CHAPTER VII In a Hollow Log
"This is a discovery!" Madge assured herself as she made successivethrusts into the old log, tumbling out knives, forks and spoons. "Waituntil Anne sees what I've found!"
Making certain that she had removed everything from the cache, shegathered up the silverware and hurried back to the beach. This time shemade no mistake in selecting the path and a few minutes later saw thewelcoming gleam of a light through the trees. She rapped on the door andafter a brief wait, Anne flung it open.
"Oh, here you are! I was afraid you weren't coming. Why, what do youhave?"
"Your silver," Madge laughed and thumped it down on the table. "See ifit's all here."
"Where did you find it?" Anne was fairly dancing with excitement. "Oh,I'm so glad to get it back. Tell me, did the rangers capture the thief?"
"One question at a time," Madge protested. "I'll tell you everythingwhile we check over the pieces. How many were there?"
"Twelve of everything."
Already Madge had started to sort the forks. Anne began on the spoons andwhile they counted, she learned of the strange hiding place.
"I've gone by that log a dozen times," she declared, "but it neveroccurred to me to look inside. Who could have hidden the silver there?"
"I wish you'd tell me. Why was it hidden there at all? If the thief brokeinto the house to steal it why didn't he take it away with him?"
"Perhaps he was afraid of being caught."
"Anne, I believe that the person who entered this house wasn't after thesilver at all."
"Then why did he take it?"
"To throw you off the track or to frighten you," Madge returnedimpressively. "Either someone is after the formula or else trying to makeyou give up this house."
"It looks that way. I'd suspect Jake Curtis only it appears that if hewere trying to frighten me, he would have taken a more effective means.We haven't been disturbed since you began sleeping here nights."
"I know," Madge agreed. "It may not be Jake at all. It could be someonewho is after the formula."
"Mr. Brownell is the only one who wants it and you say he is sointerested in fishing he can't think of anything else."
"Well, it seems that way. Of course, there's Clyde. Why do you suppose hestays around here so long?"
"To collect that money he claims I owe him," Anne returned with an angrytoss of her head. "He rowed over here this afternoon to tell me thatunless I paid him in a week's time he intended to sue! Oh, I wonder ifany girl was ever in such a situation? Everyone after me for money and Ihaven't a cent!"
"Uncle George might be able to loan you some," Madge said doubtfully. "Idon't know--"
"No, I'll not borrow from him when I can't be sure of paying it back,"Anne announced with decision. "I think the best thing to do is to tellMr. Brownell the truth about the formula. Then I'll sell my house to JakeCurtis and try to clear up my debts."
"You're discouraged tonight," Madge said kindly, slipping her arm aboutthe other. "I'm not fully convinced the formula can't be found. What saywe have one grand final search tomorrow?"
Anne agreed without enthusiasm. They finished counting the silver andaccounted for all pieces save one knife which Madge thought must havebeen left in the log. Anne put everything away in its place and lockedthe doors and windows for the night. They went about it in businesslikefashion, trying not to show that they felt the slightest uneasiness.Nevertheless, both experienced a certain dread of spending the nightalone in the house, an insecurity which they could not express in words.The feeling had steadily grown upon them since the discovery of thetheft.
Mounting the spiral stairs to the bedroom they shared, the girls clungtightly to each other. They hurriedly undressed and Anne blew out the oillamp. She made a running dive into bed, snuggling close to Madge who gaveher hand a reassuring squeeze. Save for the moaning of the wind, thehouse was quiet. Almost too quiet. In the dark the girls could easilyimagine that someone was creeping up the stairs. Suddenly a door slammed.
"What was that?" Madge whispered.
"It must have been a screen door," Anne returned nervously.
They listened intently for a minute or two but the only sound was thebrushing of a tree-branch against the window. Gradually they relaxed anddropped off to sleep. And the next thing they knew it was morning.
"Get up, lazy thing!" Madge ordered, springing from bed and taking allthe covers with her. "I feel like a swim this morning."
They slipped into bathing suits and dashed down to the beach. Madgeplunged boldly into the cold water and swam away with powerful crawlstrokes. Anne timidly waded out knee depth and stood there shivering.
"Come on, don't be afraid to get your ears wet!" Madge challenged.
Under her direction, Anne lost some of her timidity but she found itdifficult to entirely forget her recent water fright. Before the swimended she was able to float on her back and splash about with someresemblance to a stroke.
The water was too cold to encourage a long swim but it did stimulate twohealthy appetites. After a brisk rub down, the girls did justice to abreakfast of fried eggs, bacon, toast and wild strawberries in thickcream.
"And now, let's have a look at that old log," Madge proposed.
She led the way to the place where she had found the silverware. Theground in the vicinity of the log was slightly damp and Madge noticedfootprints. She bent down to examine them. Nearly all had been made fromher own small shoe, but there were a few indistinct ones, left in thesoft earth by a man's tread.
"Here's the missing knife!" Anne cried jubilantly. "You must have droppedit on the trail."
Next the girls carefully investigated the inside of the log but it wasempty. They tried to follow the footsteps leading away from the vicinity,only to lose the trail before they had gone a quarter of the way to thebeach.
"I'd give plenty to know who took my silver," Anne remarked as theyreturned to the house. "And I'd give even more to know if the thiefreally got away with anything valuable--the formula for instance."
"I doubt it. My own opinion is that it will take a master mind to unearthit."
