The Putnam Hall Encampment; or, The Secret of the Old Mill

by Edward Stratemeyer

  CHAPTER VIII A REMARKABLE ADVENTURE

  "It looks like rain!"

  The remark came from Andy, who was in the bow of the boat. He was gazinganxiously at the sky.

  "Don't say rain!" cried Stuffer, who was eating a banana, one of a handpurchased at the Cedarville dock. "I don't like to be out in the rain."

  "We'll not get it right away," answered Jack. "But it looks as if itwould come sooner or later," he added, as he surveyed the clouds over tothe westward.

  Two hours had been spent in cruising around the lake. A brief stop hadbeen made at Cedarville, where the cadets had purchased some fruit andcandy. The _Ajax_ was almost out of sight in the distance.

  "If you are going near Parberry Point I'd like to do an errand," saidPepper. "I want to visit that old basket maker and ask him to make afancy basket for my Aunt Bess. She has a birthday soon, and I know shewould like a new hanging basket, with ferns and flowers in it."

  "All right, we can pass there," answered Jack. "We'll drop you and thenpick you up later."

  "All right," answered Pepper. "Anybody want to go to the basket maker'swith me?" he went on, looking around at his chums.

  "I'll go," answered Andy. "I've been eating so much fruit and candy Ithink it will do me good to walk a little."

  "The errand won't take more than half an hour," said Pepper. "We'llhurry as fast as we can."

  Parberry Point was soon reached and Andy and Pepper leaped ashore.

  "I'll be back here in just half an hour," cried Jack, consulting hiswatch. "Don't keep us waiting, for maybe that rain will come quickerthan I thought it would."

  "I'll hurry all I can," answered The Imp. "Come on, Andy." And the pairdisappeared up the road from the lake, while the sloop sheered off forthe other shore.

  Pepper and Andy were both good walkers and they lost no time in gettingto the spot where the basket maker had lived. To their dismay thecottage was closed and deserted.

  "Must have moved," said the acrobatic youth. "Too bad! What are yougoing to do about it?"

  "I don't know, Andy. Wait, here comes a man in a wagon. Maybe he cantell us where the fellow moved to."

  The farmer was consulted and said the basket maker had moved up a sideroad leading to Lake Caboy.

  "It's only about a quarter of a mile from here," he explained.

  Pepper decided to walk the distance and he and Andy set off. Just asboth cadets made a turn in the road they heard a distant rumble ofthunder.

  "That storm is coming faster than I thought," said Pepper.

  "Right you are, and we'll have to hurry, unless we want to get wet."

  "Humph! It won't do any good to get to the sloop. We'll get wet on heras well as out here, Andy."

  "I suppose that's so."

  The boys went on, around another bend of the road, and soon came insight of a second cottage. But to their astonishment, this too wasdeserted.

  "We've come on a fool's errand," said Pepper. "The basket maker was herebut has moved."

  They could see the evidences of basket making in the dooryard, but thecottage was locked up and minus furniture.

  "Might as well get back to the Point," said Andy. "Jack will be waitingfor us."

  "I think this side road is shorter than the other," said Pepper. "Itmakes a turn toward the lake just above here. We'll keep on instead ofturning back."

  "All right, if you say so, Pep. But it doesn't look right to me,"answered Andy.

  The pair hurried on, for the sky was now growing dark. The rumbling ofthunder increased, and presently some large drops of rain came downthrough the trees bordering the road.

  "Might as well run for it!" cried Pepper, and set off on a dog trot. Ina few minutes they made a turn and came out on a broad highway. Justbeyond was a large white mansion set in a perfect wilderness of trees.

  "Why, this isn't the road I was looking for!" cried Pepper in dismay. "Idon't know where we are now."

  He had hardly spoken when there came a rush of wind through the trees.This was followed by flashes of lightning and cracks of thunder, andthen the rain came down in a torrent.

  "We can't stay out here--we'll be drenched to the skin!" cried theacrobatic youth. "Come on to the house!"

  "But we don't know the folks, Andy."

  "That doesn't matter. Any port in a storm, as the sailors say."

  Andy started through the trees for the mansion and Pepper followed athis heels. Both ran across a small and badly-kept lawn and up on a broadpiazza. Just as they reached the piazza there came a blinding flash oflightning and a peal of thunder that made both jump in fright. Thenfollowed a crash of another kind.

  "It struck a tree--out yonder!" exclaimed Pepper, pointing towards theroad. "I am glad we weren't under it!"

  "Let us get in the house, where the rain can't reach us," answered hischum, and lost no time in ringing the door bell.

  There was no answer to the summons, and Andy rang the bell again. Then,of a sudden, the wind increased, and the door of the mansion was blownwide open.

  Thinking somebody had unfastened the door and been unable to hold itagainst the wind, the acrobatic youth entered the hallway beyond, andwas followed by Pepper.

  "Excuse us, but we came in to get out of the storm," said Andy, tryingto see around him, for with the darkness outside the hallway was pitchblack.

