The Banner Boy Scouts Part 33

"Our lanterns? Well, William didn't want to, but I insisted. I knew that if we missed you fellows, and lost ourselves in the bush, they'd come in mighty fine for company," returned Bobolink.

"Then let's light up. After that we'll spread out, and try to find the trail," with which remark Paul set the example.

Presently five lanterns glowed like giant fireflies.

"Think it lies in this direction, Paul?" asked William.

"I'm sure of it. After that man's track came alongside the print of the little chap's shoe, there was no more wandering about; but it struck straight ahead. That told me the trail was heading for a house," came the ready reply.

"A house. Say, is there any other place up here but the old farm alongside the mill pond? I don't seem to remember any," remarked Bobolink.

"And that's just where I expect we'll bring up sooner or later," observed Paul.

"Then why not put for the old place at full speed right away?" suggested William, always impetuous.

"To do that we'd have to drop the trail again. And besides, what does an hour, or even two of them, matter in the end? Slow but sure is the successful scout's motto, boys. h.e.l.lo I look here, what's this?"

Paul thrust his lantern down close to the ground. Bending over to look, the others could see the plain impression of a child's little shoe. It was heading due north, just as many similar tracks had been of late.

"Now if you look at this you'll see it's nearly crushed out by the big print of a man's foot; while just beyond the child has stepped into the impression made by the man. That can mean only one thing; the two were going on in company, and for a minute he let go the little one's hand, so that first the child was in front, and then behind."

"I guess you're right, Paul. But see here, what does this mean? The small track has dropped out altogether," remarked William.

"That is where the big fellow picks the boy up in his arms, and is carrying him," said Wallace, before Paul could answer.

"Right you are, that is just what happened. To tell the truth I don't know why he didn't do that before. He must have been toting some bundle along, and couldn't well carry the boy too. Come back a bit. I want to look around," and Paul retraced his steps until he had reached the spot where a confusion of tracks met his gaze.

He followed the man's trail a few paces, and found himself under a tree.

Raising his lantern he carefully examined the bark of the trunk, and finding several fresh scratches, pursued his investigations still higher.

One accommodating limb grew rather low. In fact a man could, by reaching up his arms, clasp it easily; and that was what Paul believed had been done.

"Give me a push, somebody; and then hand up my lantern," he said, clasping his arms about the tree as well as he was able.

Ten seconds later William was handing him up the light; after which Paul began to ascend slowly, looking about him as though constantly on the watch for signs that would tell another had preceded him.

"All right; it's here. I'm coming down, fellows," he soon called out.

Reaching that friendly lower limb he held something in view.

"Take hold of this, Bobolink, and handle it carefully, because we don't know what's in the package. It might be dynamite!" he remarked.

"Oh! I hope not!" exclaimed the one in whose arms the bundle reposed; and he did not look any too happy at the prospect ahead.

"Don't be silly," said Paul, as he dropped beside them. "But whatever it may be, we might as well hide it in a new place. Then if the fellow should come back here to get it, he's going to meet with a disappointment, that's all."

"But what d'ye think it is?" argued the one who clasped the large package in his arms, though with evident reluctance.

"That is none of our business just now. It may be honest enough, and we'd get into a peck of trouble if we peeked. So let's just chuck it in some hollow stump as we go along, and m.u.f.fle our trail behind us so he can't find where we put it. Later on I think I know some one who will be glad to look into what it contains."

"Perhaps I do too," remarked Jack; and the two chums looked at each other, with mutual astonishment marked on their faces.

"Oh!" remarked Paul, "are you on, too? Did he tell you the secret?"

"I happened to pick up an envelope he dropped, and wondered whose it was; so I went around, asking. He laughed when I came to him, and told me a little bit of news that surprised me. But Paul, he asked me not to breathe a word, even to you. That was a mean joke, when you knew all along," Jack complained.

"Remember the red car on the road, and the two men in it?"

"Oh! did they have anything to do with his coming up here? Yes, now that I think of it, you were pretty much excited over that same red car. You guessed something then, didn't you, Paul?"

"He had asked me to watch out for a red car with a khaki-colored top, that might have two men in it, one of them owning to a gla.s.s eye."

"Good gracious!" said Jack; "that tall chap did have a bogus eye, for a fact. And when you left me in town you hurried around to the post-office to find Mr. Pender, didn't you? I see it all now. He never came home for supper, as far as I know. I reckon he must have got a rig of some sort, and put out for the mill pond. But what about Solus Smithers--they asked after him, you know?"

Paul pointed to the marks on the ground.

"Unless I'm wrong those are his tracks. I noticed that he had big feet at the time he came out and ordered us to clear away from the pond, and threatened us with his gun. Yes, perhaps he got home to find visitors waiting for him," Paul observed, just as though he could read all these things from the trail.

"Then we go on, do we?" asked Bobolink, eagerly.

He had been listening to what pa.s.sed between his two comrades, and while it was partly Greek to him, enough of the truth filtered through to give him a creepy sensation, as though cold water were being poured down his back.

Bobolink was no coward though, and while he shivered it was more through a delicious frame of mind over the chance of an adventure than because he felt fear.

"Straight on, as long as these lanterns hold out. I see yours has begun to flicker already, William. There, it's puffed out; and my own isn't near as strong a light as it was."

Paul seemed to be a true prophet, for inside of five minutes the lanterns "gave up the ghost," the last to expire being that of Jack.

"What's doing now?" demanded Jack.

"Gather up all the matches in the crowd. Then I'll strike them one by one," was Paul's immediate response.

This emergency torch lasted for a little while. Finally the last match was gone, and still they were some distance away from the mill pond.

"Listen," said William, suddenly; with a thrill in his voice; "whatever do you suppose that is?"

CHAPTER XXVII

TED FINDS SOMETHING

"Sure it wasn't an owl?" asked Paul, when a full minute had pa.s.sed away, without their hearing a repet.i.tion of the sound that had reached the ears of his comrade.

"Didn't sound like it. I kind of thought it was somebody calling for help!" said Bobolink, quivering with the suspense caused by the situation.