CHAPTER XXIX.
SPRINGING THE TRAP.
When Thad Brewster was thus making his way into the hole in the rocks,perhaps he may have remembered reading what old Israel Putnam, theRevolutionary hero, did when a mere stripling, entering the den of asavage wolf, and dragging the beast out after him.
Well, in a way Thad was doing just as brave an act. True, those whom hehad reason to fear, were human beings like himself; but they must becruel men, since he knew them to be desperate characters; and if theydiscovered him invading their retreat, no doubt they would attack himwith the ferocity of wolves.
He found himself in a passage-way among the rocks. It had evidently beenwell traveled by the feet or knees of the men who may have longconcealed themselves in the snug retreat; while officers were searchingthe surrounding country in a vain quest for clues to their hiding-place.
Thad started when he suddenly heard a gruff voice; it sounded so veryclose by, that his first thought was he had been discovered. But as hecaught the words that were spoken he realized his mistake.
"Mebbe ye'll be sorry now, ye bothered a couple of poor fellers atryin'hard to make a few honest dollars a takin' game out of season, an'sellin' the same to the rich folks what jest has to have it any oletime. Jest sit up, an' tell me what yer friends are thinkin' of doin''bout it."
Then Thad was thrilled to hear the voice of his chum respond. Evidently,if the men had kept some sort of muffler over Smithy's mouth during thetime they were bringing him to their underground retreat, it had nowbeen removed, as if they no longer feared that he would bring the othersdown upon them.
"Why, you see, we just wanted to explore this queer island, and that'sall there is to it. Yes, we did rather guess that somebody must havebeen taking fish or game when the law was shut down on it; but then, yousee, that was none of our business. We're just Boy Scouts off on acamping trip; and nobody's employed us to bother with game poachers, orsend word to the wardens."
"Game wardens, hey? Ye seem to let that slip off yer tongue, younker,like ye might be used to sayin' the same. What we want to know is, whyare ye so pesky anxious like to look this here island over? Lostanything here?"
"Well, a boat we had seems to have disappeared in a funny way," Smithysaid; and Thad could not notice anything like a tremble in thetenderfoot's voice, which fact pleased him greatly.
"Huh! thet boat belonged to us in the fust place, younker, an' ye hookedit from us. Spect ye thought boats jest growed in the bushes like wildplums, when ye run acrost that un. Wall, they don't, an' ye had nobizness to take it. An' what's more, me and my pal think ye mean to letthe wardens know 'bout what we've been adoin' up this ways."
Smithy made no reply, and Thad knew why. The tenderfoot was well awareof what his chum had been doing while wigwagging Allan. He also knewthat in all probability Giraffe must even then be on his way over toRockford, to get the Faversham Chief on the 'phone, and give him amessage that would bring the whole police force hustling over to OmegaLake, bent on making a big haul.
"Don't try to deny it, do ye, younker?" the man continued to growl; andfrom the fitful light that rose and fell Thad found reason to believethat there must be some sort of fire around the bend in the passage."Well, let me tell ye what we mean to do about it. We'll jest keep yefast here till night sets in, while yer friends hunt around, and gitmore an' more skeered, believin' ye must a fell inter the lake. Thenwe'll cut stick out of this place, and leave ye behind. P'raps so ye cudyell loud enough to draw 'em in here. Better be asavin' of yer breath,boy; 'cause ye'll have to do some tall shoutin' if ye wants to get outalive, arter Bill'n me vacate. Now roll over, and go to sleep. I'mhungry, and mean to cook a bite or two."
After waiting for a few minutes, and hearing nothing more, Thad venturedto peep around the rocky bend. He saw that he had sized up the situationperfectly. One man bent over a small fire, and seemed to be busilyengaged in cooking himself some food, which already began to scent thecave. From the quarter where the rumbling sounds came, the boy could seean indistinct form huddled on a blanket.
The man at the fire seemed to have a bandage around his left leg, andhobbled as he walked; from which Thad supposed he must have met with anaccident of some kind. This might in a measure account for their havingtaken refuge on the island, rather than make their safety sure byflight.
He looked further, and was soon able to make out another figure lying onthe rocky floor of the place. This he had no doubt must be his chum,Smithy. Yes, once, as the limping man threw a handful of fresh fuel onthe fire, causing the flames to leap up, and for the moment illuminatethe place, Thad's eager eyes discovered the well-known khaki color ofthe Boy Scout uniform worn so jauntily by the particular new recruit.
Oh! if only he could creep across the space that lay between, and setthe bound boy free, how gladly would he attempt it. And the more hecontemplated the thing, the better satisfied did Thad become that hecould accomplish it.
