CHAPTER XXIX
THE BLIZZARD
Jack extended his hand, and clasped that of Will's in a firm grip.
"This would have ended my hunting days if you hadn't fired," he said.
"Maybe he would have leaped over you," said Will. "He was coming veryfast."
"I saw he was. He'd have jumped right on me, too, and that would havebeen the finish of yours truly. My, but that was a crack shot of yours."
"I didn't seem to take any aim. As soon as I saw him coming for you, Iseemed to get steady all at once, and I didn't tremble a bit."
"Lucky for me you didn't. My rifle went back on me just at the wrongminute."
"What's the matter with it?"
"I don't know. I must take a look. It's risky to be hunting with such arifle."
Jack looked for the cause of the trouble, and found that in taking thegun apart to clean it he had not screwed in far enough a certain bolt,which projected and prevented the breech mechanism from working. Thetrouble was soon remedied, and the rifle was ready for use again.
"Well, you can shoot the next buck," remarked Will as the two looked atthe carcass of the big animal.
"Not to-day. I'd shake worse than you did if I tried to aim. We'll do nomore hunting to-day. We'll go back and get Nat, and take this to camp.There's enough for a week."
It was with no little difficulty that the three boys loaded the bestparts of the buck on their horses and started back to camp. They foundthat Sam and Bony had arrived ahead of them, Sam having killed a fineram.
"Well, I know what I'm going to do to-day," remarked Jack the nextmorning.
"What?" inquired Nat.
"I'm going to have another try at that mystery."
"Do you think it'll be safe?"
"I don't see why. I'm going to try to get to that camp from anothertrail, and if they see me the worst they can do will be to order me awayagain."
"I'm with you," declared Nat, and the others agreed to accompany thesenior member of the gun club.
They started directly after breakfast, Jack, Nat, Sam, Bony and Will.Jack, making inquiries of Long Gun, learned of another trail that couldbe taken. They rode along this for several miles, and then proceededcautiously, as they judged they were near where the hostile men hadtheir camp.
Suddenly Nat, who was riding along beside Jack, stopped his horse andbegan sniffing the air.
"Smell anything?" he asked his chum.
Jack took several long breaths. Then he nodded.
"Gasolene, eh?" questioned Nat. "Caesar's pancakes! but I believe we'reon the track of those same bogus certificate printers again!"
"It can't be," declared Jack.
"But smell the gasolene."
"I know it, but it might be from an automobile."
"An automobile out here? Nonsense! Listen, you can hear the pounding ofthe engine."
Certainly there was an odd throbbing noise, but just as Jack wasbeginning to locate it again the sound ceased.
"Never mind, fellows," he said. "We'll follow the smell of the gasolene.I don't believe it's the same gang that we were on the trail of before,but we'll soon find out. Keep together, now."
They went on for perhaps half a mile farther, when there was a suddenmotion among the bushes on the trail ahead of them, and a man's voicecalled out:
"Halt!"
It was one of the three men who had, a few days previous, warned Jackand Nat away.
"Where are you going?" the man demanded.
"We were looking for your camp," said Jack boldly.
"Our camp?"
The man seemed much surprised.
"Yes. We wanted to see what sort of a place you had. We smelled thegasolene, and heard the engine, and----"
"Now look here!" exclaimed the man angrily. "You've been told once tokeep away from here, and this is the second time. The next time youwon't hear us tell you. We'll shoot without warning. And we won't shootyou, either, for we think you're here more out of curiosity thananything else, but we'll shoot your horses, and you know what it meansto be without a horse out here. So if you know what's good for you, keepaway."
"Yes," added another voice. "You'd better keep away from here, JackRanger, if you don't want to get into trouble."
"Oh, it's you, is it, Jerry Chowden?" spoke our hero. "I wonder if yournew friends know as much about you as we do?"
"Never you mind!" exclaimed Jerry quickly. "You mind your own business,and let me alone."
"That's what I've often wished you to do for me," spoke Jack. "Do youknow that there is a warrant out for your arrest if you ever come backin the neighborhood of Denton?"
Jerry gave a frightened look over his shoulder. The man who had haltedthe lads had stepped back into the bushes.
"You clear out of here, Jack Ranger. And you, too, Nat Anderson and therest of the bunch!" snapped Jerry, and then he drew from his pocket arevolver.
"Look out, Jerry, that might go off," remarked Jack with a laugh.
"Don't you make fun of me!" ordered the bully. "I'm working here, andI've got authority to order you away."
"That's right, Jerry, tell 'em to vamoose," added the man who had firstspoken, as he again came into view. "We don't want any spies aroundhere."
Another man joined the first, and the two looked angrily at theintruders. They were armed with shotguns.
"What do you want?" asked the second man.
"Oh," said Nat lightly, "we just came to call on an acquaintance ofours--Jerry Chowden. The police back East would like to see him, andwe've just told him."
"That's not so!" cried Jerry angrily.
"You're afraid to go back," added Jack.
"I am not! You mind your own business and clear out!"
"Yes, move on," ordered the first man, but Jack noted that he lookedclosely at Jerry, as if to determine the effect of the charges madeagainst the bully.
There seemed to be nothing else to do, and the boys turned back.
"Beaten again," remarked Jack, as they headed for camp. "Well, there'sjust one other way of discovering their secret."
"What is it?" asked Nat.
"Go down the mountain, directly back of their camp, only it's dangerousbecause it's so steep. We can't take the horses. I'll try that way,however, before I'll let Jerry Chowden laugh at us."
"So will I," answered Nat, and Sam and Bony said the same thing.
"I think we're in for a storm," remarked Will as they jogged along."It's beginning to snow."
A few flakes were sifting lazily down, and they increased by the timethe boys reached camp, where they found Budge and Long Gun busytightening the tent ropes and piling the wood and provisions within thesmaller supply tent.
"What's the matter?" asked Jack.
"Storm comin'," replied the Indian. "Plenty much bad. Git ready."
Early the next morning Jack and his chums were awakened by the windhowling about their tent. It was cold, in spite of heavy blankets andthick clothing.
"B-r-r-r!" exclaimed Jack as he crawled out and went to the flap of thetent. Then he gave a startled cry.
"Boys, it's a regular blizzard!" he said.
Nothing could be seen but a white wall of fiercely swirling snowflakes,while the wind was howling through the trees, threatening every minuteto collapse the tent. But Long Gun had done his work well, and thecanvas shelter stood.