CHAPTER XIV.

JACQUES' SECRET. WHAT IS IT?

Bob slowly and painfully groped his way back to consciousness. It seemed as though his head was about twice its natural size and it ached with a dull heavy pain. With the return of his senses remembrance gradually drifted back and he slowly opened his eyes. Now he remembered opening the door and wondering if anyone was in the room. As he carefully felt of the back of his head a lump nearly the size of a hen's egg thoroughly convinced him that there had been.

"You feel better, oui?"

He turned his head at the question and saw that Jacques was standing by the side of the bed on which he was lying. A small lamp, on the table at the opposite side of the room, illuminated the surroundings sufficiently for him to see that he was in the room which he now remembered to have entered.

"I--I guess so," he said, swinging his feet to the floor and raising himself on one elbow. "I think I'm all here, but you can never tell," he added, lying back again as his head began to swim. "But how'd you get in, Jacques?" he asked feebly.

"Heem let me in," the Frenchman replied, pointing toward the foot of the bed.

Bob followed with his eyes and, for the first time, saw that a man sat in a rocking chair close to the wall of the room. A second glance convinced him that the man was Big Ben Donahue, but he did not look nearly as big now as usual, as he slouched in the chair.

What means of persuasion the Frenchman had used in gaining admittance to the office Bob did not ask, and Jacques volunteered no information on the subject.

As the brain cleared and the pain grew less intense, Bob noticed the look of dejection which overspread the man's face. He looked, as he afterward told Jack, as though he had lost his last friend.

"Eef you can mak' walk we go now," Jacques said in a low tone, as he motioned for him to try if he was strong enough to stand.

Bob nodded assent and the Frenchman took hold of his arm and helped him to his feet. His head swam, but he gritted his teeth determined not to yield, and soon the dizziness began to pass.

"But Jack?" he questioned, glancing toward Big Ben.

"Heem not here. We go queek. I tell story on the way," Jacques whispered, taking him by the arm and leading him from the room.

To Bob's great surprise Big Ben offered not the slightest objection to their leaving. He had spoken no word since Bob's return to consciousness. In fact he seemed totally indifferent as to their movements. Bob could not understand it, but having implicit confidence in Jacques, he followed him without a word.

The cold air seemed to clear the last remnant of cobwebs from his brain and as they made their way, slowly at first, through the deep woods, his strength rapidly returned. His head still ached, but the pain was slowly growing less and he did not mind it.

For some distance neither spoke a word, Bob being aware that he needed to save his breath and the Frenchman wise enough to encourage him to do so. But when they were about half way back to their camp, curiosity and worry got the better of him, and he stopped and leaned against the big tree.

"Jacques, was it Ben who hit me?" he asked.

"Oui, heem lam you one, all right."

"Lam is about the word I guess," Bob laughed. "But I don't suppose I can blame him. I suppose he took me for a burglar. But what about Jack? You spoke back there as if you had found out something about him."

"Oui, I tink two mans geet Jack. They try burn bunk house. Jack heem see 'em. They scared. Not know what do so take heem off up north. But I tink they no hurt heem." Jacques hastened to add, as an exclamation of fear burst from Bob's lips.

"But, Jacques, how did you find out all this? I don't understand it."

"Ben, heem tell me."

"But how in the world did you make him do it? He isn't in the habit of giving away that kind of information. And I never saw him act so funny as he did tonight. What does it mean?"

For a moment Jacques seemed to be lost in deep thought, then he said slowly: "I no can tell now. Sometime mebby, not now."

Bob saw that his friend had a good reason for keeping his secret, and asked him no more questions about the man.

"All right, Jacques," he declared. "I know you'd tell me if you could, but what are we going to do about Jack? He must be found."

"Oui, we find heem. First geet home, geet rest, then go. But," he added, reaching his hand around to his hip pocket, "I forgeet. Here what we came for," and he held out a small square bottle.

Bob seized the bottle with a cry of joy and saw that it was about a third filled with a fine white powder.

"Where did you find it?" he asked eagerly.

"Heem gave it to me."

"You mean Ben?"

"Oui."

"But how in the name of--" Bob began and then stopped. "All right, old man, I won't ask any questions," he said, as he put the bottle in his pocket and started off again.

He had noticed that there was no label on the bottle and was somewhat disappointed. Still he realized that, if the bottle contained arsenic, the fact that it had been found in Donahue's possession would be an important piece of evidence against him.