Why, there did not seem to be any great obstacle to prevent him. Surelythe man who snored so deeply would not be able to interfere; and thesecond fellow at the fire was so deeply concerned with getting himselfsome lunch that apparently he had thought for nothing else.
So Thad decided to make the attempt. Even if it turned out to be afailure he believed he could elude any pursuer in the gloom of the caveentrance, and manage to reach the open in safety.
And the possible result was so pleasant to contemplate that he justcould not resist trying for it.
Accordingly, Thad started to creep around the bend. He kept as flat onhis stomach as possible, and always made it a point to watch the man atthe fire. If the hungry one seemed to be looking that way, Thadflattened himself out as near like a pancake as he could, and did not somuch as move a finger until such time as he felt convinced that theenemy had his full attention again taken up with his work.
In this cautious way, then, did the scout draw closer and closer to thefigure of the captive. He hoped Smithy would be sensible, and not betrayhim by an incautious exclamation, when he learned of his presence.
Now he was within a foot of the other, and could hear him breathingsoftly as he lay there. Thad had figured it out that if he kept quiet,and merely tried to feel for the other's bound hands, Smithy might letout a whoop as he felt something touch his wrists, under the belief thatit might be a crawling snake. So, to avoid this chance of betrayal, Thadhad determined to get his lips as close to the ear of the prisoner as hecould, and then gently whisper his name.
Watching for his chance, Thad found it when the man at the fire washumming a snatch of a song to himself, as though care set lightly on hisshoulders.
"Smithy--'sh!"
Thad saw a movement of the bound form. Smithy even lifted his head, andturned his eyes toward the spot from whence that thrilling, if soft,whisper had come. But fortunately he did not attempt to make the leastsign, or try to whisper back.
Now that his chum had been warned of his presence Thad believed he couldproceed to the next step in his carefully-arranged programme. This wasto reach over, find just how Smithy was tied, and with the use of hispocket-knife, which he held open in his hand, effect his release.
The most risky part of the entire affair must lie in their retreat. HereSmithy, being a veritable greenhorn, was very apt to make some blunderthat would draw the attention of the hungry man, and result indiscovery.
But there was no need of wasting time when the choice lay only in oneselection.
Thad fumbled around until he could locate the bonds that had been tiedaround the wrists of Smithy. These he quickly severed, at the same timetrusting to luck that he did not cut the boy with the sharp blade of hisknife.
Next in order he crawled a little further, and managed to saw apartanother piece of old rope that had been wound around the ankles ofSmithy.
The latter knew what was expected of him. Perhaps it was mere instinctthat told the tenderfoot, since he had never gone through any suchexperience as this before. But at any rate, no matter what influence
dhim, Smithy had already commenced to move backward. Thad was greatly"tickled" as he himself expressed it later, when he saw how Smithymaneuvered, keeping his head toward the enemy while moving off, as if hejust knew he ought to watch the man, and lie low in case he looked.
Thad had waited only long enough to fix the blanket upon which Smithyhad been lying, so that it would look like a human form reclining there.This he did by causing the middle to remain poked up a foot or so in theair, by deftly crunching the folds in his hand.
At a casual glance in that uncertain light, any one over there, with hiseyes dazzled by looking into the flickering firelight, might be deceivedinto believing that the prisoner still lay where he had been left.
Foot by foot the two scouts backed away. Why, Smithy was doing as wellas any experienced fellow could have shown himself capable ofperforming. Smithy had certainly all the qualities in him to make afirst-class scout; and Thad meant to encourage the ambition of the otherto the utmost, given the opportunity.
Now they were turning the bend, and everything seemed to still be goingsmoothly. It began to look as though Thad had accomplished a task thatat one time he feared would be beyond his capacity; and that freedom layahead for the late prisoner of the old bear's den.
Just as they reached the outlet there sounded a loud shout coming fromthe interior. It could have but one meaning, and this, discovery. Thehungry man had possibly walked over to say something else to Smithy, andfound that the prisoner had taken "French leave."
"This way, and give me a hand, quick!" exclaimed Thad, as he leaped outof the mouth of the den, and toward the pivotical rock that hung sotemptingly above.
Smithy seemed to have noticed the same stone, for he threw himselfagainst it at the very instant Thad did. Their combined weight, added tothe force with which they struck the trembling rock, proved to besufficient to start it moving. It appeared to hesitate just a second,and then went crashing over, making the very ground tremble with thetremendous shock.
And so the mouth of the old bear's den was sealed, imprisoning within,the two fugitives from the law.