wheeling far up in the blue space overhead. 

"We must keep on the watch to learn how the bold robber taxes thehard-working and honest fish-hawks for his meal, " Frank remarked. "It's too much bother for the eagle to plunge down and hook a fish forhimself, so he waits until an osprey gets one, then follows him upinto the air and makes him drop his prize. "

Will, of course, was deeply interested. Everything that pertained toanimal nature appealed irresistibly to him these days, since he hadtaken to securing pictures of wild birds and animals in their nativehaunts. 

"I've read about such things, but never had the good luck to see itdone, " he hastened to remark. "I hope I can make use of my camera ifit happens to come along at the right time. Already I think I knowwhere a pair of those big ospreys have their nest, and that ought tomake a dandy picture, with one of the parent birds feeding theyoungsters. "

"I'd go a little slow about it if I were you, " Frank cautioned him. "They make their homes up in pretty tall trees, you know. And besides, some of them are savage fighters when they think their nests are goingto be disturbed or robbed. "

The others forgot about the fish-hawks after that, but not Will. Whenhe had anything on his mind he was very persistent. This wasparticularly true of such matters as were connected with his hobbyalong the line of photography. 

Several days passed, and the other boys were enjoying themselvesgreatly. For that matter, so was Will, though his activities ran alonga single groove. Let those who cared to fish sit out there on the lakeall they wished; or troll along, using minnows for bait, which hadbeen taken in a little net made of mosquito bar stuff; Will preferredto roam the adjacent woods seeking signs of minks, raccoons, opossumsand foxes, and planning just how he would arrange his traps so thatat night time the animals would set off his flashlight, and have theirpictures taken unawares in so doing. 

All the little chores had been completed around the cabin, whichlooked quite like another place now. It was kept as neat as wax, forFrank had even manufactured an odd but effective broom out of twigs, such as he had seen used by immigrants from abroad. 

Frank was contemplating the taking of a little tramp up the stream onthe following day. He had not forgotten what one of his informants hadtold him concerning the hermit's place, and was more than curious tomeet Aaron Dennison. 

Will had not ceased to remember his loss. He brooded over it at times, and even broke out into occasional lamentations. His greatest fearseemed to be that Gilbert might destroy the films in his suddendisgust on discovering what a wretched blunder he had committed in hishaste. 

Will had wandered forth after lunch on this day. From the fact that hecarried his camera along with him, the rest of the boys judged hemeant to secure some view that had appealed to him as especially fine. 

It was some hours later that Frank noticed that he had not returned. Will was a fair woodsman by now, and there did not seem to be muchchance of his allowing himself to become lost. Still Frank foundhimself wondering just where the boy had gone, and why Will had nottaken any of them into his confidence. 

When it was but an hour from sunset he mentioned the matter to therest. 

"Does anybody happen to know where Will set out for?" was hisquestion. 

No one did, for both Bluff and Jerry shook their heads in thenegative, while the last named remarked:

"He was busy working at something or other this morning. I didn't geton to it, and meant to ask him, but forgot all about it. I saw himfasten a piece of rope around him and enclose a tree out there. Itmade me laugh at the time, and only that Bluff called me just then Iwould have joshed him about trying to play Indian, and tying himselfface on to a tree. "

Frank chuckled at hearing that. 

"You've given me a clue already, Jerry, " he observed. "I remember thatWill seemed set on getting a picture of that osprey nest he haddiscovered. You know the old trick some South Sea islanders practicewhen climbing cocoanut trees is to have a loop around the trunk andtheir own body, then barefooted hoist themselves bit by bit, alwaysraising the loop as they go. "

"Whew! and so Will thought he could do the same thing, did he, and getup to the first limb high above his head. But say, Frank, what ifsomething has happened to him?"

Jerry looked uneasy when he said this, and Bluff, too, picked up hishat as though ready to set out in search of Will. 

"We must look into this, that's a fact, boys!" declared Frank;whereupon they hurried out of doors. 

"Listen!" cried Frank almost immediately. "Seems to me I heard a callsome distance away and along the shore. Yes, there it is again, and Ireckon that's our chum giving tongue. He must be in difficulty and heneeds help, so come on, " at which the three of them started to run atfull speed eastward. 

CHAPTER VI

THE HOME OF THE OSPREY

"Coming, Will!" shouted Bluff as he ran back of Frank. 

"This way, along the shore!" they plainly heard a voice call from somedistance away. 

Of course anxious thoughts chased through the minds of the three boysas they hurried along. Will was evidently in trouble. Bluff, remembering the ospreys, pictured him lying at the foot of a tall treewith perhaps one of his legs broken. That would be an awkwardcondition of affairs to be sure, with their camp so far removed fromreal civilization. 

Jerry, too, was imagining something of the sort, and wondering if theywould have to make a litter in order to carry poor Will back to thecabin. He even went further and considered the question as to how theycould take him to a doctor; or else force the old hermit of theDennison estate to let them carry their injured comrade there. 

Not so Frank. He had already made the discovery that the voice camefrom up in the air, and hence had quite settled in his mind what hadhappened. 

"He got up all right, you see, fellows, " was the way Frank explainedit to the others, "but it wasn't so easy to creep down again. Perhapshe dropped the rope he had used, and couldn't clasp the trunk of thetree because it was so large. "

"We'll soon know, " ventured Jerry, "because I can see one of thefish-hawks flying over that tall tree, and I guess the nest must be inthat. "

"Here he is over here, you see, " observed Frank. "He figured out thatwith the sun heading into the west he ought to get on that side of thenest in order to make a fine picture. So he climbed up and settledhimself, waiting until the mother bird came with a fish for thefledglings, which may have taken hours. "

"I see him!" cried Bluff. "There, he's waving to us now! And I'm gladto know our chum hasn't gone and broken a leg; for besides the pain tohim it would upset all our fine plans for a good time up here. "

Will was sitting astride the lowermost limb of an enormous treestanding about forty or fifty feet to the west of the one in which thenest of the ospreys could be plainly seen, close to the top. 

Will grinned sheepishly as his chums came underneath. He was somethirty feet from the ground as his legs dangled over the lowermostlimb. And Frank, remembering his theory, on looking at the base of thetree discovered that the rope loop did lie there. Will hadinadvertently allowed it to slip from his grasp after reaching thelower branch and clambering up on to it. 

He had removed his shoes and socks in order to make good use of histoes in climbing, just as do the blacks of the cocoanut islands. Butlater on, after getting his long delayed pictures of the old ospreyfeeding its fledglings, when the ardent photographer attempted todescend the big tree he found it an impossible task. 

The trunk was far too thick for him to clasp with arms and legs. Willwas not an athlete, though able to climb an ordinary tree if pushed. He always claimed that he could go up any kind if a bull were afterhim; but evidently here was a tree he could not descend, at least. 

Just how long he had sat there on that lower limb trying to conjure upsome possible plan that would take him in safety to the ground, theynever knew. Will felt a little ashamed to be found in such a plight, and kept putting off his call for assistance as long as he dared. 

When, however, he found that night was only an hour or so off, andrealized that unless he pocketed his pride, he stood a chance ofspending many gloomy hours aloft with only the osprey family forneighbors, he started to shout. 

"If only I had that loop up here I could get down easily enough, Ithink, Frank, " he called out as the three boys lined up below him. 

"Perhaps you could, and again there's some doubt whether you'd be ableto get inside the loop, " Frank told him. "The easiest way to do is forone of us to run back to the cabin and fetch our rope. With a fewtrials I can toss the end into your hands or over the limb, then youcan lower yourself. "

Both Jerry and Bluff agreed that this was a good plan. The former evenoffered to act as messenger and get the article needed for the rescuework. He was gone only a short time, during which Frank asked a fewquestions, and learned that Will believed he had secured a number of"cracking good" pictures of the osprey group that would make a fineaddition to his collection. 

Frank made several casts upward before he was able to send the end ofthe rope over the limb, and within reach of the straddling boy. Itproved to be just long enough, doubled, to reach within five feet ofthe ground. 

"First I want to make sure of my camera, " Will told them, and as theyknew he would positively refuse to budge an inch unless his treasuredblack box were taken care of, Jerry told him to lower away. 

After that had been done Will prepared to trust himself on the doubledrope. 

"Have a care, " said Frank, "and make sure of each grip as you go. There, you're all right now, I guess, so come along down. "

"Take it slow if you don't want to burn your hands, Will!" Bluffcautioned him. 

Without accident, Will managed to reach the ground. His first act wasto snatch up his camera and look it over, sighing with satisfactionwhen he found it had received no injury. 

"Get on your shoes and come along back home, " Frank advised him, andthe exciting little incident was closed. 

Later on Will told them how patiently he had sat there, perched in thetop of the tall tree next to the one containing the fish-hawks' nest, and waiting for a good chance to take the picture he wanted. 

"The wind blew at first, and the treetop rocked so that it almost mademe sea-sick, " he went on to say, with a sigh; "but after an hour or sothis let up. Then came one of the ospreys with a big fish in itsclaws, and I began to get busy. I snapped off every bit of the film asI saw fine group pictures come up; and I do hope they all turn outwell. "

As he had a daylight developing tank with him he wasted little time inascertaining this fact. His exuberant shouts announced later on thathis success was all the heart of any ambitious amateur photographercould wish for. And indeed, when the exposed films were passed aroundafter they had sufficiently dried it was seen that Will had donehimself justice, for they were perfectly clear. 

Frank himself could easily understand just how this fad was able togrip any one who took it up. He believed that it was much moreinteresting and profitable than hunting with a gun. In the one caseall the result consisted of game that was soon eaten and forgotten;but those instructive pictures of timid animals and wild birds wouldgive pleasure for an unlimited time. 

"There's one thing I think we ought to get busy about, fellows, " Frankremarked that evening as they sat around the rough table enjoying thesupper Jerry had prepared; "and that is see what can be done aboutlaying in a fresh stock of butter and eggs. "

"Our supply of both is about down to the limit, for a fact, " admittedBluff, who was unusually fond of eggs, "fried, boiled, scrambled, and, in fact, any old way, " as he himself always declared. 

"Have you any plan by which we can get a new lot, and perhaps somefresh milk in the bargain?" Will sought to learn. 

"So far as we know, there's only one house within several miles ofthis place, " explained Frank, "and that belongs to the man they call ahermit because he keeps to himself, and never goes to town--AaronDennison. "

"A likely chance we'd have of getting any supplies from him, I shouldsay!" grumbled Jerry; but Bluff was quick to make a proposal. 

"If you are thinking of going up that creek, and paying a visit toAaron, I hope you will choose me to go along. Remember, I spokefirst!" he called out. 

Will looked disappointed. He had hoped that if ever they decided tocall on the crabbed owner of the Dennison estate he might be alongwith his camera. And seeing this disappointed expression cross hisface, Frank easily understood what it signified. 

"Another time you can come, Will, " he explained. "Just now we don'teven know whether there really is a house inside of five miles. It'sonly hearsay with us, you remember. If we should manage to getfriendly with Aaron, why, we'll be apt to wander up there many times, and you may come across your chance before a great while. "

With that, Will had to rest content. In fact, he had another littleplan of his own in mind, which he meant to work out on the followingday. Frank suspected as much, though he really hoped it would not beof the same risky nature as getting the snapshots of the ospreys. 

In the morning the two who had planned to follow up the stream andlearn if it passed through the estate of Aaron Dennison waved theirhands to Jerry and Will, after which they started along the shore. 

After they reached the creek at the point where it emptied into thebay, they turned their backs on the big water, and plunged into thethick growth. 

"How about this thing, Frank; do you really and truly mean thisexpedition to be a foraging one, with fresh eggs and butter in view;or is it that you just hope to get in touch with old Aaron Dennison, and see what a genuine hermit looks like?"

Bluff put this direct question after they had been making their wayalong the tortuous bank of the winding creek for nearly half an hour. Such difficulties as crossed their path had been easily overcome, forboth boys were pretty good woodsmen, and accustomed to getting aroundin the wilderness. 

"Take my word for it, " he was assured by his chum, "I'm out for thegrub above all things; though of course I admit to having a littlecuriosity about this mysterious Mr. Dennison. I've heard a lot ofqueer things about his doings. He has a pretty fine place away uphere, but keeps it surrounded by a high fence, and they even say ithas a strand or two of terrible barbed wire on top of the fence, todiscourage any one from climbing over. "

"Gee whiz! I hope he doesn't own a pack of wolf dogs that would make ajump for stray boys that chanced to get in the grounds. "

"I asked particularly about that, " said Frank, who somehow seemed tothink of nearly everything, "and no one could remember ever seeing anyaround. So just as like as not the old man doesn't fancy dogs. "

"Yes, there are people who shiver every time they meet a collie or amastiff, " admitted Bluff, "though for my part I've always liked allbreeds. I believe a dog is man's best friend, as faithful as lifeitself. "

"Well, here we are, " remarked Frank, with a ring of satisfaction inhis voice. 

"It's a high fence, sure enough, " said Bluff, "with barbed wire strungacross where the creek comes out under it, so even a fox would find ithard to get through. How shall we manage it, Frank?"

"First of all, we'll move along the fence. There may happen to be aboard loose where we can slip through. That would be better thantrying the gate, to be turned down flat-footed. "

They had not gone fifty feet before Bluff discovered the loose boardthey sought. It required only a small amount of agility to passthrough the opening, after which they walked along through the woodson the other side of the high fence. 

Presently they came in sight of a long, low house, which was halfhidden amidst dense foliage, and looked, as Bluff called it, "spooky. "

Straight up to the door of this building the two boys strode, andFrank without hesitation rapped loudly with his knuckles. 

CHAPTER VII

THE CHAINED DOOR

It seemed to the two boys that Frank's knock sounded weirdly throughthe house, though it did not bring any immediate result. Accordingly, he again brought his knuckles against the door panel, this time witheven greater force than before. 

"That fetched them, Frank, " muttered Bluff. "I can hear somebodyshuffling along the hall and heading this way. "

Presently they heard a bolt withdrawn, a rather ponderous affair itseemed; and somehow this struck Frank as rather queer. Why should anyone living so far away from town, and off the beaten track of travel, take such pains to secure his door?

"Gee whiz! I shouldn't think they'd ever be bothered with hoboes orsneak thieves away up in this part of the country, " whispered Bluff, who always had a mind of his own and was hard to repress. 

The door was slowly and cautiously opened. Frank saw that it was stillheld by a stout chain, so that no one outside could enter against thewill of the inmates. It made him think of one of the old feudalcastles he had lately been reading about in Sir Walter Scott'sromances, where they had draw-bridges, moats, and a port-cullis toprotect them against assault. 

A face was seen in the narrow opening. It was an old face, wrinkled, so that at first Frank imagined it might belong to Aaron himself. Thenhe discovered his mistake, for the white hair belonged to a woman, evidently the housekeeper of the hermit. 

She looked more or less frightened at first, and no wonder, becausesuch a resounding knock as Frank had given might have seemed backed byauthority. When she discovered just two friendly looking boys standingthere astonishment crept over the features of the woman. 

"Who are you, and what do you want?" she asked a little sharply, asthough annoyed because they had given her such a sudden start. 

"My name is Frank Langdon, and this is my chum, Bluff Masters. We arecamping for our holidays down in the old cabin on the Point. We ranout of butter and eggs, and came up here hoping we might be able tobuy some. "

Frank made it as simple as he could. He did not even mention the factthat they had ever heard there was such a singular person as AaronDennison in all the wide world. It was his intention to appear asthough he looked upon this place as an ordinary farmhouse, wherehospitality might be supposed to abide, and a friendly call on thepart of decent boys would not be taken amiss. 

The woman looked a little more keenly at Frank, but at the same timeshe shook her head in the negative. Bluff grunted to himself. He tookthat as a bad sign, and immediately concluded that they would have togo back to camp with as empty hands as they had come. 

"Nothing doing, " was what Bluff was saying to himself just then, whilethe old housekeeper hesitated; "she's got her orders. Old Aarondoesn't fancy boys, I guess. We'll be mighty lucky if he doesn't seefit to order us out of that cabin we've gone to all the trouble to fixbang-up. "

Then the housekeeper spoke. 

"I'm sorry, but you mustn't expect to get anything here. This placebelongs to Mr. Aaron Dennison. No doubt you have heard of him. He haslived here almost alone for many years now, and will brook nointrusion. That is why the fence has been built around the estate, with the wire on top, and locked gates. How did you get inside?"

"We came to a loose board and passed through, not meaning any harm, "replied Frank, who imagined the old housekeeper was inclined to behuman, but having her strict orders from her employer dared not act ina friendly manner toward them. 

"I shall have to report your being here to Mr. Dennison, and I amafraid that he will be very much annoyed. He would never brookintruders, and has a violent temper when aroused. I hope you will goaway at once, and come no more. "

"Then you can't let us have any supplies, I suppose?" asked Bluff, bent on squeezing the orange dry, and not throwing the skin away aslong as there remained a single chance for extracting a drop of juice. 

"I would not dare to do it, though if I had my own way--but no matter, you must not stay here a minute longer. Even now he may have heard theknock, and come to investigate. It is most unusual; we have not had avisitor for years. I wish I could oblige you, but it is impossible. Good-bye!"

With that she closed the door in the faces of the astonished, as wellas amused, campers, and Bluff burst into a series of low chuckles. 

"Wow! but doesn't that beat the Dutch?" he exclaimed, as thoughoverpowered by the humorous aspect of the adventure. "Listen to herpushing that monster bolt into its socket. Gee whiz! I never knewbefore I looked so dangerous. I'll have to cultivate a new sort ofgrin, because the one I practice now didn't have any effect on the oldlady. "

"Let's move along, Bluff. There's no use in our staying here anylonger after having the door slammed in our faces, " said the amazedFrank. 

Together they started slowly away from the house, glancing backcuriously over their shoulders several times, for they wished toremember what the mysterious building looked like. 

"Will must manage to get up here some time, " Bluff was saying, "because I'd just like to have him get a picture of the place as wesee it now. Then if ever we happen to hear anybody speak of oldDennison and his hide-out we can flash that view before them. "

They had almost reached the place where the loose board had affordedthem ingress to the enclosed grounds belonging to the estate when astrange sound came stealing to their ears. Both boys instantlystopped and listened to learn if it was repeated, but such did notcome to pass. 

"What in the dickens do you suppose that was, Frank?" demanded Bluff, turning his face, marked by a commingling of wonder and awe, on hiscomrade. 

"Tell me what you think first, " the other replied. 

"I'll be switched if I know, Frank! It just went through me like aknife, it was so queer. If this were the middle of the night now Imight mention ghosts, because if there were such things I'd imaginethem making just about that sort of a sound. "

Frank laughed at that. 

"Well, since this is broad daylight, " he observed, "and ghosts aresaid never to walk except around twelve at night, we'll have to looksomewhere else for our explanation. Now I've known a chained dog tomake a noise like that, a sort of half bay, half growl that would giveyou a start until you found out the cause. "

"But we've understood they keep no dog up here, " urged Bluff. "And ifthey did have one wouldn't he have scented us, and started barkinglong ago?"

"What you say sounds reasonable enough, Bluff, " Frank admitted. "Itcouldn't have been a donkey braying either, because we know how theydrag it out. Besides unless I'm mistaken the sound came straight fromthe direction of the house itself. "

"Sure it did, " said Bluff, as they started to pass through the gapthat could be made by swinging the loose board aside. "I wonder if oldAaron learned of our being there, and gave that yawp to show hisanger. I'm almost sorry now we didn't meet the gentleman face toface. "

"Perhaps it's just as well, from what the housekeeper said, " repliedFrank, although secretly he was even more disappointed than his chum. 

"Then of course you wouldn't dream of going back to look around inhopes of finding out what that queer noise, almost like a shriek, meant?" pursued Bluff, in a wheedling tone. 

"I guess not this time, " decided the other; "it's really none of ourbusiness, you know, and our errand at the Dennison place has ended insmoke. We'll have to settle on trying at that village we can see milesaway along the lake shore. Perhaps to-morrow you and Jerry can takethe boat and row over there. "

"Oh! Barkis is willing, all right, because we just can't keep housewithout our fresh eggs and butter, you know. "

So it was settled. Bluff, always desiring action, was satisfied withthis half plan made for the future. In his active mind he beganimmediately to picture all sorts of exciting things happening on thecontemplated cruise along the lake shore to the distant village insearch of the needed supplies. 

Frank happened to come upon what looked like an old path leadingtoward the lake, and decided to follow it instead of keeping down thestream with its zigzag course. Sure enough it took them directly toCabin Point, although in many places the bushes had sadly overgrownthe trail, and walking was not easy. 

"Still, you must notice, " Frank remarked, "that some one has comealong this way every once in a while, because there are footprints, and the twigs have been bent down. "

"Mebbe one of the men employed on the Dennison place comes down for aswim, or to look after some night line he's set here for trout, "suggested Bluff. 

On their arrival at the camp, the two boys had to give an account oftheir little adventure in detail, for the benefit of those who hadstayed behind. Will in particular asked many eager questions. 

"If you ever go up there again, Frank, " he told the other seriously, "I do hope I shall be along. "

"And I think I can promise you that, Will, " replied the othersmilingly, as if even then entertaining some thought of a second tripto the place, though evidently he did not care to go deeper into thesubject. 

Bluff soon started to talk of the trip he and Jerry were to make tothe distant village on the next day. Whenever he had a thing on hismind Bluff was apt to chatter about it unendingly. 

"We've just got to have those supplies, you understand, Jerry, " hetold the other, "and since there was nothing doing up at the Dennisonranch, why, our next job is to see if we can make that settlement weglimpse off yonder. "

"How far away do you reckon it is?" asked the interested Jerry. 

"If you look in my pack, boys, " Frank spoke up just then, "you'll finda pair of small but powerful glasses. They may help you figure it out, and may give some idea how the shore lies between Cabin Point and thevillage. "

Bluff went hurriedly for the glasses, and when he returned he andJerry amused themselves for a long time. 

They decided that the village lay all of eight miles off in a straightline, and concluded it would be a pretty long row in case theychanced to meet contrary wind. In that case the waves would botherthem not a little. 

Bluff presently proposed that they try to equip the old boat with somesort of sail. Then should they be favored with a wind setting in theright quarter this would save them much hard labor. 

Jerry seized the idea eagerly, and before long they were hard at worktrying to rig up a makeshift mast and sail out of such material asthey could find. It was hardly likely to pass muster so far as lookswent, but both boys believed they could make it useful, given half achance. 

That night around the table the talk was largely of the events of theday, and what the morrow was apt to bring forth. Jerry and Bluffentertained high hopes that they were bound to be successful in theirforaging expedition; and already counted on an abundance of supplies. 

CHAPTER VIII

WHEN THE FLASHLIGHT TRAP WORKED

"Frank, I'm going to ask you to give me a little help in setting myflashlight trap before we go to bed to-night, " remarked Will, whenthey were sitting in front of the fire. 

The evening air was nearly always cool, even after a warm day, and itseemed so "jolly, " as Jerry called it, to have a small fire cracklingon the hearth while they sat around engaged in various tasks and inchatting. 

