CHAPTER XIV
THE RING OF STEEL RUNNERS
As the little flotilla of ice yachts drew up close to the shore, thesound of boyish laughter must have been heard, for a man was seenapproaching. He came from the direction of the cabin which they hadsighted among the trees, and from the mud and stone chimney of whichsmoke was ascending straight into the air--a promise of continued goodweather.
The boys were climbing up the bank when he reached them. So far asthey could see he appeared to be a rough but genial man, and Paulbelieved they could easily trust him to take care of the boats whileaway.
"I suppose you are Abe Turner, spoken of by Mr. Garrity?" was the wayPaul addressed the man, holding out his hand in friendly greeting.
The other's face relaxed into a smile. Evidently he liked this manlylooking young chap immediately, as most people did, for Paul had apeculiarly winning way about him.
"That's my name, and I reckon now you must be Paul," said the other.
"Why, how did you know that?" demanded Bobolink, in surprise.
"Oh! I had a letter from Mr. Thomas Garrity telling me all about youboys, and ordering me to do anything you might want. You see he ownsall the country around here, an' I'm holding the fort until spring,when there's going to be some big timber cutting done. We expect toget it to market down the Radway."
The scouts exchanged pleased looks.
"Bully for Mr. Thomas Garrity!" shouted Tom Betts, "he's all to thegood, if his conversion to liking boys did come late in life. He'sbound to make up for all the lost time now. Three cheers, fellows, forour good friend!"
They were given with a rousing will, and the echoes must have alarmedsome of the shy denizens of the snow forest, for a fox was seen toscurry across an open spot, and a bevy of crows in some not fardistant oak trees started to caw and call.
"All we want you to do for us, Abe," explained Paul, "is to take goodcare of our five iceboats, which we will have to leave with you."
"And we might as well tell you in the beginning," added Bobolink,"that several tough chaps from our town have come up here to spendsome time, just from learning of our plans."
"Yes," went on Tom Betts, the anxious one, "and nothing would ticklethat Hank Lawson and his gang so much as to be able to sneak some ofour boats away, or, failing that, to smash them into kindling woodwith an axe."
Abe nodded his shaggy head and smiled.
"I've heard some things about Hank Lawson," he observed. "But take itfrom me that if he comes around my shanty trying any of his trickshe'll get a lesson he'll never forget. I'll see to it that your boatsare kept safe. I've two dogs off hunting in the woods just now, butI'll fasten 'em nigh where you store the boats. I'm sorry for the boywho gets within the grip of Towser's teeth, yes, or Clinch's either."
That was good news to Tom, who smiled as though finally satisfied thatthere was really nothing to be feared.
"Sorry to say we'll have to be leaving you, boys," announced Wallacejust then, as he started to go the rounds with a mournful face,shaking hands with each lucky scout whom he envied so much.
"Hope you have the time of your lives," called out another of thosewho were debarred from enjoying the outing.
These boys started away, looking back from time to time as theycrossed wide Lake Tokala. Finally, with a last parting salute, theydarted into the mouth of the canal and were lost to view.
There was an immediate bustle, for time was flitting, and muchremained to be done. The five owners of the iceboats proceeded todismantle them, which was not a tedious proceeding. The masts wereunstepped and hidden in a place by themselves. The sails were takeninto the cabin of Abe, where they would be safe.
Meanwhile, the other boys had been engaged in making up the variouspacks which from now on must be shouldered by each member of theexpedition. Experience in such things allowed them to accomplish morein a given time than novices would have been able to do.
"Everything seems to be ready, Paul," announced Jack after a while, asthey gathered around, each boy striving to fix his individual packupon his back, and getting some other fellow to adjust the straps.
Bobolink seemed to have half again as much as any of the others,though this was really all his own doing. Besides his usual share ofthe luggage he had pots and pans and skillets sticking out in alldirections, so that he presented the appearance of a travelingtinker.
"It's a great pity, Bobolink," said Tom Betts, with a grin, as hesurveyed his comrade after helping the other load up, "that you wereborn about seventy-five years too late."
"Tell me why," urged the other.
"Think what a peddler you would have made! You'd have been a howlingsuccess hawking your goods around the country."
Of course they had all adjusted their skates before taking up theirpacks; for bending down would really have been next to a physicalimpossibility after those weighty burdens had been assumed.
"Hope you have a right good time, boys," said Abe Turner in parting."And don't any of you worry about these boats. When you come back thisway you'll find everything slick and neat here."
"Good for you, Abe," cried Tom Betts. "And make up your mind to it theBanner Boy Scouts never forget their friends. You're on the list, Abe.Good-bye!"
They were off at last, and it was high time, for the short Decemberday was already getting well along toward its close. Night would comealmost before they knew it, though they had no reason to expectanything like darkness, with that moon now much more than half full upthere in the heavens.
Some of the boys had noticed the mouth of this creek when camping onCedar Island the previous summer. They had been so much occupied withfishing, taking flashlight pictures of little wild animals in theirnative haunts, and in solving certain mysteries that came their waythat none of them had had time to explore the stream.
On this account then it would prove to be a new bit of country forthem, and this fact rather pleased most of the boys, as they dearlyloved to prowl around in a section they had never visited before.
Strung out in a straggling procession they skated along. The creek wasabout as crooked as anything could well be, a fact that influencedBobolink to shout out:
"In the absence of a better name, fellows, I hereby christen thiswaterway Snake Creek; any objections?"
"It deserves the name, all right," commented Spider Sexton, "for Inever saw such a wiggly stream in all my born days."
"Seems as if we had already come all of five miles, and nary a sign ofa cabin ahead yet that I can see," observed Phil Towns, presently, forPhil was really beginning to feel pretty well used up, not being quiteso sturdy as some others among the ten scouts.
"That's the joke," laughed Paul; "and it's on me I guess more than anyone else. I thought of nearly a thousand things, seems to me, butforgot to ask any one just how far it was up to the cabin from thelake by way of this scrambling creek."
"Why, I'm sure Mr. Garrity said something like six miles!" exclaimedJack.
"Yes, but that may have meant as the crow flies, straightaway,"returned the scout-master.
"At the worst then, Paul," Bobolink ventured to say, "we can camp, andspend a night in the open under the hemlocks. Veteran scouts have noneed to be afraid to tackle such a little game as that, with plenty ofgrub and blankets along."
"Hear! hear!" said Phil Towns. "And as the sun has set already I forone wouldn't care how soon you decided to do that stunt."
"Oh! we ought to be good for another hour or so anyway, Phil," Tomtold him, at which the other only grunted and struck manfully outagain.
As evening closed in about them, the shadows began to creep out of theheavy growth of timber by which the skaters were surrounded.
"Look! look! a deer!" shrieked Sandy Griggs, suddenly. Thrilled by thecry the others looked ahead just in time to see a flitting formdisappear in the thick fringe of shrubbery that lined one side of thecreek.