by Sophie May
CHAPTER VI
IS NO NEWS GOOD NEWS?
The fishing boat lay drifting, but only three or four yards from shore.Had Dave effected a landing or, in the darkness, had he tried and failed?That which quite possibly, even probably, had happened was a thought thatfilled even Phil with apprehension and despair.
"Light the way! I'll pull close in shore," he said, trying hard to swallowthe lump in his throat.
The bank where the skiff's nose soon touched was steep, yet easy to beclimbed as its height was only a few feet. But there was no sign thatanyone had been near it. Otherwise the dry earth would have shown theimprints of toes or heels. This was quickly proved when, Phil steadyingthe boat and with a root and a straggling shrub to help him, Billy creptquickly to the top.
"Still, we don't know just where Dave may have run in. It's queer thathe let the scow drift, if--even if he expected to go right back," saidWorth in a hushed tone, from the edge of the low bluff.
"Queer what became of the man who called him over here, if such a thingas Mac falling into the water may have happened," observed Phil. "AndDave could swim--why, almost across the lake, if he had to! He could savehimself if there was nobody pulling him down."
Throwing Billy a line by which to hold the boat, Way and Slider followedhim up the bank. They walked some distance in each direction along theshore but the feeble light of the oil lamps showed no trace of DavidMacLester nor yet of the mysterious person who had summoned him. Thethought, "crooked work," was in the minds of all three.
"After all, it's the water I'm most afraid of. If Dave fell and hurthimself or was pushed into the lake--but never mind. One of us must goback to Paul and the others will have to--look further," said Phil at last.
Billy was chosen to return to camp. What Phil meant to do, with Slider'shelp, was drag the lake in this vicinity. If Dave had gone to the bottom,due to some accident or injury, it might not yet be too late to save hislife. Such things had been done, Way said, but he spoke without his usualconfidence and very, very gloomily.
Returning to the skiff, the boys ran along side the fishing boat and drewthe latter to shore. Phil and Chip tied her to a projecting root and Worthbade them good-bye.
With a long, steady stroke he pulled for the southern shore and the brightlight blazing there. But it is one thing to row for the fun of it, whenthe sunlight dances on the ripples, and quite another to cross a strangebody of water--and alone--when inky darkness spreads everywhere.
The swelling of the wood had now pretty well stopped the skiff's leaking,yet again and again Billy paused to bail out. The unpleasant thoughtthat he would find the water pouring in too fast for his best effortsharassed him. He could not see, so he often put down his hand to feeland thus make sure the boat was not filling. So at last did he floatinto the rays of the campfire's light and a minute later stand tellingPaul the unhappy discoveries made.
The thought that Dave and the strange man, having found their boatdrifting beyond reach, may have started to walk around the head of thelake and so come on foot to the camp, had suggested itself to Billy ashe rowed. Mentioning this to Paul he set out, with a small camp lamp inhand, to explore the shore in the direction indicated.
Thus left alone again Jones was the most dejected and sorrowful youngfellow one could easily imagine. To keep the fire blazing high was all hecould do to be of any possible assistance. Inactivity was hard for himto bear at any time. Especially was it hard when his thoughts were sodisturbed and his anxiety so great.
It was coming daylight when at last Jones saw the fishing boatapproaching. In it were Phil and Billy and Chip; for Worth, havingtraversed the whole upper border of the lake without result other thanto tire himself exceedingly, had spent all the latter part of the nightwith Way and Slider.
To the great astonishment of these two he had suddenly appeared to themout of the darkness. He had broken his lamp to bits in a painful tumbleinto a dry water course the undergrowth concealed.
Several hours the three lads had then spent alternately dragging thelake's bottom with hooked poles, looking up and down the steep bank forfootprints, and here and there going some distance back into the woodsvainly searching. Even before the dawn appeared their lamps went out.With difficulty they had then embarked for the opposite shore. Daylightcame as wearily they worked their heavy craft forward.
The one hopeful fact the boys found in a sorrowful review of thesituation, as they stretched their tired limbs upon the ground, was thatthe dragging of the lake in the vicinity where Dave's empty boat wasfound had been without result.
"We'll get some rest--a few minutes, anyway, and a cup of coffee, thenwe'll see what daylight will do to help us," suggested Phil.