After the breakfast dishes had been disposed of, the girls set aboutsearching once more for the missing paper. They looked in everyout-of-the-way cranny in the house and even poked into the attic; theyemptied old trunks and boxes of rubbish. At last, weary and discouraged,they gave up.
"It's no use," Anne said miserably. "If Father ever wrote out thatformula, it's gone. The next time I see Mr. Brownell I'll tell him he isonly wasting his time to remain here."
"Let's go fishing and forget it," Madge proposed suddenly. "If I thinkabout formulas and silverware and what-not much longer, I'll go crazy.Let's go to Elf Lake on an all-day picnic."
Anne fell in with the plan for she too was tired of trying to solveproblems which appeared to have no solution. They agreed to meet at BlackRock at one o'clock since Madge must return home to acquaint Mrs. Bradywith details of the trip. On her way back to the lodge she stopped at thelookout to inquire of Jack if they might use his boat which was kept atElf Lake.
"Of course," he assured her heartily. "You know you didn't need to ask."
Promptly at one o'clock Madge arrived at Black Rock to find Anne alreadywaiting.
"We'll not need to carry the canoe across the portage," she informedAnne. "Jack left a boat there last week when he was doing ranger work.We'll only have our oars to carry."
The girls paddled until they came to a tiny cove which was distinguishedby two large white birch trees, marking the portage trail. There theypulled their canoe out upon the beach and set off through the woods,carrying oars and fishing equipment. The portage was a long mile but thegirls were accustomed to hiking and took it at a brisk pace.
Soon they came within sight of Elf Lake which glimmered brightly in theafternoon sun. At first they could find no sign of Jack's boat but whenthey were about to despair Madge located it under a pile of brush nearthe
water. They quickly launched it and rowed to the far side of thelake, anchoring near a stretch of lily pads.
"Now, old Mr. Bass, just sample my bait!" Madge coaxed.
Time and time again the girls cast into the weeds and lily pads, usingall manner of appetizing worms, pork rind and artificial bait but forsome reason, their efforts went unrewarded. They changed locations withno better luck.
"The fish in this lake must all have post graduate degrees," Madgecomplained. "At least, they're too foxy for me."
After several hours under the blazing sun Anne was thoroughly discouragedbut Madge would not give up. And then as the sun was sinking low, she wasrewarded with a strike. She played her fish deftly and landed him. Annehad no time to applaud for a frisky bass had attached himself to her lineat the identical moment.
After that, the fishing was good. The girls became so enthusiastic thatthey failed to notice how rapidly the sun was sinking. Madge was thefirst to observe that it was growing dark.
"Anne, we must start back this minute!" she exclaimed. "The sun has setand it will be pitch dark before we get through the portage."
They rowed hurriedly to shore and left the boat where they had found it.Almost at a run they started down the trail. It was far darker in theforest than upon the lake. The path was not distinct. Though Madge hadbeen over it any number of times, she knew it would be difficult tofollow.
"Let's run," Anne suggested anxiously.
The oars and string of fish encumbered them and they soon were forced toa slow walk. Before they had gone far into the forest, darkness closedin. Madge took the lead, and more from instinct than sight, kept to thetrail. Presently, she noticed that the going was more difficult. Vinesand old stumps were always in the way; there seemed no distinct openingthrough the trees.
"We're lost!" she thought in panic.
She tried to remain calm and not communicate her fear to Anne who wasblindly following her lead. She went on for a time but presentlyencountered such a tangle of bushes and vines that to turn back was theonly course. They tried to retrace their steps. Anne was on the verge oftears.
"We'll be here all night," she murmured apprehensively.
"No, we won't," Madge insisted stubbornly. "We'll get out, only I thinkwe're wasting time trying to find the trail. If we cut straight throughthe woods in the direction we're going we should strike Loon Lakeeventually."
Anne who was hopelessly confused in her directions was ready to followwherever her chum led. Madge tried not to disclose that she too wasuncertain. They kept close together, walking as swiftly as possible.Frequently, they tripped over vines or stumps and once Anne sank nearlyto her knees in a muck hole.
"I can't go much farther," she half sobbed.
"Yes, you can," Madge encouraged. "I think I see an opening through thetrees. Yes, I do! It's the lake!"
Anne found the strength to continue and soon they emerged at the shore.They looked about and saw that they were less than two hundred yards fromthe portage trail.
"Well, of all the stupidity!" Madge exclaimed and laughed. "We were onlya few steps from the trail most of the time."
"I thought we were in an African jungle," Anne sighed wearily.
They followed the shore until they came to their canoe. Madge insistedupon paddling for Anne was even more tired than she.
"It's fortunate Aunt Maude doesn't expect me back home," she remarked asthey pushed off. "Otherwise, she would have a searching party out lookingfor us."
Both were relieved when they came within sight of Stewart Island fortheir only desire was to tumble into bed and sleep the clock around. Theywere still several hundred yards from the landing when Madge stoppedpaddling and peered intently ahead.
"Anne," she said in a low tone, "unless I'm dreaming, I saw a light justthen. Someone is at the island."
Anne turned to look. She too caught the flash of a lantern moving slowlyalong the shore.
"It must be Jack French or Bill Ramey," she said with an attempt atcarelessness. "I'll call."
Her voice carried clearly out over the water but no answering callgreeted the "hallo." The light stopped moving, as though its owner hadturned to survey the lake. Then the lantern went out.