"Then you must have settled on a place from tracks you have found?"inquired Frank. 

"Why, yes, and pretty close to the cabin in the bargain, " answered theother, whose one hobby had become this method of securing strangepictures of small wild animals caught while in the act of taking thebait in their native haunts. 

"What species are you after this time?" asked Frank. 

"Somehow I never get an absolutely perfect snapshot of a 'coon. Itseems as if every one has some kind of a blemish; and I told myselfthat while we were up here at Cabin Point that fault must be remediedif I tried a dozen times. And judging from the tracks of this fellow Ithink he must be a dandy. I only hope his barred tail shows plainly inhis picture. "

"That's so, " spoke up Bluff, "because his shrewd face and his stripedtail make up the main part of any raccoon. "

"Why, if the job has to be done, Will, I'd just as soon go with younow. I'll carry my little hand torch, which ought to give us all thelight needed, since you say it's close at hand. "

Accordingly Will jumped up eagerly to get the necessary things, including the stout cord which was to be used to start the trigger ofthe trap into action, and set the flashlight going. 

"I'm ready Frank, if you are, " he soon announced; and together theywent forth on their errand, Will just as excited as any hunter couldbe when creeping up on some coveted game. 

Frank immediately noticed one thing, which was that his companion ledhim along in the direction he and Bluff had taken when coming from theDennison place. Indeed when the other finally decided that they hadarrived at the spot where he had discovered the marks made by the bigraccoon in passing to and from the water's edge, Frank saw evidencesof the identical path he and Bluff had followed all the way down. Hedid not give the fact another thought just then; there was no reasonfor doing so, since in his mind it was merely a little coincidence. 

Having had considerable experience in arranging these clever littletraps by which roving night prowlers were made to be their ownphotographers, Will knew just how to go about it. He fixed his camerain an immovable position, and focussed it in such a fashion that itwould catch any object chancing to be within a certain radius at thesecond the cartridge was fired by means of the cord, pulled by theanimal at the bait. 

"That seems to be as fine as silk, " announced Will, after bending downseveral times in order to change the camera a trifle, "and if only Mr. 'Coon comes tripping along here to-night he will get his sitting. Ifyou happen to find yourself waked up by a dazzling flash, Frank, please poke me out, because I'd like to come and get my camera. Itmight rain later in the night, you see, and ruin it for me. "

Frank, knowing how much store his comrade set by that little blackbox, readily gave the desired promise. He entered into all thesedelightful schemes engineered by Will with his whole heart. Will hadalways been different from Bluff and Jerry. Even on their big hunt outin the Rocky Mountains he had never cared as much for getting prizegame as the others, his disposition being more gentle. 

Later on the boys concluded it was time to go to bed, since the dayhad been a busy one for all. Besides, the two who were to row the boatsixteen miles, more or less, on the following day expected to havetheir hands full. 

Some time later all of them were suddenly awakened. It was Bluff whogave the loud exclamation that aroused the others. He afterwardsexplained that he chanced to be lying awake at the time when a suddenblinding glare dazzled him, which at first he thought to be lightning, though puzzled because no thunder accompanied the flash. 

"What is it?" shrilled Jerry, bumping his head as he tried to sit upin such great haste; for the three had opened their eyes in time tocatch a part of the fierce glare. 

Will was already tumbling out of his bunk, and could be heardchuckling to himself as he started to put on some clothes in thedarkness. 

"Frank, he did it, all right, you see!" was what Will exclaimed intones that fairly trembled with eagerness. 

"Oh! Great Jehoshaphat! all this row about a measly old 'coon sittingfor his picture!" grumbled Jerry, falling back again, and apparentlymeaning to seek once more relief in slumber, if the bump on hisforehead did not hurt too much. 

"Better take my hand torch along with you, Will, " advised Frank, notthinking it worth while to accompany the other. 

"Thank you, I guess I will, Frank, because it's pretty dark out there. I'll be back in a jiffy. "

"Whoop it up if the cats tackle you, Will, " called out Bluff, but evenif the other heard this vague intimation of peril he was too filledwith enthusiasm to pay any heed to it, for he kept straight on. 

A short time afterwards Frank heard him returning. Then the light cameinto the cabin, and Will set down his camera. 

"The trap was sprung then, was it?" asked Frank sleepily, upon notingthis action on the other's part. 

"Just what it was! and I certainly hope I got a cracking good picturethat time. Old Br'er 'Coon didn't run away with the bait, though, Inoticed. It was still there, as good as ever. "

"Must have been too badly scared to think of eating, " remarked Frank, and as the torch was extinguished just then, and Will tumbled intohis bunk, no more was said. 

The rest of the night passed in perfect peace. By now the boys hadgrown used to hearing the squirrels or other small animals runningover the top of the cabin, and paid little attention to the sounds atany time, night or day. So long as they did not drop down the chimneyand destroy some of the food, Frank and his chums did not mean to doanything to disturb the merry little creatures as they playedhide-and-seek over the roof. 

Another day found them all up betimes. Those who cared to do so took aplunge in the cold waters of the lake and rubbed down afterwards, feeling all the better for the experience. Will, however, wanted todiscover what luck he had had with his first flashlight exposure ofthe season; and so he started preparations looking to the developmentof that particular film, which he could easily do after breakfast wasover. 

It devolved on Frank to get breakfast that morning. Bluff and Jerry, having hit upon a better way in which to use the sail they hadfashioned with so much care on the previous afternoon, were alreadybusily engaged in making changes, just as though for once they werenot thinking of the eternal food question, except so far as newsupplies went. 

But then Frank could fry the sliced ham as well as any one, and hesoon had the coffee, the toast, the fried potatoes, and the meat onthe table, after which he called the others. 

"Take notice that this is the last of our butter, fellows, " remarkedthe cook as he helped each one in turn to a generous portion of whathad just been taken, piping hot, off the red coals on the hearth. 

"Oh! that's all right, Frank, " said Bluff carelessly, "we expect tohave plenty more here before sunset, don't we, Jerry?"

"Simply got to, " replied his ally, "if we find it necessary to raidsome farmer's hen-coop, gather up the eggs, wring the necks of twopullets, clean out his dairy, and leave the ready cash on thewindowsill to settle the bill. "

"We're glad to hear you talk that way, " laughed Will. "For one I'mgoing to make up my mouth for fried eggs to-night, unless it's chickenon the half shell. "

"No danger of that up here in the country; all the eggs are guaranteedfresh by the farmer tribe, you know, " asserted Bluff. 

"That guarantee doesn't always go with me, " Jerry observed. "It'sgenerally the smart farmer who finds a hen trying to sit under thebarn floor, and gathers up the seventeen eggs to ship with what he hasin stock. They're as bad as the next one when it comes to deceivingthe poor public. "

"You'll just have to excuse me now, because I've had all I want; andto tell you the truth I'm just wild to see what my Br'er 'Coon lookslike. If he doesn't show up, tail and all, I'll have to try for himagain, that's all. "

With that remark Will hurried off, just as Frank expected he would, for he had noticed how the other hastened with his breakfast. Bluffand Jerry took longer, because both of them realized they might behours on the journey. The village was possibly further away than theythought; and it was just as well that they "laid in a good foundationto start with, " as Jerry sensibly observed. 

"Make the start whenever you get ready, fellows, " remarked Frank. "I'll look after the dishes, and the bunks too, when the blankets areaired. It seems as if you might have a smooth sea to begin with. "

"Yes, but you see we've been banking on some wind from the rightquarter, " observed Bluff, "in order to make good use of our sail. I'mfond of lying back at my ease in a boat, and letting the breeze doall the work. There's nothing like it, eh, Jerry?"

"Oh, well, if you notice the way the clouds are moving slowly, andthen watch the tiny ripple on the bay, you'll reckon that when thewind does come up it's going to favor us. We may even get too much ofa good thing before we're done. "

"Remember, fellows, " Frank cautioned them, "that old boat isn't to bewholly depended on. I calked the seams the best way I could, but thewood's a bit rotten, and there's always danger that the oakum may workloose. Then the water would come in through the open seams inbucketfuls. So my advice to you is, keep fairly close to the shore allthe time, even when cutting off coves. "

"That is, you mean keep within swimming distance, " added Jerry, "whichwe'll be sure to do, Frank, make your mind easy. A fellow that's fatedto be hanged doesn't want to go and cheat things by being just simplydrowned, you know. "

"Hello! there's Will broken loose!" exclaimed Bluff. 

"Just hear him whoop it up, will you?" added Jerry. "And here he comeson the run right now. He's holding a film he's developed, and fromthe look on his face I'd say he must have gotten a corker that shot. "

Indeed Frank could see that the approaching boy was very much excited;and it was also evident that what he was carrying so carefully beforehim had everything to do with his condition. 

"Frank, here's something that will make you sit up and take notice!"he was calling out. "I started to take the picture of a boss 'coon, and see what I got, will you?"

Will held the still wet film up so they could have it between them andthe light. All of the boys were accustomed to looking at negatives, and figuring out the high lights and the shadows in their properproportion. 

What they saw there plainly and clearly delineated on the film gavethem such a sense of surprise that for several seconds none of themuttered a single word. 

CHAPTER IX

THE FORAGING PARTY

"A 'coon on two legs, as sure as you're born, Will!" ejaculated Bluffpresently. 

"It's a man!" cried Jerry. "A man with a white beard in the bargain!"

"Frank, it's going to turn out a pretty fair picture, don't youthink?" demanded the proud artist, thinking first of all of thesuccess that had crowned his efforts. 

"Seems like it, Will, " replied the other; "but you've certainly givenus a big surprise when you sprung this on the crowd. He must have runacross the cord you had connected with the trigger of your flashlightapparatus, and it went off while he was in the act of fallingforward. "

"His face doesn't show as well as I'd like, " continued Will, reflectively; "but even as it stands the chances are we'll find a lookof astonishment there when I come to get a print. "

"Well, " remarked Bluff, "who wouldn't look staggered if, when he waswalking along through the woods, all of a sudden he caught his toe ina cord that was stretched across the path, and then had what seemed tobe a flash of lightning strike him in the face?"

"I never happened to go through the experience, " confessed Frank; "butI'm pretty sure it would give me a fierce jolt. "

"But who can the sneaker be, Frank; some darky chicken thief prowlingaround in hopes of picking up some of our camp duffle?" asked Jerry. 

Will turned on him with the scorn an expert photographer alwaysdisplays when he meets crass ignorance. 

"Why, can't you see from the dark shade of his face in the negative, Jerry, that he's a white man?" he demanded. "If it were a negro you'dsee his face almost white here. That point is settled without anyquestion. "

"All right, Will, I acknowledge the corn, " Jerry hastened to say; "butthat doesn't bring us any nearer a solution of the mystery. Why shoulda white man, and one with a white beard at that, be wandering aroundour camp in the night?"

They looked at Frank. It was an old habit with the three chums. Whenever an unusually knotty point arose that needed attention, andtheir powers seemed baffled, Frank was always depended on to supplythe needed answer. 

"So far as I'm concerned, fellows, " he told them, "I can think of onlyone old man around this vicinity, and that happens to be AaronDennison. "

"Ginger! why didn't I guess him right away?" grumbled Bluff. "Seems asif my wits go wool gathering nearly every time there's some suddennecessity for thinking up an answer. Course it's Aaron, and nobodyelse!"

"Yes, " Jerry went on to say, as though not wholly convinced; "but whatunder the sun would Aaron be doing here, tell me, and actingsuspiciously like a thief in the night?"

"Of course we can't say what tempted him to come out, " Frank observed;"we've never met the gentleman face to face, but we have heard thathe's a queer one. Besides, if you stop to think, you'll remember alittle circumstance that seemed to connect old Aaron with this cabinon the Point many years ago. "

"It takes you to piece out these things, Frank, " admitted Bluffcandidly. "Sure! We figured that out by finding a part of an oldenvelope in the deserted rat's nest under the floor board. "

"Just as like as not, " added Jerry, "the old chap owns all the groundalong the lake shore, including this cabin; and if that's so he'dhave a perfect right to walk out this way whenever he chose, atmidnight or noon, as the notion struck him. "

"Oh, well, " remarked Will with a sigh, "he spoiled my little game withBr'er 'Coon, though I mean to make another try along that line. Whenthis film dries, which may be around noon, I'll strike off a proof, and then we can see what the old hermit looks like. "

"One thing goes without saying, " chuckled Bluff. 

"What might that be?" Jerry asked him. 

"Our night visitor didn't wait to find out what had blinded him on thetrail, but must have turned and made lickety-split for home. "

"Can you blame him?" demanded Will, demurely. "Stop and think howyou'd feel if all of a sudden you got such a shock. Bluff, you saidyou were awake at the time, and heard some sort of a sound, didn'tyou?"

"Why yes, I'm dead certain I did; and now that we know it was a manwho got the scare I reckon he gave a little screech. I thought it wasa yelp from some wild animal at the time, but it could have been anexclamation just as well. "

They continued to talk about the incident for some little time, butalthough several suggestions were advanced, in the end they werereally no closer to an explanation of the mystery than when theystarted. 

All they knew was that some man, probably Aaron Dennison himself, hadbeen walking along the old trail leading to the cabin from above whenhis foot caused the concealed trap to be sprung. 

He must have turned hastily and retreated after the flash. What hethought the sudden dazzling illumination was caused by, the boys hadno means of knowing. 

Jerry and Bluff were now getting ready to start on their mission insearch of supplies. They both expressed the hope that these could allbe procured, once they reached the distant village on the lake shore, many miles off. 

It promised to be an interesting trip, for they would pass along ashore neither of them had ever examined at close range before. Tothose who love outdoor life there is always a novelty aboutexploration. With new and interesting scenes opening up constantlybefore the eyes the senses are kept on the alert. 

Bluff even had the temerity to suggest that Will loan them his camerafor the occasion. 

"We might run across some dandy pictures that would be worth whilesnapping off, you know, Will, " he went on to say in a wheedling toneof voice, which Bluff knew so well how to use. 

Will, however, shook his head. Usually he was of a most accommodatingnature; and on numerous occasions had willingly entrusted his highlyvalued camera into the keeping of the other boys, who knew how to useit almost as well as did the owner himself. 

"I'd rather not, if it's all the same to you, Bluff, " he remarkedslowly. 

"Oh! well, just as you say, " declared the other, shrugging his broadshoulders as though it did not matter much after all, and as if takingcare of the camera might possibly prove a task rather than a pleasure;"I reckon you're thinking about the chances of my dropping itoverboard; or our running into a storm where the little old black boxmight get soaked and ruined. "

"Not so much that, Bluff, as that I want to do some work on thecamera, " explained Will. "There's a little matter that really needsadjusting, and I told myself I'd fix it this morning sure. Then againI've laid out a scheme for to-day that if it works will call for theuse of the camera. "

"That's all right, Will, " remarked the other, briskly; "it doesn'tmatter a pin to me, only I thought you mightn't ever be going all theway to that village; and something fine could be run across betweenhere and there. "

He dropped the subject and began to talk with Frank about otherthings. Will looked a little uncomfortable. He disliked being thoughtselfish, and seemed almost on the point of changing his mind. Then onsecond thoughts he determined to carry out his original plan. 

Frank looked over the old boat that had been patched up as well as theconditions allowed. 

"It seems to hold pretty well, " he told the two who expected to makeuse of it during the day. "Of course if the lake gets very rough sothat you pitch about considerably, keep on the watch for a suddeninflow of water. The planks will hold, but I'm not so sure about theoakum I pounded into the open seams. "

"But you did a good job, Frank, " objected Jerry, "and so far none ofit seems to have started to loosen. "

"That's because we haven't had a chance to subject it to any bigstrain, " Frank explained. "When a boat tosses up and down on the wavesit gets a terrible wrench with each jerk. I've known seams to open ata time like that when they were believed to be closed as tight as aclam. "

"Oh, well, we mean to follow your advice, Frank, and keep fairly closeto the shore, " Bluff promised. 

"And if there is any trouble both of us are good swimmers, youremember, " added Jerry confidently. "All I hope is that we get thoseprecious eggs packed in a way that they won't be scrambled on thejourney home. It'd be rough now if after all our hard work we had thathappen. I prefer my eggs boiled or fried every time. "

None of the four chums as they joked in this fashion dreamed of whatFate had in store for them before the sun went down behind the westernhorizon. How could they suspect when just then the heavens looked sofair and inviting?

"What's that you've got there with you, Jerry?" asked Bluff, who hadbeen fixing a phantom minnow on a troll, in the expectation of pickingup a fish or two while they rowed. 

"Oh! a little cold snack in the shape of grub, " explained the other, who on all occasions possessed a voracious appetite. 

"But don't you remember we planned to be in the village long beforenoon, and expected to get dinner there?" protested Bluff. 

"All right, that strikes me as a good scheme, " came the ready reply;"but with my customary caution I'm only insuring against starvation. How do we know but what we'll be shipwrecked half-way there, and findourselves up against it? For one I don't propose to go hungry whenthere's a chance to save myself. "

Bluff laughed on hearing this explanation. 

"Trust you to look out for that, Jerry!" he declared. "And I supposethat in case we do get dinner at the village tavern or a farmhouse, you'll be ready to make way with your snack on the voyage back?"

"I might be influenced by strong pressure, " chuckled the other. 

"How about the weather, Frank; see any sign of a storm in the offing?"asked Bluff, turning to the leader of the camp. 

"Nothing in sight right now, " he was told; "the chances are you'llhave clear weather going, though there may be some wind behind you. What's going to happen in the afternoon is another matter. I'm not aweather sharp, and so I throw up my hands when you ask me to lift theveil. "

All being ready, the boys launched their boat. Bluff was to use theoars for the first shift. When he began to tire he was to call on hischum to change places, unless in the meantime the breeze hadfreshened enough for them to make use of their sail. 

"Good-bye, fellows!" called out Will; "see you later, and take mightygood care of those eggs, remember!"

"Listen to him, would you?" jeered Jerry. "So long as the hen fruitgets here unbroken Will doesn't seem to care what happens to hischums. But that's all right, and we hope to turn up safe and soundbefore sunset. " And under the steady influence of the oars the boatglided on until the voices of the boys died away in the distance. 

CHAPTER X

TRESPASSERS

The two guardians of the camp at Cabin Point, being left to their owndevices, set about carrying out certain tasks they had in mind. 

Frank always found plenty to occupy his attention. He could discovernumerous ways of bettering the conditions of affairs, and took keendelight in making changes calculated to lessen the friction of camplife. 

On his part Will pottered with his camera for fully an hour. When inthe end he laid it aside in working order he was satisfied with whathe had done. 

"I've got it in splendid condition now, Frank, " he announced, "andfrom this time on there'll be no danger of a slip when the trap issprung. That's been bothering me a whole lot for some time now, andI'm tickled to know the ghost is laid. "

Every little while he examined the negative he had drying, as thoughanxious to get a proof from it when it was in proper condition. 

About eleven o'clock he came to Frank holding a browned bit of paperon which the sun had printed a very clear picture as taken when theflashlight cartridge burned. 

"The face shows fairly well, " he announced. "I'd easily enoughrecognize the man if ever I ran across him, and that's something. "

Frank looked long and earnestly at the proof. 

"So that's our hermit, is it?" he remarked; "the old man they say actsso queerly, and has kept to himself up there on his estate for years, living the life of a recluse among his books and papers. There must besome good reason for his acting that way. He's met with some sort ofterrible disappointment in life it may be; but then that's no businessof ours. "

"But Frank, I was meaning to suggest something to you to-day, " beganWill, looking uncertain, as though he did not know just how the othermight take the proposition he had on the tip of his tongue. 

"Oh! so that's the way the wind blows, does it?" remarked Frank, raising his eyebrows as he looked at his chum. "Somehow when youdeclined to let Bluff take the camera along with him I had an idea youwere figuring on some scheme. You look like a regular conspirator, Will. Out with it before you choke. "

"Listen then, Frank; I was hoping I might coax you to go up thereagain to-day when I could be along. "

Frank whistled upon hearing this suggestion. 

"I reckon you mean go to the hermit's place, Will?" he remarkedinquiringly. 

"Yes, that's just it, Frank, and please, now, don't shut down on metoo quickly. Say you'll think it over, and let me know at noon. "

Frank scratched his head as though considering. The fact of the matterwas he himself had a peculiar yearning to make that trip again. Thereis a sort of subtle fascination about prowling around forbiddenterritory. Then the mystery connected with the hermit had aroused hiscuriosity. That strange cry, too, lingered in his memory even morethan Frank cared to confess to Bluff. 

"But what excuse can we give for trespassing if we run across oldAaron, his housekeeper, or any man connected with the place?" he askedWill. 

At that the other smiled calmly. 

"Well, you know an amateur photographer never wants for a reason whenhe gets caught intruding on private grounds, " he explained; "hisenthusiasm is supposed to tempt him to take any risks. And Frank, ifwe run across any trouble don't hesitate to pile all the blame on me. I'm willing to stand for it. "

"Is it the house you're aiming to take a picture of, Will?"

"Partly that, " the other confessed. "You and Bluff described it as astrange looking building, and worth seeing, so I'm fairly wild to snapit off. And then, if we just happened to come on Aaron himself, why Imight manage to get him in focus and click my camera without hisknowing it. I hope you'll go this time, Frank. Somehow I've got myheart set on it. "

"Well, perhaps I may, Will. Let the thing drop till we're eating ourlunch, and then I'll tell you what I'll do. "

"Good for you, Frank!" exclaimed Will, beaming on his chum, forsomehow he must have guessed that the chances of their going werepretty fair. 

When noon arrived and they sat down to enjoy what had been preparedWill's face looked so much like one big interrogation point that Frankdid not have the heart to keep him longer in suspense. 

"I see no good reason why we shouldn't wander up that way if we feellike it, " he went on to say, at which the other looked greatlypleased. "Of course, " Frank continued, "it isn't exactly the rightthing for us to crawl through that opening in the fence again, especially after we've been warned off by the housekeeper; but sinceyou say you _must_ get a snapshot of the house, why, we'll risk it. "

"That's kind of you to agree, Frank. "

"Oh! I rather guess it's six for you and half a dozen for myself, "chuckled the other lad; "because I own up there's something aboutAaron's place up there that draws me more than I ought to allow. Butafter all we mean no harm, and besides we may not meet any one on ourtrip. "

"Remember, " added Will, with a grin, "it's only returning the oldgentleman's visit of last night, you know. We want to be neighborly, of course. "

There was no hurry, since they had the whole afternoon ahead of them. Will, however, urged a start because he had hopes that they mightreturn by a long, roundabout course, and possibly pick up someinteresting views on the way. 

"There are some clouds passing overhead, " remarked Frank, "and we mayget a little thunder shower while away; so we'd better fix things hereshipshape. "

This was easily done, though of course they did not think to fastenthe door in any way. The other two boys might get back before theydid, and it would be foolish to bar them out of the cabin. Besides, what reason had they to fear any invasion from tramps up in thislonely section of country?

Once started, Will seemed very happy. Frank on his part had no greatdifficulty in following the dimly seen trail. From time to time hewould show his companion the marks of footprints both going andcoming, and which were other than those left by himself and Bluff onthe preceding day. 

