CHAPTER XXI
THE DEN OF THE HERMIT
"No, no!" said the professor calmly. "The boys were not spying. Theyhappened to see a man and a woman on the shore of the lake last night,and they thought it might have been you."
"It was me," said the woman. "I was trying to prevent him from comingand killing you all in your sleep."
The boys began to feel a queer creepy sensation run up their spines, asif some one had poured cold water down their backs.
"It's true," the strange creature went on. "I will tell you all aboutit. Listen to me," and she sat down on a stump.
"Perhaps we had better go where there is shelter," suggested Jerry, forit was raining hard again, though the boys and the professor in theirrubber coats did not mind it. The woman was drenched.
"No," she said. "I can go to no place save these woods. I am safefrom him here." She seemed nervous and excited, and her eyes seemedunnaturally bright.
"The old man is a hermit," she went on. "He has lived near this lake formany years. He kills travelers and takes their money. He tried to killme but I escaped from him because I can run fast. Since then he has beenafter me. Last night he started for your camp, but I got a big club andstopped him. Then he ran away."
"What was in the bag?" asked Ned.
"What bag?" asked the woman.
"The one the old man had on his back?"
"Hush! Don't speak about it," was the reply. "He had a murdered man'sbody in there, and he threw it into the lake."
"Are you sure?" asked the professor, thinking the woman might, perhaps,be trying to scare them away.
"Positive," she replied. "I saw him kill the poor fellow, but the hermitdid not know I was watching."
"Where does he live?" asked the professor.
"He has a den in the darkest part of the woods," was the answer. "Hetakes travelers there and kills them. He does not know that I know whereit is, but I do. Would you like to see it?"
"Not if he is the kind of a person you say he is," spoke Jerry. "I thinkwe had better steer clear of him."
"I can take you there when he is not at home," said the woman. "Listen,once each week he takes a long trip over the mountain, to bury the goldhe has taken from travelers. I can hide and watch him go. Then I couldcome and bring you to his den. Shall I?"
"It might be a good plan," mused the professor. "If this man is amurderer he should be taken in charge by the authorities. Yes, come andlet us know when he goes away. Perhaps we could capture him ourselves."
"I'll come," said the woman. "Now I must go, for I hear some onecoming," and, rising suddenly, she ran off at top speed through thewoods. The boys listened intently but could hear no one approaching, andbegan to think the woman must have been mistaken.
"Where did you meet her?" asked Jerry of the professor, when it was seenthat the woman was not coming back.
"She saw me while I was gathering some specimens," was the reply, "andshe came up to warn me about the hermit. It seems that she lives not faraway, and roams through the woods. Besides telling me about the oldman, and to be on our guard against him, she showed me where to get somebeautiful tree toads," and the scientist opened his pocket and showed itfull of the little creatures.
"Do you think she is telling the truth about the hermit?" asked Jerry.
"There may be some exaggeration to it," rejoined the professor, "but Ihave heard of old half crazed men who lived in the woods as this onedoes, and who occasionally murdered lone travelers. We can't be toocareful."
"Besides, it did look as though she was trying to prevent him doingsomething last night," put in Jerry.
"Well, we'll keep a good lookout," suggested the professor. "That's allwe can do now, unless we decide to move on away from this place."
"I would rather like to solve the mystery," said Jerry. "I do not thinkwe have much to fear. He is an old man, and I guess we four are a matchfor him."
"Then we had better do as the woman says, wait until she comes to leadus to his hut, or cabin, or whatever it is," the professor advised aftera moment's thought.
That plan settled on, they made their way back to camp and the professorwas given his rather late dinner. But he did not seem to mind this inthe least.
"Are you going to keep watch again to-night?" asked Bob of Jerry.
"Of course. I want to get at the bottom of this. There is a mysterysomewhere, and I think the hermit, the lost lake and the strange woman,together, can explain it."
The rain stopped after supper, though it remained cloudy, and Jerryagain prepared the gas lamp. It was arranged that he and Ned would stayup on guard until twelve o'clock and that Bob and the professor wouldtake the rest of the night. Whichever party saw the hermit was at onceto notify the other.
Jerry and Ned began their vigil. Several hours passed and it seemed theywere to have their trouble for their pains. At length, however, just asthey were preparing to turn in and let the others take their turn, Jerrysaw a movement in the bushes about five hundred feet away, and down nearthe edge of the lake. The moon, shining faintly through the clouds,illuminated the scene.
