[Frontispiece: The track could plainly be seen but the trail endedabruptly. ]

AFLOAT:

_or, _

_Adventures on Watery Trails_

BY

CAPTAIN ALAN DOUGLAS

SCOUT MASTER

M. A. DONOHUE & COMPANY

CHICAGO :: NEW YORK

Copyright, 1917, by

The New York Book Co. 

CONTENTS

CHAPTER

 I. THE RAIL BIRDS HEAR SOME NEWS II. WHEN HEN CONDIT LEFT TOWN III. A PROMISING CLUE IV. JOHNNY'S CHICKEN THIEF TRAP V. THE KNIFE WITH THE BUCKHORN HANDLE VI. BOUND FOR SASSAFRAS SWAMP VII. THE MISSING SKIFF VIII. PICKING UP CLUES IX. THE PERILS OF THE WATER LABYRINTH X. THE SUSPICIOUS ACTIONS OF LANDY XI. A NIGHT ALARM XII. THE VALUE OF SCOUTCRAFT XIII. HEN CONDIT'S STRANGE MESSAGE XIV. BOUND TO SUCCEED XV. WOLF PATROL PLUCK WINS XVI. CONCLUSION

ON WATERY TRAILS

CHAPTER I

THE RAIL BIRDS HEAR SOME NEWS

"Elmer said we'd take a vote on it!"

"Yes, and tonight the next regular meeting of the Hickory Ridge BoyScout Troop is scheduled to take place, so we'll soon know where westand. "

"Thith hath been a pretty tame thummer for the cwowd, all told, don'tyou think, Lil Artha?"

"It certainly has, as sure as your name's Ted Burgoyne. Our campingout was cut short, for with so many rainy days we just had to give itup. "

"Yeth, after three of the fellowth came down with bad cases of malarialfever. The mothquitoes were so plentiful. "

"That was some news to me to find out that a certain breed ofmosquitoes are the only ones that give you the malarial poison whenthey smack you. "

"Huh! I used to think all that talk was a silly yarn, too, Toby, butnow I put a heap of stock in the same, " declared the unusually tall andthin boy, who seemed to answer to the queer name of "Lil Artha;" he hadevidently been dubbed so by his comrades as an undersized cub, and whenshooting up later on had been unable to shake off the absurd nickname. 

"But here we've still got a couple of weeks left of our vacation, youknow, " remarked the chap called Toby, "and it'd be just a shame to letthe good old summer time dribble away without one more whack at thewoods, and the open air life we all love so well. "

"Toby, jutht hold your horthes!" exclaimed the one who lisped sodreadfully, and whose name was Theodore Burgoyne, though seldom calledanything but Ted; "you let Elmer decide for the crowd. I'm deadcertain he'll lay out a joyouth plan at the meeting tonight that'llcall for the unanimous approval of every member of the troop to befound in thith sleepy town these dog days. "

"Hear! hear! Ted has got it down pat, let me tell you!" cried TobyJones, who in the bosom of his family was occasionally reminded that hehad once upon a time been christened Tobias Ellsworth Jones. 

"Yes, you know our faithful and hard-working patrol leader to a dot, Ted, " added the long-legged scout, with a wide grin on his thin andfreckled face. "Trust Elmer Chenowith to think up a programme thatwill meet with universal approval. But this is a pretty warmproposition for a late August day. Let's sit in the shade a while, andcool off, while we're waiting for Landy and Chatz to show up. "

Accordingly the trio of boys in faded khaki suits, that looked asthough they had seen considerable service, proceeded to perch upon thetop-most rail of a fence at a point where a splendid oak tree threw itswide-spreading branches over the road. 

They were just outside the town of Hickory Ridge, and if you want toknow where this usually wide-awake place was situated it might be wellto refer to earlier books in this Series in order to ascertain all theinteresting particulars. 

These three lads belonged to the local troop of scouts, just then in amost flourishing condition. Under the leadership of Elmer Chenowiththe Wolf Patrol of the troop had accomplished so many unusual thingsthat a fever had taken possession of the town boys to become enrolled. 

There was also the Beaver Patrol, with a full number, and the Eagle aswell as the Fox seemed destined to finish their quota of eight membersin the early Fall. 

The three boys whom we have met on the road chanced to be among theoriginal charter members of the troop. All of them belonged to theWolf Patrol; for it often happens that fellows wearing the same totemare brought closer together than others. 

Since it chances that the exciting incidents which we have started outto chronicle in the present story fell almost exclusively to theportion of the boys belonging to the original Wolf Patrol, it might bewell to give a brief description of who and what they were, beforegoing any further. 

Elmer Chenowith, being the patrol leader, comes first in line. He wasa manly lad, with many winning qualities that made him a prime favoriteamong his fellows. At one time his father had had charge of a vastfarm and cattle ranch up in the Canadian Northwest, and while there theboy had learned a thousand things calculated to be useful to him in hiscapacity of a scout. 

He had long ago received official authority from Boy Scout Headquartersto act as a deputy or assistant scout master, whenever the regularoverseer, young Mr. Roderic Garrabrant, could not be present. Elmerfilled the position in such a clever fashion that no one everquestioned his ability to play the part of guide. 

Then there was Mark Anthony Cummings, who was looked upon as Elmer'schum. He was the grandson of a famous artist, and there were those whoprophesied that some day Mark would follow in the footsteps of hisillustrious ancestor; for he would draw off-hand charcoal sketches ofhis chums, mostly in a humorous vein, that excited roars of laughter. Mark was also something of a musician, and had in the beginning beenelected to fill the position of bugler to the troop. 

Ted Burgoyne was afflicted with a dreadful lisp, on account of ahare-lip, so that as the boys used to say if offered a fortune he couldget no closer to the real thing when dared than to say "thoft thoap. "But then Ted was a marvel in his way, for he had more knowledge ofmedicine than all the other boys of the troop combined; and on thisaccount they often called him "Doctor Ted, " or "Old Sawbones. "

In cases of snake-bite, fainting, cramps, near-drowning, cuts from thecamp axe or hatchet, gun-shot wounds, broken bones, or, in fact, anything likely to happen to campers, Ted was what Lil Artha alwayscalled "Johnny-on-the-spot, " though Toby could never pin him down tosaying "which spot. "

Toby Jones was really the "funny" boy of the patrol. His grandfatherbeing one of those Zouave veterans, who had accompanied ColonelEllsworth to Washington when the war between the States broke out, andsaw the latter shot in Alexandria, Virginia, while taking down aConfederate flag, nothing would do but that the boy must bear thatvenerated name and so he was christened Tobias Ellsworth Jones. 

Toby was ambitious. His leaning lay in the line of aeronautics, and hewas always trying to invent some sort of aeroplane that would discountall the efforts of such men as the Wright brothers. The dreadful fateof Darius Green and his famous flying machine had no terrors for Toby, though his chums were always warning him to beware. 

He had, on several occasions in the past, attempted to show off withone of these ambitious contraptions. Those who have read some of thepreceding volumes of this Series know what ludicrous results came aboutbecause of this over-vaulting ambition on the part of Toby. But he wasnot one whit discouraged, and often declared that unless his life werecut short he meant to see that the name of the Joneses went "ringingdown the ages" as one of the most illustrious since the days of PaulJones, the American who fought sea battles in the Revolutionary War. 

Lil Artha, in reality Arthur Stansbury, was reckoned a good scout, anda loyal companion who could both play a joke and take one when it wasaimed at him; he was rather fond of photography, and addicted somewhatto harmless slang. 

The sixth member of the original Wolf Patrol was a Southern boy, Charlie Maxfield by name, though known simply as "Chatz. " He possessedall the traits to be found in boys who have been born and raised southof Mason and Dixon's line, was inclined to be touchy whenever hethought anyone doubted his honor, talked with a quaint little twangthat was really delightfully musical, and taken in all had grown to bea prime favorite with his fellows. 

Chatz had one silly weakness which, though he tried hard to overcomeit, would occasionally crop up. He was dreadfully superstitious, andbelieved in ghosts, which failing he laid to his having associated withpiccaninnies when a youngster, and in some way imbibing their belief inthe supernatural. 

Yes, Chatz at one time had even carried a rabbit's foot for luck, andto ward off evil spirits. The animal was said to have been killed in agraveyard in the full moon and it was a sure-enough _left_ hind foot, too, which he believed to be a very important distinction, since noother would answer. Of late, however, Chatz said less about thesethings than when he first came to Hickory Ridge; and Elmer believed hewas by degrees out-growing the foolish, superstitious beliefs of hischildhood. 

Two later additions to the Wolf Patrol were Henry Condit, known simplyas "Hen, " and Landy Smith, otherwise Philander. The latter was a fat, good-natured chap, always perspiring, and who had a queer habit ofplacing his forefinger alongside his nose when puzzled or reflecting. 

As occasional mention may be made in these pages to other members ofthe Troop, it might be well to simply give a list of their names and"let it go at that, " as Lil Artha would say. 

The Beaver Patrol being full consisted of eight boys. Matty Egglestonwas the leader, and after him came "Red" Huggins, Ty Collins, JasperMerriweather, Tom Cropsey, Larry Billings, Phil Dale and "DoubtingGeorge" Robbins, a cousin to Landy. 

There were also four members to the Eagle Patrol, with others about tocome in. Jack Armitage filled the position of leader, and after himcame Nat Scott, Ben Slimmons and Jim Oskamp. 

Apparently, the three fellows perched on the Virginia rail fence hadagreed to wait for others who were to join them in starting for thefavorite "swimmin' hole, " for their conversation betrayed this fact. 

Lil Artha began to grow a little impatient. He wiped his perspiringface and in so many words gave his two chums to understand that if thelaggards did not put in an appearance inside of ten minutes he meant tostart without them. 

"A fine lot of scouts Chatz and Landy are showing themselves to be, notkeeping their word, " the tall boy grumbled; "there, didn't you hear theclock strike ten? They were to be here not later than a quarter to thehour. "

"Oh! well, you know Chatz isn't in a hurry, " chuckled Toby. "Fellowsraised down in Dixie are used to taking their time. It's the warmclimate that does it, he told me. But speaking of angels and you heartheir wings, they say; for unless my eyes deceive me there comes Chatzright now. "

"Yeth, and thauntering along like he might be away ahead of the timethet for meeting here. Chatz ith what I call a cool cuthtomer. "

When the fourth lad joined the bunch, there was a lot of good-naturedbadinage indulged in all around, after the manner of boys in general. 

"Do you intend waiting any longer fo' Landy?" asked the newcomer. 

At that remark the other laughed uproariously. 

"It makes me think of the full 'bus, " said Lil Artha; "when it stops totake on another passenger they all look cross; and he squeezes into aseat wondering why people will act so piggish; but let it stop againfor another fare and he grumbles louder than anybody else. "

"Yeth, we've waited fifteen minutes for you, Chatz, " said Ted, "andit'd be only fair to give poor, fat Landy ten minutes more. "

Chatz immediately took out his little nickel watch and held it in hishand, just as though he might have been the judge at a sprinting match. 

Before five minutes had crept past, however, there was a cry raised. 

"Here comes poor old Landy, " said Toby, "mounted on his wheezy bicycle, and pegging for all he's worth. Look at him puffing away, will you?He just knows he's been keeping us waiting here ever so long, andthat's making him put on so much steam. Wow! he nearly took a headerthat time into the ditch. What a splash there would have been, mycountrymen, if he played leap-frog into that mud-puddle!"

The boys sat there on the rail fence and began to greet the comingbicycle rider with loud shouts. 

"Hit her up, Landy!"

"One good turn deserves another, you know. "

"A little more power to your left foot, or you'll be in that ditch yet, Landy!"

"Oh! Landy, does your mother know you're risking your precious oldneck on that beaut of a wheel?"

The fat scout did not cease his exertions until he had reached theplace where his four chums sat on the fence. Then they saw that whilehis round face was red, and the perspiration stood out in beads on hisforehead, there was a drawn, almost a scared look on his countenance. 

"Hey! what ails the fellow?" burst out Lil Artha, as though discoveringthat Landy was trembling more with some mysterious emotion than fatigue. 

"Yeth, hurry up and tell uth what's happened!" cried Ted Burgoyne, jumping off his perch, and hastening to the side of the panting boy. 

Landy seemed to swallow something that may have been threatening tochoke him. Then making a great effort, he managed to say a few words. 

"Terrible thing's happened, fellows! Knocks the reputation of the WolfPatrol all to smithereens!"

Of course, this excited those four scouts as nothing else could havedone. 

"Has anything happened to Elmer?" almost shouted Toby. 

"No, it's Hen Condit!" answered Landy; "he's gone and stole a lot ofmoney from his guardian, and lit out, that's what! And him belongingto the Wolf Patrol, too!"

CHAPTER II

WHEN HEN CONDIT LEFT TOWN

"Hey! say that over again, won't you, Landy! I sure believe my earsmust have fooled me!" exclaimed Lil Artha. 

"Hen Condit robbed his uncle and guardian, are you telling us, Landy?"gasped Toby; "aw! come off, now, you're just giving us taffy, thinkingit smart. "

"I tell you I just came from their house, " continued the perspiringscout, mopping his reeking forehead with a suspicious lookinghandkerchief that may once on a time have been really white. "You see, Mr. Condit didn't get up as early as he generally does, because he hada _terrible_ headache. And say, they even think he might have beengiven a dose of chloroform to make him sleep longer. "

"Hold on, fellows, " snapped Toby just then, "as luck will have it herecomes Elmer in his father's little runabout. He said he had to go overto Rockaway on an important errand for his dad this morning, which wasthe only reason he couldn't join us for a swim. Let's hold him up, andLandy can tell the whole story then. "

When they made urgent gestures to the boy in the swift-flying runabout, he hastened to pull up, laughing at the same time. 

"I hurried over and back on purpose to follow you fellows to the oleswimmin' hole, " he told them; "but I didn't expect to meet you on theway. Don't delay me; I'll jump on my wheel to chase after you. "

"But, Elmer, something awful has happened, and you ought to know aboutit, " declared Toby, at which the boy in the small car lookedsearchingly at each of the others in turn, and seeing how grave theyappeared, he demanded what it meant. 

"Why, you see, " explained Lil Artha, "Landy here was late in joiningus. He just came along on his machine, pegging it for all he wasworth, and looking like he had seen one of the ghosts some peoplebelieve in. He only started to tell us when you came in sight; butit's terrible. What d'ye think, he says our Wolf Patrol comrade, HenCondit, has run away from home, and robbed his guardian in the bargain!"

Elmer instantly jumped to the road. He faced Landy as a lawyer might awitness on the stand; and Elmer knew just how to "pump" a fellow so asto get the principal facts without much loss of time, as his chumsunderstood. 

"Go on and tell us about it, Landy, " he commanded. "How did you happento learn about the fact in the first place?"

"Why, you see, " answered the other, only too willing to explain to thebest of his ability, "ma, she sent me over on an errand to the Condithouse. I was madder'n hops about it, too, because I just knew I'd bekeepin' the fellows waiting here under the Grandaddy Oak. "

"What did you find when you got there?" asked Elmer, who knew Landy tobe long-winded, and that often the quickest way to learn facts from himwas to put him on the grill. 

"Why, they were all upset, " admitted Landy. "Mr. Condit was as mad asa bull in a china shop, and his wife was looking as white as chalk, yes, and scared, too. Seems that when he went into his library aftereating breakfast he found the safe open and everything gone. It was an'inside job' the Chief said, because nobody had busted the safe. "

"Then the Chief was there, was he?" questioned the patrol leader. 

"Sure he was; Mr. Condit had 'phoned to him. There were a dozenneighbors in the house, too, and more acomin' right along. Biggestkind of excitement. Oh! it's going to be town property before night, Iguess, and lots of people'll be pointing their fingers at every fellowwearing khaki, and saying they always knew scouts was no better thanthe law allowed. Oh! wouldn't I like to get hold of that Hen Condit, though. "

"What makes them believe it was Hen" continued Elmer. 

"Say, that's the queerest part of it all, " answered the fat boy; "thesilly gump gave the whole business away himself--went and left a notebehind him telling that he was the guilty villain, and that theyneedn't ever expect to see him again, because he had lit out forChicago. "

"Whew! you don't say!" gasped Lil Arthur, apparently half stunned bythis later intelligence; "I never would have thought Hen could be sucha fool as to convict himself like that. "

"When was he seen last?" demanded Elmer, still after information. 

"He went to bed last night, they said, just as usual; but shucks! itwould be the easiest thing agoing for Hen to climb down from his windowif he took a notion. I've known him to do the same dozens of timesjust for fun, rather than take the trouble to go around to the stairs. "

"Then Hen has disappeared, and no one has seen him this morning?"

"Never a soul. His aunt went to his room when he didn't show up, butnot finding him expected Hen had gone off to my house. And his uncleis whopping mad over it. He nearly took a fit when the expert Chiefsaid he reckoned someone had chloroformed him. He called Hen a viperthat he had fostered, and said if he could only ketch him he'd see thathe got his deserts. "

"Listen, Landy, did you see that note?" asked Elmer. 

"That's what I did, let me tell you, " came the prompt reply, "and itwas in Hen's well-known fist, too; I could tell that a mile off if Isaw it. Haven't I heard the writing teacher at school tell him he waswell named, because his paper looked like a hen had dabbled in the ink, and then strolled around every-which-way. "

"Then you can tell us about what it said, can't you?" continued thepatrol leader. 

Landy laid that ready forefinger of his alongside his nose, as thoughthat action would aid his memory. Then he closed one eye, anothersingular habit he had; after which he slowly went on to say:

"Course the exact words have slipped me, Elmer, but it ran somethinglike this. He said circumstances which he couldn't control had forcedhim to do this thing; that he was sorry, but it couldn't be helped. Hehoped his uncle would forgive him, and forget there was such a fellowin the wide world as Hen Condit. There was also some more that I can'tjust recollect; but it was to the effect that he believed he had moneycoming to him, so Mr. Condit could take it out of that and call itsquare. But just think what all this is going to do to the scouts, Elmer! Never since the troop was organized has it met up with such aterrible blow. "

All of them looked serious. They knew that a certain element inHickory Ridge would only too eagerly seize upon this incident to provewhat they had always claimed, which was that scouts, after all, were nobetter than other boys, and that when put to the test they could turnout bad as well as the rest. 

"Yes, the honor of the Wolf Patrol is hanging in the balance, Elmer, "said Lil Artha. "Are we going to just stand by and not lift a handbecause it was one of our chums who did this mean job? If it wasanyone else and they called on us to track him, wouldn't we respond toa man? Here's a supreme test before us that's going to prove how muchour honor means. "

"I say the same, Elmer, " urged Chatz, indignantly; "let's all get busyand see if we can run Hen Condit down like a fox we've got on the trailof. Let's fetch him back to face his uncle, and prove to all HickoryRidge that the boys of the Wolf Patrol can never stand for wrong doingin their ranks. Yes suh, it's surely up to us to show our colors. "

Elmer rubbed his forehead. He looked thoughtful, as though possibly hemight see a little further into this mysterious happening than any ofthe rest. 

"Listen, fellows, " he told them; "I've known for some little time thatHen was acting queerly. He failed to attend the last two meetings, andwhen I asked him about it he avoided my eye. I've been wondering whatit all meant, and intended to have a good heart-to-heart talk-fest withHen as soon as I got a chance. "

"Hold on, " said Toby. "I wonder now if that man I saw him with couldhave had anything to do with this ugly business. "

Elmer turned on him like a flash. 

"It may have more to do with it than you think, Toby, " he remarked;"when was it you saw them, and where?"

"Just yesterday morning, " replied the other, "and down at the bridgeover the creek. Hen nodded to me when I rode past on my wheel, but itstruck me even at the time he acted like he hoped to goodness Iwouldn't bother stopping to say anything. "

"And a man you didn't know was with him, you say?" questioned Elmer. 

"Well, I didn't just glimpse his face, for you see he turned his headaway as I passed, but I made up my mind he was a stranger in theseregions, so far as I could see. "

"That looks mighty suspicious, I should say, suh!" declared Chatz, positively. "That stranger is the nigger in the woodpile, according tomy mind, suh. "

"Mebbe poor weak Hen has been cowed and bulldozed into doing the wholething, " suggested Lil Artha, sagely. 

"Now, I wonder if that could weally be tho?" remarked Ted. 

"We ought to get busy and do something right away, Elmer, " observedToby Jones. 

"I'm glad to know that's the way you feel about it, " continued thepatrol leader. "This is a bad piece of business. It's up to the boysof the Wolf Patrol to find out the truth. I had laid out anotherscheme for our last outing of this vacation, but everything must giveway to tracking our comrade down, and learning the whole truth!"

"Bully for you, Elmer!" ejaculated Lil Artha, looking delighted. 

The others were almost as exuberant in their expressions of approval. Just a brief time before some of their number had been wondering whatcould be done to give them a short siege in the woods to wind up thevacation period; and here along comes this necessity calling to theother members of the "Wolf Patrol to awaken and defend the honor oftheir organization. 

"Here, jump aboard all of you but Landy, and he can come along on hiswheel, " ordered Elmer, making room after he had seated himself back ofthe steering wheel. 

"Are you meaning to go to Hen's house?" called out Landy, lookingworried because he was to be left behind, and would have to straddlehis wheezy old wheel once more. 

"Yes, if you care to toss your machine in those bushes, Landy, and canget aboard, come along!" called out Elmer, relenting when he caughtthat piteous expression on the other's rosy face. 

In another moment they were off, Landy having been hauled aboard. Therunabout had never been made to carry such a full cargo of passengers;but then boys can hang on like monkeys, and are ever ready to acceptchances. 

They were quickly at the Condit house. Like the home of Landy, itstood on the border of the town, with a back gate opening on a sideroad. Altogether, there may have been two acres in the place. 

By now fully two dozen curious people were in and around the house uponwhich such a sudden catastrophe had fallen. They talked amongthemselves, asked questions, examined the queer note signed by Hen, andshook their heads pityingly as they observed the white face of theboy's suffering aunt. 

Mr. Condit was a rather severe man. He looked very angry, and keptcalling the boy hard names as he told how Hen must have known thecombination of the safe; and doubtless doubled at least the amounttaken in hard cash, as it is human nature to make even troubles seemmany times as large as they are. 

Elmer and the others managed to see the convicting note. They were allof the same opinion as Landy; and agreed that no one but Hen could everhave written those fateful words. 

"I never would have believed he could ever be such a silly gump!" waswhat Lil Artha remarked, after surveying the crooked writing, which, ofcourse, he knew only too well. 

After they had hung around for some time, and Elmer had asked all thequestions he could think of, the boys went outside to talk it over. 

"Right now some of those people are looking at us in a sneering way, suh, " observed the touchy Southern boy, indignantly; "and I give you myword fo' it they're beginning to say among themselves that Hen Conditbelonged to the wonderful Wolf Patrol. Elmer, we've suttinly got to dosomething to clear the good name of our patrol. "

"We will, " replied the other, simply, and yet with that earnestnesswhich carries conviction in its train. "Already I've got a suspicion. There may be nothing to it but it's given me an idea where we ought tolook first of all. "

"Please tell us about it, Elmer?" begged Toby. 

"I just knew Elmer would get on the track in double-quick time, "asserted Landy, who always believed there was nothing impossible to thepatrol leader, once he set himself to a task. 

"It all came about from hearing a boy talking when I was down in themarket yesterday morning. You know who he is, Johnny Spreen, thefellow who always ships out a raft of dried ginseng roots every year, and in the Spring sends a bunch of muskrat skins to the city. "

"Sure we know Johnny, " assented Toby, quickly; "he comes to town with aload of hay once every two weeks. His folks live a long ways off, upbeyond the two lakes where we used to go camping. "

"That's right, Toby, " said Elmer, "and their farm borders that terriblybig Sassafras Swamp lying beyond Lake Solitude. Well, I happened tohear Johnny tell how he had taken a look through the swamp the otherday, just to find out how the muskrats were coming on, so as to get apointer on his winter business this year. He said he honestly believedthere must be some man hiding there, because in several places he hadcome on tracks. "

"But people sometimes go in Sassafras Swamp to hunt, don't they, Elmer?" objected Lil Artha. 

