CHAPTER XXIII

SEARCHING FOR THE HERMIT

"Let's go to his help!" exclaimed Bob.

"Come on!" cried Ned.

"You had better not," said the woman, in a calm voice. "It is probably only the police after him for the many murders he has committed, and we had better not interfere. Besides if you want me to take you to your camp you had better come, as I have my house work to do before sunrise."

She started to lead the way, and, though the boys felt inclined to follow and see what became of the hermit, they concluded it would be better to go back to camp.

Kate seemed to have lost much of her excited manner as she led them through the woods, over a scarcely discernible path. Neither the fast gathering darkness nor the maze of trees seemed to confuse her. She made better progress than did the boys or the professor, as they were not familiar with the ground.

"Well of all the queer adventures we've had," remarked Ned to Jerry, who had lagged somewhat in the rear with him, "this is the worst. Think of going to capture a murderer and then being led home by an insane woman! I wonder what will come next?"

The journey to camp took some time, as the path was hard for the boys and professor to follow, and several times Kate had to wait for them to catch up to her. At last, however, she brought them out near the little open place where the auto stood, and the boys breathed a sigh of relief.

"Our car is safe, anyhow," said Jerry. "Now for some sleep."

"Ain't we going to have something to eat first?" demanded Bob in an aggrieved tone.

The others laughed at Chunky's sorrowful voice.

"We'll see," said Jerry. "Perhaps you would like a cup of chocolate," he went on, turning to Kate.

"No, thank you," she said. "I must not stay here. I want to see if they have captured the murderer, so I will go back," and, turning suddenly, she returned over the path they had come, her footsteps growing fainter and fainter.

"Come on, let's make the chocolate," said Bob, when Kate had gone.

Jerry soon had the beverage in preparation, and they all enjoyed it. Then they fixed up the beds in the shack, and soon were slumbering, too tired even to post a guard, though, as events proved, there was no need for one.

"Well," remarked Jerry, after breakfast had been eaten, "I suppose we may as well push on for Arizona. No use staying here since the mystery is solved."

"I don't believe it is solved," spoke Professor Snodgrass, suddenly. "I'm not altogether satisfied about that hermit."

"You don't think he's a murderer, do you?" asked Ned.

"No, but there is something odd about him. I can not get over the feeling that I have met him before, or some relative of his. Yet I can not recall it clearly. He has certain queer little actions that remind me of some one. I would like to see him again."

"If you want to, I think I could find our way back to the cabin in the day time," spoke Ned.

"I took pretty good notice of the trail when we went over."

"I wish you could," said the professor, eagerly. "I want to have a talk with that old man. Besides, I think I can get some more specimens at his hut. I saw a fine lizard around the door step in the afternoon."

So it was decided they would pay another visit to the hermit's cabin. Accordingly they started off after dinner, and, led by Ned, followed the trail. They went astray several times, and had to search about for the path, but finally they came to the place where Kate had halted them the day before to go forward and peer at the hut.

"Shall we go right on now?" asked Ned, pausing to see what the rest wanted to do. "The cabin is just ahead."

"Go on," said Mr. Snodgrass.

They came out into the little glade, in which the cabin stood. As they emerged from the woods they saw Kate standing in front of the hut, crying.

"What is the matter?" asked the professor.

"They have taken the poor old man away and killed him!" sobbed the woman.

"It's another of her imaginations," said Ned, softly. "Probably the hermit is inside."

But when they looked he was not to be seen, and his bed showed that it had not been slept in that night.

"Will you help me hunt for him?" asked Kate.

"Certainly we will," answered the professor.

"Then follow me!" exclaimed the woman, striding off into the woods.

She led the way, explaining in disjointed sentences, yet so that she could be understood, that the old man frequently imagined some one was after him. At such times he would go to one or another of his hiding places, of which he had a number in the different parts of the woods.

But this time he was not to be found easily. Place after place, including caves and deep ravines, were visited by the searchers, but there was no sign of the hermit.

"I am sure he has been killed," said Kate in a sorrowful tone. "And he was the kindest man that ever lived."

"I thought you said he was a murderer," spoke the professor, wondering in what strange channels the woman's mind ran.

"So he is!" exclaimed Kate, "but he is a good murderer, and not one of the bad kind."

"Poor woman," sighed Mr. Snodgrass. "Her mind is hopelessly gone."

Kate started off in a different direction, and the boys and the professor followed her. She went at a rapid pace, and soon the travelers were aware that they were going up hill. The trail became more steep as they advanced, until they were panting from their exertions. Yet the crazy woman did not seem to become exhausted by the hard pace in the least.

"There is the hill!" she exclaimed at last, pointing upward, and the boys saw ahead of them a big half round mound, at the very summit of which was an immense tree.

"He sometimes stays in that tree," spoke Kate, as they neared the big forest giant.

"In the tree? I presume you mean he has a sort of platform built among the branches," said the professor. "A number of Indian tribes live that way."

"He lives right inside the tree what little time he does live up here," replied Kate. "The trunk is hollow, and he crawls into it, and hides until all danger is past. We will soon see if he is there."

An examination of the hollow trunk, however, showed that the hermit was not within, nor did the place disclose any signs of his having been there recently. Kate showed the despair she felt and the professor and the boys could not help feeling disappointed. For a while they stood beneath the spreading branches, wondering what would be best to do.

All at once the professor, who had been intently gazing up into the leafy branches, gave utterance to an exclamation.

"There it is!" he cried. "A regular beauty! I must secure that if I never get another. Keep quiet, every one."

"It's another specimen," said Jerry. "Can't you forget them for once, professor?"

"This seems to be a sloth or an ant-bear," replied the scientist, as he made preparations to climb the tree. "It has long white whiskers, a black body and no tail. Wait until I crawl up and get it."

"Never mind coming up, I'm coming down," spoke a voice, seeming to come from the animal, the capture of which the professor was intent upon.

"Bless my soul, it's a combined sloth and parrot!" exclaimed the professor. "That is a rare animal-bird. I must secure it at all hazards. Help me, boys."

But there was no need for help, as, the next instant, two dangling legs descended from the lower branches of the tree, to be followed, a little later by a body, and then came a mass of white hair and whiskers.

"It's the old hermit!" cried Bob.

"Yes! It's him! it's him!" cried Kate. "He is safe! We have found him."

"Be quiet!" cautioned the old man, when he had reached the ground. "There may be spies all around, though I think I have escaped them for the time being."

"How did you get here?" asked Kate.

"I ran as soon as I heard the noise of men coming after me," replied the aged man. "But I did not dare get into the hollow trunk, for fear of being seen. So I just crawled up into the branches, and there I'd be yet if the professor had not mistaken me for a specimen."

"You can come down in safety," said Mr. Snodgrass, "as there seems to be no one in the neighborhood but ourselves."

"That's good," was the rejoinder, "but there is no telling when some one may come. I think I will go back to my own cabin."

The hermit started off with Kate, the others following. He had not proceeded far when he uttered an exclamation:

"There is one of them!"

At the same instant a roughly dressed man appeared in the narrow path, as if by magic. At sight of him the hermit turned and fled back into the woods.