"That proves we guessed right when we said it was old Aaron who ranagainst the string of your flashlight trap, " Frank explained; "and I'dgive a cooky to know why he was making for the cabin at the time. "

"You told the housekeeper, didn't you, Frank, that we had bunked inthe cabin on the point jutting out into the bay?"

"Yes, and she may have informed him, " Frank mused. "Even if he's kepthimself up here away from everybody for so long, buried in his books, old Aaron might have enough curiosity to walk down over this trailthat he knows so well, just to take a look at us. "

"If he's half as gruff as they say, " suggested Will, "he may havemeant to order us to vacate the ranch. Then that awful flash came andfrightened it all out of him. "

Other things cropping up caused them to change the subject. And in duecourse of time they sighted the high board fence with which thestrange hermit had surrounded his estate, thus warning strollers tokeep out. 

Will was interested in everything connected with the isolated home ofthe rich and mysterious recluse. 

"Of course, " he remarked, reflectively, "we could climb over thatfence if we went to a lot of trouble, even if it has got a barbed wirestrand along the top; but it would take more or less time. And yousaid there was an opening we could use, didn't you, Frank?"

"It's just ahead a little way, if some one hasn't found the looseboard and fastened it up securely, " replied the pilot of theexpedition. 

They were pleased to discover that this had not happened. The looseboard still hung in position, and could be easily moved to one side, allowing them a ready entry to the enclosed grounds. 

Neither of them spoke above a whisper as they advanced. Frank followedthe tracks he and Bluff had made when leaving, since these marked theshortest route to the building. And it was not long before theycaught their first glimpse of the house. 

The sun happened to be just about right for a good picture of thefront; Will hoped those drifting clouds would not come along in anexasperating way, as so often happens in the experience of everyamateur photographer, and obscure the light. 

"It's going to make a cracker-jack of a picture, Frank!" said Will, eagerly, and in the lowest of tones, as though he feared thatsomething might still happen to keep him from accomplishing hischerished purpose. 

"Just what I thought, " replied the other, in an equally cautiousvoice; "which was one reason I agreed to bring you up here. Get busynow, Will. "

The boy with the camera glanced about him, looking for the proper spotfrom which to snap off his picture. Taking into consideration thesituation of the sun at that particular minute, together with thedirection the long, low building faced, Will saw that he could get inthe entire front and the western side. 

He moved a little to the left and gauged matters with his practicedeye. Being quite a skillful operator with the lens and the shutter, Will could judge these things much better than any of his chums. In acase of this kind at least he had no occasion to ask the advice ofFrank. 

The latter in the meanwhile was looking from window to window of thetwo-story building. It must have many rooms, he judged, from thenumber of these openings. He was also wondering whether that old andvigilant housekeeper would chance to discover the intruders in frontof the house, and hasten out to warn them away, lest they get introuble with her master. 

Then, too, Frank was letting his curiosity have free rein again; heremembered the weird cry that had come floating to the ears of himselfand Bluff, giving them such a queer feeling. 

Nothing happened to spoil Will's chance of getting a good picture. Theclouds kept away from the sun in the most accommodating way, and nogruff keeper of the grounds came along with an angry demand that hedesist in his undertaking, as the owner of the estate did not wish thepublic to see what manner of home he had built for himself therebehind that towering fence. 

When Frank heard a slight "click" he knew that Will had made at leastone exposure, though like a cautious photographer he might decide toshift his location a trifle and try again, so as to make sure of hiswork. 

Their excursion, then, promised to meet with success. If only theeccentric owner of the place himself should come along and give Will achance to snap his picture off it would be doubly satisfactory. 

That was what Frank was saying to himself as he stood and waited forWill to complete his work. Once he fancied he heard some slight sound, like the rustling of bushes, and wondered whether, after all, therecould be a dog at large within the enclosed grounds. 

Frank realized that they were intruders, and as such could not giveany good excuse for being there. He decided that they had betterlinger no longer; and was really in the act of turning to wave hishand to Will, some twenty feet or more away, when something happenedthat stopped his plan. 

A voice that was trembling with anger came to his ears, and gave him arude shock. 

"How dare you trespass on this private property, and even have theassurance to take a picture of my house, you young rascals?" was whatthis furious voice said, and turning quickly Frank saw the speaker notfive feet away from him. 

CHAPTER XI

IN THE BIG TIMBER

Of course it was Mr. Dennison himself. Frank could easily have guessedas much from the manner in which the other behaved, even had he notspoken of the building as "my house. "

The first thing Frank settled in his mind was that their visitor ofthe preceding night had been Aaron Dennison. The white, close-croppedbeard told him that. Then he saw that the old gentleman held a stoutcane in his hand, which he had half raised as though sorely tempted tomake strenuous use of it upon the backs of these two ambitious amateurphotographers. 

Frank knew how to talk, and use soothing language. His chums alwayssaid he would make a good lawyer. Apparently he might go a long timebefore running across a better opportunity for smoothing the "ruffledfeathers" of an angry man than was now offered to him. 

"I hope you'll excuse us, Mr. Dennison, for entering your grounds totake a picture of your house, " he started to say. "We didn't mean anyharm, and will go away at once, sir. "

The man looked sternly at Frank, but the boy noticed with a feeling ofrelief that the half upraised stick was slowly lowered. Apparentlysomething influenced Aaron Dennison to decide not to take the law intohis own hands, and use that heavy cane on these rash intruders. 

"How did you get in here?" he demanded abruptly. 

"There is a board loose on the fence, sir, and we couldn't resist thetemptation to come through. My chum here is making a hobby of takingpictures, and he wanted one of your house, because it was so peculiarin its build. I hope you won't think too badly of us for intruding. "

Aaron Dennison did not take any notice of this last remark; butapparently he caught some meaning back of Frank's words. 

"How did you know my house differed from any other one; have you beenin here before this?"

Evidently the discreet old housekeeper had decided not to tell of theformer visit of the boys, and it was Frank himself who had given thesecret away. He determined not to evade the issue, but continue to befrank with the irate gentleman. 

"Yes, sir, " he said, steadily. "I wandered up this way yesterday, andsaw the house. It was because I was so enthusiastic in my descriptionthat Will here wanted to come and get a picture of it. "

"So as to tell every one, I suppose, that it is the secluded home ofthe eccentric old hermit, as I believe they call me in the towns wheremy men trade, " the other continued with a half sneer. "But what areyou boys doing up in this section of the country? It is the first timefor a long while that I have seen a stranger about here. "

"We are camping, sir, on the lake shore, and having a good time for afew weeks, fishing, taking pictures, and all that. In our home town ofCenterville they call us the Outdoor Chums, because we love to campout. "

"On the lake shore, you say?" repeated the other, looking keenly atFrank. "Tell me, is your camp anywhere near Cabin Point?"

"Yes, we've gone to work, Mr. Dennison, and fixed the old cabin allup; and it's there we're staying, " Frank told him. 

"I wonder--" began the other, frowning, "if you had anything to dowith startling me last night, when I was taking a walk down to thelake, as I sometimes do when the spirit moves me. Do you know anythingabout that frightful blinding flash that gave me such a shock I hadto hurry home?"

"I am afraid we are to blame for that, sir, though I give you my wordof honor we had no idea any human being would spring the trap. Yousee, my chum here is devoted to getting flashlight pictures of wildanimals and birds in their native haunts. To do that he has to placehis camera at night, and with a bait coax the little creature to setthe trap off. And it happened, sir, that you ran across the cordconnected with the trigger of the flashlight gun. "

"Is this the truth you are telling me, boy?" demanded the puzzledhermit. 

"Will, do you happen to have that proof with you?" called out Frank. Upon hearing this, the other hastened up, though there was a satisfiedsmirk on his face, as though he had accomplished something daring. 

As Frank believed he had heard a soft click just before this, he couldgive a pretty good guess as to what the other had been up to. 

Upon the proof being produced Frank stepped forward and held it out tothe old gentleman, who took it eagerly. He even smiled faintly as hesaw himself in the act of falling, and with all the elements of suddensurprise and alarm connected with his action. 

"At least this satisfies me that you had no intention of giving mesuch a bad fright. I can forgive you in part, because I, too, aminterested in photography, which is indeed my only recreation nowadaysbesides reading. But you must not come here again. I do not allowintruders, and if you had chanced to be seen by one of my men theconsequences might have been unpleasant for you. "

"Then we will go away at once, sir, " said Frank; "though we'll alwaysbe glad we met you, Mr. Dennison. "

The recluse frowned again as though he remembered that he had a reasonfor not wishing to hold intercourse with others. And seeing he did notmean to continue the conversation any further Frank nodded to Will, after which they walked away. 

When they looked back a minute later Mr. Dennison was still standingthere as though in a deep study. Somehow he interested Frank very muchindeed, for the boy realized that there must be some very good reasonfor his shunning his kind. 

They had almost reached the hole in the fence, when, just as hadhappened on the preceding day, there came that strange cry. Willthought it might be the screech of a peacock, though he could notremember having seen such a fowl strutting about the lawn. 

"It may be what you say, " admitted Frank, "but when you hear a queersound under such conditions as these it seems different from anythingyou ever ran up against. Bluff thought it was a dog chained up; yousay a peacock; and for my part I hardly know what to believe. "

"Anyhow, Frank, I got him all right, " chuckled Will. 

"Meaning the old hermit, of course, " said the other. "I thought Iheard your shutter click. It will be worth something to say you tookhis picture as well as that you got one of his peculiarly built house, which I reckon few people have ever so much as seen. "

"But after all's said and done, Frank, old Aaron isn't just the kindof man I always thought a real hermit must be. Why, he's a gentleman, and not a bit careless of his appearance, the way most of them aredescribed to be. He dotes on books, they say. And oh, Frank! did youhear him admit he was fond of dabbling in amateur photographyhimself?"

"Yes, that was what he said, Will. "

"I wish I could make a good impression on old Aaron, then, becauselike as not he'd have some dandy pictures to show. He's got rafts ofmoney, you know, and must have traveled a heap in his time. "

Frank laughed at hearing this. 

"Now I wouldn't be surprised, " he remarked, "if you tried to get thickwith our hermit before we shut up shop at Cabin Point!"

"I own I'd like to, though I don't think I'll have much of a chance, Frank, because you see he's shut down on us, and forbidden us to everlook in on him after this. Now what do you reckon ails the man, andwhy should he act in that way? He must have just soured on the worldfor some reason or other. "

They passed outside, and allowed the loose board to fall back into itsplace again. Unless one were looking for a break in the fence it wouldbe possible to pass by without noticing anything wrong there. 

"But now since he knows some of us were in his grounds twice, "lamented Will, "old Aaron may give his men orders to search all aroundtill they find the break. If they had any sense at all they couldfollow our tracks and come to it. But, Frank, how about taking a swingaround on the way home?"

"You spoke of that before, Will, and as we have plenty of time I don'tknow any reason we shouldn't make something of a circuit. I'm ascurious as you can be to see something of the country. "

"Likely none of us will ever be up this way again, " remarked Will, "and so we'd better make the most of our opportunities. Besides, there's no telling what cracker-jack chances we may strike forpictures. I'm always on the lookout for anything like that, youremember. "

Frank of course knew next to nothing about the lay of the ground, buthe could give a pretty good guess, for he had kept his eyes about himall of the time. Accordingly he laid out the course they would take. 

"Unless we strike something tougher than we figure on, " he explainedto Will, "we ought to make the round and be back in camp long beforesundown. "

"What if the other fellows do arrive before us, " remarked thephotographer of the expedition, "they can start in to get supper ifthey're half starving. I just feel like making hay while the sunshines. This seems to be one of my lucky days, because I've alreadysnapped off some pictures that ought to be worth while. When we startto talking about hermits and such things we'll have something to showfor it. "

Starting off, they were speedily in the heart of what seemed to be adense wood. Will expressed himself as well pleased with thesurroundings, and soon discovered some remarkable sights that calledfor the use of his camera. 

They pushed on for more than an hour, and by that time had coveredconsiderable distance. When Frank hinted that perhaps they had betterturn back Will begged him not to give up just then. 

"You see we've still plenty of time to make the cabin long beforedark, " he urged, "and I'm sure we'll find it worth our while to keepon the way we're going. It seems to me the country keeps gettingrougher the further we push ahead. Already I'm just tickled to deathwith what I've seen. "

"It's a fact that we've run across as wild a section as I've ever metwith, " admitted Frank. "I never would have believed there could besuch a primitive stretch of land within a hundred miles ofCenterville. Right now you can look around in every direction, andthere isn't a sign to show that you're not out at the foot of theRockies, just as we found it at the time we had our big hunt. "

"At that time, you know, Frank, I hadn't caught on to this wild animalphotography business. What wonderful pictures I could have taken thenif only I'd known the racket. It keeps growing on me all the while, too. Right now I expect I get more of a thrill when I'm snapping offthe picture of a bull moose bellowing his defiance to the guide'scall, than you would with your rifle at your shoulder ready for ashot. "

"I reckon you do, Will, for I can understand what you feel. I reallybelieve that if you hadn't gone in for the game I'd have picked it upmyself. But one photographic crank in the party is enough; some of ushave to stick to the gun in order to supply the meat for the camp whenthe season is on. "

Frank had been persuaded by Will's logic, and he continued to push on, though constantly keeping track of conditions. He did not wish to haveto confess sooner or later that he was lost, which would not be soimpossible a thing to happen in that dense wood. 

It was while they were making their way along in this fashion towardthe middle of the afternoon, that, without the slightest warning, there came a loud and angry crash of thunder; and looking up in astartled way they saw inky black clouds gathering overhead. 

CHAPTER XII

CAUGHT IN THE STORM

"Why Frank! What does this mean?" exclaimed the astonished Will, as hestared first at his chum, and then up past the lofty tops of theforest trees to where those inky thunder-caps were thrusting theirugly noses into sight. 

"Simply that we've been caught napping for once, " replied the other, with an expression of mingled amusement and disgust on his face; forsuch a thing did not happen very often in the experience of awide-awake fellow like Frank Langdon. 

"It's going to storm like fun, " continued Will, with growingapprehension. 

"And the first thing we've got to do, " his companion told him, "is tolook for shelter. Under these big trees we might find a place to keepdry, for there's one that's hollow right now; but the danger of itsbeing struck by lightning is too great for me to risk. "

"Whew! We're in for it, I expect!" cried Will, who apparently hadreceived quite a severe shock upon making this sudden discovery, whenup to the time that loud thunder clap startled them neither of theboys had suspected anything. 

Frank began to look hastily about him. He knew what he wanted to findabove all things, and fortunately the country around that section wascapable of producing such a safe shelter. 

"Hurry along this way, Will!" he called out. "If I remember rightly Inoticed some outcropping ledges back a little bit. We may be luckyenough to find shelter under a shelf of rock. "

"That's a good idea, Frank, " admitted Will, as he tried to keep closeon the heels of his hurrying comrade. 

"If the rain will only hold off ten minutes, even less, we ought toget to that rocky section, unless I miss my guess, " Frank threw backover his shoulder. 

They pushed on with all their vim. Meanwhile it grew very dark andforbidding. Will could not remember ever to have seen the dayswallowed up in the gathering shades of night so quickly before. Itappalled the boy, for he did not possess the same unconquerable natureas Frank. 

One crash of thunder followed another in rapid succession. The veryearth under their flying feet seemed to quiver with the concussions. Lightning shot downward with such vivid flashes that it fairly blindedthem; so that Will's soul was filled with awe. 

"Frank, oh, Frank!" cried the boy in the rear. 

"All right, Will, what is it?" replied the other, who kept glancingback at very brief intervals to make sure his chum still ran at hisheels, for he feared that should they ever be separated in thatgathering gloom it would be impossible for them to come togetheragain. 

"Do you think we can make it?" demanded the other, with a touch ofdespair in his voice, for the situation looked frightfully appallingto Will. 

"Sure we will!" he was immediately assured in Frank's most cheeryfashion. "Right now I can see the first of the rocks. Given two moreminutes at the most and we'll be able to crawl under a shelf, and liethere as snug as two bugs in a rug. "

Frank did not feel any too sanguine himself, but he would not let Willknow of any fears he possessed regarding the possibility of their notfinding the shelter among the rocks after all. 

A terrific peal of thunder drowned their conversation for a briefinterval, but they were pushing resolutely forward all the while. Frank was straining those keen eyes of his to some purpose. He knewthey were at the border of the rough, rocky section now. If only theycould run upon the friendly outcropping shelf which he remembered tohave seen at the time they passed before, they would find shelter. 

All would have been easy enough had they been given ordinary daylightso as to look around them. The gathering gloom made it very difficultto see twenty feet away with any degree of certainty. Frank was beingguided partly by instinct, and the knowledge that he had taken hisright bearings to start with. 

"Frank, I felt the first drop of rain!" shrilled Will, filled with anew fear, for he was afraid that his pet camera would be ruined shouldthey be soaked to the skin, which was a calamity terrible enough tobreak his heart. 

Frank did not need to be told of the falling rain, for he, too, haddiscovered the ominous fact even before his chum announced it. Therewas nothing to be done but set their teeth grimly and bear it. Therocks were now all around them. If only they could discover thatfriendly ledge!

"Yes, it's beginning to come down now, because I can hear it in thetreetops over that way, can't you, Frank?"

"What you hear is mostly the wind, Will; but that sounds bad enough, Iown up. There, I remember that broken tree making a bow above thepath we followed. And the ledges were close by it, I'm dead certain. Come this way, Will; chances are we'll run on them right off. "

This cheery talk buoyed up the despondent spirits of the other, and heset his teeth grimly, determined to hold out to the end. Another flashthat almost blinded them, quickly followed by a resounding bellow ofthunder, announced that the downpour of rain must be very closeindeed; doubtless it would descend upon them with that furious gale ofwind. 

"Hurrah! here they are, Will! Brace up, old fellow, for it's going tobe all right!"

So dense had the darkness become that Frank found himself relyingalmost wholly on the electric flashes for his illumination. The lastbrilliant charge had disclosed the fact of the near presence of theledges which he had kept in mind so long. 

Fortune favored them in that Frank was able to discover the largestledge close at hand. It stood out far enough to allow of theircrawling well underneath, where the rain, no matter how it was drivenby the furious wind, could not reach them. 

Even as the two fugitives dropped down on their hands and knees, andstarted to creep under the flat rocks, the rain began to fallheavily. In fact it seemed to Will that hardly had his feet been drawnunder the accommodating shelter than the heavens opened, and thefloods descended. 

The two boys pushed well in and made themselves as comfortable astheir condition allowed. This of course was not saying much, for theywere sitting on hard rock, with their heads touching the shelf thathung above. 

It was utterly impossible for them to exchange a single word justthen, owing to the riot of sound that came from beyond. The thunderbellowed, the wind roared, trees could be heard at intervals crashingto the ground, and the rain beat a terrible tattoo on the rock thatsheltered them. 

So fast did the lightning play that they were glad to close their eyeslest in staring into that dazzling glare they should find themselvesblinded. 

Will managed to push up close to his chum. Somehow it seemed to givehim more confidence just to feel the contact. Thus he knew he was notalone in the midst of that hurricane, really the worst he had everexperienced in all his life. 

The time wore on. Once the dreadful storm seemed to have passed, andit even grew considerably lighter. Will plucked up fresh hope, believing the end had come, and that they could soon be on their wayto camp, to reach there at dusk perhaps. 

Frank, however, began to see things in a different light. He notedthat there were signs telling of a return of the gale. The secondspell might be as bad as the first; and if it kept them confined thereunder the rocks until night came on it would be utterly out of thequestion to think of setting forth. 

So Frank, foreseeing fresh trouble ahead, braced himself to meet it. They would have to make a virtue of necessity, and stay there allnight. That was not a pleasant outlook, but then things might be a lotworse, Frank told himself. 

Sure enough the gloom once more descended, and again the thunder tookup the old rumble and crash. Perhaps the wind was not as furious aswas the first rush, and the rain may have been less in quantity, butthe second part of the storm was severe and terrifying enough. 

"If it wasn't that we've had an even worse spell, " Will managed tocall out, "I'd think this was the worst ever. Frank, what's the answerto all this? How are we going to get back to camp?"

"Walk, of course, " replied the other; "it's the only way. "

"But even now the afternoon must be pretty well gone, " objected Will. 

"It certainly is, " he was told. 

"We don't know the exact way to camp, " continued Will, "the night iscoming on in a hurry, the trees are dripping with water, and in lotsof places they have been thrown down every-which-way by thathurricane. We never can make camp to-night, that's sure!"

"I'm glad you understand that, Will, because I was just going to breakit to you. No, it would be foolish for us to try such a thing. We'vebeen pretty lucky as it is to escape getting wet jackets. We'll haveto put in a long night here the best we can. "

"Whew! it will be a terribly long one, too, " declared Will, listeningto the retreating growl of the thunder. "And the worst of it is theweather usually turns cold after one of these storms. We'll get toshivering to beat the band. I wish we could make a fire some way orother. "

"I'm afraid that's going to be out of the question, " Frank told him. "Of course we have matches in plenty, but we couldn't get dry woodafter that deluge. You see we had no chance to look around us for adead tree, and we have no camp hatchet along with us to do anychopping. "

"Oh, well, I guess we can stand it, Frank. Morning is bound to gethere sooner or later. We've gone through as bad times as this morethan once, haven't we?"

"I should say we had, " Frank immediately replied, anxious to buoy upthe spirits of his companion as much as possible. "And for one thing, that wind isn't going to reach in under here to any extent. "

"You're right about that, " admitted Will; "it comes from back of theledge, now that it's shifted into the west. Surely we have lots to bethankful for. But of course we'll feel pretty hungry, because neitherof us is used to going without supper, you see. "

At that Frank laughed. 

"I thought I'd do it for a joke, first of all, " he remarked; "you seeI'd been reading about the way the Indians make their pemmican bydrying venison, and how they carry a handful in their pouches whenthey have a day's journey afoot to make, munching on it once in awhile. "

"But what has that to do with us, Frank; we have no pemmican in camp, have we?"

"No, but that piece of dried beef made me think of it, and for fun Icarved off a small hunk, intending to spring it on you as a joke ifyou happened to say you felt hungry, I've got it here in the pocket ofmy coat. "

"Well! of all the luck, that takes the cake!" exclaimed Will. "We cangrind our teeth on that once in a while, and make believe we'reenjoying the most magnificent camp dinner going, eh, Frank?"

"It's apt to make us thirsty, of course, but just now it happens thatpools of water can be found for the looking, so that needn't bother usany. So we're fixed in the line of grub; and there's no danger ofstarving to death yet awhile. "

By the time the last of the storm died away in the distance it wasalmost night; in fact Will discovered the first star peeping through arent in the clouds overhead. Therefore the two chums started to makethemselves as comfortable as the hard conditions of their shelterallowed, thankful that they had been spared being caught in the openby that fearful summer storm. 

