CHAPTER 4 Useful Information
"For the love o' lemons!" exploded Dan as he saw for himself that thetrail of footprints led into the restricted area of the Silvertonproperty. "What got into Red and Chips?"
"They knew we gave our promise to Mr. Silverton," Brad said, deeplytroubled. "And now, first crack, they go wandering off."
"Let's drag 'em back here before Saul Dobbs learns about it," advisedFred. "It would give him a good excuse for heaving us all off the place."
Mr. Hatfield and Midge's father were even more troubled than the Cubsover the actions of Chips and Red.
"We shouldn't all enter the restricted area," Mr. Holloway said. "I'lltake Brad and Dan and go after them. The rest wait here with Sam."
With the Den Chief and Dan at his heels, Mr. Holloway rapidly followedthe trail which, after leaving the creek, presently came out at a clearedarea.
Directly ahead, they saw the two missing Cubs.
"Wahoo! Wahoo!" shouted Dan to attract their attention.
Red and Chips, who had their backs turned, whirled around to face theapproaching trio. Seemingly unaware that they had committed any offense,they came trotting toward the group.
"See what we found!" Chips cried, extending his hands which were filledwith gray pheasant tail feathers.
Red had a similar collection. "We're going to use these for an Indianheaddress!" he announced. "We can enter it in the Pack's Indian craftexhibit at the end of the summer, and maybe win first prize!"
"You win first prize for being the Den's No. 1 Dodo," Brad saidfuriously. "Cripes! Can't a fellow trust you a minute?"
"Brad, let me handle this," said Mr. Holloway quietly.
Turning to the puzzled Chips and Red, he asked them if they knew whatthey had done.
"We haven't done anything," Chips insisted. "If all this fuss is aboutthese feathers--we picked 'em up over there on the ground."
"That's right," Red said, made uncomfortable by the Den Dad's steadygaze. "You can bet we didn't pluck any birds. In fact, we didn't see asingle pheasant."
"I wasn't referring to the feathers," replied Mr. Holloway. "Do yourealize where you are?"
"Sure. On Mr. Silverton's land," Red answered, still failing tocomprehend.
"You're in the forbidden area, Red. The Cubs pride themselves on keepingtheir word and being honest. You and Chips knew the rules."
The two culprits gazed at each other in consternation.
"Gosh!" Chips exclaimed. "We didn't know we had wandered into theout-of-bounds area. Did we, Red?"
"We sure didn't," the other returned earnestly. "We just started offlooking for wood to make Indian bows. We didn't find what we wanted, sowe kept walking."
"Then we found these feathers," Chips took up the tale. "About that time,we heard Dan call. We didn't do any harm."
"Perhaps not," admitted Mr. Holloway. "But that's neither here nor there.The point is, through your carelessness, you've cast reflection on allthe Cubs. Brad and Dan pledged the Den's honor to Mr. Silverton."
Chips hung his head. Red, twisting the gray feathers in his hands,avoided the level gaze of the Den Dad.
"We didn't know we were breaking the rules," Chips mumbled. "Dan onlygave us one look at the map. How were we to tell--"
"Alibis don't go with me," said Mr. Holloway. "Well, the deed is done.The next question is, what are we to do about it?"
"If we get away from here before Saul Dobbs catches on, no one will bethe wiser," Chips said.
"And is that what you think we should do, Chips? Sneak out of here andkeep quiet?"
"Well, I don't know," Chips said, hanging his head. "It was just amistake."
"But you and Red broke the rules. While you may not have intended todisobey, you weren't careful."
"Why not go to Mr. Silverton and tell him exactly what happened?"proposed Dan. "If he's the right sort, he'll accept our apology and nothold it against anyone."
"How does that sound to you?" Mr. Holloway asked the two offenders.
"Suits me," agreed Chips, while Red nodded morosely.
"I'll have to talk this over with Mr. Hatfield and the other Cubs," saidthe Den Dad. "But the idea sounds good to me."
"It will mean a trip to Mr. Silverton's office," said Brad. "Probablyit's too late to see him today."
"Tomorrow will have to do," said Mr. Holloway. "Well, we have no righthere. Let's get back where we belong."
Returning to the Cubs who waited by the creek, the Den Dad explainedbriefly what had happened.
"Chips and Red are willing to apologize to Mr. Silverton tomorrow," hesaid. "I hope that will square matters. Brad, I think it might be wellfor you and Dan to go along, since you've already met Mr. Silverton."
"I'll be glad to, sir," said Brad, while Dan nodded.
