The Mystery Hunters at the Haunted Lodge

  CHAPTER XVII The Black Shadow

  Losing his temper for the moment, Kent launched two heavy kicks againstthe door of the quarry shed. The sound boomed out across the big clearedspace, and the boys listened expectantly, hoping that this vigoroussummons would bring results. But no answer came to them.

  "Let's break in," Kent proposed. "We can't freeze to death out in theopen, and besides that, I'd like to tell that man inside what I think ofhim. We can crash that door down."

  For a moment Barry was swayed by the idea. It seemed to them as thoughthey had been cold and lost for ages, and the prospect of warmth andshelter from the driving wind was alluring. But as he considered it, heshook his head.

  "I don't think we ought to, Kent. For some reason that we don't know,whoever went into the shed is hiding. That shows he is up to no good.Such a person may have a gun on him, and if we break in, we may getshot."

  "I suppose you're right, but I do want to have a few words with thatfellow. No matter who he is or what he is up to, he could at least shoutout directions. What are we going to do? Wait awhile until he comessneaking out?"

  "We could do that. We could hide and watch the place and then go into itwhen he comes out. But look here, isn't this quarry familiar to you?Isn't it the one we can see from the lodge?"

  Kent looked around, impatiently brushing the snow from his collar. "Idon't know. All quarries look the same, especially in a storm."

  "I know it, but how many quarries are there near the lodge? Only onethat I know of, and we can see that one from the place."

  "If that is true," said Kent, thoughtfully, "we have just wanderedaround in a big circle and come around in back of the lodge instead ofapproaching it from the side. By golly, we may be almost home!"

  "I wouldn't be surprised." Barry pointed through a gap formed by thequarry and the dark, snow-laden trees of the forest. "The lodge would bein that direction, wouldn't it?"

  "I think so. Shall we hike that way?"

  "Yes, let's go. No use standing around here."

  "But suppose we're wrong? We ought to try and get back here and breakinto this little building. We might wander until we're exhausted, dropand then freeze. More than one hunter has done that, you know."

  "If we find we're wrong, we'll try and make our way back here," Barrysaid. "But I just have a hunch that the lodge lies in that direction.We'll try it."

  Spurred on by the faint hope that they might be somewhere near theircamp, the boys hurried out of the bowl of the quarry and once moreplunged into the woods. They found that their feet had become numb fromstanding, and they winced as they began their journey. The wind wasstill sharp, but the snowflakes had thinned out and the storm wasobviously letting up. There had been considerable snow, however, andtheir feet sank deep into it as they traveled on.

  "I believe that the storm is letting up," Barry said, as they trampedon, heads down and faces bent to escape the bite of the wind.

  "That will be a help," Kent acknowledged. "But isn't this cold intense?I'd give something to be out of this wind and to get my feet warm. Idon't want to kick a rock or a tree root, for fear of knocking a coupleof toes off!"

  "When we get up to the top of this slope, we may be able to see our wayand figure out where we are," Barry consoled.

  "We've had mighty bad luck," Kent said. "We haven't come across a singlehome, and there are some in these mountains, but our wanderings havetaken us away from them."

  "Yes, if we had run across a house, we could have put up for the night.We may do so yet. Well, in a few minutes we can see something."

  Toiling on up the slope, they came at last to a break in the timber, andtheir anxious eyes scanned the dark landscape for any signs that mightguide them. Then Barry pointed.

  "I wonder if that is a light off there? It's pretty small and still somedistance away. What do you think?"

  "Looks like a light to me. We might as well go in that direction andsee. It is as good as walking around blindly."

  They set off at a faster pace, and soon there could be no doubt that alight of some kind was before them. The confirmation of their hopecaused their spirits to rise rapidly.

  "It is either our camp or some house," Barry said, as he walked on witha new vigor in his stride. "Whichever it is, it means warmth for us."

  "I hope it is the camp, but if it isn't, a house will be all right,"observed Kent. "Unless the people there are like the man who hid in thequarry shed."

  "We won't find many like that, thank goodness," Barry remarked.

  For a short distance they lost sight of the light as they crossed a lowsection of ground where many bushes grew, and then when they once morecame out on high ground a joyous shout burst from Kent. "It is thelodge!" he shouted. "Hurrah, we're located at last. See the old cabinover there, beside it?"

  "Yes, there is no doubt of it," agreed Barry, thankfully. "Boy, doesthat place look good to me! Before long we'll be hugging the fire!"