CHAPTER XIII

TAKING A BEE-LINE FOR CAMP

Frank and Will were not apt soon to forget that night. They werecompelled to remain under the shelf of rock, because outsideeverything was soaking wet; and besides, the night wind blew unusuallycold for that time of year. Without a fire to cheer them it would havebeen unbearable to try to stay in the open. 

Of course the rocks proved very hard. Every little while the boyswould change their positions in the endeavor to relieve their achinglimbs. Many times did Will find himself sighing for his blanket, whichhad never seemed half so precious as now, when it was far away. 

Frank managed to divide the piece of hard dried beef with his knife, and give the larger portion to Will, who, of course, knew nothing ofthe sacrifice. They munched away from time to time, taking minutebites, and grinding the tough meat between their teeth as long aspossible before swallowing it. 

This served in some measure to keep their thoughts away from theirunhappy condition, which was one object Frank had in mind. 

At times they talked of the two comrades who had gone off, aboard theboat, bent on reaching the far distant village on the lake shore. Willworried about them. Frank professed to have the utmost confidence inthe ability of the chums to look after themselves. 

"Stop and figure it all out, Will, " he told the other. "If they madeas good time as we expected, they must have reached the village longbefore noon came. In fact, we felt pretty sure they were in port atthe time we ate our own lunch in camp. "

"Yes, that's what we agreed, " admitted the other, briskly. 

"Well, let's try to guess what they'd be apt to do, " continued Frank. 

"I know what Jerry would have in his mind first of all, if it happenedto be anywhere around noon, " said Will. "Jerry never forgets when it'smeal time; and the chances are ten to one he'd try to make sure theywere going to get dinner somewhere. "

"All right, " agreed Frank; "that might bring them to nearly oneo'clock. Afterward they'd want to get a hustle on them trying togather up a supply of butter and fresh eggs, according to theirorders. Now if they had to go outside the place to get the supplies itwould be long after two before they'd be in shape even to think ofstarting back to camp. "

"I see what you're hitting at, Frank; you mean they'd likely enoughnotice how the inky black clouds were moving up in the sky about thattime, because being so close to the big lake they could see all this;while the woods hid it from us. "

"Just so, " Frank continued, his one desire being to convince theanxious chum that Bluff and Jerry could be in no real peril. "And thepeople of the village, you see, would urge them to hold over, tellingthem it was too risky to try to row an old leaky boat all those mileswith such a storm coming up. "

"Then you believe they are still there in the village, do you, Frank?"

"I really and truly do, " came the steady answer; "and, even at theworst, if the boys were foolish enough to make the start you candepend on it they'd hurry to get ashore long before the storm broke. "

"Well, " concluded Will, "nothing could have tempted me to stay out onthe lake a minute, once that thunder started to crash, and I knew thewind must soon come tearing along. I guess Jerry wouldn't take toomany chances, even if Bluff wanted to keep rowing on. "

"Another thing you've got reason to be satisfied about is yourcamera, " suggested Frank, knowing what store his comrade set by histreasured instrument. 

"Yes, for it hasn't been wet even a little bit!" Will declared. "I'vealways been pretty lucky that way. In fact the only streak ofmisfortune that ever struck me was the loss of those Maine films. Ieven dream about them, Frank; and I certainly do hope that Gilbertbrings them back, if he comes this way. "

"He may turn up any time now, " Frank assured him. "The golf tournamentmust have been played before this, and if Gilbert lives around thispart of the country you'll see him coming after those golf balls ofhis. They look extra fine to me. "

"And my films would be worth next door to nothing to him; just as Ilook on his silly old golf balls. Queer how one man's food is anotherman's poison, isn't it?"

A dozen times Frank had to scratch a match at the request of his matein order to take a glance at his watch. The time seemed actually todrag along. 

"I've read about the minutes passing on leaden wings, " said Will, witha long-drawn sigh, "but now I know just what that means. Eleveno'clock you said, didn't you, Frank? That means six more to bring usto five in the morning; and I suppose we couldn't think of making astart any earlier than that. "

"As soon as it's broad daylight we'll get a move on us, " promised theother. "We only want to make sure we can see how to avoid pitfalls andfallen trees. "

"How far are we from camp, do you reckon, Frank?"

Will asked this last question rather drowsily; for in spite of hispains he was beginning to get sleepy. 

"Only a few miles as the crow flies, " he was assured. 

"Of course you've got the direction down all--er, what you call it, pat, I suppose?"

Frank told him he felt sure he could take a bee-line for camp; and aminute afterwards, there being no further questions, only the regularbreathing of a tired lad, he knew that Will had dropped off. 

Neither of them managed to secure any great amount of sleep. Theirhard resting-place prevented such a thing. After a nap of possiblyhalf an hour Frank would awaken to find one of his legs numb underhim, while his muscles fairly ached with the severe strain to whichthey were quite unaccustomed. 

Twice both boys felt so numb with the cold that acting on Frank'sadvice they crawled out from under the sheltering rock, and for ashort time went through with exercises devised to send the bloodleaping through their veins. 

It was by all odds the longest night either of the lads had everexperienced, in so far as their feelings were concerned. Twice theeager and impatient Will gave a false alarm, under the impression thathe had glimpsed the dawn stealing in upon them. The first time Frankshowed him by his watch how impossible this was, for it had hardlyreached two o'clock. 

But all things must come to an end, bad as well as good; and finallyFrank himself detected the coming of dawn. It was not by sight that heknew this but through the twittering of birds in neighboring trees, where the poor things had hidden to escape the terrible storm. 

"I guess that's meant for a tune of thanksgiving and praise on accountof having escaped death in all that wind and rain, " Frank told himselfas he listened to the faint songs taking form around him. 

He did not awaken his chum, because there was no need. They could notstart at once, and the boy needed what sleep he could get after such awretched night. 

It was broad day when Will awoke. 

"Why! what's this, Frank?" he exclaimed, reproachfully, "how could youlet me waste time sleeping when we might have been on our way?"

"Oh! no hurry, " he was told; "and you seemed to be getting forty winksafter such a tough night. But now that you've waked up, let's crawlout of here. "

Neither of them felt any sorrow at leaving their hard beds, thoughthat did not mean they could ever be anything but grateful for thewelcome shelter of that nook under the rocky shelf. 

Frank had no hesitancy about pointing toward the quarter where hebelieved the camp must lie. 

"We'll take our bearings, Will, and then head straight. In the courseof two hours at the most we ought to strike the lake, and close toCabin Point in the bargain. "

"Before we leave here, " remarked Will, the old instinct still grippinghim, "I'd like to get a snapshot of that bully ledge, now that the sunis peeping up, and shines full on the place. "

"A good idea, " Frank told him; "we'll often smile when we look at it, and remember our rough experience. I think every time I happen tomunch a bit of jerked or dried beef my thoughts will go back to thisadventure. "

"Yes, " added the other, with a chuckle, "and with me, every timeanybody mentions dried beef you'll see me begin to rub my poor boneswhere they ache right now as if my joints were so many boils. "

They had not gone far before they began to notice many signs that toldof the fury of the wind during the storm. Trees had been toppledcompletely over or else lay up against some neighboring trunk in ahelpless condition, "much like drunken men, " Will declared. 

Will discovered a number of remarkable sights that appealed to hisartistic instinct, so that Frank had to wait until he had focussed hiscamera and then pressed the button. Those pictures would always remindthem of their lively experiences when on the way back to camp afterthe second visit to Aaron Dennison's place. 

When about an hour had passed Will began to show signs of freshanxiety, but he was confidently assured by his chum that everythingwas all right. 

"The lake is straight ahead of us, you can depend on that, " was whatthe pilot told him; "and pretty soon I think I can prove it to you, since seeing is believing. "

"How is that?" asked Will, his curiosity aroused at once, as Frankintended it should be. 

"We're coming to a little hill, " was the explanation, "and unless thetrees are too dense to hide our view I figure we ought to see the bigwater from the crown; anyway we'll take the trouble to climb up andfind out. "

Frank was right, for upon arriving at the top of the elevation theymanaged to find one avenue among the treetops through which they couldglimpse the glistening waters of the sun-kissed lake. 

After that Will complained no longer, having the utmost confidence inthe ability of his companion to guide the expedition into a safeharbor. 

Before the second hour had fully elapsed they realized that the shorewas close by. Will declared he could even hear the lapping of thewaves on the pebbly strand. 

"We might have made it in much less time, you understand, " said Frank, "if it had not been for the fallen trees we had to go around; and thenthere was the ravine we skirted a long way before meeting with a placewhere we could cross. "

"But it's all right in the end, Frank; and let me tell you I'mthankful we came through the business as well as we did. Now the onlything to bother us is the fate of the other fellows. "

"Oh! they're all right, you can depend on it, " said Frank. 

"But I don't hear any chopping or talking, and we must be close enoughto the cabin to get that, you know, " speculated Will. 

"Which proves my theory was sound, and that they had to stay all nightin the village. You can depend on it, Will, they fared better than wedid, because the chances are they slept on feather beds, and had allthey wanted to eat. "

"Oh, good, now we can cook something! I'm about as near empty as Iwant to be, and feel able to make way with the biggest beefsteakgoing. There, I can see the cabin, Frank! I'm glad to find out thestorm didn't pick it up bodily and carry it into the lake, as Isometimes thought it might have done. "

Both of them hurried their steps a little, for the thought of a warmand tasty breakfast certainly appealed to them as seldom before. Consequently they soon reached the cabin on the Point, which they nowcalled their camp home. 

CHAPTER XIV

THE RETURN OF THE VOYAGERS

"After all the old cabin has had a pretty narrow escape, Will. "

Frank, as he said this, pointed to where a tree had crashed to theground close by. It lay with its head toward the northeast. Had thewind been more in the west at the time of its fall the roof of the logstructure must have been crushed in like an egg-shell. 

Will was just about to enter when Frank caught hold of his arm andheld him back. 

"What's the matter, Frank?" instantly questioned the other, lookingaround him in surprise. 

"Why, I wonder how it comes that the door is ajar. We both know aswell as anything that we made sure to shut it securely at the time weleft. "

"Then Bluff and Jerry must have got back home!" exclaimed Will, excited again. "Since they don't seem to be here, I reckon they've setoff to search for us, believing we must have gone out for a stroll, and been caught in the storm. "

"You forget one thing, Will. "

"Do you mean the boat?" demanded the other, quickly. "Well, it doesn'tseem to be around, for a fact, Frank; and, sure! it ought to be ifthey'd come home. "

"Well, let's go inside now, " remarked the other. "If they did comehome, and have gone out again, I think they would have left some wordfor us. "

No sooner had the two boys entered the cabin than they could see thatsome one had been there. A home-made chair was lying on its side onthe floor; also some things had been swept from the heavy table whichFrank had repaired so that it stood firmly on its four legs now. 

Will looked around, and then turned his eyes on Frank. 

"Somebody or some animal has certainly been in here since we leftyesterday, or I miss my guess!" he announced. 

"There's no question about that, " returned Frank, a puzzled look onhis face. "And as we fastened the door in the only way we have, whichwould prevent any but an educated monkey from opening it, I can'tbelieve any wild beast entered here. Take that from me, Will. "

"Then of course it must have been a human being, " remarked Will, forFrank's decisions seemed to leave no other explanation possible. 

"I'm wondering why he came in here, and what he did, " continued theother, as he wandered about the place scrutinizing everything. "There's not a sign of anybody's sleeping in one of our bunks, and sofar as I can make out there's been no cooking going on here since wehad our lunch yesterday, because I remember just how I put everythingaway then. "

"Frank, it's certainly a deep mystery. "

"Oh, well! what's the use of bothering our poor heads over it whenthere was no mischief done. Let's get busy with something to eat. I'mas hollow as a drum right now, and I'm not ashamed to say it, either. "

When presently the coffee began to throw out the most tantalizingodor, and the sizzling bacon added its quota to the aroma, the boysfelt they could hardly wait until things were ready. 

Munching some crackers helped them to hold off a bit, and presently, when things were done, the welcome call to breakfast sounded. 

The lake must have been rough and high during the previous night'sgale, for the waves still rolled up on the beach in places, though thewind had changed. 

"Don't you think they must have started from over yonder by now?" Willwas asking as he and Frank began to eat more slowly, having taken thefierce edge from their appetites. 

"Yes, the sea has gone down enough by now to let them take chances, "Frank admitted; "and after we're through eating we'll use the glassesto find out. "

Although he had not said anything about it to his chum, Frank believedhe had detected a moving spot far away on the water, and in thedirection of the village, which he thought might be the camp boat withtheir two mates. 

He did not hurry through his breakfast, for as the object wasconstantly drawing slowly but steadily nearer Cabin Point they wouldbe better able to discover who the occupants of the boat were lateron. 

Will kept the other to his promise, and in good time the small butpowerful pair of field glasses was brought out and adjusted. 

Frank took the first look. He did not say a single word or betray theresult of his survey by the faintest smile, only handed the glasses toWill. 

"My sight must be different from yours, Frank, because I have to focusall over again. There, now I reckon I've got it O. K. Because I cansee the village over there as plain as anything. The boat ought to bethis way--there, I've got it located. Oh, Frank, it's Bluff and Jerry, as sure as you live!"

"Of course it is!" declared the other. "And now you can see that I hitthe right nail on the head when I tried to figure out what they'dprobably do in the storm. They spent last night among the villagers, and started this morning just as soon as the water went down enough tomake it seem safe. "

"They're almost half-way here as it is, " continued Will; "and rowinglike fun, let me tell you! Well, that relieves my mind a heap. Icouldn't feel altogether easy about the boys, knowing what an old tubthat boat is at best. But it's all right, Frank; and I think I candrink another cup of coffee on that. "

"We ought to have some ready for them when they get here, " suggestedthoughtful Frank; "though of course they'll have eaten breakfast atthe village. But a cup of _our_ fragrant coffee is something to makeyou forget you're tired. "

"Yes, " agreed Will, "I warrant you they didn't get anything like thatover there at the village tavern, or wherever they put up. "

They spent much of their time watching the approach of the boat. Thesunbeams glinted from the flashing oars as they were methodicallyraised and lowered. All the while it came nearer and nearer. 

"I can see that they're anxious about the camp, and wondering how wecame through the storm, " ventured Frank; "because every once in awhile they stop rowing, seem to be talking together, and then turnaround to stare this way. "

"Let's step out in the open, and I'll wave my big red bandanna tothem, Frank. "

"They ought to see that easily enough, " laughed the other; "I rememberthe old bull did that time he had you treed for several hours. Nowstand ready, and as soon as I give the word start to waving, while weboth shout. "

It was easy to tell when the rowers looked around again, thanks to thepowerful glasses; and while Will waved his red bandanna, both of themyelled vociferously. 

"They see us, because they're waving their hats now!" observed Frank. 

"Yes, and I can hear them shouting, " added his companion. 

Slowly the boat drew nearer, until in the end it was run up on thesandy beach of Cabin Point. Then Bluff and Jerry scrambled out, stretched their stiff legs, and picking up several bundles that hadlain in the bottom of the craft, started toward the cabin, sniffingthe welcome odor of coffee as they came. 

"Looks as if you'd got what you went for, " remarked Frank, as hehastened to relieve one of the boys of his burden, a cardboard box, evidently holding several dozen eggs. 

"We did all of that, " replied Bluff, "and then had to hold the fortthrough the night because of that nasty little tooter of a storm. "

"Listen to him! Trying to make out it didn't amount to much afterall!" laughed Jerry. "I wish you could have seen him holding on to thechair he was sitting in at the village inn, whenever there came aterrific blast that made the house shake all over. I even heard himask the landlord if it was bolted down to its foundation. "

"Well, to own up to the honest truth, " said Bluff, with one of hiswide grins, "it was a regular buster of a howler. I never saw suchwind or rain, and my ears ring even yet from the smashingthunder-claps. Wow! but you two must have wondered what was comingwhen that big tree came tearing down to the ground not thirty feetaway from the cabin. "

"But we didn't hear it fall, " said Will, mysteriously. 

"What do you want us to believe by your saying that?" demanded Jerry. 

"We didn't happen to be around these parts just then, you see, "continued the artist, smilingly. "Fact is, we spent the night under aledge of rock some miles away from here, hungry and cold as could be. "

"Suppose you up and tell us what happened?" said Bluff. "Why so muchmystery, I want to know? What took you away, and how did it come thatyou never noticed that old whooper coming up in time to hurry back tocamp?"

"Oh, Frank and I took a little stroll after lunch, " remarked Will. "You must know I've been wild to see that place belonging to AaronDennison, and snap off a view of it, because Bluff said it is such aremarkable affair. Well, we got the picture, all right, and also oneof the owner of the ranch holding up a big cane as though about tostrike Frank here. "

"Gee whiz! tell us more about that!" begged Bluff, eagerly. 

"After you get started on that coffee we made for you, " said Frank. And while the two boys were enjoying their cups of hot coffee thestory was related. 

Then those who had gone to the village were asked about their trip. Nothing remarkable had happened except that on several occasions theywere compelled to bail out, and had once to stop in order to poundmore oakum into an opening that appeared in one of the seams of theboat. 

"Excuse me from ever taking such a long trip again in an oldrattletrap of a boat like that, " declared Bluff. "Luckily for us, youinsisted on our carrying a bunch of that oakum along, Frank. With itwe patched up more seams this morning, and managed to pull through, though it's been a hard drive. "

"But we've lots of dandy fresh eggs, and five pounds of new butter, "added Jerry, proudly. 

"The storm came up before you could start, I suppose?" questionedWill. 

"Yes, and Bluff here wanted to pull out anyhow, " Jerry replied, "but Ikicked on that, and some of the villagers also warned him it would besuicidal--yes, that's the exact word they used, Bluff, and you knowit. What if I'd given in to you, and we had been caught all of asudden by that hurricane? Well, I'll bet deep down in your heartyou're just as glad as anything I kept you from making that sillystart. "

"Sure I am, Jerry! and I hope you didn't really think I meant to go. Iwas only trying to keep up to my reputation and name as a bluffer. Allthe while I knew as well as anything we never could get a quarter ofthe way here. I've cut my eye-teeth for all I sometimes make out tobe so brash and bold. "

Frank and Will only laughed at the expression of disgust they sawcreeping over Jerry's face. Surely all of them ought to know Bluffwell enough by this time to understand that he did not always meanwhat he said. 

"And now, " remarked Frank, "see if either of you can figure out thismystery. " With that he told them how he and Will had found signs ofsome one's having been in the old cabin on the point between the timethey had left it and their late return on that morning. 

CHAPTER XV

DAYS OF REAL SPORT

"You're dead sure nothing was taken, are you, Frank?" Bluff demandedfirst of all, his suspicions running in the direction of a sneakthief. 

"We looked, but couldn't find the first trace of anything having beenstolen, " he was assured. "Things seemed knocked around a bit, and thedoor was ajar, though we left it tightly closed, but that was all. "

"It surely is a deep mystery, " admitted Jerry, with a puzzledexpression on his face. Jerry had never been remarkably clever atfinding out hidden things, and the whiff of a mystery generallyconfused him. 

"I'd be inclined to think it must have been some sort of animal, "ventured Bluff, "only you feel certain you fastened the door, so a dogor a wildcat couldn't get inside. "

"Besides, " spoke up Will, "if it had been any sort of animal bent ongetting something to eat, wouldn't we see signs of his nosing aroundin the cabin?"

"That's a fact, " admitted Bluff, immediately, "there's that shank ofour ham lying right on the table where we left it. I said we'd boilthe same the first chance we got, so as to get the pickings. Any dogwould have pulled that on to the floor and gnawed at it. "

"Oh, well, what's the use guessing when we haven't got a single clueto go on?" remarked Jerry. "Let's change the subject and talk ofsomething pleasant. "

"One thing I know, " said Will, with a happy smile. 

"Then tell us, won't you?" asked Bluff. 

"I'm going to set my little trap again to-night for Br'er 'Coon, "continued the enthusiastic amateur photographer. 

"Huh! wonder what you'll spot next time?" observed Bluff. "You nailedan old fellow that you tell us is Aaron Dennison himself. I hope thenext crack won't give us a picture of the Old Nick himself, horns, split hoofs, forked tail and all! Ugh!"

"Well, " muttered Jerry, "seems to me when you set one of thoseflashlight traps right in the woods of nights you never can tell whatkind of a job you're going to get away with. "

Will laughed as though amused. 

"Why, " he went on to say, "don't you understand that's part of thegame? The uncertainty of the thing adds to the charm. You never doknow exactly what you're going to strike. "

"Well, " Jerry continued, shaking his head in a contrary fashion asthough far from convinced, "I never did take much to the grab-bagbusiness--putting your hand in, and groping around to pull out a prizeor a blank. "

"Ditto here, Jerry, " spoke up Bluff; "I prefer to know what I'm tryingfor, and then chasing after it for all I'm worth. "

"Oh, well, what's the use of talking?" Will concluded. "Many men, manyminds. It's a mighty good thing everybody doesn't think alike. Varietyis the spice of life, they say. But excuse me, fellows; I've got somework to do developing the snaps I took yesterday. "

That was the last they saw of Will for some time. Once he buriedhimself in that fascinating photographic labor to which he was devotedheart and soul, it required some strong incentive such as a summons todinner, to make him break away. 

After noon had come and gone, the boys settled down into somethinglike the old life. Less was said about events that had occurred, whilenew plans were being broached for the immediate future. 

Having secured some live bait with a little seine made of mosquitonetting, Bluff and Frank tried the fishing, using the boat to reachwhat seemed to be good ground. A hidden ledge of rock ran from thepoint, and Frank judged that where the water was something like tenfeet deep there ought to be bass. 

His figuring proved to be correct, for they were soon busily engagedin playing the fish that struck the live minnows. At times the workbecame even exciting, as a larger and more gamy fish took hold. 

Jerry, who also liked to fish, watched the sport from the shore andenvied those who were thus engaged. The next time he was asked byBluff to accompany him in the boat Jerry's answer would be of adifferent nature. This was a time when his laziness cost him dearly, he admitted to himself, as he watched Bluff lift a struggling bassinto the boat, and then heard him give a yell of triumph. 

Will had long since finished developing the films, and all they hadheard him say with reference to them was that they seemed to haveturned out "pretty fair. "

About three o'clock in the afternoon, however, he set to work andprinted a lot of proofs by the aid of the sun which aroused theinterest and admiration of the other three. 

Frank in particular was delighted to find they would have suchsplendid views by which to remember their singular adventure. The oneof "Old Aaron and His Rod, " as Will designated it, was perfectly clearand reflected considerable credit on the artist who had snatched itoff on the spur of the moment. 

Over the proof that showed the strange ledge of rock under which thetwo storm-bound fugitives had passed the night, Bluff and Jerrylingered longest. There seemed to be some peculiar fascination aboutthe picture that held their attention. 

"Some time soon, Frank, " said Bluff, "we must go up there and take alook into that cave under the rock. It was a bright dodge on your partto notice the formation of the ground in passing, and then remember itright away when the necessity arose for shelter from the rain, windand lightning. "

"Which only shows, " remarked Will, shaking a warning finger at Bluff, "that you ought to keep your eyes about you every minute of time whenyou're tramping through a woodsy country. You never know the secondyou'll be called on to remember something. And also let me say thatit's best to have along with you a chum who never gets left, no matterwhat happens. "

Even Frank had to join in the general laugh that greeted this wisesally. 

