CHAPTER XXI

THE DEN OF THE HERMIT

"No, no!" said the professor calmly. "The boys were not spying. They happened to see a man and a woman on the shore of the lake last night, and they thought it might have been you."

"It was me," said the woman. "I was trying to prevent him from coming and killing you all in your sleep."

The boys began to feel a queer creepy sensation run up their spines, as if some one had poured cold water down their backs.

"It's true," the strange creature went on. "I will tell you all about it. Listen to me," and she sat down on a stump.

"Perhaps we had better go where there is shelter," suggested Jerry, for it was raining hard again, though the boys and the professor in their rubber coats did not mind it. The woman was drenched.

"No," she said. "I can go to no place save these woods. I am safe from him here." She seemed nervous and excited, and her eyes seemed unnaturally bright.

"The old man is a hermit," she went on. "He has lived near this lake for many years. He kills travelers and takes their money. He tried to kill me but I escaped from him because I can run fast. Since then he has been after me. Last night he started for your camp, but I got a big club and stopped him. Then he ran away."

"What was in the bag?" asked Ned.

"What bag?" asked the woman.

"The one the old man had on his back?"

"Hush! Don't speak about it," was the reply. "He had a murdered man's body in there, and he threw it into the lake."

"Are you sure?" asked the professor, thinking the woman might, perhaps, be trying to scare them away.

"Positive," she replied. "I saw him kill the poor fellow, but the hermit did not know I was watching."

"Where does he live?" asked the professor.

"He has a den in the darkest part of the woods," was the answer. "He takes travelers there and kills them. He does not know that I know where it is, but I do. Would you like to see it?"

"Not if he is the kind of a person you say he is," spoke Jerry. "I think we had better steer clear of him."

"I can take you there when he is not at home," said the woman. "Listen, once each week he takes a long trip over the mountain, to bury the gold he has taken from travelers. I can hide and watch him go. Then I could come and bring you to his den. Shall I?"

"It might be a good plan," mused the professor. "If this man is a murderer he should be taken in charge by the authorities. Yes, come and let us know when he goes away. Perhaps we could capture him ourselves."

"I'll come," said the woman. "Now I must go, for I hear some one coming," and, rising suddenly, she ran off at top speed through the woods. The boys listened intently but could hear no one approaching, and began to think the woman must have been mistaken.

"Where did you meet her?" asked Jerry of the professor, when it was seen that the woman was not coming back.

"She saw me while I was gathering some specimens," was the reply, "and she came up to warn me about the hermit. It seems that she lives not far away, and roams through the woods. Besides telling me about the old man, and to be on our guard against him, she showed me where to get some beautiful tree toads," and the scientist opened his pocket and showed it full of the little creatures.

"Do you think she is telling the truth about the hermit?" asked Jerry.

"There may be some exaggeration to it," rejoined the professor, "but I have heard of old half crazed men who lived in the woods as this one does, and who occasionally murdered lone travelers. We can't be too careful."

"Besides, it did look as though she was trying to prevent him doing something last night," put in Jerry.

"Well, we'll keep a good lookout," suggested the professor. "That's all we can do now, unless we decide to move on away from this place."

"I would rather like to solve the mystery," said Jerry. "I do not think we have much to fear. He is an old man, and I guess we four are a match for him."

"Then we had better do as the woman says, wait until she comes to lead us to his hut, or cabin, or whatever it is," the professor advised after a moment's thought.

That plan settled on, they made their way back to camp and the professor was given his rather late dinner. But he did not seem to mind this in the least.

"Are you going to keep watch again to-night?" asked Bob of Jerry.

"Of course. I want to get at the bottom of this. There is a mystery somewhere, and I think the hermit, the lost lake and the strange woman, together, can explain it."

The rain stopped after supper, though it remained cloudy, and Jerry again prepared the gas lamp. It was arranged that he and Ned would stay up on guard until twelve o'clock and that Bob and the professor would take the rest of the night. Whichever party saw the hermit was at once to notify the other.

Jerry and Ned began their vigil. Several hours passed and it seemed they were to have their trouble for their pains. At length, however, just as they were preparing to turn in and let the others take their turn, Jerry saw a movement in the bushes about five hundred feet away, and down near the edge of the lake. The moon, shining faintly through the clouds, illuminated the scene.