  "We'll give it a big bear hug," Kent promised. "Gosh, I am glad to beback safely. Things looked black for us for a while."

  "They certainly did," Barry agreed, soberly. "Too bad we didn't bringthe sled on with us, but we just didn't know."

  "It's all right," Kent assured him. "With this depth of snow on theground it was hard to pull the sled, and we have made better timewithout it. I believe we can find our way back to the place where weleft it."

  "So do I. We've got to get Mac's sausage for him! To say nothing of ouroil and the other things on the sled."

  Their spirits were climbing with every step, and now that the coldadventure was about over with, they felt strength and confidencereturning. With the knowledge that they would soon be reunited with theboys in the lodge, they were beginning to forget the suffering andanxiety of their wandering in the storm.

  They approached the lodge from the timber that grew close to the back ofit, and as they drew nearer, they heard three loud thumps.

  "The boys must be nailing something on the walls," Barry remarked.

  "I'm glad they left that lamp in the window," Kent observed. "It hasbeen a life-saver for us."

  "Here comes one of them around the house," Barry exclaimed. "I wonderwhat he is doing?"

  The returning travelers were just on the point of leaving the shelter ofthe trees and crossing the open space to the lodge when the appearanceof someone from the porch stopped them. A figure in black raced alongthe side of the lodge and crouched near the window where the lamp stood.At the same time the lamp was taken away and the boys in the woods sawTim's face briefly through the window.

  "Say, that's not Tim or Mac!" Barry cried, in a low tone, as they stoodand looked at the black shadow stooping beneath the window. "The boysare in the house! Something is going on here!"

  "Something funny, too," Kent quivered. "Want to tackle that fellow bythe window?"

  Before Barry could answer, the black shadow straightened up and ran tothe back of the lodge, disappearing in the tool house. The man seemed tohave a long overcoat on, and he was a weird sight as he fled with long,loping strides to the tool house. Barry grasped Kent's arm.

  "Kent, that's the spook of this lodge!"

  "Sure thing!" his companion breathed. "We've got to get him!"

  "Listen," proposed Barry, rapidly. "You sprint for the lodge and get thetwins. Bring the guns with you. I'm going to watch that tool house sothat the man doesn't get out and give us the slip. Step to it!"

  Kent needed no urging. He was a little too stiff to run well, but he didthe best he knew how and covered the distance from the woods to thelodge in fairly good time. The porch creaked as he ran across it, and hethrew open the front door without ceremony. Then he received a surpriseas he came face to face with the twins.

  They were standing in the cold hall, and Tim held the lamp, which Machad just lighted. The poker was on the floor at Mac's feet, and theyturned with startled faces as Kent dashed in at the door. Then Tim'sface darkened with anger.

/>   "Oh, it was you fellows, after all," he began, with some heat. But Kentinterrupted him.

  "It was like fun! There is a man hiding in the tool house. We saw himrun around the lodge. Get the rifles and come on! Barry is watching thetool shed!"

  The twins lost no time. Mac forgot about the poker and ran into theliving room, returning with the rifles and his hat and Tim's.

  "How about the lamp?" Tim asked, as he seized his hat.

  "Leave it here," Kent returned, curtly. "I have my flashlight. Come on!"

  They raced across the front porch and jumped into the snow, the twinsshivering with cold as they came in contact with the outside air. Barryhad moved in from the timber and was standing near the back porch. Mactossed him his rifle, which he caught on the run. Tim had taken thepoker, and Kent had his rifle. Mac alone was not armed, but Kent passedthe flashlight to him.

  "He's still in there," Barry told them, as they stopped outside thedoor. "I haven't taken my eyes off of the place since you left, and hehasn't come out. Turn on the light, whoever has it."

  Mac pressed the button, and the beam of light showed the door. Barrywasted no time in summoning the one who was inside. With his rifle heldforward he pushed the door of the tool house. Kent was close to him, andTim brought up in the rear.

  They were all excited and a trifle scared, but the general feeling wasthat the black shadow should be captured at once. Under Barry's push thedoor yielded slightly, and it was evident that it was not locked. Hegave it a stronger push, and it rushed back against the wall with acrash. The light from the flash swept into the shed.

  Their nerves were tense and eyes strained as they looked about the toolhouse. And it was Barry who voiced the conviction of all of them:

  "He got away! There's no one in the place!"