The Ranger Boys Outwit the Timber Thieves

by Ralph Henry Barbour

  CHAPTER XII

  DICK DISAPPEARS

  The others bent forward curiously and gazed at the floor. There, layingin a little mess of debris, as though it had slipped from the pocket ofsome one who had been sitting at the table, was the knife with Dick'sname on it, that he had bought of the sidewalk merchant in Bangor!

  "Isn't that conclusive proof that it's someone from the camp?" demandedDick as he rescued the knife.

  "It surely is, and they are up to no good. Why should anyone from thecutting have a place over here? It's a signal for us to get out and getout quick. There's one good thing, though, we can set the hermit towatching over here and leave ourselves free to go about other business.We'll pace out the distances and draw a rough map and leave it in thetree postoffice so that the old fellow can come over here and keepwatch," said Garry.

  Being careful to leave no traces of having been in the cabin, theyhastened outside. They had hardly gone two feet, though, when Dickdarted back. He rejoined his companions almost instantly, and answeredtheir puzzled stare with this explanation:

  "I've just sacrificed my good knife. The thought came to me that one ofthem, the man who found it, might have remembered dropping it there, andwould at once know that someone had been in the cabin if it wasmissing."

  "Good headwork, Dick," said Garry approvingly.

  They took it on the run back to where their canoe was beached, and soonwere on their way back across the lake.

  "I wish that we had more time without fear of interruption," said Garry,"for it is likely that the occupants of the cabin have a canoe hiddensomewhere along the bank of the lake. Safest thing now, however, is toget back to the other side of the lake, where we have an excuse forbeing."

  "I am afraid that there will be little use in watching that cabin,however, for it is quite probable that Barrows will warn those who areliving there that we are swimming and fishing around the lake, andadvise them to seek a new hiding place," observed Phil.

  "That's a fact," answered Garry. "Still, there's no harm in trying. Itwas only by extreme carefulness in watching for signs that we discoveredthat trail. It was probably the one that the men use to get water, andthe cabin is well hidden. One would not stumble on it casually in a longtime."

  It was sundown by this time, and they held a council to decide whetherthey would camp there for the night or go back to the lumber camp. Theywere all anxious to visit the big lake, however, and so it was decidedto return.

  "After the camp is quiet we can skip out and visit our other objective,"said Garry.

  Taking their fish out of the water, where they had been placed to keepfresh, they trekked towards home. It was about dark when they reachedthe camp, and about the first person they met was Barrows. He was allcuriosity to know how they had spent the day, and they returnedequivocal answers, being careful to make no mention of the canoe whichthey had carefully hidden before starting away from the lake.

  The manager admired the fish, and thanked the boys for offering them toprovide breakfast on the coming day. Pleading their strenuous walk andday as an excuse, they retired early to the shack.

  Here a campaign was speedily decided on. Dick was to go back to theoffice and chat for a few moments, while the others slipped out of camp.This would make it appear that they were in the neighborhood, and aftera reasonable time, Dick could return and retire for the night.

  Dick wandered back to the office to engage the manager in a talk aboutfishing and the possibility of a long hike to extend over a week ormore, while Garry and Phil made for the lake.

  The tote road that had been made to transport the sawed lumber ran for ashort distance along the lakeside. Here there was a slightly wider placemade so that the tractors that met each other could pass with ease. Theground was here covered with broken branches and debris of all sorts,well tramped into the ground. Garry flashed his lamp about and searchedfor signs of any sort, but seemed to find none. Then he went to the lakeedge and peered about.

  Some peculiar formation of rock made a sort of a ledge that stood aboutthree feet above the water. This ledge interested Garry immensely, buthe said nothing as he wanted more time to puzzle out the situationbefore coming to any definite conclusions. At the point where the toteroad had been widened, there was a triple string of broad wheeled flatcars loaded with lumber.

  "Now I wonder why these cars were left here," asked Phil.

  "That's easy. The drivers knock off work at a regular hour, and whenthat time comes, if they have not gone very far on their trip, theysimply come back to the camp and wait until morning. That is to preventaccidents which running in the dark might bring about," said Garry.

  "Hush, what's that?" asked Phil. Both boys listened intently. Far offacross the lake they heard a faint chugging noise. Sometimes it seemedto cease altogether, then as the breeze stirred they could hear it,getting fainter and fainter.

  "Phil, I've discovered the secret of the stolen timber or I'm aChinaman. That noise solves the whole proposition. That sound that weheard is the engine of a powerful motor boat. And Barrows insisted thatthere was no kind of water transportation on either lake. Now why shouldhe lie about it unless he had some ulterior motive in covering up thepresence of a boat? This is the answer or I'll return from our missionand tell Dad I'm not bright enough to solve the mystery."

  "What have you doped out," asked Phil, as Garry paused for a moment.