"My advice to you all is, never depend on anybody else to pull yourchestnuts out of the fire, but learn to do things for yourself, " wasall the remark Frank would allow himself to make. 

They had fresh fish for supper that evening, and such fish! Bluffhimself cooked them, and of late he had proven himself to be a mostexcellent hand at getting up a meal. 

His method, of course, was the usual camp way of using fat salt porkmelted down in the pan until it was sizzling hot; then placing in thefish, nicely covered with cracker crumbs, and allowing the fish tobecome browned all over, as well as fairly crisp before pronouncingthem done. 

Every one enjoyed them, and it was voted unanimously that fish shouldform one of the staple dishes of their stay in camp at Cabin Point. 

Judging from the game qualities of the bass, there would be no lack ofcandidates for the honor of pulling them in. Even Will, who did not asa rule profess to be much of a sportsman, declared he believed hewould like to test that new "pole" which his father had given him forChristmas; at which Bluff groaned, and immediately threw up his handsin affected horror, exclaiming:

"Pole! For goodness' sake, Will, never call that dandy lancewood rodby such a degrading name again. The farmer's boy cuts a pole from thebushes, or buys a fifteen-foot one at the grocery store, the kind thatcomes up from the Louisiana swamp districts. A true sportsman carriesa jointed _rod_--spell it out, r-o-d. Why, I'd turn red to the rootsof my hair if ever you said 'pole' in the presence of real disciplesof Isaac Walton. "

"Oh, well, 'rod, ' if you prefer it that way, " chuckled Will. "But nomatter what you call it, the farmer boy's pole is generally the onethat knocks the persimmons down. "

"That taffy about the genuine sportsman buying his fish from thebarefooted farmer's boy is as old as the hills, " retorted Bluff. "Maybe it's been true in some cases; but I've seen the time when theman with the fly tackle, and who knew how to use it, got all the fish, while the barefooted boy could only look on. "

"There!" exclaimed Frank with a laugh, "I knew the worm would turnsome day. Up to now there's been no champion for the man with thefancy fly rod. It was the boy who used the humble worm who did allthe business. He'll have to take a back seat after this when our chumBluff is around. "

No one knew whether the flashlight did its duty on that particularnight or not--that is until Will hurried out early in the morning andbrought his camera in. 

He had cleverly arranged it so that when the cord was pulled that setthe cartridge off it also caused the time-exposure arrangement on thecamera to work. Thus for perhaps several seconds the delicate film wasexposed, after which the action caused it to become once more securelyhidden from the light. In this way it was not necessary for theoperator to get out to his camera before daylight came in order tosave his night's work. 

All of them had slept soundly. If Frank did happen to arouse severaltimes during the night he saw and heard nothing to indicate that therewere any animals prowling around in the vicinity of the camp. 

Will knew, however, that his trap had worked, for the bait was gone, the cord pulled taut, and he could even detect traces of sharp clawsaround the spot. 

It turned out that he had managed to secure a splendid snapshot of thebig fellow boasting the striped tail; indeed, the picture was boundto be one of the most prized in all his collection. 

That day also passed with nothing unusual happening. The campersenjoyed every hour of it, for there always appeared to be a variety ofthings awaiting their attention, and all of the boys were full ofvigor. 

Bluff noticed that it had gradually grown quite warm, after thedelightful cool spell following the big storm. 

"And a hot wave means another rattler, I should guess, " he declaredwhen discussing the weather with his comrades. 

Bluff had of late shown a disposition to prove himself somewhat of aweather prophet. He studied the various conditions of the sky, notedthe mottled clouds that people used to say denoted rain, consultedcalendars he had brought along that explained the phases of the moon, and every little while solemnly announced that according to all thesigns such and such a condition of weather was going to follow. 

It was on the second morning that Bluff outlined his plan. Waitinguntil they had all eaten the excellent breakfast which he himself hadprepared, and until he had reason to believe Frank must be in anespecially good humor, Bluff spoke up. 

"Frank, why not all of us go up to that rock ledge to-day before theweather takes a turn for the worse? How about it, Jerry; are you gamefor a tramp?"

"Every time, " came the immediate response; "and as you say, if we'regoing to have a look in at that queer section of the country, to-day'sas good a time as any. "

To the delight of both boys, Frank offered no objection. In fact, hehimself felt rather inclined to do a little more exploring, for thecountry in that region interested him deeply. And so presently thefour left their cabin camp to plunge into the woods. 

CHAPTER XVI

SHOWING BLUFF AND JERRY

It pleased Frank to set out in almost a direct line for the rockyledges. He wanted to cover once more the ground which he and Will hadpassed over on their way to camp. 

"In the first place, " he explained to the others when they remarked onthis fact, "there were several interesting sights that Will said hewanted to snap off; and his supply of film had run short the otherday. Then we know this route, and can point out a lot of things. Besides, it's a short way to the place, which is a good excuse fortaking it. "

In due time they reached the rocks, and both Bluff and Jerry mustcreep under the friendly ledge, to see for themselves what sort ofshelter their chums had found from the storm. 

"Couldn't be beaten, and that's a fact, Frank!" was Jerry's finalverdict, after he had remained under the rock for a time. 

"And in such a terrible electric storm, " added Bluff, sagely, "Idon't know of a better place to take refuge than under a shelf ofrock. There's no danger of being struck by the lightning, and only aslim chance of an avalanche tumbling down on top of you. "

"All boys ought to make a note of a thing like that, " urged Will, wisely nodding his head as might a school-master. "When a storm comesalong in summer time, with thunder and lightning, they should neverdream of taking shelter under a tree or in a barn. Frank, I'm rightthere, I reckon, am I not?"

"Every time!" responded the other vigorously. "It's better to dropflat down in the open and take a good ducking, rather than riskchances under a tree or in any sort of barn. Lightning picks out thoseobjects for a blow. But I think myself a shelf of rock like this isabout the finest shelter going. "

"And I'll always be on the lookout for places like this, " assertedBluff, who could take a lesson to heart for all his bluffing ways. 

"I can promise you I will, " added Will, "because while I'm still sorefrom lying so many hours on that hard stone, I feel deep down in myheart that I ought never to look a gift horse in the mouth. That rockledge was the best friend we had all through the terrible hurricane. "

"Well, we're in no great hurry to get back home, are we, boys?" askedJerry. 

"We started out with the intention of making a day of it, " Frankobserved, "and there's no reason to change our minds. I'm going totake a turn in a new direction, though in the end we may strike theold trail that leads to the Point from Mr. Dennison's place. "

Jerry looked at him eagerly. 

"Now it so happens that everybody's gone and seen that place but poorme, " he went on to state; "and Frank, if we just happened to be inthat vicinity between now and sunset would you mind if I took a peep?"

Frank shook his head as though he did not wholly like the idea. 

"The old gentleman seemed pretty huffy when we had our littleheart-to-heart talk with him, " Will remarked, noticing thisdisinclination on Frank's part; "and on the way down we made up ourminds it was none of our business. Jerry, I can guess that it's thequeer cry we heard that interests you more than wanting to see thehouse itself, for I've good pictures of that. "

Jerry laughed. 

"Oh! I own up you fellows have kind of excited me a little whentelling about that thrilling sound you heard, " he admitted candidly. "I'd like first-rate to do some prowling around up there to satisfymyself that it wasn't a peacock that screamed, or even a tied-up dogthat yelped. "

"But I hope you'll give over that idea then, Jerry, " said Franksoberly. "You must understand that Mr. Dennison is a gentleman, forall he looks so queer and acts so strangely. He's had something upsethim in the past, and chooses to live away from everybody. "

"Yes, " added Will, "and he's got a right to do as he chooses with hisown property, you'll allow, Jerry. "

"Sure thing!" agreed the other, though with a shade of disappointmentcrossing his face, "and I guess I'll have to keep my hands off, sincethe sign is up 'no trespassing allowed here!' But anyway, I do hope weshall run across Old Aaron and his Rod somewhere in our jaunt to-day. "

Frank had nothing more to say on the subject. He was determined not toyield to any temptation, and enter those forbidden grounds again afterbeing so plainly warned off by the irascible owner. 

Leaving the rocky section of country, they began to traverse a regionquite different in its character. From time to time variousinteresting things cropped up to attract their attention. 

Bluff and Jerry wanted the photographer to snap off all sorts of whatthey called "mighty absorbing subjects, " but Will wisely used his finediscrimination. 

"Why, look here, " he finally told them, "if I took your advice rightalong I'd be out of stock in the film line before half the day wasover. And I don't know of anything to make a fellow feel worse than tohave used his last film and then run across a subject that he'd giveheaps to get. "

"Will is right, boys, " remarked Frank; "leave it to him to decidethings like that. I'd stake a lot on his judgment, you must know. "

"Well, " commented Will, with a chuckle, "I'm a ninny when it comes tolots of things connected with outdoor life; but I do know somethingabout taking pictures, if I say it myself. "

At noon-time they stopped and rested for more than an hour, and atethe cold lunch that had been provided. It was warm, and consequentlyno one felt sorry for the chance to lie in the shade. 

Frank afterwards swung around in a half circle. He kept his bearingsall the time, and professed to know accurately just where they were, and in what quarter the camp lay. 

"For what's the use of claiming to be a woodsman, " he told Bluff whenthe other looked a little incredulous over something or other, "if youdon't keep track of your direction? I feel sure that as the crow fliesCabin Point lies over there, right beyond that tree with the featherycrown. "

About three in the afternoon all of them owned up to feeling a bitweary. 

"But I reckon we must be getting within a mile or so of the lake, "Jerry suggested. "I'm saying that partly because I've noticed howFrank has swung around, and is heading in the direction he pointed outwhen he told of our camp lying in that quarter. "

"You hit the nail on the head when you say that, Jerry, " commentedFrank; "for we're going to strike the old trail before another tenminutes passes. "

"Meaning the one that leads to the lake from Aaron's place, eh, Frank?" continued Jerry, with a sparkle of expectancy in his eyes. 

"That's right, Jerry, " he was told quietly. 

"Then I hope--" began the other, stopping suddenly, with half-openedmouth, to listen, for just then there came to their ears ahalf-muffled sound that might be the scream of a red-headed woodpeckerup on some rotten treetop, or anything else for that matter. 

Will and Bluff uttered exclamations indicating that they recognizedthe cry. Even Frank looked serious, while Jerry was plainly excited. 

"Frank!" he exclaimed, "was that the queer cry you fellows told me youheard those two times you were up here?"

"I think it was, " replied the other; "but please don't go to gettingexcited over it, Jerry. You know we agreed it was none of our businesswhether a peacock on the lawn or a dog in his kennel let out thatyawp. The only thing that interests me about it is the fact that wehave proof that the high board fence around Mr. Dennison's place oughtto loom up any minute now. "

Hardly had Frank said this than Bluff broke in with his customaryabruptness. 

"Right now I can see a little patch of the same fence over yonder, Frank. Notice that big beech, and look under the slanting limbs. Howabout it, am I right?"

He was immediately assured that his eyes had not deceived him, for itwas certainly a small section of the tall fence that he haddiscovered. 

"I hope you will go close enough anyway, " ventured Jerry, "so I cansee that strand of cruel barbed wire you say runs along the top of thefence. "

"Oh! there's no reason you should be cheated out of that littlefavor, " he was told by the leader. "The fact is we have to pass closeto the fence in order to strike that trail through the woods. "

"The one he took when he struck my trap, and set my flashlight off, eh, Frank?" asked Will. 

"Of course it was that trail and no other, " said Frank; "you rememberwe followed it before, and came to the Point. We also agreed that itwas used by the old gentleman once in a while when he took a notion togo down to the lake. "

"Well, here's the fence, Jerry!" observed Bluff, as they came to afull stop. 

Jerry surveyed it critically, even stepping back the better to see howthe barbed wire entanglement ran along its apex. 

"A rather tough job to get over that fence, " he was heard to say, asthough half to himself, "though I reckon I could manage it if pushed. "

"But I hope you'll never try it, " ventured Frank, severely. 

"I was wondering, " continued Jerry, paying no attention to thereproof, "whether that barbed wire was put there to prevent outsidersfrom getting in, or to keep some one who was in from breaking out!"

Frank started, and looked serious. He even exchanged glances withWill, as though they might have a little secret between them; but atany rate he did not see fit to encourage Jerry to pursue the subjectany further. 

"Suppose we let the matter drop now, " he said, in that way of hiswhich all of them considered final. 

They once more moved along, and, in following the plan Frank had ofreaching the old trail that led through the woods and tangle to thelake, they kept close to the high fence. 

Jerry looked around him from time to time, and whenever he chanced todiscover a knot-hole in one of the boards he immediately glued his eyeto the aperture as if in hopes of glimpsing the hermit's house, orsomething else equally interesting. 

As they did not hear him utter any expression of satisfaction afterseveral of these attempts, the others set his labor down as futile. 

A short time later they neared the lower end of the fenced-in estate. Frank knew he would run upon the trail near this point, andaccordingly he had his eyes fixed on the ground looking for the firstsigns. 

On this account he was not the first to discover something that cameto pass. It was when he heard an exclamation from Jerry that Franklooked hastily up, and saw to his dismay that they were once moreface to face with the same old gentleman whom he and Will hadencountered. 

Aaron Dennison had evidently stepped through a narrow gateway, for theopening appeared just behind him. He must have been quite asastonished as the boys at the unexpected meeting. Frank could see thathe was very angry, for his face turned red, his eyes gleamed, and themuscles of his cheeks worked under the strain. 

Knowing the impetuous nature of one or more of his chums, Frankhurriedly blocked the path so that none of them might pass by. Then, trying to control his own feelings, he faced the scowling owner of themysterious retreat in the wilderness. 

CHAPTER XVII

THE WARNING

"So this is the way you keep your word, is it, boy?" demanded Mr. Dennison, as he glared at Frank, who, however, managed to keep cooland collected, because he could easily understand how the oldgentleman might deem their presence there very suspicious. 

"But what I promised you, sir, " said Frank, "was that we would nottrespass on your enclosed property again, and we have done nothing ofthe sort, sir. "

"Then why do I find you here, alongside this fence that wasconstructed to keep such curious people as you from intruding on myprivacy? I believe even now it was your intention to enter again bythat loose board, which, however, I had nailed fast in order to keeplawless prowlers out. "

"You wrong us, Mr. Dennison, " declared Frank; while Bluff could beheard muttering his indignation. "Just how we happen to be here iseasily explained. "

"Of course. And you expect me to believe any kind of silly story youmay make up, I suppose?" snarled the angry owner of the property. 

"After we left you the other day, sir, my chum and I walked many milesinto the woods, to see the country, and find some views, for youremember he is a photographer. We were caught unawares by that storm, and had to spend the night under a rocky shelf. Our comrades werenaturally curious to see the queer place that had been of such greatuse to us, and so to-day we took a trip up there. "

"Here is a picture of the rock ledge, Mr. Dennison, so you can see weare telling you the truth, " and Will eagerly held up one of his proofsas he spoke, which he had hastily taken from his pocket in order toconvince the obstinate old gentleman. 

"But that does not explain your presence here, " objected the other, though he had deigned to glance at the really excellent sun print, forWill of course had remembered hearing him say that he, too, took agreat interest in photography. 

"Having set our faces toward home, " explained Frank, "it was onlynatural, sir, that we should make for a trail we had been over before. That brought us out close to your place, and we are at this veryminute making for the corner below, where I remember we can find whatwe are looking for, the trail to Cabin Point. "

Mr. Dennison looked doubtfully at Frank. Few people could resistbelieving anything the boy said, for his manner was convincing; butapparently there was some unknown reason for Mr. Dennison's beingunusually suspicious. 

He shut his teeth hard together as though repressing some sign ofweakening. 

"Whether you are telling the truth or not, boy, " he said sternly, "Iwant you to understand once for all that you must not come up hereagain. I shall instruct my men to keep a constant watch fortrespassers, and deal severely with them. This place is posted, andany one who dares to enter does so at his own risk. I hope youunderstand that, for I should not like to have anything unpleasanthappen to boys. "

"Yes, sir, we understand what you say, " replied Frank, "and I give youmy word of honor again that none of us will trespass on your grounds. If ever we enter there again it will have to be on invitation from theowner. I can safely speak for my chums as well as myself. "

This last was really meant for impulsive Jerry, just to notify himthat under no conditions must he dream of making Frank's promise void. 

"Then see to it that you keep away from here, " said Mr. Dennison, asunyielding as ever. "Even now you are camping on my property, and Icould order you away if I chose to be harsh. But I have not forgottenthat I too was once a boy. You can stay at Cabin Point unmolested bymy men, but only on condition that you avoid this region up here. "

With that he stepped suddenly back and closed the gap in the boardfence by pulling the door shut after him. The boys walked on, Jerrylooking disappointed. 

"Course I'm glad to say I've actually seen the queer old hermit, " heremarked, "but even there I'm away behind the rest, for all of youhave been inside the dead line, and glimpsed his odd house. Oh, well, don't look at me that way, Frank; you know mighty well I don't mean tomake you out a liar by sneaking up here and poking my nose into hisprivate business. "

"Huh!" grunted Bluff presently, as though he had been thinking deeplyover the whole matter, "what's he got in there, anyway, he's so afraidthat people should see, I'd like to know! It's all mighty mysterious, take my word for it, fellows. But then, like as not none of us willever know the truth. "

Again did Frank and Will exchange that sudden glance and nod, showingthat the little secret they shared in common must have someconnection with the subject Bluff was even then harping upon. 

On the way home the talk of course reverted several times to AaronDennison and his strangely fenced-in property. But although manysuggestions were brought out in the discussion, none of them werefully accepted as correct. 

Frank and Will remained almost silent, and let the other two do mostof the talking. If the opinion of the former was requested now andthen he gave it off-hand, but neither Bluff nor Jerry found much toencourage him in the information thus gleaned. 

Frank never once lost the dim trail on the way home. He had nodifficulty whatever in following his course, because by now he wasgetting familiar with it; and since several of them had tramped overthe ground there were many signs to be found that had not been therethe first time. 

A tired lot of boys it was that joyfully greeted the sight of thecabin on the Point late that afternoon. 

"But after all's said and done, " declared Bluff, "we've had a bullyday!"

"And I've added considerable to my stock of pictures, if only theseturn out O. K. , " added Will, his mind, as usual, running to the onegreat subject. 

Later on he and Frank happened to be left alone. Bluff had gone downto the edge of the lake to clean some fish left over from the daybefore, being kept in the water at a shady place; while Jerry wastrying his hand at mending the leaky boat. 

"Let me see that first picture you took of the house, Will, " remarkedFrank. 

"I keep it separate from all the rest, " explained the other, as hedrew out a little book, and opening it took a print from between theleaves. "You told me to do that, Frank. "

"Because I didn't know whether we ought to let the other fellows intothis suspicion we've got between us, " said Frank, as he accepted thelittle print that displayed the building inside the high board fence. "And right now I'm wondering if we hadn't better keep this out oftheir sight until we get home. "

"I take it to mean you're afraid of Jerry and Bluff?" queried Will. "They are both of them determined fellows, once they take the bit intheir teeth. That face might tantalize Jerry so much that he'd givein. "

"Of course it's struck you, Will, that there are what seem to be barsacross that window, though neither of us remembers seeing them at thetime. For that matter we failed to glimpse the white face or thewaving handkerchief. "

"Frank, you've been thinking this business over, " observed Will, soberly; "please tell me what decision you've come to. I've kept myword about not dropping a hint to the other fellows, as you asked me;and I've also hidden this print away from them. What does it mean, Frank?"

"Of course you must remember that I'm only guessing, " replied hischum. "In the first place then, it seems that old Aaron is keepingsome one a prisoner up there!"

"Whew! is it as bad as that?" gasped Will. 

"It's impossible to make out whether the owner of that white face is aman, a woman or a child, " continued Frank, slowly; "but I'm prettysure the window has bars across it. The person saw us, and tried toattract our attention, but made no sound just then, you remember. Afterwards we heard that cry. "

Will was plainly much exercised. He seemed to shiver as though he felta chill creep over him. 

"But Frank, what would old Aaron keep any one shut up in his placefor?" he demanded. "Why, it would be against the law, you know, todeprive any one of his liberty. "

"Not under certain conditions, Will, " he was told; "and perhaps Mr. Dennison has the backing of the law in what he's doing. "

Will stared hard at the speaker. 

"Oh! do you mean, Frank, that the person behind that barred windowmight be a madman?"

"That's the only reasonable explanation I'm able to scare up, Will. Suppose, now, his wife went out of her mind years ago. He cared somuch for her that the thought of having her confined in any ordinaryinsane asylum was repulsive to him. What would he do then, havingplenty of money?"

"It sounds reasonable to me, for a fact. Who could blame him if hebuilt this house, and surrounded it with a high fence that would keepthe inmate from escaping when allowed in the grounds with anattendant? Yes, I shouldn't wonder but that you've guessed the truth, Frank. Everything seems to go to prove it. And then, after all, canyou blame him for getting so huffy when he believed we were trying topry into his terrible secret?"

"I don't think he acted queerly, if what we suspect is true, " venturedFrank. 

"On my part I'm inclined to feel sorry for old Aaron, " declared Will, who had a tender heart. "He looks like a man who has suffered heaps. And then, you know, he's interested in the same things I am, whichought to make me think of him as a fellow artist. "

After more talk Will hastily hid the tell-tale print as Jerry was seenapproaching. The other looked a little suspiciously at them as thoughhe wondered why Will secreted something so hurriedly at his coming;but other matters arising, he soon forgot the circumstance. 

On the following morning Bluff and Jerry went out in the boat to fish, and the latter soon found himself enjoying the thrill that comes tothe angler when fast to a vigorous two-pound black bass bred in thecold water of a big northern lake. 

The fun grew when Bluff struck the mate to Jerry's fighter, and bothboys were put to their best efforts in order to save the fish, as wellas to keep them from fouling the lines, in which case one or bothmight have broken away. 

In the end they managed to scoop up both prizes in the landing net, and this gave them more pleasure than many generals would find incapturing a fortress. 

About ten o'clock the boys came in. Jerry said they were tired ofsitting in the sun and playing havoc with the fish, for they had putback many small ones, being real sportsmen. Bluff, on his part, admitted that he was tired, but declared it lay along the line ofbaling out the leaky boat, and not of taking fish. 

"Hey! you two fellows in camp, come down here and look, if you want tosee a sight good for sore eyes!" called Jerry, as he jumped ashore andcommenced to drag the old boat up on the sandy beach. 

Accordingly Frank and Will approached to look at the catch, and notonly admire but tender their congratulations. 

"As fine a mess of bass as I've set eyes on in many a day, " announcedFrank. 

"Hello! see who's coming past the cabin, and heading for us!"exclaimed Will. "There's Mr. Dennison, to begin with, but I don't knowthe other man. "

"Well, we do, don't we, Jerry?" ventured Bluff, a vein of uneasinessin his voice. "We happened to talk with him over at the village. Youcan see the badge on his coat from here. That tells who he is--theconstable of the village, and he said he was also the marshal of thisdistrict. But what under the sun does he want at _our_ camp, I'd liketo know!"