"Be ready to turn on the light when I say so," said Jerry to Ned.

Ned was all alert. Jerry, with his eyes straining to catch the slightest movement of the underbrush, peered through the darkness. Something white attracted him.

"Now!" he whispered to Ned, and the light, that had been burning low, was suddenly turned on at full power.

In its glare the two boys saw again the white haired hermit stealing along the edge of the water, the big bag on his back.

"Call the others!" whispered Jerry to Ned. "I'll keep watch!"

"All right."

Ned softly went back to the shack where he awakened the professor and Bob. They were out in an instant, and made ready to go quietly down as close as they could to where the hermit was, while Jerry showed the way by the searchlight. But again they were doomed to disappointment, for, no sooner had Jerry turned the light so that it shown full on the old man, than he jumped as though struck by lightning and made a dive for the woods, into the black depths of which he disappeared.

"I guess that's the last we'll see of him," said Ned.

"He dropped his bag," cried Bob. "Let's get that and see what's in it."

At this the professor and Ned ran down to the edge of the water, and soon returned with the sack the old man had carried on his back.

"Open it and let's see if there are any murdered persons in it," said Jerry, with an uneasy laugh.

Ned untied the string, and, not without some misgivings, peered inside.

"Well I never," he exclaimed.

"What is it?" asked Bob.

"Fish! Nothing but fish!" replied Ned. "Fine ones at that. I guess all we have done is to have scared the poor old man away from his fishing grounds."

"Certainly there is nothing suspicious in having a bag of fish," put in the professor. "I wonder if that strange woman could have been telling the truth."

"We'll know better if she keeps her word and comes to take us to the hermit's den," said Jerry.

There seemed nothing more to do that night, so they all went to bed, not being disturbed until morning. They were awakened by the sun peeping in through the chinks in the shack, and they got up to find a fine day had succeeded the rainy one.

The beams of Old Sol were bright and warm, and the first thing the travelers did was to go down and have a dip in the lake. Then breakfast was served, and when it was over Jerry and Ned started to overhaul the machine.

"For," said Jerry, "we may want to leave at any time, and the car is in none too good condition since we plowed up the side of the mountain."

Several minor repairs were made and the auto was run down to the main road, where it stood in readiness for a quick start. It was some time after dinner before all this was done, and along about three o'clock the four travelers stretched out under the trees and took a well earned rest.

"Now if that strange woman would--" began Ned.

"Hush!" cautioned the professor, "some one is coming."

Hardly had he ceased speaking before the bushes opened and there appeared the figure of the queer woman, with her long hair hanging loose down her back.

"Hush!" she whispered, placing her finger on her lips. "I have come to keep my promise. The hermit has gone over the mountain. Come, and I will take you to his hut, and you can see where he has murdered travelers."

The boys hardly knew whether to obey or not, but a nod from Professor Snodgrass, to whom they looked, indicated they were to do as the woman wanted. So they arose and prepared to follow her. The professor brought up the rear.

Through the woods their strange guide went, for several miles. At length she reached a thick part of the woods.

"It is very close now," she said. "Wait until I take a look."

The travelers halted, while the woman crept softly forward. She peered through the brush into a sort of clearing, and apparently seeing that everything was safe, she motioned for the others to advance.

They did so, and, a moment later emerged from the woods into a place where many trees had been cut down. In the centre of this space was a small log cabin, and toward it the woman pointed.

"There is his hut," she said. "Come on, I will lead the way."

She advanced with great caution, as though she feared to disturb some one. Closer and closer to the door she went, the others close behind her.

"He never locks it, so we can go right in," she said.

By this time she was near enough to grasp the latch. She raised it, and was about to enter, when the door suddenly swung back, and the old hermit himself, stepping out, stood before the astonished travelers.

"There he is! There he is! There is the murderer!" cried the woman, pointing her finger at the hermit.

The old man did not appear greatly surprised. He looked from the woman to the boys and the professor, and remarked:

"To what am I indebted for the honor of this visit?"

"I we,--er--that is--we--er--I--" began the professor, finding it was hard to tell the truth.

"Oh, it's poor old Kate," went on the hermit. "She has probably been telling you some strange stories. Will you not come into my cabin?"

"Don't go into the murderer's hut!" cried the woman, as she turned and fled back through the underbrush, leaving the travelers in a somewhat queer situation.