"Not in August, because there are no woodcock up there, you know, andnothing else can be shot at this time of year, " Elmer continued; "butJohnny had something else to say that interested me considerably. Itseems at one place he found ashes that told of a fire, and whilerooting around he picked up a piece of steel that he allowed me to see. It had evidently been _filed_; and boys, can you guess what it made methink it must have once been?"

Although all of them looked eagerly interested, they shook their headsin the negative, as though unable to hazard even a guess. 

"Go on, Elmer, and tell us, " urged Toby. 

"Yes, let down the bars and relieve our anxiety, please, Elmer, " addedLil Artha. 

"Unless I'm away off in my reckoning, " said the other, solemnly, "itwas part of a pair of steel handcuffs such as officers fasten to thewrists of prisoners when taking them to the penitentiary!"

CHAPTER III

A PROMISING CLUE

It was about four o'clock on the following afternoon when a wagon drawnby a pair of husky horses moved along the shore of Lake Solitude, manymiles away from the town of Hickory Ridge. 

This vehicle was filled with lively lads, all of them in the fadedkhaki uniforms that, as a rule, distinguish Boy Scouts the wide worldover. 

Counting them it would be seen that they numbered just seven, and thisincluded all of those whom we met on the road under the spreadingbranches of the big oak, and Mark Cummings in addition. Since theentire membership of the Wolf Patrol consisted of eight, it was plainthat the only one now lacking was the unfortunate Hen Condit. 

After making up their minds to exert themselves to the utmost in hopesof finding the runaway, and bringing him back home, Elmer and theothers had set to work preparing for the campaign. 

The patrol leader gave such advice as was required by some of theothers, telling them to go as light as possible, since they would haveto be moving around, and ordinary camp material could not be considered. 

If they were compelled to remain out in the open for one or morenights, there were plenty of ways whereby they could secure shelterwithout carrying along such a cumbersome thing as a tent. 

Each fellow had his rubber poncho strapped to his pack. Elmer and LilArtha carried a gun each, not that they expected to shoot any game, butto use as a threat should they be faced by a desperate escaped jailbird. Besides this the boys had seen to it that each one had some sortof food supply, in the shape of sandwiches, dried beef, and such thingsas could be most easily packed. 

As Lil Artha had gaily declared, they expected to be like "Sherman'sbummers, " and live off the country as they went along, though willingto pay ready cash for any and all eggs, fowls or bread secured fromfarmers' wives. 

Josh had arranged to "tote" a coffee pot along, together with a supplyof the ground bean; while Landy had a capacious frying-pan fastened tohis pack, which the others just knew would be frequently tripping himup, and making all sorts of noises when they wanted to steal silentlyalong. 

Just what they meant to fry in that pan no one fully knew; but theywere strong in "hopes, " and believed that things would turn up tosatisfy their hunger when the sensation became too acute. 

The team had been hired at the town livery stable, and they had been onthe road now since early in the morning, for it was a long way up toLake Solitude. 

As this region had been the scene of some of the earliest camps of theHickory Ridge scouts, of course, the conversation covered many memoriesconnected with those experiences. 

The horses had shown signs of playing out some miles back; but LilArtha proved himself to be an artful as well as clever driver. Hemanaged to coax them along, and there was little doubt now that theywould reach their intended destination inside of a short time. 

This was a farmer's place that lay adjacent to the swamp at the head ofthe solitary lake. Here they would arrange to leave their team whilesearching the dark recesses of the swamp. As all of them had hadconsiderable experience in such unsavory places they believed they knewfairly well how to go about the hunt. 

"Well, we ought to fetch that old farm mighty soon now, I should think, Elmer, " remarked the driver, as he flecked the back of the off-horse todisturb a big green fly that was trying to stab the sweat-coveredanimal in a tender spot. 

"From what I've been able to find out, and what I know in the bargainfrom my own experience up here, " the patrol leader explained, "the headof the lake lies just beyond that patch of willow trees, and we'll seethe farmhouse as soon as we make the next turn. Easy there, Art, youcame near dumping us then. "

"The pesky old road is so narrow it's hard to keep going straight, "complained the other, in disgust; for one wheel had, indeed, slippedover the edge, and their escape from a bad spill had been what LilArtha himself would have called a "close shave. "

"I reckon suh, Sassafras Swamp must lie over in that direction then?"remarked Chatz, pointing as he spoke. 

"Just what it does, " replied Elmer. 

"It looks particularly gloomy, I should say, " remarked Toby. 

"Swamps always do, you must know, " Elmer told him; "some of them arealways half dark even in the middle of the day. That's because of thejumble of vines that hang from tree to tree, and the canopy of branchesoverhead. Why, down South, as Chatz here can tell you, where Spanishmoss covers the trees, it's almost dark in some swamps. "

"But, Elmer, there's one thing I just don't understand, " suggestedLandy. 

"Out with it then; and if I can explain I'll be only too willing, " hewas told. 

"Supposing now for the sake of argument that stranger was a bad man whohad escaped from a sheriff somewhere, when being taken to thepenitentiary; and that he managed to get a strangle hold on our chum, Hen Condit, so that the other just had to do whatever he was told--getall that, do you? Well, if they skipped out of Hickory Ridge nightbefore last, how under the sun could they get away up here in a day orso?"

"Yes, it's something like thirty miles, I should say, Elmer, and ittakes that boy Johnny a day and a night to get to our place with hisload, all down-grade, too. You remember that Hen Condit never wasanything to brag of in the line of a long-distance walker. "

"He may have made up his mind that he had to do some tall sprinting, "said the other, "when he realized what a hornets' nest he'd stirred upback there. "

"Yeth, " remarked Ted Burgoyne who had been listening to all this talkwith certain ideas of his own, "and lots of times it ithn't tho veryhard to get a lift on the road. Wagons and autoth happen along, youknow, and the farmers around here are thoft things, you thee. "

"I was just going to say that same thing, Ted, " Elmer remarked, "whenyou took the very words out of my mouth. Yes, they may have had alift; or else Hen had to stretch himself to do the tallest walking ofhis career. All of which is based on the supposition that they didcome away up here, and are hiding right now somewhere about SassafrasSwamp. "

"You're figuring on what Johnny said, eh, Elmer?" asked Mark. 

"I'm figuring on a whole lot of things, " replied the other; "and amongthem is the fact that some unknown man has been using the swamp for ahiding-place of late. "

"P'raps we'll learn a heap more about it after we stwike the farm we'reheading for, " suggested Ted. 

"And there, if you look now you can see the house among those trees, with smoke coming out of the chimney at the kitchen end, " said Elmer, pointing ahead. 

Lil Artha deliberately took chances by removing one hand from thelines, and vigorously rubbing his stomach with it. 

"Oh! I know something of what bully suppers farmers' wives c'n serveup, " he hastened to say, throwing all the longing he could into looksand words; "and here's hoping we get an invite to stay over there tillmorning. If they are very pressing, Elmer, I entreat you not to hurryus off. Things can wait that long, and we don't expect to do much inthe night-time, you remember. "

The patrol leader made no rash promises. He simply smiled, and startedto talk of other subjects; so poor Lil Artha, who did feel so emptyafter such a little lunch by the wayside, was left in suspense. 

"What's this farmer's name?" asked Toby. 

"Trotter, " replied Elmer. "You know Johnny Spreen is really a boundboy, and he has to work for the farmer until he gets a certain age, when he is supposed to be given a sum of money, and be his own boss. That's the law. "

"Well, all I hope is that we pick up some decent clue around here, "said Lil Artha; "Yes, and a bully supper in the bargain, that'll fill ahorrible vacuum, and put us all in fighting condition. "

Their arrival created something of a sensation. Dogs began to bark, roosters to crow, cows to moo, and even a donkey started to bray in afearful fashion. Immediately Johnny Spreen, the boy who trappedmuskrats in the winter, came running out from the big barn where he wasprobably milking some of the cows, for he held a three-legged stool inone hand as though it might be a weapon of defense. 

The farmer, a long, lanky individual with a keen face, also bobbed insight, holding a currycomb; while at the kitchen door could be seen thebuxom figure of his wife, evidently bound to learn what was happeningeven if her dinner did burn in consequence. 

Three tow-headed, wild-eyed little Trotters, who had been playing atteeter with a plank laid over a carpenter's "horse" for a seesaw, ranged themselves all in a row, and gaped their fill at the strangespectacle of a wagonload of boys all dressed pretty much alike. 

"Are you Mr. Trotter?" asked Elmer, as he jumped down, and the othercame forward toward him. 

"That's my name, son; what fetches the hull lot of you up this way?Ameanin' to camp on the lake-shore, it might be? I've heard about thescouts daown at Hickory Ridge; Johnny yonder's been apinin' to jine 'emthis long time back, but, of course, it ain't to be thunk of, with himso far away. "

"Yes, we are the members of the Wolf Patrol, Mr. Trotter, " said Elmer, who wanted to make a good friend of the farmer in the start. "I'mElmer Chenowith; perhaps you know my father, or some of the otherfellows' parents. "

He thereupon introduced each one of the boys by name, and evenmentioned the fact that the father of this one or that occupied aprominent place in the business or professional world of Hickory Ridgetown. 

"We haven't exactly come up here to camp out this trip, Mr. Trotter, "continued the patrol leader, after bowing to the farmer's wife who hadfirst darted indoors to see that her supper was not burning, and thenhurried to join them. 

Elmer knew that the truth might just as well come out in the beginningas later. On this account he did not intend to hold anything back, butbe perfectly frank with the owner of the lake farm. 

"What might be your object then, son?" asked the tiller of the soil, possibly feeling a bit of natural curiosity in the matter. 

"Ask him first of all, won't you Elmer, " pleaded Lil Artha, as thoughhe feared lest this important matter be lost sight of in the confusionof affairs; "whether he c'n spare us some eggs, and a few broilers totake into the old swamp with us?"

"I guess ma c'n let you have what you want along them lines, " repliedMr. Trotter, "though seems like somebody's been amakin' free with herlayin' hens lately. They keep disappearin' right along. Sometimes Ithink it's a mink that's gettin' 'em, but they ain't any signs of secha critter around; 'cause you know a mink'll kill as many as a dozenfowls in one night, and jest suck their blood. "

Elmer exchanged suggestive looks with his mates. 

"From what you say, sir, " he remarked quickly, "your fowls are carriedoff bodily. Is that it?"

"They jest keep on gettin' less an' less right along, " the farmeradmitted. "Me and Johnny here was thinkin' o' settin' up with guns tosee if we could get a crack at the chicken thief, whether he was amink, a badger, or a two-legged raskil. "

"That's what we was meanin' to do, " agreed the said Johnny, glad tohave his name mentioned in the matter at all. 

"Well, we've got a hunch, Mr. Trotter, " said Lil Artha, bound to gethis say in the affair, "that we might put you wise about that samethief. "

"I'd shore be glad to hear it, " declared the farmer; "Johnny here hasbeen asayin' as heow he b'lieves thar's a feller ahidin' out in theswamp, 'cause he seen his tracks. I even reckoned on sendin' for aneighbor o' mine, Bay Stanhope, that's got some hounds used tofollerin' people, an' see if we could run him daown. "

"Well, Mr. Trotter, that is exactly what we scouts propose doing, " saidElmer. "And now if you'll listen to something I've got to tell, youcan understand what sort of interest we've got in this thing. "

So in as few words as possible he narrated the story of how Hen Condithad acted in such a queer way, robbing his uncle and guardian, andactually leaving a silly letter that fastened the crime on his ownshoulders. 

"He was seen by one of my chums talking with a strange man just the daybefore this happened, " continued. Elmer. "We believe that man was thesame unknown party who has been hiding in Sassafras Swamp for a timepast, and as you've just told us, living off your flock of fowls. Johnny here, down in the hay market, gave me something he picked up inthe swamp near some ashes. Here it is, Mr. Trotter, and all of usbelieve firmly it is part of a steel handcuff which was filed in half, showing that the man must be a desperate character escaped from jail. "

At that the farmer's wife uttered a little shriek, and began to lookfrightened. 

"Hennery, " she told her husband authoritatively, "you go git your gunright away. And Johnny, chain the bull-dog close to the kitchen door. After this I'm meanin' to make sure the bar's in place when I'm leftalone, and Moses kept inside the house along with me. "

Elmer guessed that the said Moses must be the bull-dog. He alsofigured that, as a rule, the animal was kept indoors nights, whichaccounted for his not having interfered with the carrying off of thefarmer's chickens. 

Mr. Trotter was plainly deeply interested by this time in the storyconnected with the coming of these seven scouts. 

"Sure I'll do all I kin to help you land the critters, boys, " heassured them. "But that swamp is some big, an' I guess as haow you'llhave all you want to do achasin' through the same. Supposin' naow youlet things rest till tomorry, and make an early start. Mebbe we mightbag the raskils this very night, if so be they try to make another haulon my feathered stock, aimin' to git a turkey this time. "

Of course, Elmer could see through a grindstone that had a hole in itscenter. He knew very well that the shrewd farmer wanted to make use ofthem in order to protect his property; but it served Elmer's purposejust as well to readily agree to the proposition. 

As for Lil Artha, his eyes were almost popping out of his head withsuspense; he was also licking his lips after the manner of a hungry dogwhen scenting a bone. 

"We'll stop over with you then, Mr. Trotter, " agreed the patrol leader;"and before morning try to figure out our plan of campaign looking torounding up the chicken thieves who are believed to be hiding inSassafras Swamp. "

CHAPTER IV

JOHNNY'S CHICKEN THIEF TRAP

"I'm only sorry for one thing, boys, " remarked Farmer Trotter's wife, who had apparently hailed the decision of the seven bold scouts toguard her fowl-roost with undeniable joy. 

"What might that be, ma'm?" asked Lil Artha, in a quivering voice; forthe poor fellow began to have a terrible fear that she was about towarn them her stock of provisions was too valuable to be wasted on abatch of tramps. 

"Of course, we'll be glad to have you to supper, and breakfast, too, for that matter, " she told them; "but I'm afraid I couldn't find bedsenough to go 'round, even if you all doubled up. "

At that the elongated scout gave a loud laugh; the clouds passed fromhis face like magic. If he could only be positive of his regularrations it mattered nothing to Lil Artha where he laid his head. 

"Oh! don't let that little thing bother you, Mrs. Trotter, " he hastenedto say, thereby making himself spokesman for the crowd; "why, we'reused to camping out, you see, and in our time we've slept in thequeerest beds you ever heard tell of. We can bunk in any old place, Igive you my word. "

"What's the matter with sleeping in the barn?" asked Toby, suddenly. 

"That's so, " added Landy, eagerly; "it's nearly full of nice sweet hay, cut only a month or so back. Me to hit the hay every time. "

In fact, the idea seemed to appeal to all of them. They had planned tomake their camp just as circumstances permitted, and this thing ofspending the first night in a hay barn was romantic enough to suit thefancy of any scout who loved adventure and the Big Outdoors. 

So it was quickly settled. 

The boys were shown the barn by the eager Johnny, who could hardlyfinish his numerous chores on account of the excitement surroundinghim. It was an event of prime importance, according to his mind, whenseven real scouts came and took the farmhouse of the Trotters by storm. 

That supper was one never to be forgotten by the fellows. 

Why, according to Lil Artha, and he ought to know as well as the nextone, the table fairly _groaned_ under the weight of good things whichthe farmer's wife kept placing upon it. 

"Talk about your festive board, " the tall scout afterwards remarked toseveral of his pards, "that table just talked, that's what it did, andin the sweetest tones you ever heard. Yum! yum, wouldn't I like toboard with the lady of the Trotter Farm for just one long week. I'dpick up flesh at the rate of five pounds per day. The only troublewould be about getting into my clothes in the end. "

Johnny had shown them where they were to sleep, so that each fellowcould fix himself to his best advantage. This was done ahead of time, for all of them knew how difficult it was to manage such things by theaid of a wretched stable lantern. 

Elmer saw that Johnny was fairly itching to tell him something, and sohe managed to get the bound boy aside just as darkness was creepingalong. 

"What have you got up your sleeve, Johnny?" he demanded, at which theother had a laughing spell, and confessed. 

"Why, you see, I got a trap all rigged out!" he started to explain. 

"A trap for the chicken thieves, do you mean?" asked the patrol leader. 

"That's the ticket, Elmer. Yuh see, I reckoned that by now they'd begettin' real tired o' jest plain hen, and might feel like climbin'higher. We gut some whoopin' nice young turks that like tuh roost in acertain tree. Easiest thing in the world tuh grab a couple in thenight, and kerry 'em off. So I fixed it. "

"Suppose you let me take a look at the trap you made, Johnny?"suggested Elmer, naturally interested. 

"Jest what I was agoin' tuh ask yuh tuh do, Elmer. And I guess now itwouldn't be a bad ijee fur the rest tuh kim along, too. If so bethere's a kerflummix in the middle o' the night, they ought tuh knowwhat she means. "

Now, Elmer himself could not exactly find a definition for that word, but he had a faint idea Johnny meant a big noise or a row. At any ratehe was glad of the chance to invite the other six scouts to accompanythem. 

Elmer lighted a lantern, and after the boys had gathered around he ledthem away from the big barn. 

Presently, at some little distance, he came to a halt. 

"This here's the tree the turks hes picked out tuh roost in. Some o''em likes tuh fly 'way up, but others prefers the bottom limbs. If afeller's keerful he kin climb up and wring the necks o' as many as hewants. Young turks they don't know nigh as much as old uns, yuh see. Now I'll show yuh how I sets my trap. "

First of all they noticed that there was what appeared to be a drygoodsbox exactly under the tree. 

"Seems to me you're making it mighty easy for the chicken thieves whenthey drop around, with that box right under the lower row of turkeys?"suggested Toby, upon discovering this fact. 

Johnny Spreen gurgled over with laughter. 

"Say, d'ye reckon so?" he exclaimed; "well, by hokey! now, that's partof the game, sure it be. "

"Oh! then you really want them to climb up on that big box when tryingto grab one of the young turkeys?" asked Lil Artha. 

"Jes' so, " chuckled the bound boy. 

"Is she loaded, then?" continued Lil Artha, as all of them gravelyexamined the innocent-looking box. 

"I'll show yuh how she works, " Johnny said, proudly. "Mebbe my ijeeain't good for nawthin', but she's the best I could think up. Course, the thieves they hain't fotchin' no lantern along, 'cause they'd beafeared we'd see a movin' light. Then ag'in I don't b'lieve sichslinkers ever does own a lantern. "

"That's right, Johnny, " remarked Toby, impatiently, "let's take it forgranted then they come in the dark. What will they do next?"

"Huh! what'd any feller do when he sees sech a nice box awaitin' forhim to git up on, so's to grab the nigh turk?" demanded Johnny. "Now, if yuh watch me yuh'll git the ijee in a jiffy. "

A stout rope seemed to be hanging from the limb overhead. It had arunning noose at the end, which the bound boy was now adjusting on thetop of the drygoods box. 

Elmer chuckled as he began to grasp the scheme; it seemed pretty smartto him, and he was ready to give the bound boy credit for a bright idea. 

"Now, " continued Johnny, "jest tuh show yuh how she works I'm agoin'tuh make a wat yuh calls it, a martin o' myself. Hold the lantern, Elmer, and gimme room. "

He climbed up on the big box. The turkeys were craning their necks andobserving him with evident wonder, though they were undoubtedly onfriendly terms with Johnny who had fed and driven them since hatchingtime, and knew his raspy voice. 

"Yuh see, in the dark he don't notice the loop any, " continued theinventor of the trap, "and when he gits real busy with the turks whythere's a good chanct o' his foot gittin' caught in the loop. She on'yneeds a leetle jerk this-aways!"

He gave the required pull, and instantly a most surprising event cameto pass. That jerk at the rope must have set a hair-trigger going, forthere followed a sudden rattling noise, the loop was instantlytightened around his ankle, and in a trice Johnny was hanging headdown, as helpless as a snared rabbit. 

The scouts clapped their hands in glee. 

"Great scheme, Johnny!"

"It sure does you credit!"

"My! what a cwack when your feet hit the limb!"

So the scouts kept giving their views, while Johnny swung there, vainlytrying to reach up and catch hold of the limb, with the turkeystwittering, and showing more or less alarm. 

"Elmer, git me daown outen this, please!" begged the prisoner. 

"But how can we do it, Johnny, when we don't know the combination ofthe racket?" demanded Lil Artha. 

"Foller the rope, and shove the hogshead up the rise agin!" explainedthe suspended boy, who was probably already beginning to feel thediscomforts of "standing on his head. "

Several of them rushed off, and sure enough they found the secret ofthe springing of the trap. Johnny's clever scheme was simple enoughwhen once its secret had been disclosed. 

He had an old hogshead perched on the top of a steep little rise nearby. It was connected with the long rope that had a noose at the end. When anyone pulled the rope, as with a foot caught in the loop, atrigger was set free, and the heavy hogshead started to roll down thelittle descent, jerking the entangled thief up by one or both ankles, as happened to be the case. 

Of course, by rolling the hogshead back to its initial position Johnnywas enabled to right himself, and get his foot free from the noose. 

He started rubbing his shin as though it felt sore after such a roughexperience, but they could hear him laughing softly to himself all thewhile. 

"I jest reckoned the old thing'd work to beat the band, " he told them;"an' now I knows it. Wait till I set the trap agin, fellers, an' thenwe'll go back tuh the barn. What d'ye spect's agoin' tuh happen ifthem chicken thieves kim around tuhnight, Elmer, hey?"

"Well, somebody's liable to meet up with the surprise of their lives, that's all, " the scout patrol leader admitted. 

The boys were pretty tired, and did not care to remain up too long. Perhaps Mrs. Trotter might have liked to have these lively fellows into sing for her, and enliven her monotonous life a little; butconsidering that they half expected to be hard pushed on the morrow, Elmer advised that they try to get all the sleep possible while theyhad the chance. 

The horses had been well cared for, and arrangements made with thefarmer to keep them in his stable until the scouts were ready to returnto Hickory Ridge. 

"This is what I call a soft snap, " ventured Toby, who had burrowed intothe hay as far as he thought necessary, and lay there at full length. 

"The farmer was mighty careful to ask whether any of us smoked, younoticed, " remarked Lil Artha. 

"Can you blame him?" demanded Landy. "He must have twenty tons of finenew hay in this big barn, and that's worth all of four hundred dollars. "

"Jutht as like ath not, too, he didn't put a cent of inthurance on thebarn, " Ted remarked; "farmers are careleth that way, you know. "

"And so are boys who make out to be men because they smoke on the sly, "Elmer went on to say. "More than one barn has been set on fire bysmokers using matches in the hay. Tramps are responsible for a heap ofthis waste; and I don't blame any farmer for asking such a question. I'm glad we could tell him none of us had taken to the habit as yet. "

"Or if they had they'd reformed!" chuckled Lil Artha, meaning himself. 

"One thing sure, " observed Mark, "if we hear that barrel crashing downthe hill with all those stones inside it, we ought to be pretty sprygetting out there, because a poor wretch might get dizzy hanging withhis head down. "

"What if nobody happened to hear the alarm, " suggested Landy, who had atender heart even when chicken thieves were concerned. 

"I take it suh, that would be a bad thing fo' the coon that set thetrap off, " Chatz announced, gravely. 

"Oh! Johnny has prepared for even that, " said Elmer. "He showed mehow he had fixed another cord that runs all the way to his room in thehouse. When the barrel starts to rolling that cord will be snapped, causing a weight to fall on the floor close to his bed, and bound towaken anybody but the dead. "

"Say, that Johnny's a sure-enough wonder!" declared Toby; "he's got theinventive genius developed to beat the band. I'd like to see more ofJohnny Spreen. Who knows but that we might hitch together and make ateam. I've done a few little wrinkles along the line of inventionmyself, you remember. Jones and Spreen wouldn't sound bad. "

Of course, that brought about a stirring up of old history, for manyand humorous had been Toby's attempt to construct a flying machine, andalso a parachute that would save the lives of daring aeronauts whentheir engines gave out a mile or two up in the air. 