CHAPTER XVIII

THE ACCUSATION

Frank Langdon watched the two men hurrying toward the beach with anuneasy feeling in the region of his heart. He could easily see thatAaron Dennison looked angry, and from this it was not difficult tosurmise that fresh trouble hung over the heads of the Outdoor Chums. 

"Whew! what's in the wind now, I wonder?" he heard Bluff askinghimself; and so far as that went both Jerry and Will were also plainlydisturbed. 

The two men quickly reached the spot where the boys were grouped. Jerry mutely held up the two finest bass he and Bluff had taken. Itwas as though he meant to show that they were engaged in legitimatesport, such as boys in a summer camp were supposed to follow. 

"Here they are, the young rascals, Mr. Jeems. Now do your duty!"exclaimed Aaron Dennison, harshly. 

Bluff managed to catch the eye of the constable whose acquaintance heand Jerry had made when in the lake village. Perhaps he gave him ahumorous wink. At any rate, the tall lanky man shrugged his shouldersand immediately remarked:

"I guess that you'd better tell the boys what you be suspectin' themof, Squire. I don't know nothing about the same, and I'm only here todo what I believes to be my bounden duty as an officer of the law. "

"But I explained to you, " expostulated the old man, "that my treasuredcup disappeared mysteriously, and also that yesterday I came uponthese four boys acting in a suspicious manner close to my enclosedgrounds. "

"_Outside_ your grounds, you said, Mr. Dennison, " urged the constable. 

"That is very true, Constable. But I chance to know that on twodifferent occasions some of their number actually had the brazenaudacity to push their way through a gap in the fence. "

"You don't tell me!" exclaimed the other, trying to look very fierce;but when he saw that whimsical grin on the features of Bluff theattempt was not much of a success. 

"Worse than that even, " continued Mr. Dennison, whipping himself intohigher rage. "That boy with the angel face had the nerve to take apicture of my house. I caught him in the very act. Think of that, Mr. Jeems, will you?"

Frank could have laughed if the situation had not been so veryserious. It seemed as though Mr. Dennison looked on such a thing asany one's taking a picture of his hidden home as a capital offence;hanging would about fit such a terrible crime, according to hisopinion. And Will's "angel face" vastly amused them all. 

Desirous of finding out what all the trouble was about, Frank nowturned his attention to the irate old gentleman. When he spoke hisvoice was as soothing and respectful as he could make it; for Frankbelieved in pouring oil on troubled waters. 

"Mr. Dennison, you surely are very much mistaken if you think for aminute that either I or any of my chums would ever steal anything. Weare proud of the reputations we have in our home town of Centerville. None of us can understand what you are accusing us of doing, justbecause we happened to be up in the neighborhood of your placeyesterday. "

"Where you had no business to be, " snapped the other. 

"Perhaps not, sir, " continued Frank, "but I explained to you just howit happened. And I assure you positively that none of us so much asput a finger inside your grounds yesterday. "

"You give us your solemn affidavy on that, do you, young feller?"asked the village constable, eagerly, as though seizing on the firstpretext to make peace. 

"No matter what he says!" cried the owner of Cabin Point. "I tell youtheir being in that vicinity just when my treasure was taken somysteriously looks suspicious. I firmly believe they know somethingabout the gold cup, and I shall not leave this spot until I makecertain of their guilt or innocence. "

"Gold cup!" muttered Jerry; "now, what do you think of that? Sincewhen have the honorable Outdoor Chums taken to cracksmen's ways, I'dlike to know? Wow!"

"Please let me understand this thing better, " pleaded Frank, determined to win the angry old man over if he could do so. "You saysomething you think very highly of has disappeared, Mr. Dennison?"

"I told you it was a gold cup!" snapped the other. "My nephew, who isone of the most famous amateur golf players in the country, won it asa prize in a great competition last summer. He is very proud of it, and I have cherished that magnificent cup as the apple of my eye. Tohave it mysteriously disappear, and feel that in all probability itmay be melted down just for the gold there is in it, almost breaks myheart. "

"I can easily understand your feelings, Mr. Dennison, " said Frank, quietly. "We happened to meet your nephew while on the way here, though it never struck any of us before that Gilbert was a Dennison, for we didn't wholly catch his last name. And, sir, if we can doanything to help you find the lost cup we'd be only too glad to lend ahand in the search. "

"Now that's what I calls reasonable, Mr. Dennison, " spoke up thefriendly constable, who evidently did not mean to be urged intoextreme measures, if diplomacy and soft words could avoid such athing. 

The old man eyed Frank keenly. He looked just as suspicious as ever, and as though he were trying to understand what the boy might havesecreted back of his words. 

For years Mr. Dennison had been hiding something from the world, andduring that time it was only natural he should be growing more andmore suspicious of every one about him. 

"Your words sound all right, boy, " he finally remarked coldly, "but Iam not so easily deceived. You want time to cover up your tracks. Perhaps you even hope I may invite you and your rowdy companions tomy house, and that the occasion will allow you to satisfy your vulgarcuriosity to the bent. "

These cruel words struck the boys severely. Bluff was heard to mutterhalf under his breath, while Jerry frowned and bit his lip as thoughhe found it very hard to keep from telling Aaron Dennison what hethought of him. 

Frank himself had to hold back the angry words that tried to escapehis lips; the insult was so uncalled for, so unjust, he thought. 

"Of course, sir, if you have that sort of opinion of all boys, " hewent on to say, deliberately, and with considerable dignity for a merelad, "you wouldn't want us bothering around. I only meant to show youhow ready we are to lend a hand. I am sure that if the cup you speakof wasn't simply mislaid it must have been taken by some one belongingto your own household, and may be returned again. "

The angry man chose to see some hidden meaning back of Frank's words, which were after all only natural, considering the circumstances. 

"There, straws show which way the wind blows!" he exclaimed, turningtoward the constable; "and you can see, Mr. Jeems, how these boys havebeen talking over my private affairs among themselves. They are reallyconsumed by a curiosity to know about matters that do not concernthem; and in prowling around my place have perhaps been tempted totake things that did not belong to them. "

"But Mr. Dennison, if this prize gold cup was so precious why did youleave it around so that it could be easily taken?" asked Will, suddenly, as though this idea had struck him as strange. 

"Because in the first place, " replied the old man, "I was fool enoughto believe my people were as honest as the day was long; and thethought that any outsider would ever try to enter my house never cameto me until lately. In fact, it was after meeting you boys in mygrounds that I began to feel uneasy, since I saw it would be possiblefor a robbery to occur, once desperate men conceived the plan to breakin. "

"And even then you did not put the golden cup away in some place ofsecurity--you continued to leave it out where servants and otherscould reach it, did you, sir?" Frank continued, with something of alawyer's skill at cross questioning. 

"It was beginning to worry me, " confessed the old man, frowning. "Ifound myself wishing my nephew would hasten his return, and takepossession of his prized cup. Then last night I had a bad dream inwhich it seemed to me that thieves entered my house, and among otherthings took away Gilbert's loving cup. "

"Last night, you say, sir, this happened?" questioned Frank. 

"Yes, and it gave me such a shock that when I awoke and remembered thedream, the first thing I did was to hurry to the closet where two dayspreviously I had placed the gold cup. It was gone!"

"Of course you questioned your servants, sir, to learn if any one hadmisplaced it?" asked Frank, bent on understanding everything. 

"They were filled with consternation, " continued Mr. Dennison. "I havea housekeeper, a nurse, and two men employed on the place, no more. One of them suggested that I send to the village and have Mr. Jeemscome to the house. While waiting for the constable I suddenlyremembered about meeting you boys yesterday, and like a flash itstruck me that you were guilty. "

"That is a hard thing to say about us, Mr. Dennison, " urged Will. "What object could we have in taking your gold cup? We have plenty ofmoney, as you can discover by telegraphing to Centerville; and ourneighbors will vouch for our honesty. "

"I do not know, " said the old man, rubbing his forehead as thoughpuzzled. "Boys have always been a deep mystery to me. I never had oneto raise, for as a baby he was taken away from me; and I have alwaysfelt it was that loss which unsettled--but it does not matter. Ibelieve you might have carried off the gold prize cup won by Gilbertin the golf tournament last year, perhaps thinking it a lark. So I amprepared to say to you here and now, if such was the case, and youwill immediately restore my property to me, I will say nothing aboutit. If you refuse, it will go hard with you. "

"But Mr. Dennison!" expostulated Frank, "we have never so much as seteyes on any sort of a gold loving cup, so you can see how impossibleit would be for us to hand it over to you. "

"And what is more, " burst from the indignant Bluff, unable to holdback any longer, "we insist on your searching all our duffle to seewhether we've got that cup hidden away. "

"Yes, " added Jerry, "I'm sure none of us would feel right if youdidn't examine every bit of our possessions. We're in just the sameposition as Joseph's brethren when they were leaving Egypt, andovertaken by a messenger who said a cup or something had been stolenwhile they were getting corn at the capital. "

"Hey! what's that you're saying, Jerry?" exclaimed Bluff, startled bythe comparison, "don't you remember they did find the lost thing, andin Benjamin's pack, too?"

"But it was put there at the orders of Joseph, wasn't it?" demandedthe one who had told the old-time story; "and for a purpose too. Butmake your mind easy for they can't play that game on us. The lost cupisn't at Cabin Point. "

"Then you will offer no objections to our making a search, do Iunderstand?" asked Mr. Dennison, eagerly. 

"Rather, we insist on your doing that, sir!" said Will, promptly, forit galled his proud soul to be under suspicion, especially when such athing as the taking of a valuable piece of property was concerned. 

Frank immediately led the way to the log cabin. Mr. Dennison paid notthe least attention to the fact that the boys had done so much to makethe forlorn place habitable since taking possession. All he seemed tobe thinking of just then was that missing golden cup, and thepossibility of discovering it somewhere among the possessions of theseyoung boys, to whom he had taken such a violent antipathy. 

They passed inside the old building, which, if the guess of the boyswas correct, had long years before been the home of Mr. Dennison at atime before he possessed much of this world's goods. 

"I call on you to help me in the search, Constable!" said the owner ofthe cabin. 

"And we will only too gladly do all we can to assist, sir!" declaredWill, who secretly meant to keep hold of his camera, for fear lest itbe knocked to the floor and injured beyond repair. 

Upon that every one began the search. Mr. Dennison did not do so muchhimself, but he kept those keen eyes of his constantly on the watch, as though to let nothing escape him. 

The constable apparently did not fancy his job. He went about it inwhat appeared to be a half-hearted fashion. In fact, when he and Bluffcame together, as the boy emptied his clothes bag, and shook eachindividual extra garment, the wearer of the nickel badge mutteredsomething half under his breath that sounded in the nature of anapology. 

Evidently Mr. Jeems was a believer in boys, if the old hermit was not. And when Frank afterwards learned that he had seven youngsters of hisown at home, he knew the reason of the constable's sympathy. 

By degrees the search included every nook and cranny about the oldcabin where it seemed possible an article like the missing golden cupcould be secreted. Still nothing rewarded the efforts of theconstable. 

"It shore ain't here, Mr. Dennison!" remarked the perspiring officer, as he dropped the empty clothes bag belonging to Jerry; "and I guesswe'll have to give the hunt up, sir. "

"Wait!" snapped Mr. Dennison, his eyes sparkling afresh, as though asudden and brilliant thought had flashed across his mind. "It standsto reason that a thief would be apt to hide his plunder in some placewhere he believed it could not be easily found. Of course it was notamong their clothes. But perhaps there may be other secret hidingplaces. "

He seemed to glance around at the bare walls. Then Frank saw him drophis gaze toward the floor. 

"That's a loose board there, Mr. Jeems, " the hermit said excitedly;"see if you can raise it. I should think a cavity under that boardwould offer a safe hiding place for anything that had been stolen. Lift it up, Mr. Jeems, and let us see. "

"I will help him do it!" exclaimed Bluff, eagerly, and leaning forwardhe inserted his fingers in the crack, and secured a good hold of theloose plank. 

The constable, also, had by this time taken a firm grip on the board. 

"All together, son; there she be!" Mr. Jeems called out, as hestrained himself at his task; and in another second the plank wasplaced to one side. 

Mr. Dennison leaned eagerly over. Then, uttering a cry of mingleddelight and savage satisfaction, he snatched an object from the gapinghole, and hurriedly held it up so that every one could see plainlywhat it was. 

Frank and his three chums held their breath in astonishment, for theyfound themselves looking on a loving cup made of gold, upon which werefashioned various beautifully executed designs especially interestingto those who were devoted to play upon the golf links. 

CHAPTER XIX

REPAYING HIS DEBT

"Gee whiz!"

Of course it was Jerry Wallington giving vent to the feeling of utteramazement that very nearly overcame him. His words accuratelyexpressed the feelings that filled the heart and soul of the otherthree chums as well. 

Meanwhile Mr. Dennison was holding that wonderful trophy aloft, andlaughing to himself. He acted as though wild with delight over itsrecovery. Frank was watching him closely, and could see no sign of"make-believe" in his actions. 

"What did I tell you, Mr. Jeems?" cried the old hermit, excitedly. "Isaid they had taken the cup, either to sell it, or in a spirit ofboyish mischief. And now you'll believe me, because here we find ithidden under the floor of their cabin. The young rascals--to add totheir offense by trying to deceive us so! Do your duty, Mr. Jeems; Iwill prosecute them to the limit of the law!"

Frank began to feel anxious. He could see that Mr. Dennison meant whathe was saying. Even the recovery of his property had apparently notsoftened his heart as might have been expected. 

All then depended on the constable. If he showed a disposition toassert his authority there would be an untold volume of trouble, andtheir vacation plans would be "all messed up, " as Jerry would say. 

"Mr. Dennison, " said Frank, trying to keep his voice steady, "I amglad that you have found your lost golden cup; but I want to tell you, sir, none of us knows the least thing about it, nor how it happened tobe in that hole. "

"A likely story, boy, " sneered the other, "which may and may not bebelieved by the justice of the peace when you are brought before him. Evidence no stronger than this has hung men before now. "

"Whew!" gasped Bluff, startled more than he would have cared to admitupon hearing the vindictive old hermit talk in that strain. 

Jerry and Will were both indignant. 

"When we first came here, " said the former, "we tripped so many timesover that loose plank that we raised it up to settle the earthunderneath. There was certainly no gold cup lying there then whereyou just now found it, I give you my word on that, sir!"

"Certainly not, " agreed Mr. Dennison, "because at that time it wassafe under my roof. But I want you to notice, Mr. Jeems, that theyadmit knowing of this hole under the loose plank. It made a very goodhiding-place for valuable property, as you can see. "

"Yes, sir, " suddenly spoke up Frank, "and apparently this is not thefirst time it has been used for that same purpose. When we looked wefound this silver coin there, a part of an old yellow envelope, andthis fragment of what seems to have once been a baby's shoe. "

He picked the several things up as he mentioned them, for they hadbeen lying on a little shelf, where Frank himself had placed them daysbefore. Watching Mr. Dennison's face, Frank saw it turn white as theeyes of the old man were focussed on that poor little remnant of whathad once been a baby's shoe. 

Involuntarily the old man thrust out his hand, and Frank quicklydropped the article into his palm. He could see that Mr. Dennison wasvery much affected. Doubtless memories long since buried were oncemore resurrected by the sight of that reminder of his once happy past. 

Frank wondered whether he would relent and decide to let mattersdrop, or once more demand that the constable take them all to thevillage, to be held for trial before the justice. 

When he saw the man thrust into his pocket the fragment of the tinyshoe, the leather of which was now dried up and hard, and then frownagain at them, Frank expected the worst. 

"Since you have also tried to deceive me, after robbing my house inthis shameless manner, " said Mr. Dennison, "I believe I shall be onlydoing my duty toward the community if I see to it that you areseverely punished. "

"Do you mean, sir, that you would have us arrested?" asked Frank. 

"That is exactly my present intention, " affirmed the other, showingthat he was still angry, and bent on punishing those he believed tohave wronged him. 

"But you have found your cup again, sir; and we still declare on ourhonor that until you picked it up just now none of us has ever seteyes on it before. "

When Frank said this he found the keen orbs of the hermit fastened onhis face as though the other would read his very soul through thewindows of the boy's eyes; but not once did Frank flinch. 

"That is very true, boy, " said Mr. Dennison, "but I believe injustice, and that it is the wrong thing to be too lenient withculprits. When young fellows are given to such practices as this theyneed to be brought up with a round turn. So I mean to have theconstable arrest you all!"

To the astonishment of Frank and his three companions, just at thatmoment there was a new element injected into the game. Some onehurriedly entered the cabin; and somehow Frank breathed a little morefreely when he recognized the newcomer as the young man whom they hadbeen able to help while on the way to Cabin Point. 

It was Gilbert Dennison, the old hermit's nephew. 

"Please wait a minute before you go to such extreme measures, Uncle!"he exclaimed, as he hurried to the side of the hermit, whose face lostsome of its stern expression as he recognized his relative. 

"I'm glad to see you again, Nephew, " he observed; "and pleased to giveover into your keeping the cup you value so highly. I shall insist onyour taking it back to town with you when you go. It has already givenme one bad scare, and I do not feel able to stand another, with allthe troubles I already stagger under. "

"But what is this I heard you say about having these boys arrested, Uncle?" continued Gilbert. "Surely you must believe them when theyprotest their innocence? I have been up at the house, and was toldabout the cup's disappearance; also that you had come down here withthe constable, meaning to have some one taken up for the crime. But Ihope you will not think of doing such a thing now. "

"I consider it a sacred duty I owe to the community, Nephew, " urgedthe stubborn old hermit. "All the circumstances point to one of theseboys as the culprit, and he should by all means be punished. Whyshould you interfere with my designs, Gilbert?"

"Let me tell you, Uncle, " burst out Gilbert, eagerly. "I owe my life, it may be, to these same boys. "

"How is this?" asked his uncle, looking somewhat bewildered. "They didsay they had met you while on the way here, but in what fashion couldthey have done you a favor?"

"In my hurry to catch the train after the vehicle broke down, "explained Gilbert, "I stumbled in a very dangerous place on the road, lost my footing, and fell over the edge of a precipice. I managed toclutch hold a dozen feet down, but must in the end have let go andfallen to the bottom only for the coming of these boys, who rescuedme in a remarkably clever and very unusual way. "

Bluff gave a satisfied grunt. After all Gilbert was a pretty decentsort of fellow, he made up his mind; though at the time of theadventure Bluff had thought him rather ungrateful to hurry away sofast, and not half thank them for all the trouble they had taken. 

Mr. Dennison apparently had reason to believe anything his nephewsaid. That was evident from the change that came over his manner. Helooked at Frank and his three chums again, shrugged his shoulders, andthen went on to remark:

"Of course if that is the case, Nephew, and you are indebted to theseboys for helping you out of a bad fix, I have nothing more to say. Because of that they can go free, for all of me; though I may live torepent my kindness; because no matter how they protest, the factremains that the cup was found under this floor, and I still firmlybelieve they secreted it there. "

The kind-hearted constable was grinning as he winked at Bluff. It wasvery evident that the new conditions pleased Mr. Jeems; since he wasrelieved from executing a most disagreeable duty. 

Mr. Dennison told the officer to come outside with him, and Gilbertadded that he would join his uncle in a minute. 

Left in the company of the four chums Gilbert's first act was to offerFrank his hand. It was done with such a boyish freedom that the othereagerly grasped the outstretched hand, and squeezed it in return. 

"Of course it goes without saying, " began the college boy, "that I donot believe any one of you could do such a thing as steal my cup. There's a queer mystery about its being found under this floor, and Iintend to discover the truth before long. In the meantime I hopeyou'll stay here and enjoy yourselves the best way you know how. "

"And we'd like to see more of you, if you expect to stay around herelonger, " spoke up Jerry, impulsively. 

"I promise that you shall, " assented Gilbert; "because I, too, am fondof camping, fishing, and all such things; and I can see how my stay uphere might be prolonged indefinitely, if such a jolly set could befound to help kill time. "

"Did you win in the golf tournament?" asked Bluff, as though to showthat they knew about his ambition in that sport. 

"I'm sorry to say that I came in a poor second this time, " laughed theother; "and I really believe it was because I didn't have the kind ofballs I'm in the habit of using. "

This was the opportunity poor anxious Will had been waiting for. 

"We've got your bag safe and sound here, Gilbert!" he exclaimed, springing forward to pick the leather receptacle up, for it, too, hadbeen closely examined by the constable, acting under Mr. Dennison'sorders; "and I certainly hope my precious Maine films are in the samecondition. "

"Make your mind easy on that score, my boy, " he was told by the other;"although I was terribly provoked when first I opened the bag and sawthem, I understood that the mistake was all mine. So I took good careof your films, though I had a photographer make me a print from thewhole bunch. I must say they are some of the most interesting picturesI've ever seen. I wanted Uncle to admire them, for he, too, is devotedto photographic work. "

Of course this news caused Will to lose the anxious expression thathis chums had noticed on his face at times. 

"The bag I left up at the house, " continued Gilbert, "but you shallhave it in a short time. There's uncle calling me, so I'll have tomove along; but you can expect me again before long, " and with that hehurried out of the cabin. 

CHAPTER XX

GROPING IN THE DARK

"Well, I feel as weak as a sick cat, after meeting with such anadventure as that!" exclaimed Jerry, after he and his three chums oncemore found themselves alone in the cabin. 

"To think of our being accused of being common, every-day thieves!"grumbled the indignant Bluff. "Why, it just makes my blood fairlyboil!"

"But I'm mighty glad to know my films are all right, " Will burst forthwith, and this remark showed that this important fact took precedenceof all others in his mind. 

Frank stepped over to the opening where the plank had been removed, and glanced down as he rubbed his chin reflectively. 

"Look here, fellows, " he said to the others, "all of you saw the holeunder this board that time we found the coin, the half of an oldenvelope with Mr. Dennison's name on it in faded writing, and thatbaby shoe; isn't it so?"

"Of course we did, Frank, " assented Jerry; "and I want to make mysolemn affidavit to the fact that there wasn't any gold cup lyingthere then. "

"Will, you are just as positive about that as Jerry, of course?"continued Frank. 

"Well, I should say I was!" came the prompt reply. 

"And you too, Bluff?" Frank went on, evidently intending that thereshould not be a single dissenting voice in the group. 

Bluff immediately lifted his hand, with the fingers stiffened asthough he fancied himself on the witness stand. 

"Give you my word for it, Frank; nothing doing, " he asserted in hiscustomary vigorous manner, that was usually very convincing. 

"Gilbert came up to the scratch smiling, didn't he?" remarked Jerry;"and I take it he's going to turn out a pretty decent sort of afellow. "

"Queer, isn't it, " Will was saying, "how chickens do come home toroost? When we stopped a little while on our way here, and pulledGilbert up by the use of that wild grape-vine, none of us ever dreamedhe'd be in a position to return the favor, and yet see what happened. What's that old proverb about the bread thrown to the fishes, orsomething like that?"

