CHAPTER XXIII A DISCOVERY IN THE WOODS
“Andy, look out that you don’t drive off the road and into the gully,”said Stuffer, as the spring wagon lurched forward over the rough groundleading to Daly’s clearing.
“Stuffer wouldn’t have you lose any of that food for a fortune,” saidDale, with a laugh. “Trust him to look out for that!”
“Well, you’ll be just as ready to eat your breakfast as anybody,”grumbled the cadet who loved to eat.
Forward rolled the wagon, groaning dubiously when it bounded over therocks. It was loaded to the limit and the boys feared that the springswould break before the journey was over.
From the vicinity of the Hall came calls and considerable noise. Butthis presently died away, and then all was as quiet as a tomb on thewoody road the runaway cadets were traveling.
In half an hour the clearing was gained. They drove across it, and intothe woods beyond for a distance of a hundred yards. Here it was so darkthey had to light a lantern to see the way.
“They’ll be good ones if they track us to this spot,” observed Dale.
Having reached the place, they blanketed the horse and sat down to wait.It was somewhat chilly and all of the cadets present were glad enough toput on the heavy coats they had brought along.
“Don’t you think some of us ought to go over to Bailey’s barn and see ifthe others have arrived?” asked Stuffer, presently.
“We might do that,” answered another cadet. “But we can’t all go.Somebody must remain here and watch the horse and the outfit.”
In the end it was decided that Andy and Stuffer should make the journeyto the old Bailey barn, a distance of a mile or more. They set off atonce, Stuffer first, however, filling his pockets with crackers andapples.
“I know a path right through these woods,” said Stuffer. “It will bringus out just to the north of the old barn.”
“Well, be sure of the way,” answered the acrobatic youth. “We don’t wantto get lost in this darkness.”
“How can we get lost in the dark if we carry a lantern, Andy?”
“Easily enough—if you get twisted around, Stuffer. I was lost once, inthe Adirondacks, and I know.”
The two boys set off, Andy carrying a small lantern picked up in thecarriage shed. This gave more smoke and smell than light and they had toproceed slowly, for fear of tumbling over the tree roots or into somehollow.
“Oh!” cried Stuffer, presently, as a strange sound struck his ears fromclose at hand. “What’s that?”
“Only an owl,” cried Andy, with a laugh. “How you jumped!”
“Are you sure it was an—an owl?” was the nervous question.
“Dead certain. Go ahead, or we won’t reach the old barn till morning.”
The path through the woods was not well defined and at one place forkedin several directions. Stuffer did not notice this and kept to the rightwhen he should have gone to the left. Andy followed without question,and thus the two cadets, instead of nearing the old barn, plunged deeperand deeper into the woods.
“Say, Stuffer, this doesn’t seem to be right,” observed Andy, after afull mile and a half had been covered.
“Huh! I know I am right,” was the reply. “We’ll get to the barn in a fewminutes.”
They continued to go forward, up a slight rise of ground and then downinto something of a hollow. Andy was just about to say again that hethought they were on the wrong path when he caught sight of a smallcampfire.
“Hello, see that!” he exclaimed.
“They have arrived and lit a fire!” answered Stuffer. “I don’t blamethem. It is pretty cold. But they are running the risk of beingdiscovered.”
“Stuffer, this isn’t the location of the old barn. We are not near thelake.”
“How do you know?”
“The locality doesn’t look like it. These are hemlock trees, while backof the barn there are chestnuts and walnuts.”
“That’s so too,” and now Stuffer became doubtful.
Moving a little more slowly, the two boys drew closer to the campfire.They saw that it was in a little clearing, to one side of which weresome rocks and a spring of water. On the other side several small treeshad been cut down and a rude shelter erected, covered with an old wagontop and several old horse blankets.
“Must be a gypsy camp,” said Stuffer, in a low tone, as the two boysstepped behind some bushes to gaze at the scene presented.
“They are tramps,” was Andy’s answer. “Don’t you see the hoboes lyingaround?”
He pointed to the forms of three men resting near the campfire. Theywere all rough-looking individuals and their clothing and shoes weremuch dilapidated. Several empty bottles lay scattered around, indicatingthat the fellows were drinkers. Near the shelter were a pile of chickenfeathers and the skin of a lamb.
“I’ll tell you what I think,” whispered Andy. “These are not only trampsbut also thieves. They have been robbing the farmers’ henroosts andsomebody’s sheepfold. They’ve got a regular hangout here. I wonder howmany of them there are?”
“I see three—but some of the crowd may be under the shelter. If they arethieves they ought to be locked up.”
“Yes. Shall we go into the camp and ask them the way?”
“I don’t think we ought to trust them. They might detain us, and robus.”
Putting out the light so that they might not be discovered, the twocadets walked around the camp of the tramps. They saw that it was ahangout that had been used for some time. With great caution they stoleup to the back of the rude shelter and peered within. They saw threemore men, who were all snoring lustily.
“That makes six all told,” said Stuffer, as he and his chum withdrew.
“Did you notice that fellow who was in the corner?” demanded Andy,excitedly.
“Not particularly. Why?”
“Unless I am greatly mistaken he is the fellow I saw in the jewelrystore the day I was robbed—the chap I thought might be guilty.”
“Is that so, Andy? Are you certain it is the fellow?”
“No, because I didn’t get a good look at his face. But he certainlylooked a good deal like him.”
“Then you ought to investigate—I mean later on, when we have some of theothers with us,” went on Stuffer hastily. “It would be foolish for us totackle six men alone.”
“I’ll come back some time to-morrow—if I can get a crowd to come along,”was the reply from the acrobatic youth. “Beyond a doubt these fellowsare thieves, and the farmers around here would be glad to place themunder arrest.”
“In that case let the Putnam Hall cadets make the capture. It will bequite a feather in our cap.”
“I’d like to get back that stolen medal and the ring,” said Andy, asthey moved away from the tramps’ hangout. “And I’d like to see theguilty party punished for attacking me.”
Having withdrawn into the woods once more the two cadets set to work tofind the right path to the old barn. This was no easy task, and it wasnot until almost daybreak that Andy gave a cry and pointed ahead.
“I see the lake! I think I know where we are now.”
He hurried on and Stuffer came behind him, and presently the pair strucka wagon road running directly past the old Bailey barn. They ran up tothe structure, to be stopped by a cadet who was on guard.
“Halt and give the countersign!” cried the cadet.
“Hello!” cried Andy. “That sounds natural. Is the crowd here?”
“It is,” answered the cadet. “How did you make out?”
Andy told him and then went in the barn, where he found the other cadetsassembled, some sleeping and a few talking in low tones. Four guards hadbeen stationed outside, to give the alarm, should the enemy be seenapproaching.
“We might as well be on the move,” said Jack, after Andy and Stuffer hadtold their story. “As soon as it is daylight Crabtree and Cuddle willmost likely send somebody out to look for us.”
; “Yes, and we want to make a regular camp somewhere,” put in Stuffer.“Then we can start a fire and cook a good breakfast, and——”
The boy who loved to eat did not finish for several began to laugh.
“We’ll make Stuffer head cook,” cried Pepper. “Stuffer, how does thatsuit you?”
“All right—if only you won’t ask me to wash dishes,” was the reply.
“Everybody will have to do his share of work,” said Jack, and lookedknowingly at Pepper. Then he leaned over and whispered in Andy’s ear. “Iam afraid we are going to have trouble with Reff Ritter and his crowd.Reff wants to have everything his own way, and he thinks the fellowsought to make him leader.”