  To his astonishment nobody answered. A gust of wind came into thehallway and lifting a picture from its nail hurled it to the floor witha crash. Then Pepper caught the door and shut and bolted it.

  "Anybody here?" he called out.

  Nobody answered, and each of the cadets caught the other by the arm.

  "I--I guess the door just blew open," stammered Andy. The situation wasso unusual he knew not what to say. Here they were in a strange housewith nobody to speak to them.

  The boys could not see a thing, saving when the lightning outside lit upthe scene. They felt their way through the hallway to a door and enteredwhat appeared to be a parlor. The apartment had a musty smell, as if ithad not been opened for a long time. The blinds were closed but theslats were open and through these faint light showed.

  "Looks to me as if this house was deserted, too," remarked Pepper."Gracious, the whole neighborhood must be moving out!"

  "Somebody lives here, I am sure of that," answered his chum. "Out in thehall I smelt the odor of fried onions."

  "Let us walk back to the kitchen and find out," said Pepper.

  A flash of lightning made the boys pause for a moment. Then they walkedto the end of the hallway and entered a dining room. Here a window wasopen and through this the rain was sweeping wildly.

  "The owner of this place must be away," said Andy. "Gosh! how it rains!"he added, as he shut the window.

  "Look at the quaint silver set!" said Pepper, his eyes catching sight ofthe service on a sideboard. "That must be pretty old."

  He picked up a silver dish and Andy picked up another. As they werelooking at the silver pieces they heard a door open and felt a suddengust of air.

  "Somebody is here----" commended Pepper, when he fell back in suddenalarm. For from out of a dark corner an old man had appeared. He wore along, white beard and his straggling hair was of the same color. In hishands he carried a short shotgun and this he had leveled straight aheadof him.

  "Burglars! thieves! robbers!" he screamed. "Drop my silver plate or Iwill shoot you!"

  His manner was so stern and wild that the two cadets lost no time insetting down the silver pieces they had picked up. The old man continuedto point his shotgun, first at Andy and then at Pepper.

  "I heard there were burglars in this vicinity," he said, in a croakingvoice. "But I did not think you would dare to come here."

  "We are not burglars!" answered Pepper.

  "Ha! I know better! You cannot deceive me!"

  "We are schoolboys and we came in here to get out of the storm,"explained Andy.

  "I do not believe it! You are burglars! Those
uniforms are merely adisguise. You were after my precious silver plate! The world-renownedRobertson silver plate! But you shan't have it! Jabez Trask knows how toprotect his own!"

  At the mention of the old man's name the cadets started. This then, wasthe man for whom Bert Field was seeking. Certainly as strange anindividual as the tall, thin youth himself.

  "Mr. Trask, you are making a mistake," said Pepper, as calmly as hecould. "We did not come here to steal, we----"

  "I will not listen! I shall hand you over to the authorities forentering my house! I saw you sneaking around this morning--one of you atleast."

  "No, you didn't," answered Andy.

  "I know better--I saw you quite plainly."

  To this the boys did not answer. Pepper, however, wondered if the personseen sneaking around had been the mysterious Bert Field.

  "I want you fellows to back into the corner," went on Jabez Trask, aftera painful pause.

  "But, sir----" commenced Andy.

  "Not another word--until I call an officer of the law!"

  "We are not criminals," cried Pepper stubbornly. "We belong to PutnamHall military academy."

  "I do not believe it! You came here with the intention of robbing me ofmy precious plate and other things. But you did not think I'd get afteryou with my shotgun!" added the old man cunningly. "You thought youwould have me at your mercy! But I have outwitted you! Ha! ha! it waswell done, not so? Back into the corner, I say, and open the door!"

  The command was such a pre-emptory one that the cadets obeyed. Andyopened the door. Beyond was a small storeroom, having a narrow windowwhich was barred from the outside.

  "In you go, you young villains!" cried Jabez Trask, and held the muzzleof the shotgun on a line with their breasts. Fearing that in hisexcitement he would pull the trigger, the two cadets stepped back intothe room.

  "Now kick the door shut with your foot, and be quick about it," went onthe old man, to Pepper, and aimed the weapon straight at The Imp.

  The door was closed as the man desired, and in a twinkling Jabez Traskstepped up close and turned the key in the lock. It was a heavy door,with an equally effective lock, and the cadets knew that they wereprisoners.

  "Ha! ha! very well done, I do declare!" chuckled the old man, after thedoor was fastened. "A neat trick, if I do say it myself, a clever trick!It takes a smart man to get the best of Jabez Trask. You thought I'dshoot you, didn't you? Well, let me tell you that the shotgun isn'tloaded and hasn't been for a month! But now I am going to load it, andload it well. If you try to break out--well, your blood will be on yourhead!"

  Andy and Pepper did not reply. In the dim light of the little storeroomthey looked at each other questioningly. They were in a seriouspredicament. What would be the outcome of this remarkable adventure?