It was nearly three o'clock when they reached the office and, in spite of Bob's assertion that he was all right and wanted to start at once on the search for Jack, the Frenchman insisted that he get a few hours' sleep. Seeing that he was determined, Bob gave up the argument, knowing in his heart that the Frenchman was right.

"Eet ver' dark now. Hard to follow trail. Mak' bon time when light come," was the argument which caused Bob to yield.

In the little bedroom which opened out of the office, they threw themselves on the cots without removing any of their clothes, and pulled a heavy blanket over them. Bob was not long in finding out that he was more tired than he had thought, and in a very short time he was sound asleep.

It was light when Bob awoke. He glanced over toward the other cot and seeing that it was empty he sprang to his feet and rushed out into the office.

A fire was roaring in the stove before which sat Jacques and Tom Bean.

"Sure and it's meself thot would like ter know what yer mane by going off in the night without lettin' me know about it," he demanded in a stern voice; but the twinkle, which he was unable to keep out of his eyes, told Bob that Jacques had already explained things to him, and that he was not angry.

"When do we start?" he asked.

"Jest as soon as we get something forninst our belts," Tom replied. "Come on wid yez. Breakfast is ready and we'll be on the way in no time."

They made short work of the meal and in less than twenty minutes they were out back of the bunk house searching for the trail. It was hard to pick up, as about three inches of snow had fallen during the early morning hours, but soon Bob's sharp eyes spied a broken end of a branch and a few feet away another.

"Come on," he shouted. "They headed north."

Traces of the trail were few and far between, and they were often obliged to stop and hunt for some time before they could pick up the trail again, and any but skilled woodsmen would have been utterly at sea. But about ten o'clock, after they had covered about twelve miles, they lost the trail and, search as they would, they were unable to find it.

"It's only about three miles from here to Kernertok's cabin," Bob said after they had been searching for all of a quarter of an hour. "What's the matter with going there and getting him and Sicum? I'll bet he can pick up the trail."

But Jacques shook his head.

"Dog no geet scent after snow," he declared.

"You don't know Sicum," Bob said. "That dog would smell Jack, if he knew that his life might depend on it, through a foot of snow. What say, Tom?"

"Sure and it's meself as thinks the bye's right. It's worth a try anyhow."

So they struck off to the east and in about three quarters of an hour the small log cabin hove in sight.

"Gee, but I don't believe he's home," Bob said in a tone filled with disappointment, as he saw that no smoke was coming from the chimney.

A moment later his fear was confirmed when they found the door locked and repeated knocking brought no response.

"Now what'll we do?" he asked, leaning against the cabin.

"Go back and try to pick up the trail," Tom proposed, but Jacques shook his head.

"She no bon," he declared. "No can find heem."

"What then?" Bob asked.

"'Bout twenty mile up north ees Lake Chesuncook. I tink mebby they mak' for dat lake. Cabin on shore. Mebby we find heem there. We try, oui?"

They were about to adopt this plan when suddenly Bob held up his hand.

"Listen," he whispered.

All strained their ears.

"Hear that?"

"I don't hear nothin'." Tom replied; but Jacques, keener of ear, said:

"I hear dog."

"And it's Sicum," Bob declared.

In a few moments the sound came again and this time it was heard plainly by them all. Bob put his fingers to his mouth and a shrill whistle sounded through the still forest. The sound had hardly died away when his quick ears caught the faint sound of an answering whistle.

"Hurrah! That's Jack," he shouted, dancing about in his excitement.

Quickly he repeated the whistle and this time it was answered much more plainly.

"Come on. Let's go meet them," he cried, and started off on the run without waiting to see if the others were following.

He met the dog first, and stopped to pet the animal, which almost upset him as he leaped upon him with short barks of joy.

He had hardly started off again before he caught sight of Jack and in another moment the brothers were in each other's arms. Kernertok was not far behind and came in for his full share of the joyous greeting. Then Tom and Jacques came up and the reunion was, as Jack declared, complete.

They were soon in the little cabin belonging to the Indian, and a few minutes later a fire was sending its cheerful heat through the room. While Kernertok hustled about preparing a meal, the others were busy telling their stories. First Jack gave an account of what had befallen him, and as soon as he had finished, Bob told of the visit to the camp of their enemy in their search for him.

"But what happened to Big--" Jack began, but a warning glance from Bob caused him to stop in the middle of the sentence, and the others did not appear to notice the interruption.