"You must mean 'bread cast upon the waters will come back again eremany days, '" explained Frank, smilingly. 

"All right, no matter how it runs, it worked, you see, " continuedWill. "We got Gilbert out, and now he has returned the favor. "

"Huh! strikes me he kept us from getting in, " interrupted Bluff;"because the old gentleman seemed bent on ordering Mr. Jeems to arrestus, and throw us in the village lockup. "

"Luck still seems to hang out with us, " ventured Jerry; "and you knowthey say it's a heap better to be born lucky than rich. Money may flyaway, but so long as luck stands back of you it's easy to geteverything you want. "

"But all the same that mystery of the golden cup bothers me, " saidFrank. 

"Yes, that's a fact, " added Jerry. "How in the wide world could itever have come into this cabin, when we know it wasn't here a few daysago?"

"Mr. Dennison admits it was safe in his house until about the daybefore yesterday, " continued Frank; and then he cast a sly look out ofthe tail of his eye in the direction of Jerry. 

Truth to tell, Frank was just a trifle uneasy concerning that memberof the little party. There was a shadow of a reason why he shouldfeel that way, too. He could only too easily remember how impulsiveJerry had hinted that he felt a great temptation to try to find outwhat the secret of the hermit's house was. At the time he expressedthis longing Frank had taken him severely to task; and Jerry hadpromised faithfully to forego all effort to pry into matters that werenone of his concern. 

Jerry as a rule could be depended on. When he gave his word aboutanything it was as good as his bond, and Jerry was proud to declarethat. 

Frank could not bring himself to believe there could be anything inthis sudden thought. Even if Jerry had crept out in the night-timewhile his chums were fast asleep, how could the boy possibly have madehis way along the trail to the hermit's place, have entered the houseand carried off the valuable cup, to hide it under the cabin floor?

No wonder Frank decided that such an explanation of the mystery wasimpossible. Even if they never learned the truth he could not bringhimself to suspect any of his chums of doing such a monstrous thing. 

To the surprise and also the consternation of Frank, he found thatJerry had noticed his manner, and he immediately accused the other. 

"I can guess easily enough what you're thinking, Frank, " assertedJerry, with offended dignity marked in his manner; "but 'tisn't so, Itell you. I never set eyes on that old cup before he snatched it upout of that hole. "

"No need of your saying that, Jerry, " declared Frank, "because Ibelieve you are as innocent as I can be myself. I only happened toremember that you talked of wanting to sneak up there and spy around abit, though you owned it would be mean. And I also chance to know thatyou've been around every hour since you came back from the village. "

"I'm blessed if I can make head or tail out of the game, " admittedJerry. "I never was a good hand at guessing answers to riddles; andsay, let me tell you this thing is the toughest nut to crack that evercame our way, eh, Frank?"

"It's going to bother us a heap, that's right, Jerry. "

"But somehow I've got my little hunch, Frank, that in the end you'llhit on the answer. It may take a lot of time and figuring, but I surebelieve you can do it. "

"It may be Gilbert can help us out, " suggested Will, just then. 

"But how would he know anything about the job, " objected Bluff, "whenhe just got back from that golf tournament?"

Frank bent down and looked closely into the hole. 

"All we know for certain is that somebody put that gold trophy cup inhere, " he observed reflectively. 

"Yes, and if the old plank could talk it'd be easy for us to get atthe truth. But then of course that isn't possible, " Jerry remarked, with a sigh. 

"Help me to put the plank back in place again, " said Frank, and afterthis had been done he commenced to work at it as if to see whether oneperson could manage to raise the heavy board. 

"It can be done, you see, " was what Frank said, as, managing to gethis fingers underneath, he raised the plank a little. 

"Now what's the line you're figuring on, Frank?" demanded Jerry;"because it's as plain to me as the nose on my face that you've strucka strong clue. "

"Yes, tell us what it is, won't you, Frank?" urged Will. 

"Well, listen, " the other began to say, slowly, as with upraisedfinger he marked off each point in his theory. "Look back a little, Will, to when we got home here after our high jinks up in the woods. Don't you remember what we discovered the first thing?"

Will thereupon uttered an exclamation, while his face lighted up witheagerness. 

"That's so, Frank!" he exclaimed; "we knew somebody had been in hereafter we started out the afternoon before. The door wasn't shut close, and a chair lay on its side on the floor. Besides that, a number oflittle things showed they had been disturbed. Yes, somebody had beenin the cabin!"

Jerry gave a shrill cry in which delight could be traced. 

"It was that person, then, who hid the pesky old cup under the looseplank; that goes without saying, Frank!" he announced, as though hismind was made up to that fact and could not be easily changed. 

"Well, even if we agree on that, " said Bluff, "how're we going tolearn who the intruder was? To tell you the truth, it gets me why asneak thief would steal just that gold loving cup of Gilbert's, andthen come all the way down here to hide it under the floor. "

"Frank, you're keeping something back; I can see it in your face!"cried Will. "Tell us, do you think old Aaron put that cup herehimself?"

"Whew! that would be the limit, I should say!" gasped Jerry. 

All of them waited to hear what Frank would have to say. The leaderof the Outdoor Chums did not reply hastily, for Frank did not wish tocommit himself in so grave a matter without due consideration. Still, he must have had his mind made up fairly well, for presently hestarted to answer. 

"Let's see, fellows, how the case stands, " he told them. "We know thatlong ago Aaron Dennison once lived in this cabin. We also know that heprobably kept what little money he owned in those days down under thatloose plank. The finding of that old mouldy half dollar points towardthat. So you see he knew about the cavity under the board. "

"So far as that goes, Frank, " observed Bluff, "you could see by theway he had the constable raise the plank that he knew. But I waswatching his face at the time, and let me tell you he looked asastonished to see the cup lying there as any one of us did, and thatmeans a lot. "

"That's what bothers me, " admitted Frank; "one minute I seem to thinkMr. Dennison put the cup there; and then again I'm just as certainthat he believes us guilty of stealing it. We'll have to keep tryingto find the answer; but just now, Jerry, you and Bluff had better getbusy cleaning those fine bass you hooked, if we mean to have them fordinner to-day. "

CHAPTER XXI

AN UNEXPECTED APPEAL

The fish were what Bluff called "gilt-edged. " Perhaps he was a littleprejudiced in the matter, because he had had a share in capturing thegamy fighters. But there was not a dissenting voice when Jerry movedthat they pronounce the finny denizens of the big lake unequalled fortheir many fine qualities. 

That evening, as they sat around taking things easy, for it was ratherwarm and the fire not needed, the conversation ranged over a widefield. Many events of the past were recalled, one thing seeming tolead to another. 

Will was fairly bubbling over with joy on account of his recent streakof good luck. He counted the promised safe return of those preciousfilms as a glorious thing. 

"Why shouldn't I feel that way?" he expostulated, when Bluff took himto task for referring to the matter so frequently. "Think of our greattrip up into the Maine wilderness and the many strange things we sawthere, " he went on, referring to matters already related in "TheOutdoor Chums in the Big Woods. " "My pictures took a prize, remember;and besides they recall the happy days we spent up there last fall. "

"Will is right, " declared Frank; "and I'm almost as glad as he is overthe recovery of his property; because I know he's got some sort ofscheme in his mind to enlarge some of those same pictures. It couldn'teasily be done with the negatives lost. "

"Before we shake the dust of this section from our feet, " continuedthe ardent photographer, "I mean to explore every rod of territoryaround here. "

"Looking for new and interesting sights, of course?" quizzed Bluff. 

"Yes, because you never do know at what minute you may run smack upagainst the most wonderful picture going, " pursued Will. "That's onereason I'm so keen about traveling over new ground. There's always achance ahead of you. "

"Well, right here we're bounded on one hand by the big water, whichcuts off about half your chances, " suggested Jerry. 

"Some time or other you might go to the lake shore village, " saidBluff; "because if I'm any judge of things you'd find some remarkablecharacters there to snap off. "

"You've already got pictures of old Aaron and his hermit shell; one ofthe latter being a cracking good snap of the house. How did the otherview turn out, Will?"

Again that quick look of intelligence passed between Frank and Will. They were still of the opinion that for the present there was nonecessity for the other boys to know about the strange white face inthe barred window of the hermit's lonely home. 

"Oh! it doesn't seem to be quite as clear as the one you saw, " Willexplained. "The sunlight didn't strike as well, and there are too manyshadows. Some time or other when I think of it I'll take off a lighterprint, which may improve the looks of the thing. "

Not having the least suspicion there could be anything singularconnected with that second view of the hermit's house, Bluff did notpursue the subject any further. 

Of course Will had his flashlight working again. In roaming around hehad found traces of a sly fox that made its home amidst some rocks, and Will, after more or less hard study, believed he could see theregular track taken by clever Reynard in coming and going. 

"There's one thing sure, " remarked Will, proudly, when relating how hehad investigated, and figured, and found out many things in connectionwith that particular little animal, "this hunting with a cameracertainly does force a fellow to become acquainted with the habits ofevery kind of bird and animal. "

"There's no doubt about that, Will, " Frank immediately assented; "andI warrant right now you're in closer touch with Nature ten times overthan you'd have been if you hadn't taken up this fad or hobby. "

"I should say so!" continued the enthusiast, his face kindling withearnestness. "Why, before that I never bothered my head much about thehabits of foxes, 'coons, squirrels, minks, bobcats, or anything thathad its hiding-place in the woods or in burrows under the rocks. Butnow I'm forever trying to learn new things about the way they live, and how they get their food. "

"Of course I can understand that, " admitted Jerry; "us fellows wholove to hunt wild game have to know a lot about their habits. It's thesame if you go after the wily black bass--if you're green about hisways you can fish till you drop and never get a single bite. "

"I've had something to do with both kinds of sport, " said Frank, seriously; "and I want to say right here that I certainly believehunting with a camera beats the gun business all hollow. You get incloser touch with the little animals when you're only trying to taketheir pictures, and not harm them. I warrant now Will often countsthem as his friends, and that they show little fear of him. "

That launched the camera advocate into a fervent description of manymeetings with his coy subjects, and the tricks he was compelled toresort to in order to let them understand he meant them no harm. 

So the evening passed pleasantly. 

There was nothing in the way of a disturbance to break in upon theirsleep. Will had posted his camera trap a full quarter of a mile away, and even if it worked at any time during the night they would not knowit. 

The moon arose about the middle of the night, but none of the boys hadany use for the battered lantern in the sky, since they remained underthe cabin roof until morning broke. 

As before, they took a little dip in the cold waters of the lake inorder to get in good trim for a warm day. Then breakfast followed, andwas heartily enjoyed, although with their healthy appetites there wasnothing wonderful about that. 

Each of them had laid out plans for the morning. 

"We'll give the bass a rest for one day, " remarked Bluff; "because ifwe make it too common the zest of catching and eating them is apt towear away. Besides, I don't believe it's as good a morning for fishingas yesterday was. Then, we'd have to use that little mosquito nettingseine, and get some more minnows. "

"Last but not least, " laughingly added Jerry, "the cranky old tub of aboat leaks again like a sieve, and some of us ought to get busypatching it up while we have a chance. "

"Yes, " said Will, who of course knew that the job would never fall tohis share, "I always believe in having everything ready beforehand;because you never know in what a big hurry it may be needed. "

Of course Will had hurried out to where his camera lay long before hewould touch a bite of breakfast; he even gave up the early morning dipin his anxiety to learn whether the bait had been jerked, and thecamera made to do its duty. 

By this time Will had become quite expert, so that there was littledanger of what Bluff, taking his cue from the golfers, would havecalled a "foozle. "

To see the joy written upon his face when he came hurrying back toannounce almost breathlessly that success had rewarded his efforts, one might even suspect the boy had never before succeeded inphotographing a sly fox in this manner. 

It was a busy morning for all. 

Frank rather expected to see Gilbert, but when noon came and the otherhad not as yet put in an appearance he decided that he must bedetained for good reasons. Perhaps by another day he would find itconvenient to drop in and see the campers at Cabin Point. 

"From the way he talked, " Bluff remarked, when at lunch they werespeaking of Mr. Dennison's nephew, "I got the notion that Gilbertwould like to stay over here a spell with us, and enjoy some of ourdoings. "

"He did say he was fond of camping, and for all we know he may havebeen around some up in Michigan or Wisconsin, " suggested Jerry. 

"Well, " added Bluff, a little boastfully, "when it comes toexperiences I reckon the Outdoor Chums don't have to occupy a backseat! We might relate some things that would make Gilbert sit up andtake notice. "

"I think he's the kind of fellow who would enjoy hearing about thethings we've seen and done, " Frank told them. "I'm glad now I broughtalong my little note-book in which I jotted down many of the thingsthat have happened since we first got together and formed the 'Rod, Gun and Camera Club. '"

"Yes, and I'm fond of looking over that journal of yours myself, Frank, " admitted Will. "Of course I didn't have as big a part in awhole lot of the adventures as the rest of you, but all the same theybelonged to our crowd. "

"And then don't forget, Will, " continued Frank, "that Mr. Dennisonadmitted to us he was fond of photography. Gilbert said as much, too, when he spoke about having a set of your Maine pictures printed toshow his uncle. You may get on good terms with this singular old man, and have some mighty pleasant times in his company. "

"He looks pretty severe, " commented Will, "but then there's a reasonfor that, I guess; and once he gets thawed out he'll be a differentsort. Nothing like finding a fellow's pet hobby and working it, tomake him friendly. "

None of them thought to go far away during that afternoon. It did notlook very promising, for clouds could be seen hovering along thehorizon, the heat was intense, and all of them agreed that a stormmight creep up. 

Their last experience in a storm had been so unpleasant that somehowthey seemed to shrink involuntarily from a repetition so soon. Lateron, when the memory became fainter, they might again take risks, afterthe manner of buoyant youth the world over. 

Bluff and Jerry were pleased with their work on the boat. They hadtaken great pains this time, and felt sure the calking was there tostay. Still, they contented themselves with planning another fishingexcursion for the coming morning. Bluff had discovered a place whereminnows were very plentiful, and hence they could be assured of a goodhaul at any time, with but little exertion. 

The day was nearing an end, and there was some talk of getting supperready when a cry from Jerry outside the cabin brought the othershurrying forth. 

They found him talking with a small boy who seemed greatly excited, for his face was peaked and white, and terror could be seen in hisdilated eyes. 

Apparently he had hurried in a veritable panic through the forest, forhe had various scratches on his face, and a lump on his foreheadshowed where he had struck a stone after tripping over a root or avine. 

Naturally Frank and the other two were at once filled with curiosityto know who the boy was, and what had brought him to Cabin Point. Jerry had already started to question the panting lad, and the otherwas trying to explain, although his words came in jerks and disjointedsentences. 

"I'm Sandy Moogs--my dad's a woodchopper--workin' now up yonder 'boutthree miles--tree fell on him--broke his leg, he reckons--in a heap o'pain--can't hardly crawl--knowed you-uns was at Cabin Point--sent meto git help--he sez as how he'll bleed to death by mawnin' if he ain'thelped--I hopes as how you'll kim along with me--he's my dad, youknow!"

The four exchanged looks when this pitiful story was unfolded ingasps. It was a foregone conclusion that they would go, for never hadthe Outdoor Chums rejected an appeal for assistance. 

CHAPTER XXII

FIRST AID TO THE INJURED

"Of course we'll all go, Frank!" Bluff was saying, almost before theboy who had given his name as Sandy Moogs finished speaking. 

Frank had to decide without much waste of time, and he did so in hiscustomary sensible way. 

"This woodchopper is probably a pretty husky sort of fellow, as mostof them are, " he said, loud enough for the others to hear; "and ifhe's in such a bad shape we may even have to carry him all the wayhere, so as to look after his hurts, and keep him out of a storm. "

"We could make a litter and carry him, you know, Frank, " suggestedJerry. 

"Just what I had in mind, " the other agreed. 

"And it would need four to carry a heavy man for a long distance, " wasWill's comment; "so that means we must all go along. "

"Then we'll call it settled, " Frank decided. 

"How about supper?" came from Jerry, faintly, as though he felt boundto mention such an important matter, and yet at the same timeexperienced more or less shame about seeming to be greedy. 

"Have to wait until we get back, " the leader announced. "If anybody isnear the starving point right now let him pick up some crackers tomunch as he trots along. "

No one seemed willing to display such weakness, for there was only arush to get hats and coats, while Frank made sure of the camp hatchetand some heavy twine, as well as a piece of strong canvas that couldbe used in making the stretcher on which the injured woodchopper wasto be carried. 

By this time the small boy had managed to get his breath. He lookedpleased on discovering that the campers meant to respond so handsomelyto his appeal for aid. It could be plainly seen that Sandy caredgreatly for his father, and now that the prospect of the injured man'sbeing assisted had grown brighter, the boy felt greatly relieved. 

After all, only a brief time elapsed before they were ready to start. Frank had of course seen to it that Doctor Will carried along some ofhis stock in trade, in the shape of bandages and liniment. They wouldcertainly be needed, for the boy had assured them that his father waslosing considerable blood because of his wound. 

"You're certain you can take us straight to the place, are you, Sandy?" asked Frank, just as they were ready to start. 

"I shore kin do that same!" replied the sturdy little chap. "I wasborn in the woods, and never got lost even onct. I smell my way darknights. "

This last assertion amused Bluff and Jerry, but Frank knew what theboy meant. He had been given an intuition that never failed him in sofar as direction was concerned. If asked a question in connection withany point of the compass he could reply with positive accuracy, andwithout the slightest hesitation. 

Watching how he made his way along, Frank soon ascertained that theboy was actually leading them over the very route he had taken inmaking for Cabin Point. He proved this several times by pointing outwhere he had fallen when an unseen vine caught his foot; or made alittle detour in order to avoid some thorny bushes that had scratchedhis face and hands on the other occasion. 

One mile, two, had been passed over, and still the boy led them on. Sandy had called it about three miles, and since he was so remarkablyclever at woodcraft in so far as direction went, Frank hoped hisknowledge of distance might be equally accurate. 

No one complained. Even Will, who was less robust than his mates, andnot as accustomed to hurrying along through dense woods, shut histeeth hard together and persevered. He had been sensible enough toleave his camera behind, Frank having convinced him that it would bean unnecessary burden, for if they had to carry the wounded man allthat distance back to the cabin they would find their hands fullwithout other impedimenta. 

After more time had elapsed the question was put to the boy. 

"Are we nearly there now, Sandy?"

"'Most nigh the place, " came the prompt reply. "This here's theburnin' where the charcoal was made last year. On'y a little furder, an' we'll be up to dad. And oh! I hopes he's alive yet, I shore does!"

Frank of course comforted him the best he could. 

"Your father is a big strong man, Sandy, and like as not he knowssomething of the way to stop some of the bleeding by using a ragtwisted around a stick and pressed down on the artery. Most woodsmendo, I've found. He'll be all right, Sandy. And boys, let's all give aloud whoop. It may encourage the poor fellow some to know we'recoming along. "

Accordingly they united their strong young voices in a brave shoutthat could easily have been heard half a mile away. Although theylistened they did not hear a reply. A woodpecker screamed as he clungto a rotten treetop; some saucy crows scolded and chattered as theycraned their necks and looked down on the line of passing boys; butall else was silence. 

Sandy was evidently worried because of this, but Frank reassured him. 

"He doesn't want to waste what strength he has in shouting, Sandy; butthree to one we'll find him waiting for us to come along. How far arewe away now?"

"Oh! it's just over there at t'other side of that rise!" gasped theboy. 

They pushed quickly on, increasing their pace if anything, such wasthe anxiety they were now beginning to share with poor Sandy Moogs, the woodchopper's son. 

"I see him!" cried sharp-sighted Jerry. 

"There, he waved his hand at us, Sandy, so you see he's all right!"added Frank, only too glad of the opportunity to relieve the pent-upfeelings of the dutiful son of the injured man. 

In another minute they had reached his side. Frank and Will beganimmediately to busy themselves with attending to his injury. Bluff andJerry, taking the hatchet, started to hunt for the proper kind ofpoles with which a litter could be framed. 

Frank instantly saw that the man had suffered a serious injury. Notonly was the leg broken but the flesh had been badly lacerated, and hehad lost a large amount of blood. 

It turned out just as Frank had said, for the woodchopper, after Sandyhad run away to seek aid, had bethought himself of a way to stop someof the bleeding. His method of procedure was crude, but it had been onthe well-known tourniquet principle of applying a bandage with theknot resting as nearly as possible on the artery above the wound, andthen by twisting a stout stick around and around increasing thepressure as far as could be borne. 

When Frank saw what he had done he told the man his action had likelyenough been the means of saving his life, for in the two hours thathad elapsed since the boy left him he might have bled to death. 

Will of course was quite in his element now. If there was one thing inwhich he excelled besides taking pictures it lay along the lines ofmedicine and practical surgery. 

Indeed, Frank himself was only too glad to take orders from the otherchum at such a time as this, although he too knew considerable aboutcaring for gunshot wounds, broken bones, and such accidentalhappenings as are apt to occur in the woods. 

While the two amateur surgeons labored to the best of their ability tostop the bleeding, and set the broken bones, at least temporarily, Bluff and Jerry had taken a little saunter around the place lookingfor stuff that could be utilized in making the litter. 

"Here's where a hickory tree was cut down a year or two back, " saidthe former, finally, "and all around the old stump new growth has setin. Some of it is as much as an inch or more thick. "

"Yes, and just the sort we want for our litter, " Jerry admitted; "soget busy with your hatchet, Bluff; and when you feel tired let me havea show for my money. "

As the camp hatchet was always kept exceedingly sharp it bit intothose hickory stems "like fury, " according to Bluff; and one afteranother they fell before the onslaught. 

Then the straightest and strongest were selected for the outsidepoles, which must be gripped by the four bearers. Across from these, side sections were fastened by means of the strong cord. Next camethe placing of the strip of canvas which had really been fashionedparticularly for the very use to which it was now being put. Allaround the edges brass eyelets had been inserted in the canvas. Through the holes the twine was to be run, enclosing a portion of theside poles with every loop. This procedure would result in giving thema splendid litter. 

"I guess Frank was right when he said no party should ever come outinto the woods without carrying along a strip of canvas fixed likethis one is, " Jerry was saying as he laced away vigorously, admiringhis work as he went along. 

"That's right, " assented the other; "because when it's needed it'salways wanted in a big hurry. Besides, such a strip can be made usefulin many ways. If the ground is damp it comes in handy when you have tosleep with only a blanket between you and the cold earth. In that wayit takes the place of a rubber poncho. "

"There's one thing bad about all this, I'm afraid, " ventured Jerry. 

"I hope now, " cried Bluff, "you're not mean enough to consider thedrain it'll be on our grub resources to have two more mouths to feed!But there, I take that back, because I know it wouldn't be like youeven to think that. What did you mean, Jerry?"

