CHAPTER XXV
THE SHOT
For a moment, after getting outside the cabin, Tom hardly knew what todo. He was at a loss in which direction to start, but he realized thenecessity of getting away from that vicinity as soon as possible.
Though his escape did not seem to have aroused his captors, there wasno telling when they would take the alarm and start after him. Tomlooked for the bear. The animal was not in sight, though he could seeby marks in the snow, where it had approached the cabin from the woods,and where it had run off into the forest again.
"Too bad I haven't my gun!" mused Tom. "But I don't dare try to get it."
Then began for Tom a time he never forgot. He set off toward the woods,wishing to gain their friendly shelter as soon as he could, but oncethere he was at a loss how farther to proceed.
"But there's no need to wait for morning," he reasoned. "I can seealmost as well now, as long as the moon is up. I'll try to find somesort of a trail."
He staggered on, yes, staggered, for he was weak from his experience,and he had not had proper food in some time. It seemed almost a week,but of course it was not as long as that.
Scarcely able to walk, but grimly determined not to give up, Tom urgedhimself on. Whither he was going, he knew not, but any way to leavethat hateful shack, and the more hateful men behind, was good enoughfor the time being.
All night long Tom kept on going. He fancied he was on some sort oftrail or road, but he could not be sure. Certainly the trees seemed cutdown in a line, though it was a twisting and turning one.
Then the moon went down, leaving the scene pretty dark, but the whitesnow made objects plain. Tom kept on until at last he was fairlystaggering from side to side. He was very weak.
"I--I've got to give up," he panted. "I--I've got to--to rest."
He looked about and saw sort of a nook under some bushes. On top was amatting of snow, like a roof. Tom crawled into this like some huntedanimal, and sank down wearily. He pulled his mackinaw about him,thankful that he had it with him. He must have frozen without itsprotection.
Again Tom was unaware of the passage of time. He must have dozed orfainted, perhaps, but when he opened his eyes the sun was shining. Theday was a brilliant one, and warm, for that time of year. Tom tookheart. He crawled out, and once more started on his wearying tramp.He was very weak and exhausted, and there was a "gone" feeling to hisstomach.
"Or the place where it used to be," Tom said, with grim humor. "I don'tbelieve I have a stomach left."
But he forced himself onward. It seemed that he had been staggeringover the snow for a week. Time had lost its meaning for him.
"Oh, if I only had something to eat! If I only could find the camp!"murmured poor Tom.
He reached a stump, and sat down on it to rest. He closed his eyes butsuddenly opened them again.
Was that fancy, or had he heard a shot? He leaped up, electrified, andthen hesitated. Perhaps it was Skeel and the others after him. But aquick look across the snow showed him no one was in sight. Tom reasonedquickly.
"Skeel and his crowd wouldn't shoot unless they saw me, and then itwould be to scare me. It can't have been those men who fired. It mustbe the boys. But where are they?" Tom looked eagerly about.
Again came the shot. There was no mistake this time. Then Tom heard ashout. He tried to answer it, but his voice was too weak. Another shotcracked on the frosty air, and then came a series of confused calls.
"There he is!"
"We've found him!"
"Hurry up!"
A mist dimmed Tom's vision. He cleared his eyes with a quick motion ofhis hand, and then he saw his three chums and Sam Wilson rushing towardhim. They came out of the woods, and, a moment later, had surroundedhim.
"Where were you?"
"What happened?"
"Where's your gun?"
"You look all in!"
Fast came the questions.
"I--I am all in," Tom faltered. "It's that rascal Skeel. I--I----"
He could not go on for a moment. Then he pulled himself together.
"Here! Drink this!" exclaimed Jack, producing a small vacuum bottle."It's coffee and it's hot yet." He poured some out into a tin cup andTom drank it. It revived him at once. Then, with a little more of thebeverage, and a hasty swallowing of a sandwich which formed part ofthe emergency lunch the boys had brought with them, Tom was able totell his story.
Hot indignation was expressed by all, and then Jack related how theyhad found the road, but lost Tom, and how they had met with Sam. Theirtrip to Camp No. 2 had been fruitless, as we know, nor were they anymore successful when they came to Camp No. 3. Tom was not there. Thenthey started for Camp No. 1, and were on their way thither when theycame upon the object of their search. On the way they shouted and firedsignal guns at intervals. The dog had found his way to Camp No. 1,after leaving Tom, but the animal could not lead Tom's friends to him.
"And now to make it hot for those scoundrels!" exclaimed Sam. "We'llprosecute them not only for kidnapping and robbing you, for that's whatthey did when they took your gun and money, but we'll bring an actionin trespass against them. That shack where they kept you belongs to thehunting club."