In an amazingly short time the Indian had a meal of bacon and eggs, together with hot biscuits and coffee on the table, and it was a very merry party that sat down and gave thanks to the Giver of all good things.

Soon after three o'clock they said goodbye to Kernertok and started for camp, reaching there just in time for supper. Jacques had declared that he must be off early the following morning for the far North, and although the boys coaxed him to stay another day, he stuck to his purpose.

They were up early the next morning to see him off, and the first sign of the coming day was just showing in the east as the big Frenchman swung his long lash with a crack like a pistol shot over the heads of his huskies.

"Au revoir," he shouted, as he fell in behind the sled. "I see you in der spring, oui?"

"You bet. Goodbye, Goodbye," both boys called after him, and the next moment the vast forest had swallowed him.

"There goes a friend worth having," Bob declared, as they turned back to the office.

"One in a thousand," Jack added, pushing open the door.

A few moments later, when they were by themselves in the office, Tom having gone to the horse shed to give some orders to Sam, Jack said:

"I say, Bob, what was the idea in hushing me up so mysteriously yesterday, when I started to ask you about Ben Donahue?"

"I'll be jiggered if I know what it's all about," Bob replied slowly. "I never was more surprised in my life than I was when I saw Ben sitting there in that chair as meek as Moses and then some. He didn't so much as open his mouth and acted for all the world like a whipped puppy. I asked Jacques what it all meant, but he was about as communicative about it as a clam, and I didn't really find out a thing. He said mebby he could tell me sometime. Do you know what I think? For some reason Ben is afraid of him. I don't mean physically, but Jacques has got something on him sure as you're alive, and it must be something pretty serious to make him come across with that bottle of arsenic; that is, if that's what it contains, and we'll know in a minute if it is."

He drew the bottle from his pocket and, removing the stopper, dropped a little of the white powder on the hot stove. Instantly a white cloud arose.

"It's the stuff all right," he declared, as the well-known odor of garlic filled his nostrils.

"What are you going to do with it?" Jack asked.

"Take it down home with us and give it to father," replied Bob as he put the bottle back in his pocket. "I don't know whether he'll want to make a charge against Ben or not. You know he's apt to be pretty easy when it comes to a thing like that, and--"

"Anyhow," Jack interrupted, "I guess Ben'll think twice before he tries any more of his tricks to keep back father's work now that he knows we have that bottle. Do you know, Bob," he continued, "when Jacques got that bottle he saved the day for father, so far as that contract is concerned. At least that's my opinion. The way things were going it was only a question of time when Ben would have hit on something which would have spilled the beans in good shape."

"I guess you're right about that," Bob agreed. "He came pretty near doing it when he sent those fellows up to set fire to the bunk house. If they had succeeded it would have set us back a week or more. Father's got you to thank for that."

Jack's face flushed at the praise and he tried to disclaim the credit, but Bob insisted that it was due him and finally he let it go at that.

"Do you think father'll have any trouble in proving his title to the tract?" he asked.

"Don't see why he should," Bob replied. "He's got the deed and it ought to be clear sailing I should think."

"Well, it's been a bully vacation," Jack declared as he got up from his chair. "I suppose we've got to go tomorrow, but I sure do hate to leave the woods. But of course we want to spend a few days with the folks before we go back to the Fortress."

"Sure we do. But come on and make it snappy," Bob cried as he pulled on his mittens. "I feel like the fellow who put the pep in pepper this morning, and I want one more whack at those big spruces before we leave."

So they spent the day with the crew, adding log after log to those already piled up on the shore of the lake, waiting for the breaking up of the ice in the spring.

The evening they spent with the men in the bunk house, telling stories and singing songs to the accompaniment of Bob's guitar.

All too soon bedtime came, and they climbed into their bunks for their last sleep in the big woods until spring.

Tom was to drive them down to Greenville in time to catch the noon train for the south, and after breakfast all the men gathered about them to say goodbye, and tears shone in more than one pair of eyes as they shook hands with each man in turn.

"You mak' der new man of me. De bon Dieu bless you," said big Jean Larue, the tears streaming down his cheeks, as he gripped Bob's hand as though he never wanted to let it go.

They reached Greenville just in time to get a bite to eat at the hotel before train time.

"We'll be back in time for the river drive," Bob shouted to Tom, as he waved his hand from the rear platform as the train pulled out from the station.

The next volume in this series will be "The Golden Boys on the River Drive."

THE END

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