  "Just this. I'll bet you a dollar to a doughnut that the drivers thatare in on this timber stealing business have it so arranged that thereis always a load of cars waiting here overnight. That's step number one.Now we have a rock formation here that makes a perfectly good wharf.Next you have noticed that all the chips and bits of broken branchesstrewn between the turnout here and that strip of rock. That's just tohide the footprints that are made by the thieves. So far so good. Howdoes this strike you? That motor boat that we heard is a big one, atleast it had immense pulling strength. I know enough about engines totell from the sound how good they are. That boat is probably used todraw a raft across the lake. Just after midnight, or some safe timeduring the dark hours, a raft can be backed against that natural wharfthere, and in half an hour enough lumber can be carried from the flatcars to the raft to make it a profitable night's work. Why, the wholething is as plain as a pikestaff. Phil, we've got everything nearly deadto rights now!"

  "What's the next step then, old timer? Shall we hike out and write, orwire your father to come on so we can show him what's going on?"questioned Phil.

  "Not yet a bit, there's still something else we must find out. Is this apart of the treachery to ruin Dad's enterprise here, or is it a privatebit of work on the part of Barrows?"

  "How's this for a guess? The people that are behind Barrows, meaningthose that have bribed him to play false to the trust your father put inhim, may have outlined this whole scheme, and offered to give Barrows ashis pay what he can make off the stolen timber. At the rate that it hasbeen disappearing, one-fifth and one-quarter at a time, as the reportthat Howells received would show, and at the price which lumber isbringing today, that would be pretty good pay for one summer. Chancesare that the interests that are opposing Mr. Boone are paying all theexpenses. Their only idea is to put him out of business for breaking uptheir combination and going into business on his own hook. If that's thekind of men they are, I don't blame your father for getting out of thecombination."

  "I think you have the right idea, Phil. My, I wish we had our canoe overhere. We could paddle across the lake and investigate the other side andsee what is done with the timber once it is rafted over the water," saidGarry.

  "No use in wishing. Best thing we can do is hike for home and turn in.Then tomorrow we can make arrangements to go on, say a three day hike.We can portage the canoe across country, and hide out along the bankuntil nightfall. The moon is in its last quarter now, and by night aftertomorrow it will be dark. We can paddle out well into the lake and waitfor what transpires. When we hear the raft and motor boat coming we canpaddle far enoug
h to be unobserved and then follow it by sound. The boatwill probably travel without lights for two reasons. First, it is safeenough as there is probably no other craft on the lake, and secondly,they will not want to attract any undue attention. Then we can note thespot where the raft docks, and in the morning can follow it to whateverrail spur the stuff is taken. With what help Howells may be able to giveus on the outside, we ought to have the thing pretty well in hand. Whatdo you think of my suggestion?" asked Phil almost breathlessly, as heconcluded.

  "Phew, that's the longest speech I ever heard you make, Phil, but yousure said something every minute. That's what we'll do. Now let's getback."

  The whole occurrence had taken less than an hour and a half, and whenthey reached the camp they noted that a light was still burning in themanager's office. On arriving at their shack they were somewhatsurprised to find that Dick was not there.

  "He's doing a good job," laughed Garry. "Either he is really interestedin what Barrows has to say, or he is playing to give us time to do whatwe wanted to. Well, he can stay there all night if he wants to, I'mgoing to roll into my blanket and dream sweet dreams. Dick's a nighthawk anyway most of the time. Goodnight." And Garry yawned and soon wasfast asleep. Later development will show that it would have been wise onthe part of the boys to look in on the manager at that time. Had theydone so, their work would have been greatly simplified. However, theywere not mind readers and so days of trouble were in store for them.

  Morning came, and when Garry, always the first one to awake, tumbled outof bed, he cast one look at Dick's bunk, and then rushing over to theother side of the shack, vigorously shook Phil.

  "What's the matter?" demanded Phil in a startled voice, sitting uprightin his bunk. "Anything the trouble?"

  "That's what I cannot tell you right this minute, Phil, but Dick hasn'tbeen here all night!"

  Phil leaped out of his bunk and looked at the spot where their companionusually slept. The blankets were still neatly in place, and it neededonly a glance to see that no one had used it that night.

  The boys hurried into their clothes and rushed to the office buildingwhere Barrows and the camp officers slept. No one was stirring, andGarry was about to pound on the door when he saw the cookee coming fromthe cookhouse with a pail in each hand for the morning cooking water.

  Garry called to him and asked if he had seen Dick that morning.

  "Naw," was the grouchy answer. "Why should I have seen him? I don't knowanything about him."

  The sound of the voices awakened Barrows and he came and stuck his headout of the window.

  "What's the matter?" he asked.

  "Why, Dick hasn't been around all night, and we were looking for him.Have you seen him since last night?" asked Garry.

  "I haven't seen him since the three of you went to your shack lastnight!"