Finally, the boys began to talk less, and it could be easily seen thatthey were getting sleepy. Elmer really encouraged them to quit theirefforts to keep awake. He himself felt that sleep would be welcomejust then; and when that humor seizes a fellow he dislikes being keptawake against his will by the chattering of a comrade who does not knowwhat a bed is meant for. 

Then the last word was mumbled, and stentorian breathing here and therein those hay nests announced that the tired scouts had surrendered tothe sleep god. Elmer was, perhaps, the last to drop off, for he hadbeen thinking of a lot of things, running from the chicken-thief trapto the strange conduct of Hen Condit in robbing his guardian, and thenleaving that ridiculous note to condemn himself. 

Once Elmer chanced to awaken, and more from the habit of the cattlerange than anything else, he raised his head to listen. The onlysounds he heard consisted of the champing of the horses, still busywith their sweet hay, or it might be the distant cry of awhip-poor-will calling to its mate in the apple orchard. 

So Elmer dropped back with a satisfied feeling such as comes onrealizing that all is well. Perhaps the thieves would not make a visitto the farm adjoining the big Sassafras Swamp, on that particularnight, at least. Perhaps morning would come at last, and find the trapundisturbed. 

Elmer was letting these things pass through his brain in a hazy sort ofway peculiar to one who is just yielding to sleep. He had almostreached the point when things would have slipped entirely from his gripwhen suddenly and without the least warning there started a tremendousracket such as he had noticed came to pass when that hogshead startedrolling down the grade, and the stones with which it was loaded beganto rattle about inside. 

Almost at the same instant there rang out a shrill scream of agony thatcould only have come from the throat of someone in mortal distress. 

As if by magic every scout sat bolt upright, as though they had beenshot into that position by the action of a gigantic galvanic battery. 

"Oh! what happened?" Landy was heard to call out in trembling tones. 

"It's Johnny's trap!" whooped Lil Artha, all excitement. 

CHAPTER V

THE KNIFE WITH THE BUCKHORN HANDLE

"Everybody get out in a hurry!" called Elmer, suiting the action to theword himself by scrambling erect and making for the open door of thebig barn. 

It was far from light in there; but as they could easily see theopening all they had to do was to make for it. Elmer had been carefulto make sure that there were no pitchforks lying around loose, to berun upon by accident. 

Hardly had the scouts managed to stream from the interior of the barnthan they became aware of the fact that someone was running headlongtoward them. Toby threw himself into an attitude of defense, raisingthe piece of wood he had grasped for a club; but Elmer realized thatthe runner was approaching from the direction of the farmhouse andtherefore must be a friend rather than a foe. 

"Steady, boys, it must be Johnny!" he told his comrades as theyclustered there. 

Johnny it proved to be. The bound boy must have lain down on his cotfully dressed and equipped, for he had on even his cowhide boots, andwas minus only a hat. Of course, the boy was fairly brimming over withintense excitement. 

"Didn't yuh hear him yell?" he was crying. "We've kotched the chickenthief fur sure, fellers. Whoop la! kim on, everybody, and nab himafore all the blood runs tuh his head!"

Lil Artha and Elmer, of course, had snatched up their guns, althoughthey hardly believed they would find any use for the weapons. All ofthem started on the run toward the spot where the turkeys roosted inthe favorite tree. 

The sky was clouded over, and while it was not actually dark the boyshad some little difficulty in seeing as well as they might have liked. Now and then one of the sprinters would stumble over some impediment, and perhaps measure his length on the ground, only to scramble erectagain and tear after the rest. 

It was usually clumsy Landy who met with these mishaps; but even suchthings did not seem to subdue his ambition to keep after the crowd. 

Elmer was listening as he ran. He wondered why they did not alreadyhear the groans or whines of the wretched thief who had been hung up bythe heels without receiving a second's warning. 

Remembering how Johnny had been whisked aloft, Elmer felt sure no onecould be blamed for letting out that shriek when the catastrophe cameabout. Nor would he have thought it queer if the suspended rascal keptup his groans as he writhed and twisted in a vain effort to reach up tothe limb; which only a circus contortionist would have been able to do. 

He imagined he heard some sort of sound ahead of them. But even atthat Elmer could not be certain. It might be the night breeze sighingthrough the upper branches of the tall tree, or the alarmed turkeysholding a confab among themselves, for all he could tell. 

But they were rapidly bearing down upon the spot now, and in anotherhalf minute ought to be where they could see the swaying figure of thecaught thief. 

"I don't seem to get him, Johnny!" ventured Lil Artha, in adisappointed tone. 

"Huh! somethin' gone wrong I guess!" grunted the inventor; and if thetall scout could feel chagrin, fancy what a shock it must have been toJohnny when he realized that there was no dangling figure to greet him, despite that wild yell so full of mortal agony. 

Perhaps already wise Elmer had begun to hazard a shrewd guess as to thewhy and wherefore of this vacancy. He was a great hand to see throughthings long before the answer became apparent to his chums. If thiswere so, at least he did not venture to say anything to them about it. 

By now all of them, save slow-poke Landy, had arrived at the tree. They could hear the alarmed turkeys making some twittering soundsabove, but if any of them had flown off the rest remained on theirroosts. 

Johnny had been smart enough to fetch his lantern along. This he nowproceeded to light, and as soon as the wick took fire he began toexamine the trap. 

"Dog-gone the luck, she went and broke on me!" he wailed, as though hisboyish heart were almost broken by the catastrophe. 

"That's what comes of not testing things before-hand!" said Toby, withthe air of a wise-acre who knew it all; and yet Toby was himself a mostnotorious offender along those very same lines, as his chums could haveinformed the bound boy had they chosen to give a fellow-scout away. 

"Gee whiz! he did test it, Toby, " said Lil Artha, indignantly; "didn'twe all of us see him ahangin' head-down. There's some sort of amystery about it, that's what. "

"Not much, " said Elmer, who, while the others were talking, had beenexamining the end of the rope that lay on the ground near by; "it'sbeen cut, that's all. "

"Cut with a knife d'ye mean, Elmer?" cried Johnny, aghast. 

"Just what it has, " continued the patrol leader firmly; "you can seethat with one eye, for the edges are smooth, and not ragged as theywould be if the rope had broken a strand at a time. "

Every fellow had to push up and examine it to make sure, and there wasno dissenting voice after that. They knew Elmer was right, as he verynearly always appeared to be in matters like this. 

"But say, however could he have twisted up to get at the rope while hewas hanging here by one leg, I'd like to know?" demanded Landy. 

"Mebbe the second thief helped him git loose, " suggested the bound boy. 

"Just what happened as sure as anything, " assented Elmer. "They weretoo smart for you that time, Johnny. Instead of running away when thealarm went off, this second fellow whipped out his blade, and findingthe rope where it ran from the tree, he cut it. "

"Then the other dropped down, and got his legs loose, " added Toby. "See, here's the loop lying on the ground. "

Sure enough, it was just as he said. The loop was there in plainsight, just as it had apparently been hurled aside by the trapped thiefafter he had a chance to use his hands. 

Johnny was the most bitterly disappointed fellow Elmer had come acrossin a long time. He kept muttering to himself as he examined thefragment of rope. Lil Artha said he was "chewing the rag, " whateverthat might mean; but, at any rate, Johnny did not seem to be in a veryhappy frame of mind, so the operation could hardly have been of apleasant nature. 

"Now, I understand that second little rumble I heard, " said Elmer. "Itwas just as Johnny reached us in front of the barn, and sounded likethe barrel had started on again. That happened when the rope was cut, allowing the weighted hogshead to keep on a little further to thebottom of the drop. "

"Let's see if you hit the nail on the head with that guess, " suggestedToby, who liked to be convinced by his own eyesight when anything cameto pass. 

So, led by the inventor of the trap, they hurried to where the hogsheadhad been perched on the brink of the steep little descent. It could beseen at the bottom; and this confirmed the theory Elmer had advanced. 

"And we didn't get a glimpse of the thieves after all, " lamented Landy;"now I was hoping I'd see a fellow dangling there when we came up. Notthat I'd like him to suffer too much, you know; but for Johnny's sake Iwanted him to be nabbed. "

"Yes, it's all off now, " admitted Lil Artha. 

"Of course, after that row they wouldn't be silly enough to come againfor another try?" suggested Toby. 

"Huh! that ole trap ain't no good after that mess, " grunted Johnny, disdainfully. "I reckons as how I'll hev tuh think up sum other kind. But they ain't agoin' tuh git any o' them turks if I have to sot up allnight, and borry a gun frum you fellers in the bargain. "

"What's the matter with tying Moses the bulldog to the tree here?"remarked Elmer; "he's barking now at the kennel near the house. I'dcertainly make use of the old dog if I were you, Johnny. "

"Jest what I will do, Elmer. Moses ain't a great hand tuh bark, yuhsee; bulls do the business with their teeth 'stead o' with their noise. But he kin give tongue when he wants tuh. I'll fix him here fur therest o' the night. "

"How does it come the farmer hasn't shown up?" asked Mark, who thoughtit a bit queer Mr. Trotter displayed so little interest in the safekeeping of his young turkeys. 

"Oh! him, " chuckled Johnny; "nobody never ain't agoin' tuh get himwaked up once he hits the hay. Talk tuh me baout sleepin', he kin beatanything yuh ever met. I bet yuh the missus is up and waitin' tuh knowif we grabbed one. "

"Do you think they got a turkey after all?" asked Landy, as he pickedup several feathers from the ground near the tree. 

"What do you say about that, Johnny?" Elmer inquired. 

"Well, it daon't stand tuh reason he did, " replied the other, gravely;"even if he had holt o' one at the time, he never'd a held on tuh hitarter that rope had slung him head down'ards. Guess I ort tuh know. If any o' yuh wants tuh feel what it's like, I'll rig the trap up aginin the mawnin' for yuh. Hold a turkey nawthin'. He couldn't even holdhis breath, but had tuh give a yell like he was killed. "

Indeed, they were all of pretty much the same opinion. No matter howbrave a fellow the trespasser might be, when he met with such a suddenand unexpected upheaval as that running noose brought about, his witswere bound to desert him for the time being at least. 

It may have been noticed also that no one, even bold Lil Artha, themost venturesome of them all, volunteered to make the additional testwhen morning came. They seemed perfectly satisfied to accept the willfor the deed. They had witnessed the speedy working of Johnny's trap, and evidently had no itching to try what it felt like to hang headdownward from the limb of a tree, with a leg almost dislocated by asudden jerking, powerful lever. 

"Well, 'tain't no use acryin' over spilt milk, they sez, " remarkedJohnny, who, after all, seemed to be of a philosophical turn of mind;"the thing's done, an' that's all they is tuh hit. Might as well gitMose and fix him here tuh the tree. Them turks has jes' gut tuh besaved, no matter how much trouble it takes. "

"Elmer, what are you thinking about?" asked Mark just then; for beingused to the ways of his best chum he could see that the patrol leaderwas pondering something in his mind. 

"If you want to know it was about that yell, " Elmer admitted. 

"A pretty husky whoop in the bargain, let me say, " observed Lil Artha;"I used to think I could beat all creation letting out a yell, but thatwent one better, you hear me talking. "

"Yes, " added Toby, "it sounded as if the top of the world had blownoff, the fellow made such a howl. Anyway, that's how it seemed to mewhen I was waked up so suddenly. "

"Have we ever heard a whoop like that before?" asked Elmer. 

"Now you're thinking of Hen Condit, of course, Elmer, " came from Toby. 

"Well, Hen's got a good strong pair of lungs, let me tell you, "admitted Landy. "I remember the time that cow tossed him when he was asmall boy, and say, he made everybody inside of half a mile runoutdoors to see what was the matter. They found Hen straddlin' a limbof a tree, and whooping it up for all he was worth. It might have beenhim, Elmer, no telling. "

"And just as well any other person badly scared, " Mark observed. "Ithink I'd be able to do some fine work along those lines under the sameconditions. "

"Then it seems that we'll never be able to identify Hen by that shout, "laughed Elmer; "but there's a way we can find something out, as allscouts ought to know. "

That remark immediately put them all on their mettle. 

"Sure thing, Elmer, " agreed Lil Artha, "for, of course, you mean if wecould find a trail around here we might pick out the differentfootprints; and one of us ought to know something about the kind ofshoes Hen wears. "

"That's me, " admitted Landy, "because I happened to be going with Henmore or less lately. Show me the footprints and I'll tell you soonenough if it's him. "

Of course, nothing could be done without the lantern, so they keptclose to Johnny, who carried the same. From time to time he was giveninstruction how to hold the light so they might examine certain spots. 

"Hello! Elmer's found something!" suddenly exclaimed keen-eyed LilArtha, when he saw the scout leader stoop over almost under the tree, and alongside the large drygoods box. 

"That so, Elmer; what was it?" several asked him in a breath. 

"Gather around me, " the other commanded, "and let's see if you canrecognize what I picked up. "

"Huh! bet you it fell from his pocket when he was dragged upside-down, "was the way Lil Artha put it; quick to guess the truth, though he hadnot himself thought of this possibility before. 

"Correct for you, Lil Artha, for that's what happened, " Elmeracknowledged. 

"Is it a knife, Elmer?" continued the tall scout. 

"Once more you hit it, " said the other; "and Landy, since you sayyou've been going more or less with Hen lately, perhaps you'd be apt toknow his knife if you happened to set eyes on it?"

"To be sure I would, Elmer. "

"You've handled it then, have you?"

"Lots of times, because you see I lost my own frog-sticker some weeksback, and I ain't had a birthday since to get a new one, " Landyconfessed. 

"That sounds good to me, " Elmer told him; "so now take a look at this, and tell us what you think. "

With that he brought his hand around, having been keeping it behind hisback all this time. When he opened it there was disclosed a common, every-day jack-knife with a buckhorn handle, such as might be expectedto be found in the pocket of almost any lad, and capable, when given akeen edge, of performing miracles in the way of shaving sticks andcutting up apples. 

So Landy gravely, though eagerly, took up the knife. He opened the bigblade and seemed interested in a certain nick he found there. 

"Elmer, that settles it, " he said, finally; "it's Hen's knife, I'mpositive; and it must have been him that was hanging from this tree abit ago!"

CHAPTER VI

BOUND FOR SASSAFRAS SWAMP

When Landy Smith settled the matter in this convincing fashion, therest of the scouts showed more or less interest in the outcome. 

"That proves one thing, " asserted Toby; "Hen Condit is up here, allright. "

"It proves a whole lot of things, according to my opinion, " added LilArtha as he nodded his head in a way he had of emphasizing his remarks;"it tells us Hen is in bad company, for the second fellow must be theman he was seen with the other day in Hickory Ridge town. "

"According to my notion, fellows, " said Mark, seriously, "the hand ofthat same unknown man stands back of all poor Hen's troubles. Untilthat party was seen in this part of the country, Hen didn't seem tohave a single worry. He was always as light-hearted a chap as youcould find in a week of Sundays. "

"What under the sun can it mean?" queried Landy, looking distressed;because, truth to tell, he and the missing scout had been getting quitefond of one another lately, and the shock had told upon Landy much morethan any other boy belonging to the Wolf Patrol. 

"I tell you what I think, " ventured Ted Burgoyne just then; "that manmutht have hypnotized Hen. I don't thee how elth he could make him dowhatever he wants. Yeth, I even believe he forced Hen to wite thatletter. Needn't laugh, Lil Artha, I've been reading it all up lately, and there are thome queer happeningth along the line of hypnothism. "

"Elmer, how about that; do you believe in it?" asked Lil Artha, who wasknown to be pretty much of a scoffer in his way. 

"I decline to commit myself--just yet at any rate, " laughed the patrolleader. "I confess that queer things do happen, and a fellow whoalways refuses to believe because he doesn't understand is silly. Butwe do know this unknown man has some kind of influence over our chum;what it is we're going to find out before we're many days older. "

"I like to hear you say that, Elmer, " cried Landy, "because I just seemto believe the thing's more'n half done when you put _your_ hand to theplough. I can't help but think how poor Hen must be feeling right now, after getting himself in such a fix. "

"How about those tracks we started out to find?" asked Toby just then. 

"We'll give another look before closing shop, " replied the patrolleader. "Just fetch the lantern over, Johnny; they'd be apt to headaway from the barn. "

It was really in the direction of the near-by swamp that they nowcommenced to look. The wisdom of Elmer's figuring was soon mademanifest, for they quickly ran across what they were looking for. 

"Here you are, " said Elmer, "and now get busy, Landy. "

"Yes, drop down on your marrow-bones and see what you make of thefootprints, " Lil Artha told the fat scout. 

Now Landy had had fair training in certain kinds of work associatedwith scout-craft. He had even taken numerous lessons in following atrail, though giving poor promise of ever being a shining light in thatrespect. 

"Please hold the lantern closer, Johnny, " he said, as he thrust hisnose down near the ground; "yes, here's a footprint as clear asanybody'd want to see; and I sure ought to know the person who made thesame. "

"Tell us why, Landy?" asked Elmer, with a pleased smile. 

"That's an easy thing to do, Elmer. You see that diagonal mark acrossthe toe of this impression--well, that's caused by a patch on the leftshoe. All right, Hen Condit had just such a patch put on his shoe aweek ago last Saturday. "

"You know that for a fact, do you, Landy?" questioned the patrolleader, who did not want any guessing about this business. 

"Why, I sat there all the time the cobbler was working at the same, having accompanied Hen to the shoemaker's shop, " continued Landy. "What's more I joshed him about the fine and dandy track he made everytime he stepped in some half-hard mud that day after he left the shop. Oh! I'm as sure of this footprint as I am that my name's Landy Smith. "

"Well, then, we've had double evidence, " spoke up Ted Burgoyne; "and Igueth that ought to thettle the matter. Ith our Hen that was draggedup by the heelth. Elmer, will it pay uth to try and follow the trail?"

"Hardly just now, at any rate, Ted, " the other told him. "We might aimto do something of the kind in the morning. But even here it looks asif they headed for the swamp. That's a point to remember, boys. "

Perhaps several of the scouts were just as well satisfied. The idea ofstarting out on a trail that might soon take them into a dismal swamp, and at midnight in the bargain, with a cloudy sky overhead, did notappeal very strongly to Landy, Toby and Chatz. 

Accordingly, they turned back, heading for the friendly barn, attracted, doubtless, by fond memories of those comfortable beds in thesweet hay. 

"How about the bulldog, Johnny?" asked Elmer, as they reached the barnentrance. 

"I'm meanin' tuh git Mose up yonder, and tie him tuh the tree, " repliedthe boy. "Them turks hes gut tuh be looked arter, if I hes tuh stay upall night tuh do the trick. An' lemme tell yuh, Elmer, I kin make upanother trap jest as cunnin' as any ole fox. I'll git 'em yit if so bethey keep hangin' 'raound these parts. "

"I believe you would, Johnny, " assented the other, who realized thatthe bound boy was displaying several good traits that would carry himalong through the world once his time of bondage with the farmer was up. 

There being no reason why they should keep away from their sleepingquarters any longer, the seven scouts entered the barn. 

"Wow! but it's plumb dark in here, though!" protested Lil Artha, afterhe had knocked his shins twice against some projection, and evenslammed into a post that chanced to be directly in his way. 

"We'd better stand still for a little while, so as to let our eyes getused to the gloom, " suggested Elmer; "it's always that way when youstep into one of the moving-picture places, you remember; but a fewminutes later you can see all around you. Better waste a little timethan a lot of cuticle. "

"Just so, " grunted Lil Artha; "already half an inch of skin has beenbarked off my shin, and my nose is swelling where I banged the sameagainst that awful post. "

"Well, " remarked Toby, whose ankles had not been bruised and whoconsequently could even think to joke about the matter, "it's probablythe first time then Lil Artha was ever left at the post. But I can seea heap better already. "

All of them found that their eyesight soon became accustomed to thegloom; and that it was not so very bad after all. They had justmanaged to reach the place where their traps were left, and startedburrowing in the hay again, when Elmer called their attention tocertain suggestive sounds outside. 

"That must be Johnny and the bull pup going past on the way to theturkey roost, " ventured Mark, as they plainly caught a whine, and thena low growl that was vicious enough to make one's blood turn cold. 

"If those fellows should be reckless enough to come back to make asecond try for young turkey, " Landy was saying, as though he could notkeep his mind from grappling with Hen Condit and his troubles, "they'llbe some surprised when that ferocious old Mose grabs them by the legs, and holds on like everything. "

"For one, now, " admitted Toby, "I'd want to be excused from any sessionwith the big white teeth of Mose that stick out from his lower jaw. But if you asked me my opinion I'd say one scare a night was as much asany ordinary chicken thief could put up with. "

"Nothing doing, " muttered Lil Artha, showing that he, too, was of thesame mind as the companion scout. 

At least it was very evident none of the boys expected being disturbedagain in their slumbers, for they went about settling down as thoughthey meant to enjoy a good long session. 

"Don't wake me too early, mother dear, " Toby was heard to say, half tohimself, "for to-morrow won't be the first of May, and I'm not to bethe queen of the occasion either. So please let me have my snooze out, everybody. "

Nothing did occur to disturb their slumbers which doubtless wereadditionally sweet after that one break. 

Elmer had them all up when he considered that it was right and proper. True, the sun was only peeping above the horizon, and the birds stilltwittered amidst the shrubbery near by; but Elmer knew what great handsfarm people are about getting up betimes, and he did not wish to keepMrs. Trotter's breakfast waiting for any sleepy-heads. 

The grumbling ceased as if by magic the moment he mentioned that word"breakfast, " and Lil Artha immediately announced himself as beingwide-awake. 

"H'm! seems like I could even smell the batter cakes frying right now, fellows, " he told them, with a smack of his lips. "Notice that I scornto give them the well-known name of flapjacks on this festive occasion, because we're going to eat at a regular table, under a hospitable roof;and it's only when in camp that wheat cakes are called flapjacks. "

"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet, " chortled Toby. 

"Yes, but if you kept calling it an onion you'd soon think it didn't, "affirmed Lil Artha; "but say, do you reckon that bell was meant for us?Oh! where's my other shoe; they pinched me, so I took 'em off in themiddle of the night, and the left one has gone and hid in the hay. "

"Mebbe the rats got away with it, Lil Artha, " suggested Landy, wickedly; "I'm certain I heard 'em squeakin' all around here; and theylike shoe for breakfast. "

It turned out, however, that there was no damage done; the missingfoot-wear was soon discovered under a wisp of hay, and quickly the tallscout crept out in the wake of his six comrades. 

A second time the bell was heard, and at that they all started on a runfor the rear of the house, where several tin basins, and some soap, aswell as clean towels announced that the farmer's good wife had gottenthings ready for them. 

Lil Artha had guessed right; perhaps his keen scent had discovered theodor of pancakes in the air, for they were in plain sight, severalpyramids of the golden beauties, with a pitcher of real maple syrup, and plenty of fresh butter to go with the same. 

Mrs. Trotter may only have had three little girls of her own, but shecertainly had been brought up in a family where there were boys, because she knew so well what their weaknesses were. 

What with three fried eggs apiece, guaranteed strictly home-grown andfresh; a great rasher of sweet ham, also a product of the farm; coffee, with genuine cream in the same, a dish of oatmeal, and then thosesteaming stacks of cakes, it was a wonder some of those scouts were notcompletely foundered. 

Elmer had more or less difficulty in coaxing Lil Artha away from thetable. The elongated scout could hardly breathe, he was so full; buthe heaved many a sigh as he noticed that a fresh plateful of thoseunexcelled pancakes had just been put on, with no one left to do themjustice. 

Shaking his head sadly, Lil Artha finally managed to get on his feetand leave the dining-room. His last look back spoke volumes; it saidas plainly as anything those wonderfully expressive words: "though lostto sight, to memory dear;" and probably never again in the course ofhuman events would Lil Artha equal the astounding record he made thatsame morning of thirteen pancakes straight. 

