Chapter 23

THE VISIT

There could be no question but that the man was coming for the sole and only purpose of paying them a visit, and Jet was quite confident he had grown suspicious he and his companion were being followed.

The boy's first thought was to edge farther into the shanty, in order to prevent his face from being seen so plainly; but he did not dare make very much of a move lest the man should be aware of his purpose.

"He knows what we're here for," Jim whispered, in a tone of fear.

"Don't let him see you think it. Act as if we wasn't talking of anything but hunting and fishing. Remember he'll kill us, if he knows the truth."

This was sufficient to drive away what little self-possession Jim had left, and he stood stupidly staring at the visitor until Jet said sharply:

"Pick up that hatchet and begin to cut wood; we haven't enough to last over night."

Jim would have obeyed almost any order at that moment. He was so dazed with fear as not to know what he was about, and mechanically he began to do as he was bidden.

Bob advanced leisurely, looked carelessly around at the boat, the stack of provisions and the weapons, after which he asked, much as if it was really a matter of no concern to him:

"Come up here on a hunting trip, eh?"

"More for fishing than anything else," Jet replied, keeping his face in the shadow as much as possible.

"Is this a good place for that kind of sport?"

"We haven't had a chance to find out yet; but my chum caught four from the shore just after we landed."

"Do you live anywhere around here?"

"I'm from Plattsburgh; but Jim lives at the village of Saranac Lake."

"Then he ought to be acquainted with the best fishing grounds."

"He thinks he is, and wanted me to keep on into the upper lake; but after that long carry I thought I'd had enough of such work, and so we've hauled up here a while."

"Going to stay long?"

"I don't reckon we can be away more'n a week."

"Do many of the visitors stop on this lake?" Bob asked, as he turned to Jim, and Jet took advantage of the opportunity to move farther inside the shanty.

"No, sir, they mostly keep farther on. This place has been fished over so much that there's no fun for the city chaps what wanter catch big fellows."

Under Jet's example Jim was rapidly recovering his presence of mind, and since the visitor did not immediately set about killing them, he dared to look him in the face.

This answer seemed to please Bob, and Jet could readily understand why.

He gazed around once more, and then started back, much to the relief of his hosts.

Jim attempted to say something a moment afterward, but Jet interrupted him by crying loudly:

"Don't you think we'd better try to fix this camp up a little more before night?"

"Why, she's good enough," Jim replied, in surprise, as he came to the front of the hut, which gave Jet the opportunity to whisper:

"Don't you dare to say a word about him yet a while. There's no knowing how near he may be."

It was fully a quarter of an hour before the small guide ventured to speak again, and then Jet had seen both the men on the shore in front of their hut.

"You can talk now," he said, as he rose to his feet; "but in the future be mighty careful where those fellows are before opening your mouth about them. What were you going to say?"

"I don't know now; you frightened it out of my head. I swow! but I thought he'd come over to raise the very old Harry with us."

"It wasn't pleasant to see him so near; but now I'm glad he made the visit, for I don't think he suspects anything, and won't have a reason to prowl around. We must spend a good deal of time fishing tomorrow."

"Why don't you send word for them fellers to come up an' nab him?"

"Perhaps we will to-morrow, if they are still here; but you must remember that it isn't yet certain they'll stay very long, and by the time the officers arrived both might be out of the way."

"Of course, you've got the management of this job; but, if it was in my hands, I'd want to have it over as soon as I could."

"So do I; but at the same time it won't do to make a mistake. How long would it take you to walk back to the village, if I rowed you to the falls?"

"Pretty nigh one whole day."

"Would you go up there and send a telegram?"

"Couldn't you come to?"

"No, because they might leave while we were gone."

"Then I s'pose I'd have to do it," Jim replied; but it could readily be seen that he did not care for such a job.

Without saying anything to his companion, Jet decided that if the men should be in this camp on the morning of the second day he would send Jim to the village, and take the chances of their concluding to make a change of location.

Surely Bob would not think of starting off that night, therefore the amateur detective felt it was safe for him to take all the rest he needed, and, after a hearty supper, he and Jim turned in.

The sun was an hour high in the heavens when the boys awakened next morning.

As a matter of course the first thought of both was regarding the game they were watching, and their gaze was at once directed toward the other camp.

Both men could be seen lounging around the fire, and Jet said in a tone of relief:

"It's all right so far. If they are there to-morrow you shall go back."

