CHAPTER XIV -- The Men Who Laughed
Before the party fell to work, the driver walked to the edge of the lakeand tied his white handkerchief to the limb of a tree, which projectedover the water. There was enough breeze to make it flutter, and thebackground of emerald brought it out with vivid distinctness. It was thesignal to the bungalow that the chuck wagon, as they called it, hadarrived, and the two canoes were to be sent across the lake for thesupplies. Since it was expected at a certain time, our friends were onthe watch for it. Within ten minutes after the piece of linen wasfastened in place, the large canoes, each containing two persons, one ofwhom was Scout Master Hall, were seen heading for the spot where theprovisions were awaiting them. It does not take a man and four lustyboys long to prepare a wagon load of such freight for shipment by water,and the cargo was ready a good while before the arrival of the craft.
The driver, who announced that he was "Jake," sat on one of the boxes,lighted a corncob pipe and talked with the lads. Although he was roughof speech and at times inclined to profanity, the young men treated himwith respect, and by their unvarying courtesy won his good will. Heasked many questions and told them a good deal about himself; in short,they became quite chummy.
The two canoes had passed most of the distance when Jake abruptly asked:
"Have you seen anything of Asa and Bige Carter?"
"Who are they?" asked Alvin in turn, although he had heard the namesbefore.
"I thought everybody knowed Asa and Bige; they're twin brothers, and twoof the darndest chaps that ever lived."
This description, so far as it went, was not enlightening. Chester said:
"Those must have been the two men that called on Uncle Elk this morningand went off with him in their canoe. So far as we could see they lookexactly alike."
"That's them," replied Jake with a nod of his head. "Did the three comethis way in their canoe?"
"They seemed to be heading for this place."
"That settles it; they was Asa and Bige. I expected them to meet mehere," and Jake peered around in the wood, but without seeing anythingof his friends.
"What might ye maan by spaking of them as two of the darndest chaps thatever lived?" asked Mike, who, as did his companions, hoped they hadstruck a lead that might yield them something worth while.
"Why, they're just like a couple of Irishmen."
"Arrah now, but what model gintlemen they must be! It will be an honorfor us to make their acquaintance."
Jake's reply to this was to snatch off his straw hat, throw back hishead and roar with laughter. Determined to probe farther, Alvin asked:
"What is there peculiar about the twin brothers?"
"Now, you jist wait till you meet 'em and you'll find out. I'll onlywarn you to keep your eyes wide open, or they'll close 'em for you. Wal,the folks have about arriv."
All rose to their feet and greeted their friends who were now within ashort distance. The water was so deep that the light craft were able tolie broadside against the bank. It required skill and hard labor to geta portion of the freight aboard, but in due time it was accomplished.
"We are pretty heavily loaded," remarked Scout Master Hall, "but thelake is smooth and we can easily make two or three trips. We can divideyou four between us."
"It's blamed risky," commented Jake, "but I guess it can be did ifyou're all mighty keerful."
Mr. Hall insisted that he and his three companions should change placeswith the others, but this arrangement would have defeated the schemeAlvin and his chums had in mind. Without revealing their object, theybegged off and secured a compromise by which Hoke Butler was to returnin one of the canoes, while the trio would walk home. In truth, Hoke wasso tired from his long tramp that he was pleased by the plan.
"But I won't go, Mike, if you're going to feel bad about it," heremarked before sitting down in the boat that was about to shove off.
"Av coorse me heart is nearly broke," said Mike, "but it's yer owncomfort I'm thinking of, as Larry McWhymper said whin he put a brick inthe bag for the cat he was drowning to set on and pass away comfortable.But I'm cheered by the hope of maating ye at supper time. Good luck toye!"
The two craft, sunk almost to their gunwales, moved slowly across themirror-like lake, reaching their destination without mishap, andreturning for the last loads.
Jake looked at the three youths.
"You've got a mighty hard tramp afore you; if there was a road I'd takeyou home in my wagon."
"We don't mind it," was the cheery reply of Alvin.
"Besides, if we feel like resting our legs and using our arms, we canborrow Dr. Spellman's boat; his home isn't far off. Do you go back atonce?"
"I've a great mind to; it would serve Asa and Bige right if I did, butI'll hang round a half hour or so and not a blamed bit longer, for Imust git home afore dark."
"Then we shall bid you good bye," said Alvin shaking hands with thecountryman, as did the others, all expressing the hope of soon meetinghim again. Since it was he who regularly brought the supplies to thispoint, there seemed to be no reason why the mutual wish should not begratified. Jake refilled and relighted his pipe, sitting on a fallentree and showing by his vigorous puffs that he was not in the mostpatient of moods.
The three boys did not speak until sure they were beyond sight of Jake.Then they halted.
"Do you think he suspects anything?" asked Alvin, unconsciously loweringhis voice.
"Why should he?" asked Chester.
"He suspicts we're thramping for home," remarked Mike, "which the sameis what we wish him to belave."
It will be understood that our young friends were resolute to learn allthat was possible about the mystery that had tantalized them for thepast day or two. Beyond a doubt the twin brothers were connected withit, and since Jake was awaiting their coming, it looked as if the boyshad a fair chance of learning something.