Elmer knew they would have a big day ahead of them, and was reallyanxious to get started. He had made arrangements with the farmer andhis wife to supply such provisions as they could conveniently carryalong with them for a couple of days, while they were combing the bigSassafras Swamp in hopes of coming across the two parties they sought. 

If the Chief of Police in Hickory Ridge, with others to help him, should put in an appearance, Elmer hoped they might be given suchinformation as lay in the power of Mr. Trotter. 

"We are not hoggish, you must know, Mr. Trotter, " he told the farmer, as they were making their last preparations before starting forth;"much as we want to be the ones who will round up these two lurkers inSassafras Swamp, if the police come to take a hand in the chase we wishthem every luck. Yes, and what's more we stand ready as true scouts tolend them a helping hand. "

"All we want, " added Ted, seriously, "ith a chance to athist our chumHen. We believe him to be under thome influence, and tho we're bent onbreaking hith chains. "

Each of the seven boys had a certain load to carry besides his rubberponcho, and his pack was supposed to hold the extra food supplies aswell. Some people on seeing what these consisted of might imagine theswamp hunters meant to spend a very long time in their search; but thensuch persons would in that way betray their gross ignorance as to whata growing boy's appetite amounts to. They were taking no chances ofstarvation; and two whole days meant at least three times that manyfull meals, with sundry bites in between. 

From what Elmer had learned through Johnny Spreen, it was possible tonavigate a fair portion of the swamp with a boat. They had severalflat-bottomed skiffs that were used for that purpose, usually by theboy in his fur-hunting expeditions during the fall and winter seasons. 

Unfortunately, things were so much behind at the farm that Johnny couldnot be spared to accompany them. Elmer had hinted at this, not becausehe feared his own ability to get around, but because Johnny's beingalong would save them much precious time. 

When the scout leader had soaked in all possible information the boundboy was capable of delivering, he believed he was in a fair way tomaster the situation. If Hen and his unknown captor were still hidinganywhere in the big swamp, Elmer fancied they could be found. What wasgoing to happen after that event came about, of course, he could notsay just then. 

They made their way along for some distance until near the place wherethe three flat-bottomed skiffs were kept tied up. It was here thatJohnny made a sudden discovery that gave them all a little thrill. 

CHAPTER VII

THE MISSING SKIFF

"Well, I swan!" was the sudden exclamation that broke from the lips ofJohnny Spreen, the farmer's bound boy, as he came to a halt. 

Elmer, glancing hastily at him, saw the boy rubbing his eyes in asomewhat dazed fashion. He acted for all the world like a fellow whodid not feel sure that his sight was as good as usual. Somethingevidently was amiss. 

"What is it?" demanded Lil Artha, in his usual impetuous way. 

"The boats!" muttered Johnny Spreen. 

"Sure thing, we see 'em!" declared the tall scout. 

"How many kin yuh count, tell me?" asked the other, beseechingly, stillgiving an occasional dab at his eyes, as though doubts clung to hismind regarding their faithfulness. 

"Why, let's see, I glimpse three--no, there are only two skiffsafloating in that little bayou, " Lil Artha told him. 

"Only two, air yuh dead sartin?" continued Johnny. 

"That's correct, two boats and no more. I c'n see each one as clear asanything. Why, what difference does that make, Johnny?" asked Toby. 

"But ther ought tuh be _three_, I tells yuh, " insisted the bound boy;"wun two-year old, another built larst season, and the last un justthis Spring. Yessir, three on 'em in all. "

"Well, I gueth your old boat took a notion to go to the bottom then, Johnny, " asserted Ted, "becauth there are only a pair floating there, Igive you my word. "

"They was every wun thar yist'day, " persisted Johnny. 

"Are you sure of that?" Elmer asked him. 

"Well, my name's Johnny Spreen, ain't it?" demanded the other, grimly;"I'm workin' out my time with Mister Trotter hyar, ain't I? Then Istill got two eyes, and I ain't turned loony yit by a long shot. Itell yuh, Elmer, I handled three skiffs yist'day--seen as they was tiedsecurely. And now yuh tells me they be but two. "

"Yes, that's a fact, " the patrol leader assured him. 

"All right then, they gut one, thet's boz. "

Elmer expected some such result as this, so after all he did not seemto be very much staggered. 

"I suppose by 'them' you mean the chicken thieves, Johnny?" he remarked. 

"No other. "

"But if the man has been moving around in the swamp for a couple ofweeks, more or less, could he do without a boat all that time?"continued the leader. 

"I guess he cud, Elmer, though w'en yuh wants tuh trap muskrats yuhneed sum sort o' craft the wust kind. P'raps he didn't chanct tuh runacross our skiffs up tuh last night. Then agin mebbe he was askeeredtuh snatch one, fur fear we'd hunt arter it, an' bother him in theswamp. "

"All right, Johnny, I believe you're barking up the proper tree, " saidElmer; "but it looks as if the man changed his mind last night, andtook a boat. "

"Yep, an' by gosh! the newest one o' the lot, too!" groaned the boundboy, as he led them closer to where the other skiffs floated, securedto stakes. 

"After all that row, " suggested Lil Artha, "it might be they thoughtwe'd give a quick chase, and they couldn't afford to take any morechances. So as a boat'd come in handy for them they gobbled it. "

"Anybody'd pick the best in the bunch, come to that, " added wise Toby. 

"I don't know about that, " Mark went on to say; "a really smart fellowwould be apt to reason that if he took only the old tub the ownermightn't think it worth while to make much of a hunt for it, not caringwhether he got the same again or not. "

"I consider that sound reasoning, Mark, " observed the patrol leader, who was never happier than when he found some of his followersdisplaying good judgment in such matters. "But the boat's gone, andour next duty is to take a look around the bank before we get totrampling things up too much. We ought to make sure of things byfinding that marked track again. "

"It can be done as easy as turning a handspring, " vowed Toby Jones, asall of them immediately spread out, fan-shape, like hounds that hadlost the scent temporarily, and were searching for it again. 

Hardly half a minute had gone when there was an exultant cry raised. 

"Didn't I say so?" demanded Toby, triumphantly; "but I never thoughtLandy of all fellows'd be the one to find the trail. "

"Oh! sometimes queer things do happen in this world, " asserted the fatscout, swelling with his triumph; "they say the race ain't always tothe swift. But take a look, everybody, and see if I'm right. "

They looked and unanimously pronounced Landy's judgment correct. Therewas the imprint of a shoe, a _left_ shoe in the bargain, beyond doubt, and anyone who had eyes could detect that diagonal mark running acrossthe sole, which Landy had pointed out before as the line of the newleather, placed there while he waited for Hen Condit in the Italiancobbler's shop. 

"As plain as the nose on your face, Landy!" admitted Lil Artha, with atrifle of disappointment in his voice, for he had calculated ondiscovering the tracks himself, and for one who was next door to agreenhorn to do it humiliated the tall scout. 

"No personal remarks, please, Lil Artha, " said Landy; "I know my noseisn't as prominent as yours, and some others in the crowd, but itanswers my purpose all right, and I'm not ashamed of it. "

"Well, now we know where we're at, " remarked Ted, with a satisfied air, as though it might be a maxim with him to always start right. 

"And it's up to us to divide our forces, choose our boats, and make astart, " Mark Cummings was saying. 

"Ginger! don't I on'y wish I cud be goin' along!" said Johnny Spreenwith an expression on his face that could only be described as compounddisappointment. 

"All of us would be glad if you were, Johnny, " Elmer told him, feelingfor the boy, whose company would certainly be of considerable help tothe expedition, for Johnny knew the watery paths and the tangles ofSassafras Swamp as, perhaps, no other fellow possibly could, since hehad long haunted its recesses, laying traps, and looking for new hauntsof the wily muskrats. 

"As there are seven of us, all told, " remarked Lil Artha, "that meansthree in one boat, and four in the other. Elmer, you divide up. Thisnewer skiff looks to me just a weenty bit the bigger. "

"It is by a foot, and wider, too, " asserted Johnny, quickly. 

"Then it ought to carry four, of course; but how's this, Johnny, whereare the oars for both craft; I don't see any!"

"Shucks! we don't use oars in the ole swamp, " declared the other. "Apush pole's the best way tuh git along. Yuh see it's soft mudeverywhar, and so we cuts poles with a crotch at the end. That keeps'em frum sinking deep in the mud, so yuh kin git a chanct tuh shove. "

"And a mighty good idea, too, " avowed Toby; "I've had a littleexperience with just plain everyday push poles, and even got hung upwhen one stuck in the mud, so the boat left me. But Elmer, how'll wedivide?"

The patrol leader glanced over his force. It was only fair that hearrange it so the weight would be as nearly equal as possible. 

"Lil Artha, take Mark and Landy in the smaller skiff; the rest will gowith me, " he announced immediately. 

Mark was the nearest chum of the patrol leader, but Elmer dislikedfavoritism, and hence he thus tacitly placed Lil Artha in command ofthe second boat. But then there was also another good reason for doingthis, since the tall scout had always shown himself to be clever on thewater, much more so than the bugler of the troop. 

Johnny was already showing them how to pull the skiffs in by means of arope attached to each. It was a good way of mooring them when not inuse. 

"Yuh see the third boat was drawed up on the shore here, " he remarkedin a disconsolate tone; "'cause I was ausin' her right along. I guessthat's the reason they took the best o' the lot. "

When the two boats had been brought to the shore, packs weredistributed in the same, according to the directions of the leader. These were not hastily tossed aboard, but placed where they would beout of the way of the one who was using the long push-pole. 

"Thank goodneth we've got our camp hatchet along, " remarked Ted, as hetook his place, "tho even if we do lose or bweak our pole we canalwayth cut another one. "

"Yep, I never go intuh the swamp without my hatchet, " asserted Johnny. "Yuh see it comes in mighty handy when yuh want tuh make a fire, or cuta way through sum tangled snarl o' brush. Then, besides, I find a usefur the same in setting traps, fur mushrats ain't ther on'y kind o' furwe bags araound these diggings. "

Some of the boys might have liked keeping up the talk, especially whenit bordered on such an interesting subject. Elmer, however, knew thattime was valuable to them just then, with such a difficult task ahead. They had to find two parties who were secreted somewhere in the swamp;and as Lil Artha declared it was "pretty much like looking for a needlein a haystack. "

Johnny stood there on the bank, and waved his hat to the scouts as hewatched them poling away. They could almost imagine they heard thetremendous sigh that came from his breast as he saw a glorious chancefor real fun pass from his grasp. 

"Good-bye, an' good luck tuh yuh all!" he called out. 

Following the serpentine passage of clear water, the two boats soonpassed from the sight of the bound boy, though doubtless he could stillhear gurgling sounds as the push-poles were worked, and the flat prowsof the skiffs passed over the numerous water-lily pads. 

And now the swamp was before them. 

All of the scouts surveyed the scene with lively anticipations. Theycould easily understand that the immediate future might throw allmanner of strange adventures across their path, and, like most boys, Elmer and his chums were ever hungry for exciting things to happen--itwas in the blood. 

But, then, at first the borders of the big Sassafras Swamp did not lookso very forbidding. Elmer warned them not to expect that thiscondition of affairs would last long. 

"You remember what Johnny told us, " he remarked so that all of themcould hear his words; "it keeps getting worse the further you go in. Things are easy to begin with, but after a while we'll have our handsfull. Above all things we must keep our heads about us, for if we dothat we'll escape getting lost. "

"Then Johnny did admit a fellow could get lost in this place, did he?"inquired Landy, uneasily. 

"He used to lose his way often when he first started coming in hereafter muskrats, " confessed Elmer; "and then he began to have somesystem about his excursions so that by degrees he got it all down pat. "

"Yes, Johnny said he believed he could pole a boat pretty much into theheart of Sassafras with his eyes shut or bandaged, " remarked Lil Artha. 

"Too bad he couldn't get off and be along with us, " lamented Landy;"and Elmer, if we'd only promised Farmer Trotter five dollars a dayhe'd have let his help join us, I'm sure of that. "

"Huh! too bad you didn't think of that before, Landy, and put it up toElmer, " jeered Lil Artha; "but I wouldn't bother too much about it if Iwas you. Chances are we won't get lost much; and by the same token, even if we do it'll be some kind of a sensation to wake us up. "

Landy scratched his head, but not knowing how much of this was intendedby his tormentor he did not reply. As they were gradually workingfurther into the dense growth by now there was enough around them tochain their attention and arouse their interest. 

In some places they could see that the shore stood above the sluggishwater, although covered for the most part with dense shrubbery thatwould be difficult to pass through. Channels began to be met withrunning to the right and left, so that it behooved Elmer to rememberthe explicit directions given by the muskrat trapper if he wished toavoid getting side-tracked in the start. 

Lil Artha, in the other boat, was also using his knowledge of woodcraftto some purpose. When it happened that the two skiffs came alongsidehe called out to Elmer, as if to settle some point he had in mind. 

"Even if I hadn't listened when Johnny was laying down the law to usabout the main channel in here, Elmer, I reckon I'd had no troublestickin' to the same, up to now, anyhow. "

"Why tho, Lil Artha?" asked Ted Burgoyne. 

"It's just this way, " continued the other, briskly, as though only toowilling to show his hand, "you see Johnny has followed the same passagein here so often now he's actually gone and left a trail behind him. "

"Say, what are you giving us, Lil Artha?" demanded Toby; "on shore atrail is all very well, but the water leaves none. Once it settlesdown after a boat's passed, I defy anybody to tell a thing about thesame. "

Lil Artha grinned as though he really pitied the dense ignorance ofsome people. 

"You've got another think coming, Toby, " he said, drily. "I suppose ifyou sat down and racked your poor brain a whole week you'd be no nearerknowing what I mean, so I'll have to explain. "

"Guess you will, that, " muttered Toby; "if you know yourself whatyou're getting at, which I doubt. "

"Looky there, " said the skipper of the second skiff, "do you noticethat where we make this turn to the left the bushes along the point arekind of frayed, like something had rubbed against 'em a heap of times?"

"Why, yes, it does seem so, " admitted Toby, reluctantly. 

"All right then, " continued Lil Artha; "if you'd kept your eyes aboutyou all the while you'd seen that same thing at near every turn. Trying to cut short when he poled along, Johnny has left a track of hispassage at every bend. I always look sharp, and I can tell as easy asfalling off a log whether he went on, or cut into another passage. AndElmer will bear me out on that explanation, too!"

CHAPTER VIII

PICKING UP CLUES

The leader of the Wolf Patrol laughed when he heard Lil Artha make thisremark. 

"Every word that you are saying, Lil Artha, is the truth, " heannounced. "I've been watching those ragged edges of bushes myself. You see, the time might come after a while when I'd get mixed on thedirections given by Johnny Spreen. Then I'd want to have some otherscheme so as to find my way. "

"But after a bit, Elmer, we'll get to a spot where Johnny changed hiscourse from one day to another, as he went to different traps; how'rewe meaning to regulate our hunt then?" asked Toby. 

"We've got to search the best way we can for the missing skiff, " Elmerexplained. "If only we can find it hauled up somewhere on the bankwe'll know they went ashore at that point, don't you see?"

"Why, how eathy!" declared Ted, evidently lost in admiration for thesimplicity of the scheme, that could never have occurred to him before. 

"Oh! then, if that's the case I reckon we'd better not be making quiteso much racket as we go along, " said Mark. 

"I was just going to remark about that, " the patrol leader added. "Ifall of a sudden we found the boat, and had been talking loud, orlaughing, the chances are the game would give us the slip. So afterthis whoever is doing the pushing try not to splash more than you canhelp; and when you talk do it in whispers. "

Perhaps all this mystery added to the pleasure of such a fellow as LilArtha; at least his eyes were sparkling much more than their wont as hecontinued to ply his pole with the air of a Venetian gondolier alongthe Grand Canal. 

Once, however, he must have rammed it too hard into the yielding ooze, for when he tried to pull it out there was considerable resistance. Lil Artha managed to stop the moving skiff in time to save himself;even then he might have been pulled overboard only that watchful Mark, anticipating something of the sort, threw his arms around the long legsof the pusher, and held on grimly until the pole could be extricated. 

An hour, two of them had slipped by since parting from Johnny Spreen. They were now in the heart of the swamp. All around them lay a solemnsilence broken only by the splash of a bullfrog leaping from a bank, the gurgle of some water snake or the solemn croak of a bittern fishingnear by, followed by the flap of its wings as it flew away, alarmed bytheir approach. 

All of the boys were more or less impressed by this strange silence. It seemed as though some heavy weight were pressing down upon them. Toby even whispered to one of his mates that it could hardly be worseif they were passing through a country graveyard at midnight. 

At the same time, all of them being bright, wide-awake fellows, therewere plenty of interesting things continually cropping up to arousetheir interest as scouts. Every minute or so someone was callingattention to this or that thing, though never forgetting the need ofcaution. 

If at any time a voice was raised more than Elmer deemed wise, a single"hist" from his lips caused the speaker to moderate his tones instantly. 

By now they were not so much concerned about where they went as thepossibility of finding the missing skiff. Eager eyes were ever on thealert. A number of times Lil Artha, or it might be Toby or Chatz, felta sudden thrill as some object caught their attention ahead, which atfirst glance seemed to open up great possibilities. Then as they movedcloser and a better chance came to investigate, deep disappointment andchagrin would follow; for after all it turned out to be only the end ofa log, or some such simple thing, and not the stern of the old skiff atall. 

Elmer happened to be a little ahead of the other boat at the timeChatz, consulting his nickel watch, found it was just ten o'clock. When he showed this to Toby the latter grinned as though very muchpleased. 

"I nominated ten, didn't I, Chatz?" he remarked in a low tone; "whenyou asked me to take a squint up at the sun, and say what the hourmight be?"

"You certainly hit it that time in the bull's-eye, suh, " admitted theSouthern lad; "and I confess that I thought it half an hour later. I'mstill some shy, it seems, on telling time by the sun and stars. "

A low hiss from Elmer just then, as he wielded the pole, caused the twoscouts to stop talking, and turn their attention to what was going on. The first thing they discovered was that the skiff was now heading forthe near shore. Then looking further the boys could see that evidentlysomeone must have camped there, for to the practiced eye many thingsindicated as much. 

When the prow of the flat-bottomed boat ran gently up on the shore, ata low order from the skipper, Ted, who happened to be further up in thebow than any of the others, jumped to the land and began to draw theskiff up. 

There was a bank several feet high just beyond, but Ted waited untilthe others had also disembarked before attempting to ascend this. Bynow the other boat had also reached shore, with its crew tumbling out, though avoiding any sign of confusion, for they were pretty welldrilled in the elements of obedience to orders, as all true scoutsshould be. 

No sooner had the boys gained the higher ground than they readilydiscovered that it had been the site of a camp at some time in the notfar-distant past. 

A number of things told them this, chief of which might be mentionedthe little pile of dead ashes that lay in plain sight. They could evensee the sticks that the unknown party had used when cooking some sortof meat close to the red coals. 

All of them gathered around. Elmer gravely examined the ashes, whilethe others eagerly waited to hear his decision. 

"Quite some time old, " said the leader at last, having figured out thesolution by means of certain rules well known to those who have madewoodcraft a study. "At least a couple of rains have passed over sincethis fire was left. There are no footprints that I can see. That alsogoes to show it was some time ago; but I think it was only one personwho camped here. "

He pointed as he spoke to where soft hemlock browse had been gatheredas if for the purpose of forming a couch; and there being but a singlebed even Landy could guess Elmer was correct when he said one party hadmade the temporary camp. 

"Then it must have been the unknown man, " said Lil Artha, "and our chumHen wasn't along at the time. "

They moved around as if looking for further signs, because scouts arealways keen to find tell-tale marks that will add to the size of theedifice they are building up, founded partly on conjecture and also on"give-away" facts. 

Lil Artha it was who emitted a low whistle, and the others glancing up, well knowing that he must have made some sort of important discovery, saw him waving one of his hands to them--he held the Marlindouble-barrel with the other, of course. 

"See that?" he told them when they reached his side amidst the bushesadjacent to the little opening where the long-cold fire ashes lay. 

"Feathers, for a cookey!" exclaimed Toby, "and a heap of the same, too. "

"Now we know what he cooked on the ends of those sticks!" observed Mark. 

"Yeth, and now we know where one of Farmer Trotter's henth went to, "added Ted. 

"This is more than Johnny ever ran across, " remarked Lil Artha, "because he only guessed the chicken thief was hiding in the swamp, forhe'd seen tracks. Hold on, he did say there was ashes, too, at theplace he picked up that filed half-circle of steel, but it must havebeen in a different place from this. "

"Well, it's only a little incident after all, " said Elmer, "and doesn'ttell us much that we didn't know before. "

"Only that we're on the track of those lost chickens, you know, "chuckled the tall scout. "But see here, Elmer, if they made a fizzleof their raid last night, how d'ye suppose they're going to keep fromstarving to death in here?"

"Ask me something easy, please, " retorted the other; "though if I wasin their place I think I could manage to keep alive. There are lots ofways for doing that, if you only stop to think. "

"Sure there are, " spoke up Toby, eager to show that he had learned hislesson fairly well, even though not claiming to be as expert at somethings as were Elmer and Lil Artha. "Now, with some cord and a bait Ireckon rabbits could be trapped or snared. Then gray squirrels areplenty in here, if only you found a nest of the same in a hollow tree. "

"And, " added Landy with a yearning vein in his voice, "haven't we seenwhopping big green-back bullfrogs aplenty? If there's one dish I'mfond of more than any other, that's fried frogs' legs. Yum! yum, don'tI wish we could spare the time to knock over a dozen of those bullies. "

"Not while we're on such a duty as we started out to fulfill, Landy, "Elmer advised the fat scout. 

"Then there are fish in these waters, too, fat sunfish as big as any Iever set eyes on, " continued Toby; "and when you're hungry they tasteprime, though I hate the bones, and came near choking to death once ona sunny. Worse than pickerel, according to my mind, and that's sayinga lot. Oh! I guess a smart fellow with matches to make fires, couldmanage to keep the wolf from his door in here all right. "

"But all men are not up to one-tenth of the resources known to BoyScouts, " ventured Elmer, "which is why they generally have to rely onstaving off hunger by raiding the chicken roosts of poor farmers. That'll be enough for this time. Suppose we get aboard again, andcontinue our exploration of Sassafras Swamp. "

"It's a sure-enough big patch of mud and water and brush and mystery, "admitted Mark, as they began to climb into the boats again as before. 

"And from what Johnny told me we haven't seen as much as a tenth of theplace yet, " Elmer assured them; whereat there were all sorts ofincredulous looks to the right and to the left, as though the magnitudeof their task might by this time be making a stronger impression on theboys' minds. 

A change was made in pushers as they started off once more. It turnedout to be no child's play handling that long, heavy pole which had afaculty for clinging to the ooze below the surface of the water, andnecessitating more or less exertion in order to drag it loose each timeit was used. 

Landy had not taken his turn as yet. It really looked as though LilArtha was a little afraid of the fat scout, for he and Mark hadalternated in doing the work. Landy was not complaining at all. Indeed, Lil Artha felt sure he could see a satisfied grin upon therubicund face of the happy-go-lucky, fat scout from time to time as heheard the one at the pole puffing with the exertion. 

Perhaps in the end it would prove to be a case of the "last straw onthe camel's back, " and Lil Artha, casting discretion to the winds, would feel impelled to thrust the push-pole into the inexperiencedhands of Landy Smith. He was evidently putting off the evil hour aslong as he could, fearful of consequences. 

So noon came and found them well into the depths of Sassafras Swamp. 

They went ashore to eat their lunch, Lil Artha begging that they have asmall fire and make a pot of coffee. 

"I c'n pick up aplenty of real dry wood, you know, Elmer, " he went onto say in his wheedling way, "so that there ain't going to be hardly awhiff of smoke that anybody could see with a field glass. And say, when you're all tuckered out with pushing a boat through the grass andlily-pads, nothing makes you feel so fine as a brimming cup of coffee. So please say yes, Mister Scout Master!"

