The Meadow-Brook Girls Afloat Part 31

"Harriet!" exclaimed Jane under her breath. "She has discovered where the boys are. She's giving me warning and I dare not answer her. What shall I do?"

"Yes, I have heard crows, but I never heard a crow with a voice like that," answered Larry. "I'll bet it's no more crow than I am."

Once more the crow cawed. This time the bird's voice sounded much farther away. Jane reasoned it out when she said to herself that Harriet had probably turned her head away or else had cawed in a lower tone to deceive the boys, who were now moving rapidly away, making as many circles as there were boys in the party.

Jane dared not get down from the tree, but she began moving about, seeking a better position from which she might look the ground over. If the boys got far enough away she might try to run, but then there was the probability of meeting their rivals, no matter which way she sought to escape.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Jane Dared Not Get Down From the Tree.]

The crow cawed again.

"I tell you that isn't a crow," shouted Larry.

"Go on, go on!" called George.

Jane listening intently, concentrating her attention on what was being said, rather than what she was doing, lost her footing. She grasped frantically for a limb and caught one. But the limb did not hold. It snapped and came away in her hand.

Crash! She landed on a bunch of small limbs and branches. She went right on through them, tearing off leaves with frantic hands in her efforts to get hold of something that would stop her progress. The foliage checked her fall a little, but not sufficiently to prevent her falling the rest of the way.

A yell from Larry Goheen, an answering shout from George, and another from Sam, told that the boys had heard the fall. They began running toward the tree, with shouts of triumph.

"We've got somebody," yelled George. "Look sharp, fellows."

"I'm on the job," howled Sam.

"Get clubs. It may be a spook," howled Larry.

The Tramp Club surrounded the tree, keeping their formation as well as possible, not forgetting that their prey might slip away from them did they not guard all sides. As yet they did not now who or what that prey was. A moment later they halted with exclamations of surprise.

Directly beneath the tree in which Jane McCarthy had been hiding stood a man. He was dark and swarthy, with high cheek bones and jet black hair.

He was an Indian half-breed. The fellow stood scowling, regarding the boys with angry eyes. Broken limbs and scattered leaves showed where Jane McCarthy had fallen from the tree, and broken bushes also showed where she had floundered after reaching the ground.

The Tramp Club gazed at the scowling face of the half-breed in speechless amazement.

CHAPTER XXI

A DOUBLE SURPRISE

"Who you?" growled the strange man.

"We--we--" began Larry.

"I beg your pardon, sir. You aren't the person we were seeking,"

apologized George Baker.

"Who you look for?"

"Oh, a friend of ours. I am sorry if I disturbed you. Were you up in that tree?" demanded George, a sudden thought occurring to him. He wondered if this questionable-looking half-breed had been up there while they were holding their conference a short time before that.

The fellow made no reply. He stood regarding them with inquiring, suspicious eyes until the boys grew restless under his scrutiny.

"Well, you needn't look at us that way," declared George, flushing under the steady, disconcerting gaze of the stranger. "We don't know you and you don't know us, and I guess you don't own the island. Come on, fellows."

The boys started away, trudging thoughtfully towards home. As for Jane McCarthy, the instant she reached the ground, she had scrambled to her feet and darted into the bushes, where she threw herself on the ground, breathing heavily, waiting for what might come. What did come amazed her. She saw the man dash up and glance hurriedly about him. It was evident that her fall had attracted his attention, and that he had run to the tree, hoping to catch some one. Gazing at him through the bushes, the girl decided that he must be an Indian. She gazed at him long and earnestly, forgetting for the moment her own precarious position.

Then the boys came. The half-breed stood scowling after them as they hurried away. At this juncture the "caw" of a crow was heard again. He started slightly, bent his head and listened, but there was no repet.i.tion of the signal, for which Crazy Jane McCarthy was devoutly thankful. It was plain that he knew it was not a crow, that he understood it to be a signal of some sort.

The half-breed suddenly turned, starting toward the sh.o.r.e of the lake at a brisk pace, worming his way through the bushes with almost no disturbance at all, even at the swift pace he was keeping up.

Jane had lost her fear now. The boys had gone on out of sight and sound and the intruder was hurrying toward the lake. The girl, however, did not dare to run. She feared to meet the Indian, so she crept along cautiously. It was but a short distance to the sh.o.r.e of the lake. She reached there after having followed the Indian's trail. Jane was just in time to see the fellow launching a canoe. It was a dark green boat, showing long and hard usage.

The fellow leaped in and sent the boat well out into the lake with a single stroke of the paddle, after which he glided up the lake, keeping close in sh.o.r.e under the partial protection of the foliage. Fortunately Jane had thrown herself down again immediately on seeing him, else he might have caught sight of her. That he was a man experienced in the woods, as well as on the water, was plain to be seen. She watched him out of sight, then hurried back to the spot where she had met with disaster and gave the crow signal. It was not much of a success. She repeated it and did better. Jane called several times. Then she jumped clear off the ground at the sound of a voice behind her.

"Jane McCarthy! What are you doing here?"

"Harriet!"

"Yes, it's I. But what on earth have you been doing?"

"Di--did you see the man?" gasped Jane.

"Wait a moment. I don't understand you. What is it about a man?"

"I--I was in the tree there when the boys came back. I heard them coming and climbed the tree to hide."

"I was doing the same thing."

"I--I fell out of the tree--"

"Gracious! They didn't discover you, did they? I heard them shouting and running, and wondered what they had discovered."

"No. I dived into those bushes and lay down. Just then a man appeared.

He looked to me like an Indian. He is a dangerous man, Harriet. When the boys came up and found him standing here you ought to have seen the expressions on their faces. Oh, it was funny."

"Which way did he go?" questioned Harriet eagerly. She was not laughing now. Another idea had occurred to her.

"Down to the lake. I followed him and saw him get into his canoe and paddle away."

"A canoe, did you say?"

"Yes. It was an old thing, but, my goodness, how it could go! And the man paddled without making a sound. I never saw any one handle a canoe like that."

Harriet gazed at her companion, the lines of her face contracting.

"Jane," she said, "I saw that man myself. It was the night I rowed out to see who was making camp near us. He shot out ahead of me in his canoe and disappeared. I must have disturbed him."