CHAPTER XXX.
A SUCCESSFUL SEARCH--CONCLUSION.
When Sam escaped from big Bill Harney he had but one purpose in view,and that was to reach Dick and the others just as soon as possible andacquaint them with the turn affairs had taken.
He had a fairly good idea of the direction the others had taken, andknew that their tracks in the snow would be plain to follow. The mainthing at the start was to keep out of sight of the enemy.
In doing this, he had not only to avoid Harney and Baxter, but alsoHusty, providing that individual was anywhere around, which wasprobable. Consequently, although he traveled as fast as the deep snowpermitted, he kept a sharp lookout on every side.
The youth soon circled the lower shore of Bear Pond, and he found thetrail he was seeking. It led directly to the westward, and he followedit up, almost on a run.
In the meantime Dick, Tom, and John Barrow had journeyed to the thirdoutlet of the lake, the stream which the guide thought must be theoriginal of Perch River. Here, after a good deal of trouble, the partylocated what looked like the stump of a tree once struck by lightning.
"We've found it at last!" cried Dick. "I feel it in my bones that we areon the right track!"
Again they measured off the distance with care, and now came to a largeflat rock, behind which was another, unusually sharp.
"The flat rock!" muttered Tom, and his heart began to thump wildly."Dick, you're right. We are on the right track. If the treasure isn'there, it's been taken away."
They had brought along a pick and a crowbar, and now all set to work toclear away the snow, and then the dirt from around the pointed rock. Theground was hard, and at first they made but slow progress.
"Perhaps we'll have to build a fire, to thaw out the ground," suggestedJohn Barrow.
"Oh, that will take too long," said Tom. "I wonder if we can't turn therock over?"
With the crowbar and the pick wedged against the flat rock they pushedupon the pointed rock with all the force at their command. Several timesthe tools slipped, but at last they held, and slowly the pointed rockwent up, until with a thud it rolled over and several feet away.
"Hurrah, a hole full of small stones!" cried Dick, and leaped down topick the stones out. Tom followed, and so did the guide.
"Dick! Tom! Hullo! hullo!" came the unexpected cry from a short distanceaway.
"Who is that calling?" demanded Dick.
"It's Sam," replied the guide, looking up. "He's coming here as fast ashe can track it."
"Then something is wrong," said Dick, and for the moment the treasurewas forgotten.
It did not take Sam long to reach them. He was so out of breath that forseveral minutes he was unable to talk connectedly. At last he gaspedout:
"Dan Baxter and that big guide--they attacked me and I ran away.They--they are in possession of our traps."
"Baxter!" ejaculated Dick. "That's the worst yet. They'll steal all ourthings and leave us to starve!"
"We might as well go right after them," put in John Barrow.
"Oh, say, let's unearth this treasure first," pleaded Tom. "If we leavethat, Baxter may follow up our tracks, as Sam did, and take it fromunder our very noses."
"Tom is right--get the treasure first," said Dick.
Once more they set to work, Sam watching them while trying to get backhis breath and strength. Soon the last of the loose stones were removedfrom the hole, and they came upon a thin metallic slab having in thecenter a small ring. They pulled the slab up and disclosed a smallsquare opening, in the middle of which rested a metallic box, about afoot and a half square and a foot in depth. The box was so heavy theycould scarcely budge it.
"The treasure at last!" came from all of the boys.
"Putty heavy, no mistake about that," was John Barrow's comment. "Ifit's silver it's wuth considerable!"
"We must get it out somehow," said Dick, who was as excited as anyone."Let's get the crowbar under it."
This suggestion was carried out, and after a good deal of trouble thebox was brought up out of the hole. Beneath it lay an iron key, whichfitted the rusty lock of the treasure casket. Soon they had the boxopen, and all gazed intently inside.
"Gold and silver!" shouted Tom. "See, the gold is on top, and looks asif it had been put in some time after the silver. Wonder what the stuffis worth?"
"Some thousand dollars, that's sure," said Dick.
Now that the treasure was found the boys scarcely knew what to do withit. Then the guide came forward with a suggestion.
"We'll hide it in the snow for the present. Then the Baxter crowd won'tknow where it is. The empty hole will throw 'em off the scent."
A nearby place was readily found, and into this the box was placed andthe snow was thrown loosely over it. This accomplished, they startedback for the camp with all possible speed.
It was a long tramp, and although he did his best Sam lagged behind.
"You go on, don't mind me," said the youngest Rover. "Only keep themfrom running off with our goods."
It was a good half hour before the camp was reached. When they came insight of the spot it looked deserted.
"We may as well go slow," cautioned John Barrow. "There may be some sortof a trap set for us."
They advanced with their guns ready for use, but nobody appeared, andpresently they stood close to the camp-fire. Then Dick ran into theshelter, to find Jasper Grinder lying as Sam had left him.
"Mr. Grinder, where is the Baxter crowd?" he asked.
"Gone, half an hour ago," replied the wounded man.
"Where did they go to?"
"I don't know. They said something about following you up and spying onyou, to see if you had found the treasure."