Of course, Elmer could not resist such a piteous plea as that. 

"You could wring tears from a stone, Lil Artha, " he told the other, laughingly, "when you put on a face like that. I reckon we might havea small cooking fire and a pot of coffee. None of us would object toit, and sandwiches are dry eating all by themselves, even when you'rehungry. So go ahead; but no chopping, mind; break all the small stuffyou gather over your knee. "

Landy eagerly assisted, though Lil Artha kept a watchful eye on what hegathered lest he mix in green stuff that would make a black smoke whenit burned. Another scout managed to find a stick with a crotch thatwould hold the coffee-pot over the blaze until it had boiled. 

The scouts were not in the habit of putting up with such apologies forcomfort as these; as a rule, when they camped out they had tents, blankets, and a little spider contraption that folded up in smallcompass, and which served as a gridiron stove, being placed over thered coals, with cooking utensils resting on the bars. 

The coffee was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone, and a vote of thankstaken for Lil Artha, who had first suggested making it. Resting for ashort time afterwards, the boys felt refreshed when once more the taskwas taken up. 

Lil Artha looked at Landy tumbling contentedly into the middle of theold skiff, and seemed on the point of saying something; then he shookhis head and picked up the push-pole himself. 

"Not yet, but soon it's just got to be; only I hope he won't upset usall, " Mark heard the tall scout mutter to himself, nor did he need afurther hint to know what was passing through Lil Artha's mind; Landywas not going to evade his share of the arduous labor forever. 

It, doubtless, took considerable thinking and planning on the part ofElmer to make sure they did not "repeat. " So far, none of the boyscould say as they moved along that they had ever before seen thestretch of water and scrubby shore, covered with trees and vines. 

This spoke volumes for the smartness of the young patrol leader, thoughsomehow his chums did not seem to consider it such a wonderful feat forElmer. That is the penalty for being successful; others expect greatthings from such a comrade, so that he is constantly put to his bestefforts to satisfy them. 

It must have been quite some time, perhaps as much as two hours afterthey had stopped to eat their lunch when without warning the swampexplorers met with a surprise that gave them a new thrill. 

At the time, Lil Artha happened to have passed a little in the lead, though he would soon be dropping back again, especially when there camea chance to make a mistake in direction, for he wanted Elmer to decidesuch puzzles. 

The tall scout must have forgotten his warning from Elmer, for he criedout:

"Hey! everybody look what we're up against! A bear, Elmer, that's whatit is!"

CHAPTER IX

THE PERILS OF THE WATER LABYRINTH

"Silence, everybody!" hissed Elmer, who knew it would be just likeToby, and perhaps some of the other fellows, to burst into a shout assoon as they could get command of their voices. 

It was certainly a bear, a small one to be sure, but genuine enough, and not such as can be seen with wandering foreigners, taught to dance, or wield a pole as a soldier would his musket. 

Just when the scouts glimpsed the hairy denizen of Sassafras Swamp, hewas engaged in sitting on his haunches and gathering in the bushes withhis sturdy forelegs. To Lil Artha, it looked as though Bruin might bemaking a lunch from the luscious, big blueberries that grew in suchabundance here and there through the swamp. 

Up to the moment when Lil Artha thus called attention to the presenceof the black native, the bear must have been in ignorance of theirbeing so near at hand. When he did notice them, he simply gave adisgusted grunt, and ambled away through the brush. Lil Artha alwaysdeclared the bear glanced back at them as he ran, and even put out histongue, just as if he knew it was the close season, and that a kindgame law protected him from all harm. 

"Say, let me tell you this old Sassy swamp isn't such a bad place for agame preserve after all, " said Toby; "I think some of us could enjoyhaving a week up here, after the law on bears and all such was up. Butit's too far from home during the school session, for us to come. "

"Oh! I don't know about that, " remarked the tall scout, meditatively;"we could borrow a car, and start in the middle of the night when therewas a moon. That'd give us a whole day up here. Take it atThanksgiving and we could make it three, with Friday and Saturdaythrown in. Elmer, think it over, won't you?"

"Plenty of time for that, " he was assured; "We've got our hands full asit is, without borrowing trouble. "

"And perwaps before we're done with it, " Ted croaked, "you'll be thattired of seeing nothing but thwamp all around, that you'll vow neveragain for yourth. "

"I'm going to make a proposition, Elmer, " said Landy; "and I hopeyou'll agree. Suppose we go ashore and tackle some of those elegantblueberries ourselves? It's a shame that bears should be the only onesto enjoy such a feast. And it's tough sitting here so long!"

At that Lil Artha grunted, and looking almost savagely at the speakernodded his head while he muttered:

"That settles it, my boy; I see your finish. You're going to earn yoursalt after this, no matter what happens!"

Elmer seemed to consider for a few seconds. 

"I see no reason why we shouldn't pull up for a little while, just asyou say, Landy, " he observed, to the delight of the rest; "and everyoneof us is fond of a mess of good ripe blueberries. So pitch in whilethe supply lasts. "

The berries were thicker and larger than any they had ever seen before;and Lil Artha declared he considered the judgment of the little blackbear "prime. "

"He sure knew a good thing when he found it, and so do we, " he toldthose who were working fingers and jaws near him. 

When Elmer concluded that "enough was as good as a feast, " they oncemore embarked, and the voyage was resumed. There was a new pusher inthe older skiff, however. 

"Here, you Landy, suppose you change seats with me, " Lil Artha hadremarked as the fat scout started to settle down in the middle of theboat, just as though he had a mortgage on that prize seat. 

Landy looked worried. 

"What for, Lil Artha?" he ventured to say, looking at the skipper withdistress plainly marked on his round features; "do you want me to pushthe boat now? Not but that I'm willing to do anything I'm asked, youknow; but I didn't think you'd want to take chances on getting wet, andmebbe losing our packs in the bargain; because I know I'm awful clumsyabout some things. "

"Well, in this case we'll have to take the risk, " said the other, grimly; "the only satisfaction we have is that if anybody does get wetyou won't escape. We're all in the same boat, you understand; and wesink or swim together. Now climb up here, and I'll show you how tohandle a pusher. Time you learned a few more of the tricks a truescout ought to know. "

Landy, apparently, wanted to do his best. He watched how Lil Arthaused the heavy pole and then started to imitate him. 

"That's the way, Landy, " said Mark, desirous of encouraging the stoutboy in his new duties; "you can do it all right if you only keep on thewatch. "

"Course I can, " replied the new hand, scornfully; "guess you're allfooled if you think I never pushed a skiff with a pole before. "

"So you were just playing 'possum, were you?" demanded the indignantLil Artha, "bent on fooling me so as to evade hard work, eh? I'd beserving you right, Landy, if I kept you shovin' away the rest of theafternoon. It'd thin you down a trifle, too, because I think you'regetting too fat for any use. Go slow there, and don't splash so loudwhen you drop the pole end in again. "

Landy seemed to soon become fairly proficient so that his mentor couldturn his attention to other things of interest they happened to seearound them as they continued their course. 

Crows scolded from the treetops as the two boats glided underneath. This circumstance might probably pass unnoticed by one who knew littleor nothing of woodcraft, but to an Indian it would be a sure sign thatthe sharp-eyed birds had discovered some human being, probably anenemy, and in that way he would be put on his guard against a surprise. 

As the man they were looking for did not appear to be educated alongthese lines, they need not fear that their presence in the swamp wouldbe betrayed through any such agency as crows cawing, or flying about inexcitement. 

Some time later Toby uttered a low "whew" that caused Chatz, just thenin the act of putting the pole back into the water, to hold itsuspended in midair. 

"Elmer, I may be mistaken, " said Toby, "but something moved over in thebranches of that tree yonder, and unless my eyes deceived me, whichthey seldom do, it was a cat!"

"You mean a wildcat, don't you, Toby?" whispered Landy, for the twoboats were close enough together for the occupants to have shakenhands, had they wanted to. 

"Just what I meant, " repeated Toby, firmly. "I can't say that I seehim now, for he's somewhere up in the thickest part of the bushy tree;but it must have been something more than a 'coon, because I actuallysaw the blaze of its eyes!"

"Whew!" gasped Landy, looking as though he wanted to drop the push-poleon the spur of the moment; "get your gun, Lil Artha, why don't you?Mean to let a feller be jumped on, and clawed something awful, do you?I give you my word that if I see a wildcat comin' for me, I'll jumpoverboard, and let him tackle the rest of you in the boat, that's what. Get your gun, Lil Artha; they're vicious you must know, specially whenthey've got kits around. "

"We haven't lost any cat!" remarked Lil Artha, composedly, as though hereally took a cruel satisfaction in seeing Landy shiver; "and, besides, I don't more'n half believe the fairy story. Toby's got to show mebefore I own up. I reckon some of my people must have come fromMissouri. "

"Yes, they raise a heap of mules there, I understand, " remarked Toby, with considerable sarcasm; "but I'm glad to see that Elmer has thoughtit worth while to lay hold of his scatter-gun, so as to be ready. Course we don't want any trouble with any old cat; but there's such athing as armed peace. If she jumps for us, I hope Elmer will give hera load before she lands, that's all. We've got to pass pretty muchunder some part of that tree, understand?"

Acting on Elmer's initiative, Lil Artha now also picked up his gun, andstarted to keep a sharp watch. As Toby had truly said, they could notreally continue on their way without passing under the wide-stretchingbranches of the tree where he claimed to have seen "something thatlooked like a wildcat. "

"Get busy there, Landy, use your pole, and push us along. Don't standthere just like you were frozen stiff; we won't let any cat grab you, make up your mind to it. Get a move on you, I say, Landy Smith. "

"Oh! well, might as well be killed for a sheep as a lamb, I reckon, "muttered the fat scout as he started to make use of his push-pole. 

For the time being, caution was thrown to the winds; all Landyconsidered was the rapidity with which he could get past that ominoustree containing Toby's bobcat. 

Perhaps Landy's heart was beating a regular tattoo as he found himselfactually compelled to pass under the tree itself, owing to thenarrowness of the channel at just that part of the runway. Elmer, watching out of the tail of his eye, could see how pale the other hadbecome, and he was secretly amused. 

It was just like Lil Artha, when their skiff was directly under thesuspected tree, to utter a low gasp, and proceed to elevate his gun ina hurry, as though sighting the quarry. 

Poor Landy came very near having a fit; he dropped the pole overboardand fell backwards in the boat, which came near swamping. Toby, in theother craft, succeeded in rescuing the floating pole before it had gonecompletely beyond reach. 

"Guess I was mistaken that time!" said Lil Artha, without cracking asmile, although no doubt he must have been secretly chuckling at theway the handler of the push-pole had shown alacrity in getting out ofrange. 

So Landy, with a sheepish grin, managed to get on his feet again, andtake the rescued pole from Toby's hands. He gave the tall scout asharp look as though suspecting that it had been a trick intended toplay upon his nerves. But then Landy was always a good-natured fellow, and never bore anyone ill-will, no matter what the joke might be ofwhich he became the victim. 

Toby could not be persuaded that he had not glimpsed a wildcat in thattree under which they passed. He kept staring back as long as it waspossible to catch a view of its leafy branches. 

"Well, say what you like, " he concluded, "I did see _something_ whiskout of sight up there; yes, and it had starey eyes in the bargain. Ifit was a 'coon, then all I can say is they breed queer 'coons up inthis old Sassafras Swamp country. There now, that's about enough fromme. "

"The afternoon is nearly half gone, and we haven't scared up our quarryyet, " advised Mark later on. 

"Plenty of time, for there's another day coming, " said Elmer. "We'rehere to comb the swamp through from end to end but what we'll findnobody knows. Keep listening, too. It might be possible we'd hear ashout that would give us a clue. "

"Say now, I hadn't thought of that before, " admitted Toby. "If Hen_is_ being treated harsh-like by that unknown who's got hold of him, mebbe he might let out a yawp once in a while. There's no harm done inlistening, I reckon, and Landy here could tell if it was him givingtongue. "

Now and then some sound did come to their ears, but of an entirelydifferent character from the one they were hoping to catch. Agranddaddy bullfrog on some mossy log sent out loud and deep-toneddemands for "more rum! more rum!" Then a saucy bluejay started in toscold the fellows in the boats for daring to trespass in its preserves, and how the angry bird did lay it on until they were well beyond reachof its chatter. 

Once a far-away grumble floated faintly to their ears, at which therewas an immediate comparing of opinions. Some seemed to incline to thebelief that it must be distant thunder, and that they were bound tosoon be caught in a storm, which had been creeping unnoticed up onthem, the dense foliage by which they were surrounded preventing themfrom learning the fact sooner. 

"If you asked me what it was, " said Elmer, when he found that theothers were not able to agree, "I'd be inclined to say we're not morethan half a mile away from one side of the swamp, and that there's afarm lying yonder on which they keep a bull. I imagine it was hislowing we heard just then. "

"Bully, say I, not meaning to be funny either, " remarked Landy; "forI'd a heap sooner believe it was a bovine trying out his bazoo than athunder-storm heading this way. It's bad enough to be in constantdanger of getting ducked by falling overboard, without taking chancesoverhead in the bargain. "

As they did not hear any repetition of the suspicious sound the scoutsfinally determined that Elmer had guessed right, and that there must bea stock farm not a great distance away from the border of the swamp. 

The more they pushed on into what seemed the interminable recesses thatsurrounded them the greater became their wonder as to how they were tofind those they sought. The chances seemed very much against them; butthen they had an abounding faith in Elmer's sagacity; and he seemed tobe determined on persevering. Doubtless, too, the others reasoned tothemselves, Elmer had some clever plan laid out which would be sprungwhen the proper time arrived; and this confidence did much to relievetheir minds as they pressed steadily on. 

Lil Artha was apparently bent on making Landy pay for his previous easytime; he kept the other at work, though frequently the fat scout had tohold his push-pole under his arm while he mopped his reeking brow. Perhaps Landy panted very loud on purpose, with the object of causinghis obdurate boss to relent, and give him a chance to "spell" with Mark. 

Heedless of sighs and half-heard groans alike, Lil Artha just sat thereand took his ease, while the slave worked and worked as though he werechained to the galley's oar. 

No one ever knew whether it were actually an accident or a deep-laidscheme on the part of the weary Landy to end this period of torture. There may be some things even worse than a mere ducking--at least astout boy like Landy Smith might think so. 

At any rate, none of the scouts happened to be looking very closely atthe time, and consequently they could not say one way or the other. All they knew was that without any warning Landy was seen to be draggedout of the stern of the skiff, struggle to clasp his writhing legsabout the pushpole that stood at an oblique angle, caught firmly in thetenacious mud, and then releasing his hold, flop with a great splashinto the dark-colored water of Sassafras Swamp!

CHAPTER X

THE SUSPICIOUS ACTIONS OF LANDY

To this very day, it has never been positively known among the scoutsof the Wolf Patrol whether Landy met with an unexpected accident, orallowed himself to be deliberately dragged out of the boat, seized witha sudden overwhelming desire to end his spell of drudgery. 

The splash was simply terrific, and Landy vanished completely beneaththe surface of the swamp water, which chanced to be fairly deep at thatplace, as of necessity Landy himself must have known. 

"Oh! he's overboard!" exclaimed Toby, in the other boat, perhaps louderthan his orders from the scout master permitted. 

"What a nuisance!" grunted Lil Artha, trying to appear unconcerned, though it might have been noticed that he tried the best he could tostop the movement of the skiff by thrusting both hands in the water, and paddling. 

Mark did better than that, for he snatched up a thwart that he knew wasloose, and started to use it vigorously so as to check the progress ofthe floating boat. 

Meanwhile, of course, Landy came to the surface like a bobbing corkthat had been pulled down by the bite of a fish. He was flounderingaround like a whale, spouting volumes of water that he must haveswallowed in his dive, and apparently doing his level best to stay ontop. 

"Hey! ain't you goin' to help a feller?" they managed to make out fromhis almost incoherent splutter. 

The other boat had by now pushed up close alongside, and Elmer, leaningover the side, seized the swimmer by the coat collar. Landy at onceallowed himself to apparently collapse. He was content to have someonesupport him; but some of his chums imagined there was a suspicious_manufactured_ look in the expression of terror that had fixed itselfon his face. 

With plenty to lend a helping hand the fat scout was soon pushed andhauled on board the skiff from which he had fallen. The treacherouspole was also recovered and given in charge of Lil Artha, for, ofcourse, it could not be expected that a fellow who had just beenrescued from a watery grave would be able to continue that arduous taskof pushing. 

Lil Artha frequently looked queerly at the dripping Landy as he usedthe pole. Sometimes he would chuckle softly to himself, and a swiftgrin flash athwart his lean countenance as though a humorous thoughthad struck him; after which the tall scout might be observed to shakehis head as if bothered. 

Landy settled down to taking things easy. He wanted them all to knowthat he had had a remarkably close call, and every little while hewould heave a great sigh, to follow it with such words as:

"I'm terrible glad you boys were on deck to save me. My clothes seemedas heavy as lead, and I sure think I'd have gone down three times ifyou hadn't chucked me aboard here. That was a narrow squeak for me. Iguess I went and got too confident, and it made me careless. But holysmoke! how that mud can grip! I just couldn't get the old pole outnohow, and that's a fact. I won't forget what you did for me, fellers, sure I won't. I hope to be able to do the same for every lasting oneof you some day. "

"You're too kind, Landy, " laughed Toby; "none of us are hankering afteran experience like that. I'll never forget what you looked like, dangling there on that push-pole, and trying to squirm your legs aroundit so as to climb up. Want to know what you made me think of, Landy?"

"Go on and tell me, " said the other, with a tremble in his voice, forhe was by this time beginning to feel the effect of his immersion. 

"Why, you remember how we used to go frog-hunting in a boat, with athree-foot line at the end of a stout pole, and a small hook baitedwith a piece of red flannel? Well, when we'd see a whopping biggreenback we'd dangle that red stuff close to his nose. It was funnyto see him squat down like a cat does on sighting a sparrow or a robin, and then jump up to grab the flannel. "

Toby paused to chuckle afresh, and the object of his attack urged himto continue, although he evidently realized that he was about to beheld up to boyish ridicule. 

"First, the frog thinks he wants that queer red bug the worst kind, "Toby went on to say, "but as soon as he feels the hook he changes hismind. Then he starts in to do the greatest acrobatic feats you eversaw, twisting his hind legs up over his head like he wanted to turn asomersault, or else climb up the line. Well, when I saw you danglingon that push-pole, I thought of a fat, greenback frog. "

"Huh! guess you'd a tried to climb, too, if you'd been in my place, "grunted the stout scout, drawing his coat a little closer around him, and shivering. 

"No, I'd have stuck by the boat, Landy, " said Toby, soberly. 

Landy shot him a suspicious glance but did not make a reply. Perhapshe may have been wondering whether any of his mates already suspectedthat his recent narrow escape had not been such an accident as itappeared. 

Elmer now took a hand in the discussion. 

"Here, let's make less noise, fellows, " he remarked. "In theexcitement we've already broken our rule, and if there was anyone nearby they must have known all about us. And we're going ashore justbeyond there. "

"So soon in the afternoon, Elmer; what's up?" demanded Chatz, who, having rested since last using the pole, did not understand why theyshould call it a day's work at not much after three o'clock. 

"If you look at Landy, you'll understand why, " continued the patrolleader. 

"Why, he is shivering, sure enough!" exclaimed Chatz; "what ails you, suh? Are you feeling cold on such a warm day as this?"

"What, me cold!" stuttered Landy, trying to put on a brave face, thoughhis lips were turning blue and quivering; "of course I ain't. It mustbe the excitement of the little scare has gripped me, that's all. "

But wise Elmer knew very well he was assuming a degree of comfort whichhe did not feel, and he could not stand for it. 

"You've got to do one of two things, Landy, ", he said, with authority, "either take the push-pole again, and warm your blood up, or else goashore to dry your clothes. Otherwise, we'll have you getting a chill, and then the fat will be in the fire as far as our hunt goes. Whichshall it be?"

"If it's all the same to you, Elmer, and you mean the whole kit to stopoff too, I say let's go ashore, " hastily replied Landy. 

"Head for that little cove, Lil Artha, and you too, Toby, " said Elmer. 

"I'd like to lend him something I've got in my pack, " remarked LilArtha, apparently taking pity on the shivering one; "only you c'n seewith one eye it wouldn't come within a mile of meeting around hiswaist. "

"I've got a sweater he could put on while his clothes are drying, "volunteered Toby Jones; "of course, it isn't his size by a jugfull, butthen you know sweaters stretch. Like as not it'll go around me twicethough, after Landy's worn the same. But he's our chum, and scoutsshould always be ready to make sacrifices for each other. "

"That's real good of you, Toby, " mumbled Landy, strangely enough unableto meet the honest gaze of the generous donor. 

The landing was soon made, and when the dripping Landy got ashore thefirst thing Elmer made him do was to jump around, and thresh his armsback and forth. This, of course, was to induce a circulation of blood, so as to resist the chill following his late immersion. 

"Lil Artha, I leave it to you to make the fire, " said the patrolleader. "Use dry wood so there'll be little or no smoke; and build itin that low spot over to the right. If we choose to keep it goingto-night, there's only a small chance that anyone will discover thelight in that dip. "

Nothing pleased Lil Artha better than to make a camp fire. Besides thegenial glow, which he so dearly loved, being a fire worshipper bynature, it doubtless meant that before a great while they would becooking supper; and as we happen to be aware such a task was neveronerous to the lanky scout, whose appetite seldom failed him. 

There were others to help pick up the right kind of wood, for everyscout has to learn such things early in his career in woodcraft. Soona crackling little blaze sprang up, which, being carefully fed, presently amounted to a considerable fire. 

"Here you are, Landy, " said Elmer, when he could feel the genial heatat a distance of five feet away; "strip off, and hang your duds onthese sticks we've planted around the fire. They'll soon begin tosteam, and then dry out. "

Elmer even took a hand himself, wringing each article cast off by thebulky Landy before he hung it judiciously before the fire. 

Fortunately, the fat scout had made out to carry an extra pair of socksand a suit of clean underwear in his pack, and having donned these, with the help of Toby's expansive sweater, he had to make out. Therewas considerable fun poked at him as he squatted there by the fireattending to his clothes, so as to make sure they did not get scorchedby the heat. 

"There's one thing bad about this drying-out process, though, " LilArtha was heard saying to Ted, who chanced to be near by; "and that'sthe way clothes shrink after they've been wet. "

"Which reminds me, " Toby called out, "of that story about the fatbachelor who had washed a suit of his new underwear himself, and hungit on the clothes-line to dry; but the maid came along afterwards andfinding them ready to take in hung up a suit belonging to the kid, about four years of age. When the stout bach stepped out to get hissuit and saw that baby outfit hanging in its place, he rubbed his eyesand was heard to say to himself: 'Great Scott! and the clerk swore theywouldn't shrink a bit!'"

"But I hope _my_ clothes won't shrivel up so I can't get in the same, "Landy observed, anxiously. "A nice figure I'd cut going around day andnight like this. And let me tell you the skeeters would fairly eat mealive. As it is, I'm cracking at them all the time right now. "

Frequent examinations, however reassured him. His clothes were dryingnicely, and did not seem to be losing any of their former generousproportions. So in time Landy might hope to be garbed in his properattire as became a scout, and not an Arab or a "side show freak, " suchas Toby persisted in dubbing him. 

Supper was later on taken in hand. There was no lack of recruits whenit came to doing the cooking; in fact, Elmer found that he had sixenthusiastic would-be _chefs_ to choose from, even Landy expressing awillingness to serve, as he had to hover near the blaze more or lessanyway, and might as well be busy. 

Afterwards the fire was allowed to go down, though Elmer did not feelthat it was positively necessary for them to let it die out entirely. If it was bound to betray them doubtless the mischief had already beendone; and having to shoulder the blame, they might as well have thegame. 

It was a great delight to them all to squat there around the fire andtalk in low tones. There were no boisterous language or actionstolerated. Elmer gave them to understand that they were now out onserious business, and all such conduct must be left to another time. 