"It's nearly night as it is, and we'll sure be overtaken before wecover a single mile. Think of tramping along in the pitch darkcarrying a man hurt as badly as he is. "

"Between you and me I don't believe Frank will risk it. We can go asfar as possible, and when it grows dark pull up. Along about midnight, if it stays clear, we ought to have the moon, and it'll give us enoughlight to go on again. "

It proved to be just as Bluff had said, for when the wounded man hadbeen carefully lifted and placed on the litter, with one of the boysready to take hold of each corner, Frank set forth his plan. 

"We'll do the best we can, fellows, until it gets too dark to seewell; then we can lie down and rest for hours. When the moon getsfully up, so that the woods are light again, we'll finish our tramp tothe cabin. Get that, everybody?"

The woodchopper seemed to be resting fairly easily now. Of course hewas in great pain and often groaned in spite of his close clenchedteeth; but the strain on his mind had lessened. He felt confident thatthese lads would see him through his trouble in some way or other. Their manner inspired the utmost confidence. 

Again they left it to the boy to lead the way. His wonderful instinctmade him an infallible guide. Frank would have probably been able tofetch up close to the cabin on the Point, but there was always achance of his going astray, while Sandy knew no such word as fail whenit came to "sensing" direction. 

The little procession started. As well as they could, the four boysbearing the litter kept step with one another, since that helped tomake the jar less noticeable. 

It was no child's play carrying that heavy man through the darkeningforest, for unusual care had to be taken constantly, lest a stumbleoccur that would cause him to cry out with sudden pain. 

Just as Bluff had said, they must have covered about a full mile whenFrank called a halt, saying that it had grown too dark now to continuethe tramp. 

CHAPTER XXIII

A LIGHT IN THE WINDOW

When the halt was made they were almost half-way to the cabin on thePoint. Bluff grumbled because none of them proved to be a modernJoshua, able to command the sun to stand still for a sufficient timeto cover the remaining distance. 

"Never mind about that, fellows, " Frank observed, after laughingheartily at the quaint remark; "what we want to do just now is to makeMoogs here as comfortable as we can, and then try to get some rest. All of us are tired, and we've still a mile and a half to cover. "

"And I want to serve warning right now, " Jerry announced, "that thefirst thing we do when we strike camp is to get the fire going, and abig pot of coffee boiling. I'm as hungry as a wolf. "

Frank found that the injured man was standing the trip as well ascould be expected. He suffered great pain, though at times a sort ofnumbness came over his limb, as often happens. 

Bluff and Jerry had found some dead leaves behind a log, and here theydecided to settle down. Frank and Will had already seen to it thattheir patient was placed upon a bed of leaves, and had made things ascomfortable as possible for the poor fellow. 

He seemed to be very grateful, and constantly assured them that theirkindness would never be forgotten, and that he would only too gladlyrepay them if ever it lay in his power. 

The small boy, Sandy Moogs, crouched alongside his father and seemedhappy just to know that everything was moving along in a satisfactoryway. 

Frank was more concerned about the weather than anything else. Therewere signs of a brooding storm. The low-hanging clouds they hadnoticed in the afternoon close to the western horizon might push upand cover the heavens. 

That would be a serious thing for them, under the present conditions. To be caught afoot in the woods far from camp by one of thosedrenching rains was bad enough; but it meant a terrible risk to poorMoogs should he be soaked through while suffering from such a wound. 

Still the time passed and there was no particular change inconditions. So long as he could see the stars Frank needed no watch toknow the hour. He knew when the moon would appear in the east, aswell as which of the bright planets would set by that time. All he hadto do when desirous of knowing how time was passing was to observe thestars. 

Jerry and Bluff could be heard talking from time to time. As for Will, who was close to Frank, seeing the other lift his head for a look atthe sky above, he asked for information. 

"What time do you think it is, Frank?" was what Will said. 

"Close to eleven, " was the immediate reply. 

"Did you guess that, or are you reading the answer in the stars?"continued Will. 

"See that bright star a little way above the horizon?" asked Frank. "Well, that's Mercury, and when it drops out of sight to-night it'llbe just eleven. When that other brighter planet goes down, look forthe moon to peep up. That will be at twelve-seven, according to thealmanac. "

"You've certainly got it all down pat, " chuckled the other, satisfiedthat what Frank said must be exactly so; for he did not make apractice of simply guessing at things. 

It happened that when the big star did pass out of sight behind thefar distant horizon Will was watching, being wide awake. 

"It's time for the moon to show up, thank goodness!" he was heard tosay, whereupon Bluff from his bed of dead leaves close by called back:

"If you look close you can see the sky lighting up over in thenortheast a bit. Trouble was you didn't remember that in summer themoon makes a different sweep, and to do that often rises far away fromthe true east. "

They could all see that Bluff spoke truly, and that before long thedarkness that hung over the woods would be partly dispersed. Will hadbeen impressed with what the other had said concerning the phases ofthe moon. He made up his mind that when he got home again, and couldfind books on astronomy in the town library, he would study up on thesubject, for it promised to be interesting. 

They did not start immediately, for it would be some time before thelight became strong enough to be of benefit to them. After the mooncould be fairly seen the boys sat around and made comments that werenot at all complimentary to the heavenly luminary. 

"Wow! looks like she'd been out all night on a tear, " commented Jerry;"her face is that battered. "

"Makes a regular practice of these all-night affairs, I reckon, "chuckled Bluff; "no wonder she looks so peaked. Nobody can stand thatsort of life for long and not show it. "

"Please quit looking a gift horse in the mouth, " pleaded Will. "We'restaking a whole lot on that same old moon, it seems to me; and youfellows are an ungrateful bunch. What if you hurt her feelings so sheputs her hands over her face, in the shape of black clouds? Wherewould we be then, tell me?"

Finally Frank decided that they should start. 

"Of course we must use an extra amount of care at first, " he toldthem; "and as the moon gets higher up the thing will come easier. Butbe careful how you go. "

"Yes, watch your step!" added Bluff, as he reached down to get a goodgrip on the end of the litter pole. 

The start was made in fairly good shape, and if their movements causedthe wounded man new pain he managed to repress his groans. Realizingthe great debt he owed these sterling boys, the woodcutter felt thathe ought to suppress the signs of suffering, at least as much as hepossibly could. 

Frank watched to see with what confidence little Sandy again startedin the lead. He was immediately convinced that there need be not theleast anxiety concerning his ability to serve as a true guide. Theinstinct was born in him; if asked how he picked out his course hecould never have explained save by saying he _knew_ it, and that wasall. 

When they had covered about a mile Frank called for a rest. He feltsure Will in particular must be getting weak and weary with all thisstrenuous work, to which he was quite unaccustomed. 

Sandy had offered to lend a hand, but was told to stick to his post asguide. 

"It's a more important service you can render leading us straight, than the little help you could give lifting, " Frank told the boy when, for the third time, Sandy offered to relieve Will. 

"We ought to get there on the next turn, " decided Bluff. 

Jerry was sniffing the night air. 

"Why, it seems to me, " he remarked, blandly, "that I can just smellthe lake, and according to my guess it can't be more than half a mileaway. "

They waited to rest for about ten minutes. Then as Bluff and Jerrybegan to manifest signs of restlessness Frank gave the order to movealong once more. Will declared that he felt able to keep on for atime, long enough, probably, to take them over the remainder of theground. 

There were numerous occasions when one or another stumbled, for withpoor illumination it was not always possible to see smallobstructions. Once or twice the man on the litter groaned, and at suchtimes the boys took themselves to task with fresh energy, afterwardstrying more than ever to avoid all such petty pitfalls. 

"Pretty nearly there, I guess!" said Jerry, who felt sure he hadrecognized some of the surrounding woods, although they lookeddifferent to him in the weird moonlight from their usual seeming inbroad day. 

"We'll break out of the trees inside of five minutes, " prophesiedBluff, going his chum one better, since he set the time, which Jerryhad not. 

"Make it seven and I'm with you, " Frank told them, knowing that acertain amount of chatter would be apt to make them forget theirweariness. 

"I even thought just then I could hear water lapping upon the shore, Frank, " remarked Will. 

"That was what you heard, because I caught it too, " he was assured bythe one in whom Will placed such confidence. 

"Be ready, then, to see our old cabin as soon as we get to the edge ofthese woods, " remarked Frank; "everybody watch, and see who's thefirst to call out. Of course you two fellows ahead have the bestchance. "

Shortly afterwards Jerry broke out again. 

"Frank, there's the water through the trees!"

"Yes, and with the moonlight playing across it like a pathway ofsilver, " added Will, who was a little inclined to be poetical. 

"Home, sweet home, " sighed Bluff; "be it ever so lowly there's noplace like home. "

"Oh! quit that, Bluff!" urged Jerry. "Don't you know you'll make uswant to quit Cabin Point and hike for our real homes. Just let's keepthinking of what a spread we're in for, once I get started hustlingthe supper along. Wow! in fancy I can see it now, with the coffee-potboiling on the hob and--holy smoke! Frank, what does this mean now?"

"Tell us what's happened!" demanded Will, beginning to show signs ofexcitement, as Jerry came to a full stop. 

"Why, there's our cabin; can't you see, fellows--and as sure as youlive somebody's inside it, because the light is shining through thewindow where that wooden shutter can't be coaxed to close tight. Now Iwonder what that funny business stands for. "

CHAPTER XXIV

THE MYSTERY SOLVED

"Yes, it's a light, that's what it is!" Bluff was heard to mutter. 

"This is certainly a queer piece of business, as you say, Jerry, "admitted Frank. 

"Oh! I hope now it isn't a messenger from home with bad news! Thatwould upset all our plans. And my mother wasn't feeling just up to themark when I left home, either, " cried Will. 

Will's mother was a widow, and he had a twin sister named Violet. Thethree of them lived by themselves in one of the most substantial andbeautiful houses in Centerville; so the boy's sudden sense of anxietycould be easily understood. He was really the man of the house, andoften felt his conscience stab him when he left his mother and Violetalone. 

"Oh! stow that, Will!" urged the more practical Jerry. "It isn't goingto turn out as bad as that. How do we know but that they do havehoboes up this way, and that the tramps have taken a shine to ourbunks? Frank, what shall we do?"

Of course they looked to Frank to decide; but as he was used to doingmore than his share of the planning for the crowd, he thought nothingof this request. 

"First of all, let's put the litter down gently, " he proposed. 

"That's right, boys, " said the wounded man, "don't ye bother any 'boutme, but look after yer own 'fairs first. I'll get on all right, withSandy hyar to stand by and keer for me. "

They were very careful as they put the stretcher down, for only toowell did they know how the wretched occupant suffered from any jolt. This having been accomplished successfully, the four chums were readyto take the next step. 

"Now we'll go on and see what it all means, " said Frank. 

He managed to control his voice so that none of the others coulddiscern any undue emotion; yet truth to tell Frank was more worriedthan he would have cared to admit. 

What Will had voiced was in fact the very fear that had flashed uponhim. They had left word at home for a messenger to be sent up afterthem should sickness or accident overtake any of those left behind. And it seemed at least reasonable to believe that something of thekind had happened. 

As the boys advanced eagerly though noiselessly they were keyed up tothe top notch of excitement. 

When he dropped his end of the stretcher Bluff discovered a stout clublying on the ground. It answered his present needs admirably, andaccordingly the boy snatched it up with a sense of exhilaration. Tohimself Bluff was muttering:

"Tramps, hey? Measley hoboes roosting in our nice shack, are they?Well now, let me just get a whack at the same with this bully home-runbat, and if I don't make 'em sick of their job you can take my headfor a football. Tramps, hey? Wow! Count me in the deal, will you? Ijust eat tramps!"

Frank led the way from long habit. It was perhaps the same trainingthat kept Bluff and Jerry just at the heels of the pilot, althoughthey were in a fever to make faster time. 

So far as they could see there was no sign of life about the oldcabin, only the light shining through that gap in the wooden windowshutter. If a party of vagrants had indeed taken possession of theplace they were wonderfully quiet. Not a sound smote the stillness ofthe night. 

Presently, however, from some tree not far away a whippoorwillsuddenly sent out his vociferous notes, complaining again and againof the severe punishment "poor Will" might expect. The cabin was nowclose at hand. Frank could see that the door was ajar, as thoughinviting the passerby to enter without the formality of knocking. 

"Huh!" Bluff was heard to grumble, as he, too, discovered this fact. 

Approaching the window, Frank leaned forward and took a first peep. Hedid not say a single word, although very much surprised at what hesaw; but simply made room for Will, who in turn moved slightly on sothat the others might also see. 

The wooden shutter, which had been repaired as well as possible, evenwhen closed left a slight gap, and through this hole it was possiblefor one outside to survey the whole interior of the cabin. 

A single figure sat in the most comfortable chair the cabin boasted. The lantern had been lighted, and hung so that its rays illuminatedthe interior of the place fairly well. 

None of the boys had the slightest difficulty in recognizing theperson they were looking at through the window. It was GilbertDennison. 

Somehow or other it seemed that none of the chums had once consideredGilbert when trying to guess who could be in the cabin. When they nowdiscovered him sitting there, and apparently waiting for them to comein, a great load seemed to be lifted from their hearts. 

At least poor anxious Will was heard to give a long sigh of relief. His worst fears were dissipated when instead of some messenger fromCenterville he discovered Gilbert Dennison sitting there, watching andwaiting. 

Frank was also well pleased at the discovery. At the same time thereflashed into his mind a conviction that it must be something beyondthe ordinary desire to visit them that had brought Gilbert there. 

None of the boys paid quite as much attention to secrecy as before. Itwas different now, since they knew a friend occupied their cabin, andnot a party of dusty tramps, who had been making free with theirsupplies. 

Apparently the sound of their footsteps must have reached the ears ofthe one inside, for as Frank pushed back the door he found Gilbert onhis feet. Also, he seemed to be crouching there as much in the shadowsas possible; and really his whole attitude struck Frank asastonishing. 

As Frank and then Bluff, Jerry and Will pushed into the cabin Gilbertlooked at first a little surprised and disappointed; but he instantlyraised his hand to indicate silence, and at the same time pressed afinger on his lips. 

These mysterious actions astonished the four chums. They stared asthough they found it difficult to believe their eyes. 

"Gee whiz! what next?" Bluff was muttering, as though things werehappening so rapidly that almost any sort of surprise could beexpected. 

Frank pushed forward. 

"Glad to see you here, but what's up, Gilbert?" he asked. 

"Please speak in a whisper when you have to talk, Frank, " replied theother. 

"All right, " said Frank, doing as he was told, "but please explainwhat it all means, for we've got a wounded man outside, who had hisleg broken by a tree he was dropping, and we wish to bring him in hereto make him easy. "

"It'll all be over in a short time, I should think, " continuedGilbert; "for he ought to be here any minute now. "

"Who do you mean?" asked Bluff, like most boys caring naught forgrammatical rules when far away from the school room. 

"My uncle!" replied Gilbert. 

"But why under the sun is Mr. Dennison coming down here to the cabin, and at midnight, too?" asked Jerry. 

"That's just it, " replied the visitor at the cabin. "I've known forsome time that Uncle Aaron is a sleep-walker, you see. "

Frank had already grasped the meaning of the situation, but Bluff wasstill groping in the dark. He proved this by asking:

"But what would your old uncle wander down here for in his sleep, Gilbert, when it must be all of half a mile anyway, and over a crookedtrail?"

"I'll tell you what I think, " replied the other, in a very low tone. "You see, he understands that I set great store on that gold cup Iwon, and which I brought up here with me when I came. He had it on hismind after I went away, being afraid some one would steal it. "

"Oh! now I get what you mean, " whispered Bluff. "In his sleep he tooka notion to try to hide the thing where no one would find it. Andsince he used that cavity under the floor to keep his savings in longyears ago, somehow he just wandered down here the one night we wereall away, and put the cup there. "

"Yes, and knew nothing about it when he came to search the cabin lateron, " explained Gilbert. "But keep still, everybody, for I really thinkI saw him coming out there in the open before the door. Please don'tsay a word, but just watch!"

CHAPTER XXV

CONCLUSION

It was an exciting time when Gilbert and the four chums stood there assilent as ghosts, and waited for the arrival of the sleep-walker. Perhaps a dozen seconds had passed when there was a rustle and a sighat the open door. Then a figure stalked in. 

They could see that it was Aaron Dennison. 

Mr. Dennison walked straight over to where that loose plank lay. Hedid not show the slightest sign of hesitancy, but stooping down placedsome object on the floor, after which he began to raise the plank asthough familiar with its working. 

No wonder the boys stared, and Bluff chuckled softly, when they sawthe object so carefully deposited on the floor by the man who walkedin his sleep. 

It was the golden cup, won in the amateur golf tournament by GilbertDennison!

They watched him lift the plank, and then quickly place the cup inthe hole underneath; after this he gently lowered the board, patted itaffectionately, and arose to his feet as if to go. 

Frank was more than satisfied. The mystery had been explained in afashion that left not a shred of doubt behind. 

At the same time Frank found himself wondering what Gilbert would donext. To convince Mr. Dennison that he himself was wholly to blame, itwould seem to be the proper thing to awaken him before he quitted thecabin, and show him the cup nestling under the plank. 

Frank dimly remembered reading that it was not a wise thing to arousea sleep-walker suddenly; he understood that the sudden shock had atendency to affect the brain. Apparently Gilbert did not know this, for he stepped forward and reaching out caught hold of the old man'sarm, shaking it as he called:

"Wake up, Uncle Aaron, wake up!"

They saw the sleeper give a tremendous start. Then he stared first atGilbert, and then around him as though dazed. 

"It's I, Uncle, and you've been up to your old tricks again, walkingin your sleep, " the young fellow told him. "Yes, no wonder you look asif you could hardly believe your eyes; for you've wandered down to theold cabin on the Point And, Uncle, what do you think we saw youdoing?"

As he said this Gilbert in turn suddenly stooped, and managing to getthe loose plank up he pushed it aside. When he picked up the goldencup and held it before the eyes of the old gentleman, Bluff couldhardly keep from bursting into laughter, the look of astonishment onMr. Dennison's face was so ludicrous. 

"Did I bring that cup here, and stow it away again in that hole, Gilbert?" he demanded. 

"You certainly did, Uncle, " he was told. 

"Then it stands to reason that I must have been guilty on that otheroccasion, too, Nephew?" faltered the old hermit. 

"Of course you were, Uncle. Don't you see, you worried over having thecup there on your hands; and in your sleep you must have dreamed aboutthe old place here under the floor where you once used to hide things. And down you came all the way. It happened that the boys were all awayon that night after the storm; isn't it so, fellows?"

"Yes, " replied Frank, "Will here and I were caught up in the woods, and slept under a shelf of rock, while Bluff and Jerry stayed at thevillage, where they met the constable, Mr. Jeems. So the cabin was notoccupied at all that night. "

"And we knew somebody must have been in here, " spoke up Will, "becausethe door wasn't closed as we left it, a chair had been pushed over, and some other things were disturbed. It was a great mystery to all ofus, sir. "

Mr. Dennison proved himself equal to the occasion. The look ofconsternation on his face had now given way to one of friendliness. 

"Then I can plainly see how I have wronged these boys by accusing themof this mysterious taking of the golden cup, " he said, frankly. "Itrust all of you will forgive me, and that Gilbert will some time orother fetch you up to see me. I want particularly to become betteracquainted with the one who is interested in wild animal photography. "

Mr. Dennison whispered a few sentences to his nephew. Evidently hemust have been telling Gilbert that he was at liberty to explaincertain sad things connected with his past life, when the occasionarose, so that the boys would understand just why, for all his money, he lived in such a lonely place. 

Then he said he must go, and asked Gilbert to accompany him. 

"Be sure and bring that precious golden cup of yours, " he told theother. "We'll have to find a safe place to keep it, if I'm going tohave any sound sleep after this. At my age I cannot afford to takechances of meeting with some accident when wandering around the woodsat night-time. Good-bye, lads, and remember I shall hope to have youtake supper with me some evening soon, when we can get betteracquainted. "

After Mr. Dennison and Gilbert had departed Frank thought again of theinjured woodcutter, and, hastening out, they soon had him under theroof of the cabin. 

In the morning it was decided that, as the weather seemed promising, two of them had better start for the village with the wounded man andSandy. The boat was now in extra-good shape, and seemed hardly to leaka drop. Besides, the sooner Moogs was placed under the care of anexperienced surgeon the better. Frank did not want to be responsiblefor the consequences any more than seemed absolutely necessary. 

In time the injured woodcutter recovered from his severe wound; andthe boys afterwards received a letter from Sandy, in which the boytried hard to express the heavy obligations under which he and his"dad" felt themselves bound to the Outdoor Chums. 

In the afternoon Gilbert came down to see them, and stayed over night. 

As they sat around after supper and exchanged confidences the boyslearned of the tragedy that had taken place in the life of AaronDennison. It fully explained the mystery hovering over his enclosedestate. 

He had had a single child, as the poor fragment of a baby shoe hadinformed Frank; but the little fellow had been taken away from them. The wife and mother had never been the same after that, though foryears she continued to be the faithful partner of the man, as hefought his way up in the world. 

In the end she entirely lost her reason, and Mr. Dennison, unwillingthat the one he loved so fondly should be placed in even the bestasylum, had conceived the idea of building this home far removed fromcivilization. 

Here the poor lady lived attended by a trusty nurse day and night. There were bars across the windows of her sleeping chamber, because oflate she had developed a mania for wanting to leap from a height andhence they had to take all precautions. 

No doubt she imagined herself a prisoner, and seeing the boys below, she had waved her handkerchief to them, and also had made gestureswith her hands as though invoking their aid. 

Of course Frank assured Gilbert that when they came up to take supperwith his uncle not a word would be said on that painful subject. Evenif they heard that pitiful wailing cry they would pretend that it wasthe screech of a strutting peacock, as once they had really believed. 

After that the Outdoor Chums found each day bringing new pleasures. They went up to see Mr. Dennison, not only once but many times, forthe old hermit soon found himself deeply interested in the boys. Heasked a thousand questions concerning the things connected with theirpast, and seemed never to tire of listening while these littleadventurous happenings were being narrated. 

The glorious days slipped away and finally the day arrived when theymust say good-bye to Cabin Point and all its happy associations. 

Will had a large number of splendid pictures to carry back; and allthe boys would often think of the happy times spent at the big lake. 

Other events would undoubtedly cross their path, but in reviewing thestrenuous past Frank and his Outdoor Chums would always remember withdeepest interest the mystery of the golden cup, and how strangely itwas solved while they were in camp at Cabin Point. 

THE END

 * * * * *

Darewell Chums

SERIES

_By_ ALLEN CHAPMAN

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The Heroes of the SchoolNed Wilding's DisappearanceFrank Roscoe's SecretFenn Masterson's DiscoveryBart Keene's Hunting Days

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 Up and doing from the word go are these "Darewell Chums, " a group of boys who stick together thru thick and thin; thru high adventure and scrapes. On the field of sport and in the broader field of life, their comradeship persists. There are several mysteries interwoven thru these tales that baffle the most astute. To follow the fortunes of "The Darewell Chums, " prepare for an exciting journey in Bookland. 

 * * * * *

The Goldsmith Publishing Co. 

CLEVELAND, O. 

 * * * * *