They separated, and each began an approach to the driver and his teamthat was meant to be so cautious that Jake would not detect them. Thevery care used by each well nigh defeated its purpose. It fell to Alvinto catch the first enlightening glimpse of the countryman and that whichhe saw astonished him.
The Carter brothers must have been waiting near at hand for thedeparture of the boys, for in the brief interval since then they hadcome forward, loaded something in the wagon and covered it with a bigsheet of soiled canvas. Whatever it was, its size was such that itfilled the whole interior, and crowded against the seat in front. Ittowered several feet above the sides and suggested a load of hay,protected against a drenching rain.
"What can it be?" Alvin muttered, "and why are they so particular withit?" which questions were self asked by Chester and Mike, with none ableto frame an answer.
Having loaded the wagon, the brothers proceeded carefully to tuck in theprecious burden as if afraid jealous eyes might see it. Finally all wassatisfactory and the three men climbed to the front seat. They had tosit snugly, but there was enough room. Jake was on the extreme right,where he could crack his whip without hindrance.
He glanced behind him, as if to make sure everything was right, jerkedthe reins, circled the whip lash which gave out an explosion like thatof a fire cracker, and the sturdy horses bent to their task of draggingthe wagon and its contents through the woods into the more open country,where the smoother highway made the task easy.
All three men crowded on the front seat were smoking. Jake stuck to hiscorncob pipe, but each brother sported a cigar, which by a specialarrangement with Porter, the druggist in Boothbay Harbor, they boughtfor two cents apiece,--far in excess of their worth, as any one woulddecide who tested them, or even caught their odor. With all puffingvigorously, one might fancy that they instead of the horses supplied themotive power.
From where Alvin Landon stood behind the trunk of a large tree andpeeped out, he saw that the brothers were doing a good deal of laughing,as if they recalled some humorous incident. Bige gave the particulars toJake, who was so pleased that he threw ba
ck his head and made the forestring with his laughter.
Since the backs of the men were turned toward the boys, the latter didnot fear to come together to discuss their next step.
"I don't see that we have learned more than we knew before," remarkedAlvin disgustedly; "what do you suppose they have covered up in thatwagon?"
"I have no idea," replied Chester.
"Let's folly the team till it gets back to Bovil or wherever the samemay be going. Better still," added Mike, "we can slip up behind, liftthe lid, and get a peep at the cratur himself."
"How do you know what it may be?"
"I don't, which is why I want to find out, and the same is thrue ofyersilves."
They gave over the plan for more than one reason. There was no sayinghow many miles they would have to tramp, and they could not go farwithout being discovered by the men. Then the situation, to say theleast, would become embarrassing.
"I have the belief that we are near the solution," said Alvin, "and wecan afford to wait a day or two longer. We have several miles ahead andmay as well place them behind us before nightfall. Come on."
Good taste suggested that having called upon Dr. Spellman so recentlythey should pass him by on their return to the bungalow. This was doneand they reached home without further incident.
Meanwhile, the wagon with its mysterious load was lurching and plungingover the primitive road, the three men on the front seat retaining theirplaces with no little difficulty, but they were used to such travelingand no mishap followed.
Shortly after reaching the smoother highway, Bige Carter with anotherlaugh exclaimed:
"By jingo! there they be!"
"You're right; that's them," added his brother.
The two tramps, who have already figured to some extent in these pages,were descried as the team turned a corner, walking in the middle of theroad. He who had lost his hat had managed in some way to secure another.Half of the rim was missing and his frowsy hair showed through thecrown. As the rattle of wheels reached their ears, he who was known asBiggs looked around. Immediately the paths of the two diverged, onegoing to the right and the other to the left of the highway. Both limpedas if the act of walking was painful. Naturally the team soon overtookthem. Jake, who had been talking the matter over with his friends,stopped his horses.
"Whoa! wouldn't you gentlemen like me to give you a lift?"
"Now ye're shouting, boss," replied Biggs as he and his companion eachapproached a front wagon wheel, "but where are yer going to put us?"
"You won't mind setting on the bottom of the wagon in front of the stuffpiled there?"
"Not a bit, boss; ye're a trump."
Resting one ragged shoe on a hub, the hobos clambered in and sat downbehind the three men, who said nothing but tried to restrain theirchuckling. They knew what was coming.
Biggs and Hutt drew up their legs and compressed themselves as much aspossible. Still, with the best they could do they were cramped. Itseemed to Biggs that a slight shifting of the freight behind them wouldhelp matters. He hesitated for a minute or two and then stealthilyraised one corner of the canvas covering, his companion watching him.
Thus it came about that the revelation burst upon the two in the sameinstant. A howl of terror rang out from each, as they bounded to theirfeet and dived over the side of the wagon. They forgot their lameness,and ran in the direction of Gosling Lake as if they were contestants atStockholm for the Marathon prize. That single peep under the canvas hadshown the same appalling thing that drove them headlong from the canoe.It was actually near enough to touch them, and the wonder was that theywere not smitten with a mortal dread.
As Jake and Bige and Asa rode on they were so convulsed with merrimentthat they surely would have fallen from their seats had not the highwaybeen smooth and the pace of the horses a slow walk.