Still, they found plenty to talk about, most of it connected with thestrange happening at Hickory Ridge, in which their unfortunate comrade, Hen Condit, bore such a prominent part. 

"I wonder now, " Toby was saying at one time, "whether the Chief ofPolice got a clue like we did that'd fetch him up in this region of thecountry with a posse, meaning to try to round up this escaped rascal?"

There was a variety of opinions concerning this point, some believingone way and the rest having contrary views. 

"It would be too bad, now, " said Ted, "if they managed to haul both ofthem up before we could get Hen in hand, and hear hith thory of whathappened. "

"That's a fact, " added Lil Artha. "We know the Chief, and that he'dtake Hen back to town just like he was a real criminal. No matter whatexcuse the boy'd try to give, the Chief wouldn't listen, leaving allthat for the Justice of the Peace before whom he'd take his prisoners. Boys, we've just got to find Hen first; that's all there is to it. "

That seemed to be the consensus of opinion among them. By degrees theyhad come to believe that Hen Condit must be under a spell, to haveacted as he did. Nothing else would explain the mystery, for Hen hadalways been reckoned a mild, inoffensive sort of fellow, one of thelast boys in Hickory Ridge to do anything so terrible as commit arobbery. 

"That's just what it is!" declared Toby, as they again talked it allover in hopes of getting a better conception of the truth, "the manwho's got Hen must be one of those terrible hypnotists you read about. I saw one down in the city last summer at a show, and he made fellowsdo the most ridiculous things anybody ever heard tell of. "

"Such as what?" asked Lil Artha, looking as though he might beskeptical. 

"Why, one boy thought he was a goat, and ran all around on his handsand feet, hunting for tin cans and old shoes to eat. Another believedhe was a dog baying at the full moon, and I nearly took a fit listeningto him whoop. Then there was a third fellow who believed he was madeof iron, so he stretched himself from one chair to another, and threemen stood right in his middle; and he didn't break, either. Say, itwas the greatest sight you ever saw. "

"Fakes, all rank fakes!" snorted Lil Artha; "every one of those boyswas a confederate of the impostor. You notice they never come to smallplaces where everybody knows everybody else, but show in cities, wherea new audience comes each night. I'd like to see a circus like that, just to laugh; but you couldn't get me to believe in hypnotism worth acent. "

"Well, then, " demanded Toby, "what do you think this man's got on Henthat he's made him do whatever he wanted, tell us that, if you can?"

"I don't know, " replied Lil Artha, promptly. 

"See?" cried Toby, exultantly, "he backs down right away. "

"There are a lot of things I don't know, " added the tall scout; "butit's my opinion that Hen's being held to that man through some kind offear. P'raps he's been made to believe he did something _terrible_, and his only hope is to skip out before the police get him. But let'swait till we find him, and then we'll know it all. "

"A sensible conclusion, " remarked Elmer, who had listened to all thetalk with considerable interest; "and as the hour is getting latesuppose we begin to settle how we're going to sleep through our firstnight in Sassafras Swamp. "

CHAPTER XI

A NIGHT ALARM

Up to then none of them had apparently bothered about figuring how theywould make themselves comfortable, so that Elmer's suggestion was likea bomb thrown into the camp. 

"I should think we had better get busy if we want to have a place tosleep on, " Landy exclaimed, for the hard ground did not appeal verymuch to the fat scout, accustomed as he was to a feather bed at home. 

"We have no blankets, remember, " said Elmer, "and that is one reasonwhy I laid out to keep the fire burning in a small way through thenight. "

"But luckily, " added Mark, who apparently had been looking around moreor less since they came ashore, "there are plenty of spruce and hemlockand fir trees close by. We can make our beds like hunters always usedto do, away back in Daniel Boone's time. "

"Every fellow will have to shift for himself, then, " said Elmer; "solet's start in and lay a foundation for a soft and fragrant bed. "

"Hay was good enough for me last night, suh!" declared the Southernboy; "but I've got a hunch I can sleep just as sound on balsam. "

"Hemlock for mine every time!" announced Lil Artha. 

Then there was a bustling time as the entire seven scouts started tobreak off small branches and twigs from the adjacent trees, laying themin piles until it looked as though they had secured enough for theirpurpose. 

The beds were arranged in something like a circle around the fire, andacting on the advice of Elmer, who had been on the cattle range andknew what was right, each sleeper expected to keep his feet toward thefire. 

"Looks a heap like a big cart-wheel, " observed Lil Artha. 

"The fire is the hub, and each scout a spoke, that's right, suh, " Chatzagreed. 

Landy acted as though he would never get enough of the fragrant browse. Long after the others had stopped gathering it, he continued. Whenthey joked him about being greedy when there was no price to pay, hehad an answer ready. 

"I'm a whole lot heavier than anybody else, don't you know?" he toldthem. "And on that account I ought to have a higher pile under me. Besides, I always did like to gather things in. "

"We'll remember that, Landy, " threatened Lil Artha, "the next time weneed a big supply of firewood. You've fixed it up good and tight, andyou'll find us the most obliging lot of scouts east of the Rockies. "

After considerable fussing and joshing, they managed finally to get"fixed. " As none of them had slept too soundly on the preceding night, owing to their strange environment, and the wild alarm that soundedwhen Johnny's chicken-thief trap was sprung, the boys were both wearyand drowsy. 

Elmer was really the last to drop off, and he smiled as he raised hishead to glance around at the stretched-out figures of his six chums. Some were breathing pretty loud, but Elmer could forgive that, and sohe also gave himself up to indulging in refreshing slumber. 

He was awakened by a horrible crash that made him instantly sit up. Other figures were bobbing up all around the smouldering camp fire. From the condition of this latter, Elmer knew that he must have beenasleep much more than an hour. 

"What happened?" gasped Landy the first thing, for he was digging hisfat knuckles into his heavy eyes as though trying to rout the last atomof drowsiness from them. 

"It was me, " replied Lil Artha, promptly; "I fired my gun!"

"What at?" demanded Elmer, thrilled in spite of himself. 

"A creeping man!" came the astounding answer. 

"Wow! what's all that, Lil Artha?" Toby exclaimed; "you must have beendreaming, and did it in your sleep. It's a good thing none of ushappened to be in range of your old Marlin scatter-gun, that's all. "

"Rats! I tell you I was wide awake, and sitting up when I fired, "insisted the tall scout. 

Of course, by this time all were on their feet, for the excitement hadgripped hold of them. Elmer realized that Lil Artha was speakingearnestly, and showing no symptoms of having played a practical joke. 

"Now tell us all about it, Lil Artha, " he commanded. 

"Why, it was about thisaway, " said the other, obediently. "I happenedto wake up and felt a bit thirsty, so I sat up thinking I'd crawl overto our big jug of fresh water and take a swig. But just as I sat up Isaw something moving over in the bushes about twenty-five feet away. Yes, sir, and the fire picked up just then so I could make out whatlooked mighty like a man peeking at me through the same bushes--factis, I _know_ that's what it was, and nothing else. "

"Well, what did you do then?" asked the patrol leader. 

"I always keep my faithful Marlin handy when I sleep out in the woods, you remember, Elmer, " continued the other, with a touch of boyish pridein his voice; "so all I had to do was to grab up the gun and blaze awayas quick as I could throw the same to my shoulder. "

Elmer caught his arm in a fast grip. 

"Not aiming at a man in the bushes only twenty-five feet away, LilArtha--don't tell me you were silly enough to do that?" he asked, somewhat hoarsely. 

The tall scout chuckled, and Elmer's fears were instantly dissipated. 

"I'm not a fool, Elmer, " he said, loftily. "I aimed away up in theair, and shot to scare not to hurt!"

"Good enough, Lil Artha, " the scout master went on to say in a relievedtone; "I couldn't believe you'd be so reckless. A charge of bird shotat that distance goes like a bullet, because it hasn't a chance toscatter. "

It was apparently Toby's turn to appear skeptical now. 

"Huh! I s'pose he lit out then like a streak, after you'd wasted agood charge of shot in the air, and knocked leaves from the branches oftrees--is that what you want us to believe, Lil Artha?"

"Didn't you hear the row he made rushing away?" demanded the other, severely; "but then all of you started talking at once, and I guess youdidn't take much notice. "

"I heard some sort of noise off that way, " asserted Elmer, pointing. 

"Correct, Elmer, for that's where he was kneeling, right over there inthose thick bushes. You see I mightn't have noticed him at all only hehappened to move just when a little flame shot up along that piece ofpartly burned wood. "

"Oh! I admit that you may have seen _something_, " persisted Toby; "butthe chances are ten to one it was a white-faced heifer that had hit onour camp, and was looking to see who and what we were. We happen toknow there's a stock farm not a great ways off, and I reckon their cowsget into the swamp once in so often. "

"Think you've laid it down pretty pat, don't you?" sneered Lil Artha;"but I'm going to show you where you're away off your base. Guess I'vegot eyes, and know a human from a white-faced heifer. Watch my smoke, that's all. "

With that the indignant scout handed his gun to Chatz, and steppingover to the fire picked up the half-burned brand which he had mentionedbefore. This Lil Artha whirled briskly around his head several timesuntil he had it crackling and taking fire afresh, so that it promisedto make a very fair torch, if used for only a brief time. 

Elmer made no objections to the programme. Indeed, he was deeplyinterested in the outcome, whatever it might prove to be. 

After having made sure of sufficient light, Lil Artha boldly strodedirectly toward the spot he had indicated as the scene of thenear-tragedy. 

"Go slow, Lil Artha, " warned cautious Landy; "he might be laying foryou there. Keep him covered, Chatz, with the gun, won't you?"

"Oh! give us a rest, Landy; didn't I tell you he hoofed it like funafter that shot gave him a scare? Who's afraid?"

With that Lil Artha reached the bushes indicated, and the others wereclose on his heels, every fellow eager to find out whether what he hadtold them was in fact true, or if the apparition had only been afigment of Lil Artha's imagination, the tail-end, as it were, of astirring dream. 

Bending down, the long-legged scout began to scan the ground. Hisdiscoveries started almost immediately, as his excited words announced:

"Here's where he pushed back the brush, as you c'n see for yourselves. Yes, and there's aplenty of footprints besides. Looky where he kneltdown, because here's the mark of his knees as plain as anything. Nowwhat do you say, Toby Jones? Is the laugh on me, after all?"

Toby had to confess that it did not look that way. 

"Oh! I'm ready to own up you did see a man snooping around our camp, Lil Artha, " he confessed, frankly; "and when you let fly with that loadhe lit out like all possessed. Elmer, of course the chances are it was_that man_, don't you think?"

"We know of no other in this region, " said the patrol leader. "He musthave discovered our fire, and was creeping up when our vigilant comradesaw him, meaning to steal part of our food supply. We happen to knowthey're short of grub, and now that the country is being roused againstthem this man is beginning to be more or less afraid to venture out ofthe swamp to secure another lot of fowls, or anything else along theeating line. "

"But it looks as if he came here alone, Elmer, seeing we can find onlyone set of footprints, " remarked Lil Artha. 

"Oh! mercy! I certainly hope now he hasn't done anything _ter_rible toour chum, Hen Condit, " quavered Landy, in a panic. 

"There's no reason why we should believe such a thing, " announcedElmer, decidedly; "we've already agreed that he possesses some sort ofstrange power over poor Hen, and I suppose the boy is waiting in theircamp away from here, for the man to come back with provisions. "

They walked back and the fire was revived, for since no one felt justlike trying to sleep again they concluded to sit up a while and talk itall over. This attempted visit on the part of the unknown man hadapparently put a new face on the whole matter. It might change theirplans considerably, too, some of the scouts feared. 

"I don't see why that should be, " Elmer explained. "Of course, afterthis we'll have to keep a watch every night, so as to hold him up if hetries to get away with any of our stuff. It may hurry things along inthe end. If they have little to eat, and the man is really afraid togo outside of the swamp thinking the police are waiting to arrest him, he may make up his mind to surrender to us. "

"Then you believe he knows why we're here, do you, Elmer?" demandedToby. 

"It seems possible, although, of course, we have to jump atconclusions, because we really don't know, " came the answer. 

"Whew! but this is all a dark mystery, " confessed Landy; "and I neverwas much account at guessing the answer to riddles. Who is this man;what is he holding over Hen Condit's head; why should our chum do thatawful thing, and then leave such a silly letter behind to convicthimself? I'm all in a whirl, and if anybody can straighten me out I'dbe a heap obliged. "

Apparently, nobody could, at least there was no effort made in thatdirection. In fact, to tell the truth, all the boys felt that theywere groping in the gloom, and even their best guesses had only aslender foundation. 

"We've enlisted in the war, though, " said Lil Artha, grimly, "and wewon't be kept back by any little thing. If that chap comes snoopingaround any more he stands a mighty good chance of getting hurt, that'sall I'm going to say about it. "

"And we'll run across Hen, sooner or later, you can put that in yourpipe and smoke it, " asserted Toby Jones, firmly. 

When they had discussed the subject from every side, without picking upmuch additional information worth while, the boys began to feel sleepyagain. So Elmer told them off in watches, two scouts being assigned toduty at a time. Landy was left out, because he was the odd fellow, andperhaps for other obvious reasons. 

He pretended to be quite indignant over the slight, and vowed that hewould certainly sit up through one of the watches with the pair whoseturn it happened to be. But none of them took his threats seriously, because they knew full well when Landy Smith once got asleep itrequired something like a young earthquake to arouse him. Elmer hardlyanticipated another visit from the mysterious unknown that night. Hefancied the fellow must have imagined Lil Artha really shot point-blankat him, and that it was only his good luck which enabled him to escapedisaster. 

Being too good a scout to take unnecessary chances, and not wishing tolose the main part of such supplies as they had fetched along forseveral days' use, the patrol leader took all due precautions. 

The fire was kept up the balance of the night in the bargain, for theyfelt as though the illumination helped to guard them. Completedarkness might have tempted a raiding thief to try again, while hewould be afraid to attempt such a risky move while the flames crackledand lighted up the immediate surroundings. 

After all, nothing happened to disturb them. The sentries stuckdiligently to their duties, and changed at the time appointed. Thishad been laid out by Elmer, as the sky had cleared and the stars couldbe plainly seen in places. He figured time from the position ofcertain bright planets, and their setting would mean the differentchanges in guard mount. Scouts who have been in camp have learnedthese methods of telling time by the use of the heavenly watch, and fewof them after once mastering the interesting method find a need forIngersols. 

When daylight sifted in through the treetops overhead, the boys gavesigns of arousing. Landy, of course, was the last to awaken, and heprofessed to be quite heart-broken because no one had called him intime to help stand out that watch. The gleam of humor in his eyes, however, told Elmer that the fat boy was not quite so much disappointedas he made out to be. In fact, the patrol leader was beginning to fearthat Landy had latterly shown signs of developing a new trait in hiscomposition, and started to play the part of a deceiver, in return forconstant badgering on the part of his fun-loving mates. 

It was while they were eating breakfast that Elmer propounded a newscheme, and after placing it before his comrades asked them what theiropinions were. 

"The question now is, " was what he said, seriously, "whether we mean tokeep on poling our skiff along the waterways; or shouldering our packstake the shore from now on; and as our rule always has been, majorityvotes carry the day. "

CHAPTER XII

THE VALUE OF SCOUTCRAFT

"But that old skiff suits me all right, " objected Landy, who did notparticularly fancy shouldering his pack, to tramp through brush andover marshy tracts of land, such as must be their portion. 

"Why ought we make a change, Elmer?" asked Ted, also unable to graspthe meaning of this new move. 

Not so Lil Artha, who was quick to see things, especially when somesuggestion on the part of the scout-master was concerned. 

"Why, what ails you fellows?" he exclaimed, scornfully, as became onepossessed of superior brains; "don't you understand my sighting thatman last night alters the whole business? Now, there's no need ofhunting a needle in a haystack, for we've got a real trail to followup. "

"That's right, suh, and scouts ought to be able to accomplish thetask, " Chatz remarked in his superior way, which, however, everybodyknew was only skin-deep, the result of his Southern birth and training, for he was a splendid fellow at heart, and well liked. 

"What about the skiffs then, if we abandon the same?" asked Toby. 

"Oh! we'll mark the place, and Johnny can easily find his property whenwe're paying him five dollars for their use, " said Lil Artha, lightly. "And boys, better make a start with those packs right now. "

Landy sighed heavily, and seeing there was no escape he started tocarry out the suggestion of the tall scout. His lack of ambition wasso noticeable that Lil Artha could not resist the temptation to take ashot at him. 

"I was just thinking, fellows, " he went on, maliciously, "that Landy'sgoing to play out on us, and give no end of trouble; so we might leavehim here to watch the boats while we're gone. "

"What! me stay here, and starve to death?" ejaculated Landy, commencingto put considerably more vigor into his labor; "I guess not, if I knowmyself, and I think I do. "

"Oh! for that matter we'd let you have some grub, " continued thegenerous Lil Artha; "enough for one full meal anyway. "

"No thank you, not any in mine. I'm going where the rest do, make upyour mind to that. If the old boats have to be watched stay yourself, Lil Artha, that's all. You couldn't coax or hire me to remain alone asingle night in this awful swamp, not if you tried till doomsday. Ilike company, and if I have to I c'n even put up with you as a steady, Lil Artha. Now that'll do for you. It isn't to be considered for asecond. "

Of course, Lil Artha was only having a little fun, because there was nothought of leaving anybody behind to stand guard over the two abandonedskiffs; and least of all would Elmer have dreamed of appointing the fatand timid scout for such a duty. 

When deciding on such a radical change in their plans, Elmer did notforget that it might also be well for them to conceal the two boats. Should the man they were hunting chance to come upon the skiffs hemight think it good policy to smash in the planks to such an extentthat they would be useless for further voyaging; and possibly thescouts would be glad to get out of the swamp by the same means they hadtaken when entering. 

"First of all, let's hide the boats somewhere, " he suggested. "They'repretty heavy, of course, but seven of us ought to be able to carrythem, one at a time. "

"It needn't be for far either, " Lil Artha assured them, "because here'sa jimdandy place close by. Everybody on the job, and see what you canlift. "

After all it was nothing to speak of, for the two skiffs were easilyhandled, and nicely concealed from view. When the boys had removed alltraces of their passage, anyone might walk by within five feet of thepatch of bushes and never suspect what lay there so neatly hidden. 

"There, that job's done, " said Elmer; "now finish packing, and we'll beoff. "

Landy hurried now. He had a lingering fear that there might be more inthat obscure threat made by Lil Artha of desertion on their part thanappeared on the surface. The more he considered being left alone inthat dreary swamp the faster Landy's fingers flew. He also kept a waryeye on the tall scout, and had Lil Artha shown any intention ofhurrying off he would have surely found Landy tagging at his heels, whether he had his pack or not. 

Meanwhile, Elmer, having quickly arranged his possessions, because oflong familiarity in the packing line, had gone over once more to thebush patch where on the preceding night Lil Artha had seen thatsuspicious lurker. 

Of course, it was Elmer's intention to examine the tracks left by themysterious visitor, and see whether it would be possible for them topick up the trail. 

He was, of course, taking it for granted that the party must have beenthe same man they had been hunting ever since reaching the swamp. Sofar as Elmer could say, his footprints resembled those they had seenwith Hen's, although there was really nothing remarkable about them todistinguish the indentations above all others. 

Elmer knew that they took certain chances in figuring this way. Afterall this man may have been the farmer who had a stock farm. Some ofhis cattle breaking bounds would likely enough wander into the swamp, and in looking for the strays perhaps he had discovered the smoulderingfire. 

As tramps, and possibly bad men as well, sometimes hid in the depths ofswamps, the cautious cattle-raiser may have been crawling up to findout the truth when that sudden shot frightened him, so that he had runwildly away. 

Well, no matter which of these two solutions to the mystery proved tobe the correct one, Elmer meant to try and come upon the party whosetrail now lay before him. He still favored the original idea, and, infact, never bothered mentioning the other speculation to his comrades. 

All of them being ready they set out. Elmer and Lil Artha led the van, for they were recognized as the best equipped scouts in the Wolf Patrolwhen it came to a question of trailing. What Lil Artha lacked inactual experience, he partly made up for in his pertinacity, as well ashis constant practice along these lines. 

It soon became evident to them that the fugitive had not thought itworth while to try and hide his trail at the time he fled from thecamp. That sudden shot must have given him a nervous shock, so thatall he cared about just then was to put as much distance betweenhimself and those seven khaki-clad boys as possible. The fact thatthey carried weapons and would not hesitate to use their firearms musthave convinced him it was a risky thing to hang around that region anylonger. 

For half an hour the boys moved on. Sometimes it was at a fair walk, and then again when the trail grew fainter so that those at the head ofthe column were compelled to exercise all of their knowledge in orderto make sure progress, things slackened more or less. 

The boys had been warned not to make any unnecessary noise. Talkingsave in the lowest of whispers was strictly tabooed, and even at thatElmer did not encourage any conversation. They also had to take careof their feet, and not press their weight upon some stick that wouldbreak with a loud snap. Even such small things have spoiled well-laidplans before now, and trackers, whether of wild beasts of humanfugitives, cannot be too careful. 

If Landy puffed a little the other made no objection, since he tookcare to do it half under his breath. It was not such very easy work, though as scouts most of them enjoyed every minute of the time, beingconstantly thrilled with the expectation of suddenly coming upon a campwhere those they sought might be found, and taken by surprise. 

Lil Artha even had it all arranged in his mind just how he meant tothreaten that man with his gun, warning him savagely that it would beas much as his skin was worth to attempt to flee. 

It was in this humor that they came to a log that lay across theirpath. Here the trail ended, but, of course, such clever fellows asElmer and Lil Artha would understand a little trick like that. Thestumbling man had naturally taken to the log, passed well along to theother end, and then jumped off. 

"You take that side and I'll cover this one, " said Elmer, without theleast hesitation; "ten to one we'll get him again. "

They did, for Lil Artha quickly found the tracks once more. Theincident, however, told them that the man had begun to fear he would befollowed when morning came, since this was his first effort to bafflepursuit. 

"I'm sorry that happened, " said Elmer, softly, to his working partner;"because it's going to make our task all the harder you see. "

"Do you mean because he's begun to be afraid he'll be followed?" askedthe other. 

"That's just it, " continued the patrol leader; "if that idea gets afirm hold of him he's bound to do everything he knows how so as toleave us in the lurch. In the end he might even decide to quit theswamp, and take his chances of getting away outside. "

"Well, we don't quit at that, do we?" asked Lil Artha, with a grittingof his teeth that told of grim determination. 

Elmer looked at him and smiled. 

"We'd be a nice lot of scouts, wouldn't we, " he said, sarcastically, "if we were ready to throw up the sponge at the first sign of trouble?No, we've started on this trail, and we'll run it down if it keeps usbusy the rest of our vacation. "

"In the immortal words of General Grant while flanking Lee and drivinghim back toward Richmond, " continued the other, "'we'll fight it out onthis line if it takes all summer!' I'm glad to hear you say that, Elmer. But here we are up against it again, seems like. "

This time the fleeing man had reached a certain point, for his trackscould be plainly seen, but the trail abruptly ended. 

"It's an easy guess, " said Elmer, after a brief examination. "You cansee that he stood up on his toes here, for the indentation is heavierforward. Then, besides, look at this bark lying fresh on the ground, only a few small pieces, but scraped from the tree above us. "

"Sure thing, Elmer!" declared Lil Artha, while the others stood andwatched the actions of their comrades with the utmost curiosity, "hejust grabbed hold of that lowermost limb, gave his feet a fling againstthe trunk of the tree, and hoisted himself up yonder. "

"Then perhaps he's somewhere up there still, " suggested Landy. 

"I don't think so, " continued Elmer; "but we'll send up an expeditionto find out after we make sure that all avenues of escape are closed. My own opinion is that he passed out along some other low-hanging limb, and dropped to the ground again, perhaps thirty feet away from here. "

"Let's look and see!" cried Toby, eagerly. 

