CHAPTER XXV--THE RESCUE--CONCLUSION
"Will's here!" shouted Jerry, as they broke cover.
"Into the canoes, then, as fast as you can!" exclaimed Frank.
He had given one frantic look out on the lake. This had shown him thatas yet the helpless boat containing the four girls had not capsized,though with every wave it seemed liable to turn over, having broached toin the heavy running seas.
The way they threw out the contents of the canoes was a caution.Packages fairly covered the little beach, to the bewilderment of Will,who just then came out of the bushes, where he had been placing hisfirst load, and who must have believed at first that his three chums hadgone stark mad.
Then the canoes were launched. This in itself was no easy task, butFrank and his chums were experts at handling the small craft, and hadoften practised all manner of tricks with the boats while in swimming.
Through the breaking surf that rushed up on the shore they ran with thecanoes. Then jumping in, they seized the paddles, and started to workfuriously.
Success attended their efforts, and presently they were moving swiftlytoward the rolling rowboat, in which crouched the four frightened girls.
"Sit down, and keep still! We'll get you all right!" bawled Frank, as hesaw one of the girls make an effort to use the remaining oar.
So they came alongside. Frank breathed a prayer of thanksgiving when hishand caught the gunwale of the skiff.
"I've got the boat to hold two of you. Nellie, can you climb over, if Ihold on tight?" he asked his sister; "and you, too, Violet, will youdare?"
Nellie made the change easily enough, and then came Will's sister.Meanwhile, the other boys had decided to convoy the rowboat in with itsremaining passengers, rather than attempt the risky task of transferringthem out there on the rough lake.
They made fast, one on either side, and began to paddle with the waves.In this way the entire number finally found themselves safely ashore.
"We hardly expected you'd try it in this wind," said Frank, as he helpedViolet up the beach to the deserted camp.
"But the wind came up after we started, and we couldn't go back to saveour lives, you see," she explained, laughing a little hysterically.
"But what does this mean? Where is your camp, boys? It looks as thougheverything is done up just as you left home," said Mame Crosby, as sheeyed the many packages which the others were now busily gatheringtogether.
At that they all looked at each other and burst into roars of laughter.
"It's a long story, girls, and we'll spin it while we sit around thefire having dinner. As it's now long past noon, and there's a heap to dogetting the camp fixed again, you must excuse us. Bluff, start the firegoing, and the girls can help us out by taking charge of dinner while webuild our camp," said Frank.
Things began to assume the old-time air in less than half an hour. Ofcourse, the girls chattered like magpies as they worked, but all theirappeals for information fell on deaf ears until they were sittingaround, in picnic style, enjoying the splendid dinner, which was helpedout by the delicious things brought from home.
"And to think how near we came to feeding the fishes with these, too,"said Susie Prescott, as she helped Will to a second portion.
"Now please take pity on us, and explain what has happened. We're justdying by inches to know. What was that tug doing down here, with allthose men? And unless I'm mistaken, I saw Mr. Dodd, the sheriff, aboard.He was out hunting those two bad tramps who robbed the steamboat. Oh,boys! Do you mean to say you have had anything to do with them?"
Nellie had brought it to the point where explanations must be in order.So the story was told in detail. Sometimes one of the campers related acertain part, and then another took it up from where he left off.
"And with what views Bluff took for me, I'll have enough to illustratethe whole performance. A few I've missed, and they will always haunt me.Altogether it's been a remarkable series of adventures," declared Willenthusiastically.
"The most astonishing that will ever come our way, I reckon," said Jerrywith emphasis.
But though they did not dream of it at that time, there were stillstranger things fated to befall the four chums ere many months hadpassed. These happenings of vacation time will appear in the next volumeof this series, to be entitled "The Outdoor Chums in the Forest; or,Laying the Ghost of Oak Ridge," which will tell of the weird experiencesour friends met with while investigating the greatest mystery that evertroubled the neighborhood of Centerville.
The merry party had just about finished their dinner when Bluff onceagain began to take his comrades to task for not thinking to rout thewild man out of his hole in the tree while they had the help of thesheriff's posse.