Yet it was scarcely more than sunrise when the search was resumed.Crossing to the north shore in the skiff, Billy and Paul set about aminute inspection of the dry earth of the bank and of the woods for a longdistance up and down the water's edge. Leaving Slider in camp, Philmade the detour of the east shore on foot.
As Way drew near the scene of the fruitless work of the night hediscovered close in shore an old log lying just under the water's surfaceand partially imbedded in the earth of the bank. A short, stubby branchprojected its wet and slimy tip an inch or two above the water. Aslivered end that had risen considerably higher was freshly broken.Not completely detached, it lay almost level with the water's surface.
But a more interesting discovery still was unmistakable footprints inthe dry earth. The footprints were made by MacLester. Of this Phil wascertain. It was to the large projecting splinter, broken from the oldlog, that Dave had tied the boat, perhaps. Yet how had the slow and heavycraft broken from its mooring? And what was of vastly more consequencewhat had then happened to Mac?
The scene of Way's discoveries was some distance from the spot in whichthe fishing boat had been found. It was farther to the east, also, thansearch along the bank had been carried during the night; but the lake atthis point had been dragged again.
Examining the ground carefully, Phil sought to find some further evidenceconcerning the missing boy's movements. He discovered nothing ofimportance. Going forward, then, to Billy and Paul, now working towardthe westerly end of the lake, he told them of his discoveries. Quicklythey returned with him.
To make their search thorough the three boys undertook to inspect theground covering a wide area at this point where they believed theirfriend had landed. Several hundred feet from the water they made aninteresting discovery. In a little patch of earth, made bare by theburrowing of some small animal, there were three footprints. One showedthe mark of a shoe such as Dave MacLester wore. Two other tracks werebroad and heavy--the imprints of coarser footwear.
It was a marked relief to the three chums to find such good cause tobelieve MacLester was not drowned; but what in the world had become ofhim? Had he been enticed away? Had he been taken captive by some unknownenemy?
In vain the search for other footprints,--anything to cast additionallight on the grievous problems,--was carried further. Every prospect endedin disappointment. It was long after noon. The boys had penetrated severalmiles into the woods and they at last acknowledged themselves completelybaffled.
Murky was a name they often mentioned as they counseled together. Theycould think of no one else who might have a reason for doing them all aninjury. But why should Murky wish to make Dave or any of them a prisoner?His only motive could be that he feared they were searching for the stolenmoney he considered as his own. He had warned Chip Slider to keep offthat track, the boys knew.
"We'll hunt till dark, then if we have no success and get no word at all,we will get the sheriff and a lot of men from Staretta! We will find Daveand it won't be very pleasant for Murky or whoever is to blame for this,"declared Way. "There's more back of the whole matter than we can makeout--more than we can even guess right now, you'll see!"
The boys returned to camp. The thought had come to them many timesthat Chip Slider might know a great deal more than he had told. Theyremembere
d Link Fraley's words about the boy. But they could not accusehim without any ground for doing so. They could find no evidence thatMac's disappearance had not occurred just as Chip had told them. Andhe had twice repeated the whole story the same as in the beginning.
It was a heart-sick group that ate a hasty lunch of bread and coffeein the woodland camp. Now for the first time, however, Paul told of thelonely time he had had during the long night--told of the noises he hadheard in the distance, along the beach. He was quite sure that bearsand deer, as well, to say nothing of numerous smaller creatures, hadcome to the lake to drink and bathe. He believed they would have comequite close to the shack but, for the bright fire he kept blazing.
Ordinarily the boys would have found great interest in such a subject; buttoday their spirits were at too low an ebb, their minds too disturbed overthe unaccountable loss of their friend to permit their attention beingotherwise occupied.
All except Billy set out after lunch to learn whether the suspected Murkyhad deserted his usual hiding place. Slider was the guide. He led theothers quite directly to the logs where the tramp had made his bed andheadquarters.
The fellow had apparently departed. He had left the pan and other utensilstaken from the boys' camp but the blankets he had carried with him. Theywere nowhere to be seen, at any rate.
More certain than ever, then, that it was this unscrupulous villain whohad decoyed Dave across the lake and in some manner forced their friend toaccompany him, the lads hurried back to camp.
Again they rowed to the north shore and with utmost determination plungedinto the hot, close woods.