"Be careful, " warned Lil Artha, hurriedly; "for unless you step mightyfine you may cover up the prints of his shoes where he dropped down. "

Elmer had already decided just about where he would have descended fromthe tree had he been in the place of the fugitive. Lil Artha, too, seemed to have settled on the same spot for he was just at the heels ofthe leader. 

Instead of looking down, Elmer kept glancing up. It might be he wasmentally following the straddling figure along that great limb. Presently he abruptly stopped. 

"I can see signs that tell me he came this far, but they end up there, "he told his companion. "Yes, and here you see fresh leaves on theground. Look sharp, Lil Artha, and it may be your eyes will light onthe fresh trail. "

Hardly had Elmer spoken when a low but eager cry told that success hadbeen achieved. Lil Artha pointed to the mark of feet close besidethem. Undoubtedly, the fugitive had dropped once more to the ground. 

"Say, let me tell you he's a slick article, that chap, " said Toby, after they had once more made a fresh start. "I wouldn't be surprisedto learn he'd been out on the plains in his day, he seems to know somuch about Indian ways and all that. "

"But he's met his match in our scout-master, for a fact, " blusteredLandy, full of genuine admiration for the commander who had many a timeled the Wolf Patrol boys to victory over stupendous obstacles. 

"Silence everybody now, " came from Elmer, though naturally it must havegiven him a warm feeling in the region of his heart to know that thesegood chums felt so kindly toward him and were not backward inexpressing their sentiments. 

So they continued on for another stretch. The fugitive must have cometo believe that by this time he would have thrown any possible trackeroff the scent; at any rate, he tried no new game looking to bafflingpursuit. 

Gliding along like shadows the seven scouts made fair progress. Elmerwas of the opinion that at any minute now they might come upon the spotwhere the unknown had his hide-out. He had communicated his plans tothe others before this, and they all knew the parts they would beexpected to play should it come to a hold-up. 

Covered by the guns that he and Lil Artha carried, it was doubtfulwhether the man would dare take chances and try to flee. If he did andleft Hen behind him, the first thing for them to do would be to securethe boy, even if he evinced a desperate desire to avoid them. 

Somehow, Elmer himself believed they would find what they were seekingin the unusually large patch of brush that now lay ahead of them. Hecaught glimpses of the water just beyond, which proved that an arm ofthe swamp extended in this direction. 

Pushing steadily on as noiselessly as possible, they were presentlyable to part the bushes and discover a dead fire in plain sight. Theboat lay on the shore, with one plank smashed in, doubtless the resultof an accident that had wrecked the hopes of the two fugitives. 

Eagerly they surveyed the prospect, and then Lil Artha gave a grunt ofdisgust. 

"Skipped out, that's a measly shame!" he exclaimed, wrathfully. 

"But what's that white thing stuck in the crotch of the wand yonder?"demanded Toby; "looks to me like it might be some sort of communicationfrom our poor pard Hen Condit; because that's an old scout and Indianway of leaving word, you know. "

Elmer was already hurrying forward to possess himself of the message. The others watched him take it from the crotch of the stick and openthe soiled paper on which there seemed to be more or less crookedwriting in pencil. Then the patrol leader turned to his comrades, alook of satisfaction on his face. 

CHAPTER XIII

HEN CONDIT'S STRANGE MESSAGE

"Is it from Hen?" asked two or three at once, that being the allimportant fact stamped upon their minds. 

At the same time they realized just as well as anything it must be so, else Elmer would not be smiling and frowning as he deciphered themeaning of the scrawl. As all the boys knew, Hen Condit was one of thepoorest writers in the Hickory Ridge High School. It may be rememberedthat in speaking of his other note some of them brought this factforward, stating that a teacher had once declared the boy well named, since his efforts looked like "hen-tracks" on paper. 

"It's lucky that I'm able to read any sort of old writing, " remarkedElmer, not without a touch of boyish pride; "it's a gift with me, andHen sometimes came to ask me to tell him what he'd set down, for afterit got cold he couldn't well make it out himself. "

"Then you've sensed the meaning of his present communication, have you, Elmer?" questioned Mark, a little bit given to stilted language. 

"I can read it all right, " was the reply he received, "butunderstanding the gist of it is another thing. The sentences seemdisconnected, and some of them are queer. When Hen wrote this he musteither have been half out of his mind, or else he was in great fear ofsomething, or _somebody_!"

Of course, when the scout-master said this, it produced something of asensation among the other six fellows. They exchanged grave looks, while Lil Artha was seen to shake his head, and give that gun of his alittle tilt upwards, as though he now believed more than ever the timewas near at hand when he would be compelled to make some sort of use ofthe same, in order to save the kidnapped chum. 

"Please read it out to us, Elmer!" begged Landy. 

"Yeth, we're wondering what it can all be about, " added Ted Burgoyne. 

"Then listen, and please don't interrupt me until I finish, " saidElmer. "This is what Hen's written with a lead pencil on this sheet ofpaper, which I think he must have torn from a little memorandum book Ihappen to know he always carries about in his pocket. "

He held the crumpled paper closer to his eyes, for in places thewriting was rather faint, and in two particular spots Elmer had toguess at a word, for evidently a drop of something, perhaps a saltytear, had fallen on the paper, blurring the work of the lead pencilstub. 

"Boys, perhaps you'll get this--he says he counted seven and everyonewore a khaki uniform--he thinks you must be the militia--course I knowbetter--but it's no use, you just can't help me--I'm a goner, and themost miserable boy on earth--but I say on the honor of a scout I nevermeant to do it--I've just got to disappear--maybe I'll let you hearfrom me if ever I get Out West where they can't find me. Oh! what hardluck, but I have to do whatever he says, no matter what I want. I'mmeaning to leave this behind in the scout way, and don't I hope you'llfind it. There, he's calling to me to hurry, for we're going to quitthis hide-out and try to escape. I'm awful hungry, too. Better leaveme to my fate unless you can find a way to seal his lips. That's all. Hen. "

"Great Caesar!" exclaimed Lil Artha, who had hung on every word spokenby Elmer. "That proves one of two things. Either our poor pard islooney, or else he's got in the power of a rascal who controls hismind. I always knew Hen was weak in the upper story just a teentymite. Poor old chap, we've got to find him if it takes us tillChristmas. You hear me talking now!"

"Yeth, and we all thay the thame!" burst from Ted, as he doubled hisnone too expansive fists, and looked as savage as he could. 

Indeed, a hasty glance around just then would have told any observerthat this strange message, filled with despair and yearning, left byHen Condit in the crotch of a stick thrust into the ground, had renewedtheir former resolution not to give over the search until they hadeither found the missing chum or exhausted every known device lookingto success. 

"If you asked me, " said Elmer, "I'd say the answer to the riddle laybetween the two things you mention, Lil Artha. Hen is crazed almost, but it is with fear. He finds himself in the power of a brute who isusing him for his own purposes. How it's been done, of course, we canonly guess, but the boy believes he has been forced to rob hisguardian, and that a posse is searching right now for him, with theintention of putting him in jail. That explains his panic. "

"And say, he tells us right at the end of his note that he's somehungry, " Lil Artha went on to remark; "and, according to my notion, that condition is next door to being insane. Why, mebbe the poorfellow hasn't had a solitary bite for a whole day or even two of 'em. I pity him from the bottom of my heart. "

"Notice what he incidentally says near the end, " added Elmer. "'Betterleave me to my fate unless you can find a way to seal his lips. ' Thatseems to strengthen our theory, doesn't it?"

"All this mention of 'he' must stand for the unknown man who has gotHen, of course?" ventured Mark. 

"Couldn't be anybody else, " the patrol leader made answer; "in fact, Hen just now doesn't seem able to even think of any other person. "

"The fellow is no common rascal, let me tell you, suh, " Chatz declared. "He must have been some sort of professor along the lines of magic, perhaps a hypnotist who performed wonders on the stage before crowds, and then dabbled in things that the law sat down on, which landed himin the penitentiary finally. "

"When the truth comes out, Chatz, I'm positive that your theory will befound pretty near the exact facts, " affirmed Elmer. 

"But all the time we're jabbering away here, " warned Lil Artha, "remember that they're getting further and further away from us. "

"As to that, " the patrol leader assured him, "a few minutes don't makeso much difference, and it's always best to start right, so as to avoida loss of ten times as much later on by making mistakes. Then again, I'm pretty sure that man is too smart to think of trying to leaveSassafras Swamp before night comes, even if he plans to do it then. "

Somehow, this intelligence comforted the more impetuous ones. They hadsuch unlimited faith in Elmer knowing what course was best to pursuethat his judgment was accepted on its face value every time--just asthe Treasury notes of the United States Government are relied upon tobe worth their face denomination in specie. 

"About how long ago would you thay they had thkipped out of here?" Tedasked, as they still lingered, looking to the right and to the left, asthough wanting to make certain nothing valuable in the way of a cluecould have escaped their scrutiny. 

"Lil Artha, we're depending on you for that information, " suggestedElmer, although it could not be doubted that he himself was able togive a pretty good answer, for he had observed certain signs as well asthe tall scout. 

"Not more than two hours ago, I'd say, Elmer, " Lil Artha ventured, withconsiderable confidence manifested in his manner, as though if put toit he was able to muster all the evidence necessary to establish hisveracity. 

"Just about what I thought myself, " added the scout-master, with asatisfied smile. "Two heads are better than one, any day, Lil Artha, especially when they seem to work together as well as ours do. "

"Then the man didn't think to skip out right away after he got backhere, did he?" asked Landy, "because a good many hours have elapsedsince Lil Artha woke us all up with that sudden shot. "

"No, he must have slept for some time, " answered Elmer, "knowing therewasn't apt to be any sort of a pursuit in the night. Then again herelied more or less on having blinded his trail, as a man who had spentsome time in the West among Indians and cowboys would have done. Itwasn't a great while before dawn when he must have aroused poor Hen andtold him they must get away. "

"But when do you think our chum could have scribbled that message?"asked Mark. 

"Evidently, after he knew about our being within a mile of him, "replied Elmer, with a promptness that told how he had figured it allout. "I suppose the man told him about the khaki soldiers who were inthe swamp looking for them, thinking it would make Hen more frightenedthan ever; but we know he guessed the truth about our being hiscomrades of the Wolf Patrol. "

"Then, believing he would be hurried off again, sooner or later, " Markcontinued, "he took the first chance he had to write that message. Hemust have fixed it in that split stick, and just as they were leavinghere stuck the wand in the ground, scout fashion. "

"We seem to have it all sized up to a dot by now, " remarked the leader, preparing to move; "and as there isn't anything else for us to do here, suppose we get busy on the trail again, Lil Artha?"

"I'm your chicken, and you can depend on me when it comes to scentingout a trail, Elmer. Wonder if that man will be up to any more highjinks in the way of walking along logs, climbing trees, and suchtricks? We'll keep a good lookout for such capers, believe me. "

They were soon moving along, the two trackers in the van as before, with others trailing after. Landy brought up the rear, though Markkept a careful eye on him most of the time, as though rather skepticalabout his ability to make progress without getting into some sort oftrouble. 

It would be just like clumsy Landy to trip, and make a headlong plungeinto the brown tamarack water of the swamp just when he should havebeen most careful. They had known him to do such things more than afew times in the past; and on this account Mark always made it a pointto drop back and keep him company when he imagined the situation becameacute. 

From the rapid manner in which Lil Artha and Elmer picked up the trailit was plainly evident that so far the unknown fugitive from justicehad not bothered resorting to any of his tricks looking to blinding thetracks. 

He had been compelled to wait for daylight before trying to movethrough the swamp, because progress would have been next door toimpossible at night time unless one were familiar with the way, or elsecarried a lantern. Neither of these happened to be within his scope, and so he had to depend upon daylight. 

Of course, none of the boys knew what sort of a reception they mightexpect when finally they overtook the man they were following. Whatlittle they could gather from various sources inclined them to believehe must be a pretty desperate sort of customer. The occasional mentionof him in that strange message left by Hen was along those very lines. 

He might be armed for all they knew. Such criminals usually are, though in this case it might be otherwise, Elmer had told them, sincehe believed the man had been a prisoner making his escape when first hestruck Sassafras Swamp, and concluded to have his hide-out in itsdepths. 

Still Lil Artha was not for taking too many chances. As he movedalong, the tall scout managed to keep that reliable gun of his inposition for quick use, should an occasion arise calling for service. 

He also tried to glance ahead from time to time, in hopes of locatingany suspicious ambuscade. A sudden attack that would leave himself andElmer weaponless might throw the entire party into a state ofhelplessness, which would always reflect on their ability as scouts. 

They spent half an hour in this fashion, though the trail wound in andout so much that at the end of that time they could hardly have beenmore than a quarter of a mile away from the late camp of the fugitives. 

"Did you hear that, Elmer?" whispered Lil Artha, suddenly, throwing outa hand so as to clutch the other's arm; while everyone became rigidwith suspense. 

"It certainly sounded like a cough, " admitted the other. 

"But I'm dead certain it wasn't from in front of us, but over to theleft, which would be some queer, " muttered the tall tracker, staring inthe quarter which he now indicated with outstretched finger. 

"I thought the same, Lil Artha, " Elmer told him; "but then this trailtwists and turns so much it might get around that way easy enough. "

"Of course it might, Elmer. "

"All we can do is to keep going along as we are, and some of us watchfor signs of Hen and the man over yonder, " added the scout-master. 

"Then you don't think it'd pay to strike out to the left?" questionedthe other, who seemed to be hesitating between two opinions. 

"We would be silly to quit a sure thing for an uncertainty, " saidElmer, decidedly. "After all our ears may have deceived us, and itmight have only been some queer grunt of a frog, a heron fishing forminnows, or even a muskrat choking over his dinner. No, we must keepon as we're going, that's sure. "

Lil Artha looked relieved. After all, it pleased the tall scout tohave someone decide a puzzling question like this for him. Responsibility weighs heavy on the shoulders of many even capable boys, and they are only too glad to be able to shift it on occasion. 

"Just as you say, Elmer, and I reckon you're quite right, too, " alwaysin a low, sibilant tone that would not carry further than a dozen yardsat the most. 

They again turned to take up the trail, which just at that pointhappened to run through some bushes coming up to their hips. It waseasy to see where those ahead of them had brushed through, for they hadtrampled down the lush grass, and brushed aside the tender branches ofthe bushes. 

Elmer had even bent over to take a good look down at the ground beforesetting forth when he heard Toby Jones give a sudden, violent hiss. 

Now, that was a well-known sign among the boys of the Wolf Patrol, andwhich had served them in good stead many a time in the past. Heardunder such thrilling conditions, it could mean only one thing; Toby haddiscovered some sort of danger, and was warning his comrades in orderthat they might drop down out of sight. 

Every fellow seemed to understand this instantly, for as though theywere all moved by the same controlling influence, they allowedthemselves to sink on their knees amidst the friendly bushes thatafforded such splendid shelter. Even as Elmer dropped thus he had shota quick glance toward the left, from which that seeming cough had come, and saw something that electrified him. 

CHAPTER XIV

BOUND TO SUCCEED

No wonder the young scout-master was surprised and thrilled by what hesaw as he crouched there amidst the bushes, and stared over their tops. 

Not more than sixty or seventy yards away at the most there appeared tobe a violent commotion among another bunch of brush, as though a numberof unseen parties might be forcing their way through the obstruction. 

Even as Elmer, and his chums as well, looked, a figure burst out, quickly followed by a second, a third, and then still more, until inall there were six in the queer procession that seemed to be headingdirectly for the late hide-out of the swamp fugitives. 

What startled the boys most of all was the fact that they knew severalof those who went to make up that strange company. First, there wasJohnny Spreen, the bound boy at the Trotter farm, and who had giventhem so many points concerning the swamp he knew so well. 

Just behind Johnny walked a consequential looking personage dressed ina blue uniform, and, with a glittering shield fastened on his leftbreast. Well did the Hickory Ridge boys know the Chief of Police intheir own town. Behind him came a second and a third man, also inuniform, whom they knew to be local "cops;" while the next had theappearance of having been impressed into the posse; then at the tailend of the procession came Farmer Trotter, carrying an old musket thatmay have done duty in the Civil War, half a century back, for it lookedlike a fossil. 

"Gosh!"

That was Lil Artha "letting off steam, " as he would have termed it; buthe uttered his favorite expression so very low that there was not theslightest danger of it's being overheard. 

"Don't wink an eyelash if you can help it, fellows, " whispered Elmer, who apparently, for reasons of his own, did not want the posse to knowof their presence so near by. 

Of course, the others instantly knew what he meant, and if they hadbeen made of stone it is doubtful whether they could have maintained amore rigid attitude as they crouched there in the bushes. 

Fortunately, all of the posse seemed to be looking ahead. Perhaps theyhad been warned by the bound boy that the place to which he was takingthem was not very far distant, which would account for their eagerness. 

So they passed on. Elmer kept whispering to his followers not to makea move unless it was to drop down flat on their faces. Apparently, noteven Landy felt inclined to do this. As long as the Chief and hisgallant posse remained in sight everyone crouched there and took it outin staring. 

Then when even Farmer Trotter had been swallowed up in the scrub, sighsmight have been heard arising from some of the boys' lips, as thoughthey were relieved to have the suspense ended. 

"Never glimpsed us!" remarked Mark, triumphantly. 

"Blind as bats in the day-time!" added Landy. 

"They didn't happen to turn this way, " said Elmer; "and since you allkept so still I don't believe they'd have noticed us even if they hadlooked. I want to say it was well done, boys. "

"That was Johnny Spreen, wasn't it?" asked Landy, as though he wantedto have someone corroborate what his own eyes had told him. 

"It certainly was, " said Lil Artha. "The farmer wouldn't let him comewith us, but I guess the Chief just swore them both into his posse, andthen they had to come or run up against the law. A sheriff or a policeChief can do that, you understand; no matter whether a man wants toserve or not, he's got to. "

"And you all noticed, I reckon, " remarked Chatz, "that they were makingstraight fo' the hide-out where Hen and that man spent the night. Thatshows Johnny must have figured out after we left him that it would be agood place for hiding. What do you all say about it?"

"Oh! there's no question but what you're correct, old top!" Lil Arthatold him in his queer way. "But I'm real tickled because Elmer didn'ttake a notion to hail the Chief, and take him in on our deal. "

Elmer laughed at that. 

"It wasn't any 'Hail to the Chief' this time, you see, Lil Artha, " heremarked. "We have borne the heat and burden of the day, and it wasn'tright that that crowd, coming in at the tail end of the chase, shouldshare alike with us. Besides, you remember we decided we wanted to getat poor Hen _before_ the law could lay a hand on him. "

"So we did, " muttered Chatz. 

"But Elmer, " objected Toby, "supposing they get to that place, and findthe birds flown, don't you reckon they'll notice that we've been there?"

"So far as the Chief and his men go, " returned the other, "I wouldn'tbelieve them capable of finding out anything except that the camp wasempty. But all the same I suppose they will know about us. "

"Meaning that Johnny will see our tracks, and read the story there; isthat it, Elmer?" queried Lil Artha, quick to catch on to the meaning ofthe patrol leader's words. 

"Yes, Johnny will tell, because he's been hunting furs so long that heknows a heap about following tracks. When he finds out there were alot of boys in the camp he'll guess we discovered the place. "

"Mebbe they'll take it for granted we caught the birds, and be ready tothrow up the game then and there?" suggested Toby. 

"Hardly that, " advised Elmer; "Johnny ought to be able to tell themdifferent. He would soon learn after looking things over that all ourtracks were made _after_ those of the man, when we left the camp. Yousee that must tell him we were pursuing the fellow. I put myself inJohnny's place; and that's how I believe I'd figure it out. "

"A good way to do, too, believe me, " said Mark. 

"Then in that case, " Lil Artha continued, "they'll be coming alongafter us before a great while. Whew! if this doesn't beat anything Iever took part in. It's a continuous procession, boys, winding in andout through the high lands of old Sassafras Swamp--first Hen and theman who controls his actions; then seven bold scouts of the WolfPatrol; and finally our big puffball of a Chief and his valiant possebringing up the rear. "

"But we don't want them to overtake us, do we?" asked Landy, actuallymeaning to hint that they had better be moving on, which was aremarkable thing to enter the head of the Smith boy, always the firstto desire a halt. 

"We do not, " Lil Artha informed him, plainly, "and to prevent such ahorrible catastrophe from happening we expect to be on the jump againright away, doubling our pace it may be, Landy. The worst is yet tocome, remember. "

"Huh! you can't scare me any, Lil Artha, " the fat scout told histormentor; for he knew very well that with a trail to follow they couldhardly proceed any more rapidly than before. 

Progress was immediately resumed. They went forward in about the samemanner as before, with Mark keeping Landy company at the tail-end ofthe procession. The situation was now growing more and more serious, and much depended on whether they could manage to overtake thefugitives before night came on. A whole day's tramping through theintricate recesses of the swamp, just as the dry land afforded footing, was a monumental task that must try the nerve of the best of them; andLandy, if not one or two others, would be apt to drop out of the rankslong before sunset came. 

Elmer, however, was hopeful that they must overtake those they chasedlong before such utter weariness seized upon them. He knew that HenCondit himself, although no weakling, could not stand hours upon hoursof continual walking, especially when it consisted of such uncertainfooting as fell to their portion under those conditions. 

Complete exhaustion then might compel Hen to beg his companion toeither leave him or else order a halt. One way or the other suited thescouts just as well, so long as they overtook Hen. 

When Landy found that he was puffing from his exertions he took anextra grip on himself and would not listen to Lil Artha when the tallscout proposed that he drop out. 

"All you have to do is to squat where we leave you, Landy, " the otherhad told him in a wheedling way; "and after we're done our businesswe'll sure promise to look you up again, won't we, Elmer?"

"Nothing doing, " snapped Landy, decisively; "what d'ye take me for, LilArtha, to desert my poor chum Hen when he needs help so much? I'm asticker I want you to know. Adhesive plasters haven't got anything onme when it comes to standing by you through thick and thin. No usewasting your breath; save it for your work, say I!"

"Let him be, Lil Artha, " said the patrol leader, hardly knowing whetherit was fidelity to a fellow-scout in distress that influenced Landy, ora dreadful fear lest he find himself left alone in the midst of thedismal swamp. 

"Why yes, " added Mark, "Landy is doing all right, even if he doeswheeze more'n is good for him. But he hasn't stumbled more than sixtimes in the last half hour, which is some record for Landy, youunderstand, follows [Transcriber's note: fellows?]. "

Apparently, Landy took this as a great compliment, for his perspiringface was set in a grin of triumph as he thrust out his tongue at LilArtha, as much as to say:

"See, Mister Smarty, others appreciate my good qualities if you don't. So just mind your own business, and leave me alone to attend to mine. I'll get there or burst a blood-vessel trying. That's the Smith natureevery time. "

Having heard Landy talk in this strain many a time the rest of thescouts could easily put these expressions in his mouth, though he wastoo short of breath just then to give them utterance; looks, however, often count more than mere words. 

They had been making splendid progress all this while, and must havecovered considerable distance since the time when they watched theofficial posse wind its way past their hiding-place. 

Lil Artha and Elmer had once or twice held a low consultation aftermaking an examination of the tracks they were following. 

The others, listening to what the leaders said, found they werecomparing notes, and that it appeared to be the opinion of both Hen wasgetting pretty tired. This they could make out in various ways knownto scouts who had made a business of reading the story to be found intracks. 

"You can see how uneven Hen walks most of the time, " said Lil Artha;"he wobbles even worse than Landy here, which goes to show he's gettingpretty tuckered out. Can you blame the poor fellow when p'raps he'sweak from hunger? If any of us had to go without a bite to eat all daywe'd get wobbly on our pins, too. "

There was no dissenting voice raised to this assertion; eating is soessential to the average boy that nothing on earth can compensate for adearth of food at the regular intervals. 

"Then we saw several places where Hen had sat down to rest, youremember, " Elmer reminded the other. 

"Yes, and the last time it struck us both that the man had yanked himto his feet again by main force; which I take it wasn't as nice andkind of that bully as you might expect, " Lil Artha went on to say. 

