CHAPTER XIX

THE GHOST OF THE LAKE

They all looked to where Bob pointed. At first they could make out nothing, but Bob insisted that he had seen some tall, white object moving.

"It was just like the description of ghosts," he said, with a queer little laugh.

"I see it," said Jerry, softly. "Right by the big white birch."

"Sure enough," remarked the professor.

Then they all beheld a tall white form in the pale moonlight, gliding from tree to tree, on the shore of the lake.

"Look, it is picking up something from the shore," said Ned. "Maybe it's the hermit the miner told us about, gathering gold."

"Nonsense," said Jerry. "It's probably a bit of fog, or it may be a white fox, or a wolf."

"No fox or wolf is as big as that," insisted Ned. "I'll bet it's the hermit."

"Whatever it is, it's gone now," put in Bob.

And, sure enough, the object suddenly disappeared among the trees, and there was nothing in sight but the lake, the mountains and the moonlight.

"Well, we seem to have stumbled onto the lake," remarked Jerry. "If the auto had not misbehaved we would have taken the regular road, and Lost Lake would still be lost. As it is we have found it."

"I hope we find some of the gold, as well," put in Ned. "We may need the yellow pebbles if our mine is gone."

"Whatever we do, we shall stay here until morning," said Jerry. "It will be a good place to camp, anyhow, gold or no gold."

So they all busied themselves in preparing to stay there for the rest of the night. A fire was built and a midnight supper was soon in preparation. They had good appetites, and, tired with the day's journey and events, they got out their blankets and slept soundly.

By daylight the lake was seen to be a large sheet of water, rather irregular in outline, with many small bays and coves. Shimmering in the sunlight the water made a beautiful picture.

"Here goes to see if there are any golden pebbles on the shore," remarked Bob, with a whoop as soon as he had crawled from the improvised bed. He did not have to stop and dress for the travelers slept in their clothes.

Chunky climbed down the slope, along a rather rough path to the water. Some time later Jerry and Ned were about to follow, when they heard Bob yelling at the top of his voice.

"What's the matter?" called Jerry.

"Have you found the gold?" cried Ned.

"Maybe the hermit has attacked him," suggested the professor.

They all ran to the water's edge. When they reached the shore Bob was nowhere in sight.

"Hi, Bob! Where are you?" cried Jerry looking around.

"Here!" exclaimed Chunky, suddenly, bobbing up from beneath the little waves about one hundred feet from shore.

"Did you fall in?" asked the professor, anxiously.

"No, I jumped in," replied the boy. "I'm in swimming. Come on in, the water's fine!"

"Good for you!" called Ned and the next instant he was undressed and splashing out toward Bob. Jerry soon joined them, and even the professor took a dip. The water was somewhat cool, but after they were once in it was invigorating, and they swam about for half an hour, greatly enjoying the luxury of a bath.

"Hark! What was that?" asked Ned, suddenly.

There came a whirring of wings and a rustling of the leaves of the bushes off to the left. Then a bevy of birds sailed through the air.

"Partridge, or some similar bird, I would say," was the professor's opinion.

"And there goes a big rabbit!" cried Bob.

"Yes, and there's another!" exclaimed Jerry. "Say, we have struck a game country if we haven't a gold one. I say, what's the matter with having a hunt?"

"Good!" cried Bob and Ned.

"I think it would do no harm to replenish the larder with something fresh," remarked the professor.

Accordingly, after breakfast, guns were gotten ready and the boys and the professor tramped off through the woods, taking care not to go too far from the lake, as the trees were thick, and, as there were no trails blazed, it would be easy to get lost.

Ned bagged the first partridge, and Bob came second, getting two in succession. Jerry had hard luck, for twice he missed easy shots. A little later, however, he bowled over a plump rabbit, and followed it up with a second. Then Ned got one, and Jerry succeeded in bagging a couple of fine birds.

Some of the game was served for dinner, which was eaten by a campfire, and very fine it was voted. Then some was packed away in salt, against a possible time when provisions might be hard to get.

"What do you say, shall we stay here another night or push on?" asked Jerry, about the middle of the afternoon.

"If you ask me," said the professor, "I should say to remain here. I saw a number of fine and rare specimens I would like to gather."

"The only thing is, perhaps we had better join Nestor as soon as possible," remarked Ned.

"I think a few days' delay can do no harm," Mr. Snodgrass said. "From the tone of Nestor's letter I would say there was no immediate danger of the mine being claimed by others."

"Then we'll stay," said Jerry. "I would like to investigate the lake a little more. We did not go very far along the shore. Perhaps there might be an outcropping of gold somewhere around this locality."

"And maybe we will see the hermit, or the ghost, or whatever it is," added Ned. "Let's stay."

"Then we ought to rig up some kind of shelter," went on Jerry. "It may rain in the night, and it's not the most pleasant thing in the world to sleep in a mud puddle."

"We can build a shack of boughs," said Bob.

And this they did. They had often done the same thing before. Branches from a pine tree, stacked up against a sapling cut to fit between the crotches of two trees, with the same sort of boughs for a roof and floor, made a very good shelter. Rubber blankets on top insured the rain being kept out, and with woolen coverings for inside, beds were made that were very comfortable.

When these preparations had been made it was growing dusk. While Bob and Ned were getting supper, and the professor was busy arranging his specimens gathered that day, Jerry removed one of the big search-lights from the auto.

"What are doing that for?" asked Bob.

"I'm going to try and find out what that white thing is," said Jerry. "I'm going to rig up a lantern in front of the shack, facing the lake, and if the hermit or whatever it is, shows up, I'm going to flash the light on it."

"Maybe it won't come to-night," suggested Bob.

But it did. It was along about midnight when Ned felt a light touch on his arm.

"What's the matter?" he asked, sitting up.

"Come on," whispered Jerry. "I see something down by the lake, and I want to investigate. Be careful, don't make any noise."

Bob and the professor were both sleeping so soundly that they did not hear Jerry and Ned leave the shack.

"Where is it?" asked Ned.

"There," replied Jerry, pointing to a spot about three hundred feet away, and on the shore of the lake. "It was there a minute ago, but it's gone now. Watch, it will come back."

He busied himself over the search-light, making ready to light it quickly and flash the beams on the ghost or hermit, or whatever it should prove to be.

"There it is!" called Ned, in a hoarse whisper. "Right by that big rock that runs out into the water."

"I see!" said Jerry, softly.

There was a hissing sound as Jerry turned on the acetylene gas, a snapping sound as he lit the match, and then a slight puff as the vapor ignited. The next instant a glaring shaft of light shot down toward the lake, glint on a strange object.

There in the glare of the white beams stood the figure of an old man. His hair was snow white, and hung down long over his shoulders. He seemed bent with age, and this was made more pronounced because he bore a heavy bag on his back. He was right at the edge of the water.

The sudden glare had startled him, and he turned in surprise and fear to see whence it came. His face stood out in strong relief, and Jerry started, for he dimly remembered seeing some one who looked like that some time before.

Then, all at once the stillness of the night was broken by a shrill scream. Ned and Jerry were startled, and Bob and the professor, in the shack, were awakened.