Jim made no protest unless one might have been read in the expression of his face.

This second day in the woods was spent in a lazy fashion by the occupants of both camps.

It was nearly noon before Jim and his companion were ready to go out fishing, and then the sport was so dull that they did not remain very long.

Half a dozen medium-sized fish was the only result of their labor, and these the guide proposed to roast, because, as he explained, it would save the trouble of cleaning them.

He set about the task in the most approved backwoods style, and succeeded in bringing forth a most acceptable dish.

After this meal the boys did nothing, save watch their neighbors, and when night came Jet began to discuss the details of the return trip, for he was now confident the men were permanently located.

"Go right to the telegraph office as soon as you get home," he said to Jim, "and if the operator asks who sent the message say it was some one you met in the woods who hired you to bring it."

"S'posen he won't take it?"

"There's no danger of that. I'll give you the money, and he'll be bound to do as you say."

"You'll have to stay here all night alone, for, of course, I can't get back the same day."

"I shan't mind it, except that I may be lonesome; but I mustn't think of such a thing now."

Jim brought up various reasons why it would be better both should go; but Jet would not listen to them, and when they laid down to sleep it was understood that the guide would start at an early hour.

Next morning shortly after sunrise Bob and Sam were seen cooking breakfast, and Jet wrote the following message to Harvey:

"Come at once to Saranac lake, and hire a boat to Round Lake. I will watch for you."

When this had been done the amateur detective suddenly realized that if both he and Jim should set out in the craft and but one returned, it might arouse suspicion, therefore he said to the guide:

"It won't pay to run any risks, and you'll have to walk the whole distance. Here's money enough so you can buy anything you think we may need."

He handed Jim three dollars, and that young gentleman was so delighted at having such an amount to spend as he saw fit that all objections to the journey were forgotten.

"Go up along fast as possible; you can take your time coming back," Jet said, as his companion, shouldering the muzzle-loader, was ready to set out, "and don't delay sending that message."

"I'll fix things in great shape," was the confident reply, and then the small guide disappeared amid the foliage.

During the next hour Jet bustled around considerably more than was necessary, in order to make it appear as if both he and Jim were there, and as a means of causing the time to pass more quickly, attempted to cook an elaborate dinner.

This was a failure, however, owing to his lack of skill, and he dined on boiled potatoes, which were not particularly palatable, owing to the fact that they had been thoroughly scorched.

The men appeared to be well contented with their camp. They lounged around near the shore, but without showing any desire to fish, and otherwise behaved as if determined to remain.

When night came Jet felt more than lonely. The night noises of the forest almost frightened him, and only by piling the fire high with wood could he keep his courage screwed to the "sticking point."

He had not slept more than half an hour, and was promising himself a long nap after the sun rose; but when the day dawned he had something more serious to think about.

He watched Bob and Sam as they prepared breakfast, and then, much to his surprise and sorrow, saw them launch the boat, packing into her all their belongings.

"Jimminy! They're going to leave, and I've sent that telegram just at the wrong time. Now, what's to be done?"

There could be no question but that the men were intending to break camp, and, uncertain as to what he should do, Jet watched until all the camp equipage had been stowed on board the craft.

Then they pushed off, rowing leisurely down the lake, and again Jet asked himself what should be done.

To pursue them in the boat, no matter how far in the rear he might keep himself, would simply be to tell the men he intended to watch them, and, unfamiliar as he was with the country or woodcraft, it seemed both foolish and dangerous to follow on land.

Not until those he so ardently wished to keep in sight had rowed fully a mile away did he arrive at any decision, and then he said to himself:

"There's no other way out of it. I must go on, and take the chances. I only hope when Jim comes back he won't be such a fool as to pull down the lake in search of me, for they'd be certain to see him."

Filling his pockets with cartridges, and wrapping in a paper a small stock of provisions, he set off, only to come back a moment later and write on a piece torn from a paste board box:

"I have had to go down the lake. Wait here for me."

This he fastened to a tree where Jim would be most likely to see it immediately on his arrival, and then he started for the second time.

When Jet set out, the boat containing the men was a long distance in advance heading directly toward the lower end of the lake where were a number of small islands.

At first it had seemed a simple thing to follow a craft by keeping close to the edge of the water; but in a short time he learned the difference to his cost.