"Oh! the coward!" Chatz was heard to growl, and the look on his face ashe said those few words told what he meant to do if ever theopportunity came his way to strike a blow for the abducted chum. 

Filled with renewed determination after this little conference, theyonce more took up their task. Lil Artha likened their progress to theways of the Siberian wolf that follows its quarry day and night untilin the end its very persistence wins the victory. 

"We're in this to the finish, " he was fond of saying whenever he hadthe chance, "and sooner or later we'll get him. The boys of the WolfPatrol mean to stick to their name, and run the prey to the earth. Hejust can't get away nohow. All we've got to do is to keep moving, andbelieve the game is going to come our way. Everybody put his best footforward again. It's for the honor of the patrol, boys, that we gethold of Hen Condit before the Chief takes him in. "

It was now two hours and more since they had started on this new trail. Before this time no doubt the posse must have reached the desertedhide-out, and learned that the birds had flown. Yes, it was evenpossible that they were coming along the plain trail the seven scoutshad left behind them. 

Figuring then that the bulky Chief and his men would not exceed theirown rate of progress, they could count on almost two full hours'advantage over the others. That surely ought to be an abundance oftime in which to carry out their plans, granting that they couldovertake the fugitives. 

Elmer had again cautioned them to keep still. The swamp was verysilent where they now found themselves, and sounds could be carried tosome distance under such conditions. 

Landy was getting on fairly well, considering a number of things thathe had to contend with. Indeed, Elmer meant to tell him as much whenhe had the chance; for he felt that the stout scout deservedencouragement. What might seem trifles to some of the others assumedthe aspect of mountains in the eyes of one who was not gifted withagility by Nature, and had to carry a far greater weight with him thanany of his mates were obliged to. 

But here was Lil Artha coming to a full stop again. Looking at him theothers found that the tracker did not seem to be bending over toexamine the trail more closely, as had occurred many times before. 

On the contrary, Lil Artha was now raising his head in an expectantattitude. Landy even conjectured that he must be observing awoodpecker boring a hole in some rotten tree-top, and was about to tryand follow the supposed line of vision on the part of Lil Artha when heheard him say something. 

It was only a brief sentence, but it meant worlds to those tired trailfollowers. 

"I smell smoke--wood smoke at that!" was what Lil Artha hissed, as hecontinued to sniff vigorously. 

CHAPTER XV

WOLF PATROL PLUCK WINS

It was no time for talking, and everyone realized that fact. If theywere close enough to the fugitives to catch the scent of burning wood, the camp could not be far away. 

Elmer and Lil Artha seemed to hit upon the same idea at the same time. They took note of the prevailing direction of the wind, and guessedthat the fire must be in the quarter from which it was blowing. Thatwas not exactly straight ahead, but a little to the left. 

Making motions to indicate extreme caution, Elmer led the way. Now wasthe time for the scouts of the Wolf Patrol to prove the value of theireducation. Many times in the past had they practiced this very samedifficult feat of creeping up on the camp of an unsuspecting enemy, just as a bunch of red Indians might do; and what they had learnedunder those conditions was going to prove of practical value to themnow. 

No one tried to hurry. What was the use, when those they followed hadcome to a halt, and there was no longer any need of haste?

So they went on yard by yard, straining their vision all the while inhopes of glimpsing the column of smoke, or the crackling flames ahead. In making this advance they were careful to creep along as close to theground as possible. This was an easy matter for a thin fellow like LilArtha, but to stout Landy it was quite a different task, though hesucceeded in flattening himself out wonderfully well, all thingsconsidered. 

When finally smoke was discovered, their caution increased, if such athing were possible. Fortunately, the nature of the ground provedfavorable to such work as creeping, there being a certain amount ofgrass that might be used to conceal their movements. 

Pretty soon those in the advance could catch sight of a figure seatedon the edge of the bank at a place where the water extended. Back ofhim the fire smouldered, as though feeding on wood that had been thrownupon it some time before. 

It was Hen Condit!

Imagine the thrill that passed through Elmer, Lil Artha and those otherfellows when they made this out to be a fact. Pretty soon as theylooked they saw that the missing chum seemed to be engaged inindustriously fishing, for he had a rude rod in his hand, and baitedhis hook with some worms even as they watched. 

His back was turned toward them, so there was no opportunity for thenewcomers to open negotiations with the fellow-member of the WolfPatrol even should they want to. 

And now stretching their necks a trifle more they made anotherdiscovery. The man in the case was lying on his back, and so far asthey could tell, sound asleep. Apparently, the master could takethings easy and rest himself, but the slave must keep constantlyemployed trying to take in something calculated to satisfy their hunger. 

It made Lil Artha grind his teeth when he saw this; and Elmer had totouch him on the arm, as well as shake his head sternly in order towarn him that nothing desperate must be attempted. With victory almostin their grasp they would, indeed, be foolish to ruin things by toomuch haste. 

As motions must from this time on take the place of speech, Elmer beganto make use of a beckoning finger to tell the others what their nextmove should be. This, of course, was a further advance. They mustcontrive in some way to push closer to the camp, so that when thecrisis came, they would be in a position to thwart any move the manmight make looking to carrying Hen off with him. 

All this had been arranged beforehand, and each fellow knew exactlywhat part he was to play in the round-up. Lil Artha and Chatz had, indeed, been warned that it would be up to them to make sure Hen didnot run away, filled with a fear of the consequences should he betaken, even by his friends. 

Advancing in this careful fashion, the scouts had covered many yards, and were now almost within striking distance of the camp. It was atthis particular moment that a sudden thing happened calculated to bringmatters to a climax. 

After all that patient waiting, and rebaiting of his hook, thepersistence of the fisherman with the crooked rod was rewarded. He wasseen to give a quick jerk, and then with a mighty effort throw a fairlylarge, shining fish over his head. 

No sooner had it landed with a thump on the ground, and commenced toflop furiously, than Hen gave vent to a cry of delight, such as anyhungry boy might utter when he found himself favored with a chance tobreak his long fast. 

The sleeping man jumped to his feet as though at first he thought thepolice had found them out. Seeing the excited boy and the floppingfish, he hurried over to the spot. His first act was to strike poorHen over the head, and tell him to get busy again if he wanted a biteto eat for himself, because there was only enough in that fish to takethe edge off one person's appetite. 

Lil Artha came very nearly upsetting all Elmer's plans when he saw thisbrutal act of the man, for he started to gain his feet, and had to bepulled down by violence, shivering with excitement. 

Hen had gone back to his task again, looking thoroughly cowed anddisheartened. The man, taking the fish in his hand, held it up as ifto admire its looks; then he stepped down to the water as thoughmeaning to clean the prize without any loss of time, possibly spurredon by hunger. 

Elmer again began to advance a foot at a time, meanwhile keeping closewatch on all that was going on ahead. They had the situation well inhand, their line covering the ground, with the water cutting off escapein one quarter. 

Even without those serviceable guns the seven boys might have proventhemselves master of the game, for clubs could serve in lieu of betterweapons. As it was, Elmer felt positive things must go their way. 

Just then, Hen, in turning to reach his supply of bait, chanced to seethat line of creeping figures in khaki. The mingled expressions thatcrossed his face told what a flutter the sight must have brought to hisheart. 

Elmer instantly put a finger on his lips, and made a gesture warningHen not to betray them. Perhaps it was just as well, for the poorfellow seemed on the point of crying out in his mixture of joy andfear. He did succeed in making some sort of sound that attracted theattention of the man, who raised his head to growl:

"What ails you now, you young fool? I'm almost sorry I went to thebother of trying to save you from the clutch of the law. What are youcomplaining about, I'd like to know? Get another fish, if you expectto stave off your hunger; the first of the spoils always goes to theboss. "

"I caught my finger on the hook, that's all, Joe, " stammered Hen, perhaps telling the truth, too, for in his sudden shock of excitementat seeing his chums he could very well have done such a thing. 

"Well, suck it, and get busy doing your work, that's all, while I cookthis fish, and perhaps another you may take. Yes, and while you'reabout it just pray that my appetite will be stayed with this one; forif it isn't, you'll have a small chance for a bite unless they come infaster than they've been doing. "

Well, the crisis had passed, and there had been no discovery; but thenElmer was really caring very little now. He only wanted to post hisbackers a shade better so as to cut off all chance of escape, when heintended opening up the game himself by springing a surprise on the man. 

One thing he did mean to look out for, and this was a possible move onthe part of the escaped jail bird to lay hold of Hen. Such a man wouldthink first of all how he could use the boy for a shield, while he madeterms with the enemy. It was an old trick, which Elmer had known to beused with more or less success when up on that Canadian cattle ranch, where bad men were occasionally met with, who gave lots of troublebefore they were rounded up. 

Two, three minutes passed. 

Elmer did not believe it would be good policy for them to continue toadvance any further. He did not wish to get so close to the man thatthe other could by a sudden rush reach them before they were able to doanything. 

By a low hiss he warned his comrades that the critical time hadarrived, when every scout would be expected to do his duty. 

Then slowly he got up, first on his knees, and then on his feet. Everyfellow duplicated his move, so that the entire seven were now standingthere, forming a line slightly inclined to resemble the new crescentmoon. 

And there was Hen Condit turning his head around to stare at them, hisface as white as the chalk they were accustomed to use upon theblackboard in school. His eyes were as round as circles, while uponhis strained countenance hope, fear, expectation, almost a dozenemotions struggled for the mastery. 

"Hello! Joe!" called out Elmer, without the slightest warning. 

Up rose the head of the man who was busy cleaning the fish. When hesaw those seven khaki-clad figures standing there, with two shotgunsbearing directly on his person, he was to all appearances struck dumbfor the moment. His eyes stared and his mouth fell open. Fish andknife dropped from his nerveless hands. 

"Caught, by thunder! and by a bunch of boys at that!"

These words burst from his lips, after which he started to use somepretty strong language until Elmer put his foot down sternly. 

"Stop that kind of talk, Joe!" he ordered. "We've got you rounded up, and there's no use kicking. If you make a move to run, or jump thisway, we'll fill you full of bird-shot, do you hear?"

"Both barrels in the bargain, Joseph, mind you!" added Lil Artha, stillburning with indignation as he recollected how they had seen the beastcuff poor Hen; and perhaps deep down in his boyish heart actuallyhoping the other might take a notion to try and get away, when theywould be justified in peppering him, after he had run possibly thirtyor forty yards. 

"Oh! I guess the jig's all up with me, boys, " said the man, with alook of sheer disgust on his face. "I've had a little run for mymoney, but the stone jug seems to be yawning for me. I was a fool tobother with the kid, it seems; but when the scheme came to me at firstI thought it too fine to drop. Here's where I get paid for being asilly gump. What do you want me to do, boys? I'll obey with as muchcheerful alacrity as I can, seeing that I'm starving to death just now. "

"First of all, " said Elmer, who had it all mapped out, "lie down onyour face and put both hands behind you. We're going to tie you up, and wait for the Chief with his posse to come along. Do you get that, Joe?"

"Sure I do, and since it's Hobson's choice with me here goes. Isuppose you fellows must be Boy Scouts. I once organized a troop ofthe same, but never dreamed I'd be arrested by the khaki crowd. It'sall in a day's work, though. "

He, accordingly, stretched himself flat on the ground. When they couldsee that he had his hands held behind his back, and convenientlycrossed at the wrists, four of the boys advanced. 

"Keep your gun aimed at him, Lil Artha, " commanded the scout-master, "and if he tries any funny business let him have it in the legs. Here, Landy, you and Chatz sit on him while I secure his hands. "

The man attempted no resistance, for he realized the folly of it. Hedid groan, however, when Landy squatted down on his legs, and the otherfellows could hardly blame him for grunting. It was like a thousand ofbrick dropping from a second story building, as Lil Artha afterwardsdescribed it. 

The job was quickly and neatly dispatched, Elmer wrapping his cord manytimes around the wrists of the prisoner. By this time Joe seemed tohave recovered his nerve, and made out to consider the whole thing morein the light of a big joke than anything else. 

Meanwhile, there was Hen standing near by, and hardly knowing whetherto look delighted at seeing his cruel boss thus being tied up, or showthe dreadful fear that was gripping his soul as he contemplated whatmust follow. 

"Cheer up, Hen, old fellow, " said Toby, stepping over to grasp hishand; but to his amazement Hen immediately broke down, and began to sobas if his heart were broken. 

"You don't know the worst, that's what, " he said, plaintively. "Thatstealing the money from my uncle was bad enough, but oh! will theyreally hang me for the other? I sure didn't mean to do such a terriblething when I threw that stone and hit the tramp that day! I've had nopeace of mind ever since he told me his pal had really died. He saidhe'd keep still about it if I'd go with him, and do everything he toldme to. And I've just had to, even when I felt sick enough to want tolay me down and die. "

"What's this yarn you've been giving the boy, Joe?" demanded Elmer, sternly, as he faced the man, who with his hands tied behind his backhad been propped up against a convenient tree. 

The man looked at Elmer and then burst into a derisive laugh. 

"I knew he was a soft subject when I met him that day, " he said, "and Imade up my mind I'd work him for fair. He did throw a stone and hit afellow I was with on the head. We chased after him but he was toospeedy for us. Later on when I was all alone I set up that slick gameon him, telling him my pal had actually died, and I'd buried him in thewoods. Oh! it was almost too easy. He did just whatever I wanted himto. You'll find every cent of the money in my pocket, because I neverhad a ghost of a chance to spend any of it. That's all, son. Now youunderstand what ails the silly fool. "

Hen Condit had listened to this, at first with that look of abject painon his face. Then as the substance of the man's confession dawned uponhis mind he began to exhibit fresh interest that caused anotherexpression, that of wild hope, to swiftly take the place of despair onhis countenance. 

"Oh! do you mean then, Joe, that your pal didn't die after all?Please, oh please, tell me that, and I'll forgive you for everythingmean you've done to me!" he begged. 

"The last I saw of the tramp, " the prisoner told him, "he was settledin an empty freight car, and bound for the city. He was as frisky asever then. I'd have joined him only I didn't want to pull up broke inthe city; and I thought there ought to be some rich pickings for aclever crook around these regions. That's where I made my one bigmistake. And now I'm going to take my medicine. That's all from me, you hear. Only I say, kid, you're lucky to have such a fine lot ofchums to help you out of a bad scrape!"

CHAPTER XVI

CONCLUSION

"I can hardly believe it's true, " muttered Hen Condit, helplessly, ashe looked around him at the beaming faces of his seven loyal chums;"just seems to me as if I'd wake up and find it only a lovely dream. "

"Well, it isn't, just the same, Hen, " said Lil Artha, as he wrung theother's cold hand as though it had been a pump handle, and he thehonest milkman; "the money's been recovered, every cent of it, and likeas not there's some sort of a reward out for the recapture of this genthere, who broke jail with a pair of handcuffs on his wrists which hefiled off weeks ago up in this same swamp. And if there is, you sharewith us in that, Hen, remember. "

"But I didn't do a single thing to get him, and that wouldn't be fair!"weakly protested the relieved boy, with his arm linked in that ofElmer, upon whom he seemed to lean in this dreadful crisis of his younglife. 

"Didn't hey?" snorted Toby; "I guess you _lured him along_; then againand helped to blind his eyes while we crept noiselessly closer andcloser. Sure you deserve part of the reward, Hen, providing there isany up. "

At hearing that unique remark, the prisoner burst into a hearty laugh. Evidently, "Joe, " having made up his mind that he was going back to theclutches of the law, could enjoy a good joke as well as the next one;he was undoubtedly a reckless sort of fellow anyway. 

"That's fine for you, son, " he told Toby; "luring the rascal on is agood one. That poor kid was almost too easy for me to work, for hefell into my trap as soon as I pulled the string. Why, I felt ashamedof myself sometimes, it was so much like taking candy from the baby. But he isn't a half bad sort of a boy; and let's hope this'll be alesson to him never again to throw stones at poor tramps. They'rehuman as well as the rest of us, and have their feelings. That lump onhis head pained Weary Willie Larkins as much as it would have done Henhere. "

Having made sure that the desperate character whom they only knew asJoe could not escape, the boys built a jolly fire, and proceeded tocook something. Hen was so savagely hungry they had to lead him awaywhile the meal was in preparation, for he vowed he was dreadfullytempted to jump in and devour his food raw. 

And when a supply had been made ready, the scouts did not forget tofeed their prisoner, who certainly seemed to enjoy it very much, indeed. 

"You boys are a great bunch, " he told Lil Artha, who was looking afterhis necessities in the line of food; "and after all, I'm not sorry youwere the ones to get me, if it had to be. I'd never forgive myself ifthat fat Chief of Police down at Hickory Ridge managed to round me up, and him as ignorant about following a trail as a greenhorn. "

You see, before then the man had guessed that Elmer must have spentsome time Out West, from various things he heard mentioned. Indeed, hehad asked plainly if such were not the case, and afterwards told theyoung scout-master a few interesting things connected with his owncheckered career. 

His real name he declared would never be known, for he came of a goodfamily, which he would not wish to disgrace. He admitted that he hadhad every chance in the world to make a mark in the line of law or theministry, and had even been a professor at one time in a college; but, somehow, a love for dissipation dragged him down until finally he haddisappeared, assumed another name in a part of the country where he wasnot known, and commenced his career of vice. 

The man told the scouts to take a lesson from his blasted career, though they hardly knew whether he really meant it or, as Lil Artha wasconstrained to say, was "talking through his hat. "

The fire was kept burning, and fed with more or less green wood in thehope and expectation that the black smoke thus generated might draw thetracking posse to the scene the more rapidly. 

It was almost two hours before they arrived, which would indicate thatJohnny might not be quite as expert at following a "man trail" as someof the scouts were. 

Great was the astonishment of the Chief and his men when uponapproaching the fire by creeping up they discovered that those about itwere the eight scouts, and even recognized in the bedraggled figure ofthe last member none other than the wretched culprit, Hen Condit. 

And there, seated with his back against a tree and his hands and anklessecurely bound scout-fashion, was the man they wanted. He greetedtheir coming, and the look of amazement on the Chief's red face withroars of amusement. 

"Better late than never, Chief, " he called out. "While you weresleeping over it, these smart scouts did the business, and took me in. All the cold cash that was taken has been recovered to a last red cent;and I've explained just how I forced this silly boy Hen to write thatletter, when it was really me who cribbed the money. So don't botherblaming a kid like that. He's had his lesson, Chief. "

Elmer thought that was pretty handsome of Joe, and he did not hesitateto tell him so. He could see that the man was a strange mixture ofgood and evil, though it seemed that the bad elements in hiscomposition were generally on top. 

As there was no need of remaining any longer in the swamp, they startedto leave. Johnny said he would go back and take the two skiffs out, towing one behind him. Later on he could come and mend the new boat byfetching a plank to replace the one that had been staved in by strikinga log at full speed. 

"Hope we see you again down at Hickory Ridge, Johnny!" called out LilArtha after the bound boy. 

"Yes, and we won't forget that clever chicken trap of yours, " addedToby, "even if the man did cut his companion free before we reached thespot. By the way, Hen, here's something of yours that we found. "

"My knife with the buckhorn handle!" exclaimed the Condit boy, lookingpleased. "I missed that, and thought I'd never see it again. Wheredid you pick it up, Toby?"

"Huh! you dropped it from your pocket once upon a time when your heelswere some higher than your head. That helped to give us a strong clue, and we knew we were on the right track up here near old SassafrasSwamp. Next time you're chicken hungry, Hen, button up your pockets;you never know what's going to happen these days. "

Hen turned fiery red, and then laughed in a confused fashion. 

"Well, " he said, boldly, "both of us were terribly hungry, and sinceI'd jumped in up to my neck you know, an inch further didn't seem tomind. I suppose that's the way with all boys who go to the bad; thefirst step leads to another until they don't care much what becomes ofthem. But oh! I'm hugging myself to know it's all going to be like anugly dream now. What don't I owe you fellows? All my life I'llremember it. "

Once out of the swamp and they were soon at Farmer Trotter's place. Here it was found that the Chief and his posse had come in a bigtouring car that just held the party comfortably, though there wouldstill be room for Joe, of course. 

The boys were invited to pile in and hang on; but respectfullydeclined. A ride of so many miles to the home town, going at a fastpace over a bumpy road, and hanging on outside the car in the bargain, did not seem to have any great attractions for them. 

"We prefer to take our time, and use the big wagon, Chief, " said Elmerafter consulting with his seven chums; "like as not half-way therewe'll make camp and have a jolly night of it, arriving home beforesundown again. "

"Pleath tell our people we're on the way, and expect to turn up thooneror later, " added Ted Burgoyne. 

"And Chief, you promised to let my uncle know the whole story, remember, " called out the contrite Hen Condit. "I'll be ashamed toface him, but perhaps he won't be so _very_ angry when he hears how Iwas deceived so terribly, and made to believe I had actually killedthat tramp when I threw the stone. And my aunt loves me, that I know. Don't forget to tell them every cent has been recovered from the thief, and that I'm bringing it back with me. "

The scouts did camp that night in a wood alongside the road. Fortunately, the weather proved very kind to them. Lil Artha said the"wind was tempered to the shorn lamb, " by which he undoubtedly meantthat since they had neither tents nor blankets it considerately did notturn cold, nor were they caught out in a heavy rain storm. 

Their last outing of the vacation season had proved to be a fine one. They had passed through a novel experience when exploring the depths ofthe mysterious Sassafras Swamp; and better still had managed to savetheir poor, mistaken comrade from a fate, the very thought of whichwould often make him shiver even when months and years had crept by. 

They had a great night of it there in camp. Even Hen tried to forgetfor a time what he must face on the morrow, and joined his chums intheir songs, as they sat cross-legged around the cheery blaze. 

There was no longer any necessity for suppressing their boyishexuberance, for the gloomy swamp had been left behind, nor was thereany hiding escaped criminal to take alarm. So they laughed and talkedand sang to their hearts' content; nor did the sleepiest of them, meaning Landy, of course, get a chance to lay his head on hismake-believe pillow until nearly midnight. 

"What's the use of wasting so much time in sleeping?" Lil Artha haddemanded, when the stout boy pleaded for them to desist, and give him achance to get some rest; "this is going to be our very last camp untilaway off in Thanksgiving week, even if we have one then. So let's makethe most out of it. You c'n sleep any old time, and lie abed till tenon Sunday, if you want to. Now for another song, fellows, and Landy, we want your fine tenor to help out, remember. "

The morning found them astir, and after breakfast the horses were oncemore put to the pole so that a start could be made for home. 

None of them were in a hurry, and it was really about the middle ofthat afternoon when the expedition entered town. The news had, ofcourse, been widely circulated, and everybody was on tip-toe, filledwith excitement, and watching for their arrival. 

A great crowd had collected to greet them, and there was the brass bandof which Hickory Ridge was getting to be quite proud, playing asonorous tune which some of the scouts believed must be "Lo! theConquering Hero Comes, " though none of them felt quite sure of it. 

Well, Hen Condit was forgiven by his uncle, after he heard all aboutthe terrible time the boy had, and in what way unscrupulous "Joe"deceived the foolish boy. Elmer and his chums made it a point to seethat the story was widely circulated, and the balance of the scouttroop aided to the best of their ability, for Hen was well liked. 

The consequence of all this was that most people decided the boy hadalready been sufficiently punished, and that his lesson was apt to beof lasting benefit to him during the balance of his natural life. Besides, it gave shrewd fathers and mothers a fine moral lesson to holdup before their own erring youngsters, and hence for a long time tocome the narrow escape which Hen Condit had had from going wholly tothe bad was used as a means of correction. In this way it doubtlessdid much good, if that could be of any satisfaction to Hen. 

No doubt there will be other stirring events come up, with mysteries tobe solved, as the Hickory Ridge Boy Scouts pursue their activities; andshould such interesting happenings take place, be sure they will notescape our notice. Until then we must say good-bye to the faithfulreaders who have accompanied us through the stirring adventures thatbefel our young friends in Sassafras Swamp. 

THE END