"It's a chance we'll never have again, and no doubt the poor old fellowwould be better off if turned over to Mr. Smithers, at the asylum. Haveany of you girls heard of a lunatic at large since winter?" he kept on,until both Frank and Jerry could stand it no longer.
"It's a shame to keep you in the dark any longer, Bluff. To tell you thetruth, we captured that wild man," said Frank as soon as he couldcontrol his face.
"Captured him? When? How? Where? You've been having a joke all toyourselves. It's time you let me in, boys," he said positively.
Frank ripped open the newspaper package he had carried all the way fromthe lone cabin in the jungle. Then he held something up that firstprovoked exclamations of wonder and then shrieks of laughter from thegirls. Bluff turned red in the face, but being good-natured, he finallyjoined in the mirth.
"So that's what it was, eh? That big tramp dressed himself up in thatmonkey skin they stole from Dr. Aiken's collection, over in thestore-house, when they entered. Waddy knew about the story of the wildman said to be on this island, and meant to have Biffins play the partto frighten off any posse that might land. A clever idea, yes; and Iguess he did have considerable fun with it," Bluff went on.
"Jerry knew, of course, for he was a prisoner, and saw the fellowdressing to carry out the part; but I gave him the wink, and he keptquiet," said Frank.
"But how did you know?" demanded Will.
"I just guessed it. Sort of put two and two together, you see. Thefootprints gave me a clue. Then I watched the fellow carefully when hewas coming out of the tree, and going in later. I believed it was a man,and he seemed to know too much to be a lunatic; but I thought I'd have alittle fun with you and Bluff."
"Into the tree, yes, but how do you explain that? We saw him go in thathole in the hollow stump, and he didn't come out again, yet Biffins wasin the cabin when my stinging smoke made them surrender. There'ssomething queer about that."
"You're right there is, Bluff. I saw how the thing was done when I wentinside the cabin, after they had been made prisoners. In the front roomwas a hole in the floor. I jumped in that, and found, just as Iexpected, that it was a nice little underground tunnel leading to thathollow tree. Years ago, the man who lived there must have constructedthat as a means of escape from some imaginary danger. When Biffinsentered that tree he simply kept along until he reached the cabin; butneither of them dared try to escape that way, because they saw mestanding guard," remarked Frank calmly.
"Well! Talk about your mysteries, this one beats the band! But thatfellow who died in the cabin did have a reason to be afraid, Frank. Iunderstand he turned out to be a man who was wanted for a capital crimedown in New York City. Perhaps he dreamed of the time when he should betracked to his hiding-place, and meant to have a chance for escape,"observed Jerry.
They passed the hairy disguise around. Bluff even stood up to show howit had fitted the big man, at which Will uttered a cry of delight.
"Oh! now I know how I can get a picture of the wild man for ourcollection. Bluff, some day won't you just put that thing on, and let mesnap you off? It will be a real kindness, and I think you will bepleased with the result," he exclaimed.
At which poor Bluff glared at him, and subsided, while the girls wentinto new spasms of laughter.
Dinner wa
s made as elaborate as possible, and in spite of what hadhappened the girls and the boys did full justice to all that was setbefore them. As they ate they talked the happenings over again. They allhad fun with the disguise, and when one of the girls tried it on,everybody screamed with laughter.
"The wild girl from Peru," said Frank.
"The Wildcat Island belle," came from Jerry.
And then another shout of laughter arose.
Dinner over, the boys gallantly ferried the girls over to a dock atwhich the steamboat would stop on her round of the lake. Here theylaughed and joked until the _Eastern Star_ came along, when the fourgirls started home.
Captain Amos leaned over the rail and heard the news with delight,saying:
"Glad to hear it, fellows. Knew those hoboes would regret it if everthey ran across the tracks of you four. So they're in the lock-up bythis time, and Mr. Pemberton's packet of jewelry is recovered. Hurrahfor the Rod, Gun and Camera Club!"
So the little steamboat sheered off, the paddles began to beat thewater, and our boys waved their hats in farewell as the girls returnedthe salute with their dainty handkerchiefs. After which, Frank and hischums headed once more for Wildcat Island to finish their Easter outing,so strangely interrupted.
THE END