"Be ready to turn on the light when I say so," said Jerry to Ned.
Ned was all alert. Jerry, with his eyes straining to catch the slightestmovement of the underbrush, peered through the darkness. Somethingwhite attracted him.
"Now!" he whispered to Ned, and the light, that had been burning low,was suddenly turned on at full power.
In its glare the two boys saw again the white haired hermit stealingalong the edge of the water, the big bag on his back.
"Call the others!" whispered Jerry to Ned. "I'll keep watch!"
"All right."
Ned softly went back to the shack where he awakened the professor andBob. They were out in an instant, and made ready to go quietly down asclose as they could to where the hermit was, while Jerry showed the wayby the searchlight. But again they were doomed to disappointment, for,no sooner had Jerry turned the light so that it shown full on the oldman, than he jumped as though struck by lightning and made a dive forthe woods, into the black depths of which he disappeared.
"I guess that's the last we'll see of him," said Ned.
"He dropped his bag," cried Bob. "Let's get that and see what's in it."
At this the professor and Ned ran down to the edge of the water, andsoon returned with the sack the old man had carried on his back.
"Open it and let's see if there are any murdered persons in it," saidJerry, with an uneasy laugh.
Ned untied the string, and, not without some misgivings, peered inside.
"Well I never," he exclaimed.
"What is it?" asked Bob.
"Fish! Nothing but fish!" replied Ned. "Fine ones at that. I guess allwe have done is to have scared the poor old man away from his fishinggrounds."
"Certainly there is nothing suspicious in having a bag of fish," put inthe professor. "I wonder if that strange woman could have been tellingthe truth."
"We'll know better if she keeps her word and comes to take us to thehermit's den," said Jerry.
There seemed nothing more to do that night, so they all went to bed, notbeing disturbed until morning. They were awakened by the sun peeping inthrough the chinks in the shack, and they got up to find a fine day hadsucceeded the rainy one.
The beams of Old Sol were bright and warm, and the first thing thetravelers did was to go down and have a dip in the lake. Then breakfastwas served, and when it was over Jerry and Ned started to overhaul themachine.
"For," said Jerry, "we may want to leave at any time, and the car is innone too good condition since we plowed up the side of the mountain."
Several minor repairs were made and the auto was run down to the mainroad, where it stood in readiness for a quick start. It was some timeafter dinner before all this was done, and along about three o'clock thefour travelers stretched out under the trees and took a well earned rest.
"Now if that strange woman would--" began Ned.
"Hush!" cautioned the
professor, "some one is coming."
Hardly had he ceased speaking before the bushes opened and thereappeared the figure of the queer woman, with her long hair hanging loosedown her back.
"Hush!" she whispered, placing her finger on her lips. "I have come tokeep my promise. The hermit has gone over the mountain. Come, and I willtake you to his hut, and you can see where he has murdered travelers."
The boys hardly knew whether to obey or not, but a nod from ProfessorSnodgrass, to whom they looked, indicated they were to do as the womanwanted. So they arose and prepared to follow her. The professor broughtup the rear.
Through the woods their strange guide went, for several miles. At lengthshe reached a thick part of the woods.
"It is very close now," she said. "Wait until I take a look."
The travelers halted, while the woman crept softly forward. She peeredthrough the brush into a sort of clearing, and apparently seeing thateverything was safe, she motioned for the others to advance.
They did so, and, a moment later emerged from the woods into a placewhere many trees had been cut down. In the centre of this space was asmall log cabin, and toward it the woman pointed.
"There is his hut," she said. "Come on, I will lead the way."
She advanced with great caution, as though she feared to disturb someone. Closer and closer to the door she went, the others close behind her.
"He never locks it, so we can go right in," she said.
By this time she was near enough to grasp the latch. She raised it,and was about to enter, when the door suddenly swung back, and the oldhermit himself, stepping out, stood before the astonished travelers.
"There he is! There he is! There is the murderer!" cried the woman,pointing her finger at the hermit.
The old man did not appear greatly surprised. He looked from the womanto the boys and the professor, and remarked:
"To what am I indebted for the honor of this visit?"
"I we,--er--that is--we--er--I--" began the professor, finding it washard to tell the truth.
"Oh, it's poor old Kate," went on the hermit. "She has probably beentelling you some strange stories. Will you not come into my cabin?"
"Don't go into the murderer's hut!" cried the woman, as she turned andfled back through the underbrush, leaving the travelers in a somewhatqueer situation.