"Creation!" ejaculated Dick, and ran outside again. "We've made a messof it!" he said. "They followed us up, and more than likely they've gotthe treasure box this minute!"
It was found that but little in the camp had been disturbed, exceptingthat Sam's gun had been taken off. What to do was now the question. Samcould not walk further.
"Better stay here," said Dick. "If the Baxter crowd comes back, you canhide."
Then he, Tom, and John Barrow set out to return to where the treasurehad been left. They were still some distance away when they discoveredDan Baxter, Bill Harney, and Lemuel Husty making their way along thesnow-covered trail. In a few minutes they came up to the party.
"Baxter, where are you bound?" demanded Dick, striding up.
"You know well enough."
"We are after thet treasure," came from Harney, and it was plain to seethat he and Husty had been drinking heavily.
"The treasure is ours, Baxter, and you can't touch it."
"It will belong to whoever finds it," growled the bully.
"That's right," came from Husty. "Whoever gits it, owns it. Eh, Harney?"
"Plain truth, that is," hiccoughed the big guide.
"In that case, it is ours for sure," grinned Dick. "We have it already."
At this announcement Dan Baxter staggered back.
"It--it aint true; you're joking," he faltered.
"It is true, Baxter. Come, I will show you where the treasure washidden--if that will do you any good. Here is the description." And Dickbrought it forth and let the bully read it.
"Where's the tree?" demanded Baxter.
"There is the tree, and over yonder is the rock. We turned it over andfound the treasure, just as we anticipated. It's ours, and I am simplytelling you this to save you the trouble of looking further for it. DanBaxter, you have played this game to a finish with your companions, andyou have lost."
If ever there was a disappointed and angry individual, it was DanBaxter. He raved and said all sorts of uncomplimentary things, and Hustyand Harney joined in, until John Barrow told all of them to shut up orhe would have the law on them.
"You had no right to make prisoners of Tom and Sam," he said. "But ifyou'll behave yourselves, and not bother us in the future, we'll letthat pass."
To this Husty,
who was a thorough sneak, consented at once, and thenBill Harney did the same. Baxter remained silent.
"You've defeated me this time," he said, at last. "But, remember, I amnot done with you."
A little later Baxter moved off, and Bill Harney and Lemuel Husty wentwith him. It was the last that the Rovers saw of their enemies for along while to come.
A few words more and we will bring to a close this story of the Roverboys' adventures in the mountains.
Our friends found it no easy matter to get the heavy treasure box safelyto camp. In order to move it, they had to construct a drag of a treelimband hook a rope to this, and then it was all they could do to move italong through the deep snow.
When they got the box into camp they lost no time in examining thetreasure. The gold and silver amounted to twenty-five hundred dollars,and there were diamonds and other precious stones worth nearly as muchmore.
"About five thousand dollars, all told," announced Dick. "That is notsuch a bad haul, after all."
As there was now nothing more to look for, our friends spent ten days inthe camp, taking it easy most of the time, and spending a day in gettingback the missing sled. They went hunting twice, and the second time outDick got a fine shot at a deer, and brought down the creature withouttrouble. Tom and Sam brought down considerable small game, and all votedthe outing a complete success, despite the interference occasioned bytheir enemies.
At the end of the ten days Jasper Grinder was able to walk around,although still weak. In the meantime John Barrow had constructed a sledfor the former school-teacher to sit upon, and on this he rode when theystarted on the return to Timber Run.
When the settlement was gained the Laning girls, Mrs. Barrow, and Addiewere glad to see them back, and delighted to learn of the treasure andits value. They said they had heard of Baxter and his followers, butthat all of the party had left Timber Run for parts unknown.
"Well, we don't want to see them again," said Dick. "We've had quiteenough of all of them." At Timber Run Jasper Grinder left them, and theRovers saw no more of him for many days.
The home-coming of the Rover boys was a day long to be remembered.There was a regular party given at the country home, at which many oftheir friends were present. The Laning girls were there, and also DoraStanhope, and Larry, Fred, George, and a host of others, not forgettingCaptain Putnam himself, who came upon a special invitation sent by Mr.Anderson Rover. Alexander Pop waited upon the table as usual, his facebeaming with pleasure.
"Jes tell yo', yo' can't down dem Rober boys nohow," said the coloredman to Captain Putnam. "Da is jes like apples in a tub--yo' shoves 'emunder, an' up da pops, bright as eber." And the owner of Putnam Halllaughingly agreed with Alexander.
"I trust that you will never be troubled by Dan Baxter again," said DoraStanhope to Dick, after he had told her the story of the treasure hunt.
"I trust so myself," replied Dick. "But he's like a bad cent, sure toturn up when not wanted." Dick told the truth. How Dan Baxter turned up,and what he did to bring the Rovers more trouble, will be told inanother volume, to be entitled, "The Rover Boys on Land and Sea; or, TheCrusoes of Seven Islands," a tale full of happenings far out of theordinary.
But for the time being troubles were of the past, and here let us leaveour friends, shouting as did the pupils from the Hall when the partybroke up:
"Three cheers for the Rover Boys! Hip, hip, hurrah!"