"And to think Tom was there all the while and we never knew it," saidBert.
"Oh, I intended to have a look there, if we hadn't found him at CabinNo. 1," declared Sam. "But now let's get busy! Can you walk, Tom, orwill you wait here until I can go get a horse?"
"Oh, I'll be all right soon. I was just weak from hunger."
Soon Tom was able to proceed. They were about half way between Camp No.1 and the shack where our hero had been kept a prisoner, and it wasdecided to go to the latter place and make an endeavor to capture Skeeland his cronies.
But our friends were too late. The kidnappers had fled, but Tom's gunand all his possessions, save his money, were found in the cabin.Doubtless the personal belongings were too conclusive evidence againstthe plotters, to risk taking, but someone had succumbed to thetemptation of the cash.
"Well, I'm glad to get this back," Tom said, taking up his gun.
"Yes, and we'll get those rascals yet!" declared Sam. "I'll rouse thewhole country after them!"
They went on to Camp No. 1 and there Tom had a good rest. It didnot take long to pull himself together, and he was as eager as theothers to start out on the trail of the scoundrels. For the time beinghunting and the taking of photographs was forgotten. Sam sent word tothe authorities, and a sheriff's posse was organized. It was done soquickly that Skeel and the others, who had taken the alarm and fledwhen they discovered Tom's escape, were apprehended before they couldleave the neighborhood. The heavy storms had blocked the railroad andthere were no trains. The men could not hire a sled and team and sowere forced to walk, which put them at a disadvantage. They left atrail easy for the woodsmen, hunters and trappers to follow.
"Well, you got us, and you got us good!" said Murker, when they werearrested and confronted by Tom and the others. "I was afraid somethinglike this would happen."
"Why didn't you say so, then, and keep me out of it?" asked Whalen,sullenly.
Professor Skeel said nothing, but he scowled at Tom. The plotter'splans had fallen through, and he faced a long prison term, which, indue course he received, as did his confederates. The letter Skeel hadtried to force Tom to write was found on the man and made conclusiveevidence against him and the others. So the scoundrel-professor wascheated of his revenge and the money he hoped to get from Mr. Fairfield.
It became known that Professor Skeel had various experiences afterTom had last seen him. The man was in desperate circumstances when heformed a plan of kidnapping Tom, and holding him for ransom. It was afoolish and risky plan, but Skeel talked it over with his two croniesand decided to try it. They knew Mr. Fairfield was rich.
Then came Skeel's trip to Elmwood Hall. The snowball was an accident hehad not counted on, and it made him more angry than ever against Tom.
Professor Skeel's injured ear, which looked, as Sam
said, "like ithad been chawed by some critter," was the result of a fight he hadwith a man before this story opened, and with which we have nothing todo. Sufficient to say that it served to identify the man, and put ourfriends on their guard, so that justice was finally meted out.
The trial and conviction of the men came later. After the trio weresafely locked in jail, Tom and his chums returned to the woods wherethey had been lost. But they were better acquainted with the forest now.
"And we'll have some fine hunting!" cried Tom, now himself again.
"And get some photographs!" added Bert. "I want a view of that hutwhere the bear pulled the board off so you could get out."
"That was queer," said Tom, smiling. "I don't believe I'll like toshoot a bear now, after that one did me such a good turn."
"You won't have much chance," Sam said. "I guess even the oldest andtoughest bear is 'holed-up' by now. Better be content with deer!"
And the boys had to be, rather against their wills. But they were madehappy when each one got a specimen, though none was as fine as wasTom's antlered head. Moreover, Bert and the others secured all thephotographs they wanted.
But deer was not the only game they shot.
Rabbits, partridges and squirrels were plentiful, and the boys had morethan enough for their meals. They enjoyed to the utmost the holidaytime spent in the hunting camps, and Tom paid his first visit to CampNo. 3.
"Well, take it all in all, how did you enjoy it, fellows?" asked Tom,when, after a last successful hunt they were preparing to go back tohome and Elmwood Hall.
"Couldn't have been better!" was the enthusiastic answer from all.
"But it was rather tough on you, Tom," said Jack.
"Oh, I didn't mind it so much, except the 'hunger-strike' I had to goon, after I escaped," was the reply. "And I had the satisfaction ofbesting Skeel."
"He'll hate you worse than ever," commented Bert.
"He'll be a long while getting out," Tom said. "That's one consolation.Well, here comes Sam with the pung. I suppose we've got to go back!"
And with sighs of regret at what they were leaving, real regret inspite of the hardships, the boys prepared to return to civilization, atwhich point we will take leave of them.
THE END