Aware that Chips and Red already were worried by their mistake, the Cubsdid not plague them with questions or accusations. But everyone feltdepressed by the outcome of the little excursion.
"By the way," said Mr. Holloway, as the group left the creek, "someoneshould mention this log jam to Mr. Silverton tomorrow. It worries me. Ifigure he can't know about it, or he'd have ordered it cleared away."
"I'll be glad to speak of it," offered Dan.
He fell into step with Chips and Red, who for a long while walked ingloomy silence.
"I don't see why Silverton's so fussy about the Cubs going into thatrestricted section anyhow," Chips grumbled.
"Guess he's afraid his special breed of Germain peacock pheasants will bedisturbed," Dan said easily.
"Sure, that's what he told you. But why keep the Cubs out when he letsothers go there?"
"What do you mean--others?"
"Well, when Red and I were picking up those feathers we heard voices backof us in the woods--men's voices."
"That's right," Red agreed. "Someone must have driven up in a car on theold logging road, because we thought we could hear an engine running onthe other side of the creek."
"You must have good ears," Dan said. "We didn't hear any car. Or anyvoices either."
Mr. Hatfield, who had been walking ahead, had overheard Red's remark.Dropping back, he fell into step with the Cubs, listening ratherattentively. Being a native, he knew that section very well.
"That old logging road hasn't been used in years and has been allowed togrow up in weeds," he said, thinking aloud. "I was told the sportsmanfenced it off where it crosses the main highway. When the pavement wentin three years ago, it nipped off the terminal of the logging road."
"Maybe Dobbs or some of the workmen drove a car back in there," Danremarked.
"It wasn't Dobbs," Red insisted. "He has a gruff, husky voice. There weretwo men. One spoke in a high, almost squeaky voice, and the other wasjust a mumble."
"Did you see the men or hear what they were saying?" Mr. Hatfield askedRed.
"No, we didn't pay too much attention. Anyway, they were off quite adistance. But if Silverton lets others go into that section, I don't seewhy he hangs barbed wire around us!"
"That has nothing to do with it," Mr. Hatfield replied. "We gave ourpromise to stay away from the restricted area, and we broke it."
"Chips and I already have said we'd explain to him," Red mumbled,accepting the rebuke.
Without meeting Saul Dobbs, the Cubs returned to the river's edge. Mr.Holloway took the first boatload of boys across to the cabin. Mr.Hatfield made the second trip, finally coming back for Brad and Dan, theonly ones left on the far shore.
"How about taking a little jaunt upstream with me?" the Cub leadersuggested, shoving off.
"Where to?" Dan asked quickly, surprised by the question.
"I'm curious to see the exit of that old logging road," Mr. Hatfieldexplained.
"Let's go!" urged Brad, eager for adventure. "What do you expect to find,Mr. Hatfield?"
"I'm not sure I'll find anything, Brad. Let's just charge this trip offto curiosity."
Rowing against the strong c
urrent proved slow and hard work. But finally,the Cub leader nosed the boat into a sheltered cove. Brad and Dan helpedhim pull the craft high out of water.
Scrambling up the steep slope, Mr. Hatfield and the two boys walked alongthe pavement to the exit of the old abandoned logging road. A rail fenceblocked it off from the main highway.
"Before the highway went through, this logging road ended at the river,"Mr. Hatfield explained. "Logs were hauled out and floated downstream to apaper mill at West Haven."
"When was the logging road abandoned?" Brad asked curiously.
"Oh, at least eight years ago. The road was used some, I think, untilSilverton bought the woodland property for a game preserve. Then hefenced off the exit to prevent trespassers from driving through."
From where Dan stood, he could see only a short distance up theweed-choked dirt road. Why, he wondered, was Mr. Hatfield so interested?By this time he knew the Cub leader never did anything without a purpose.
"Let's walk down the road a ways," Mr. Hatfield proposed.
As he swung his long legs over the fence, the top rail tumbled to theground. Mr. Hatfield waited until Dan and Brad had stepped over, and thenstooped to replace the barrier. Carefully he examined the other railswhich had been carelessly set in position.
"These logs have been removed quite recently," he told his companions."Wouldn't you say someone has been using this old road? Perhaps enteringand leaving it from the main highway?"
"That would fit in with what Chips and Red said about hearing voices!"Brad exclaimed. "But according to the map, this logging road doesn'tactually enter the restricted area of Mr. Silverton's property."
"No, but it parallels the stream much of the way," Mr. Hatfield recalled."One could drive a car in, park almost anywhere, and if he chose, crossthe creek afoot."
"That log jam makes a regular bridge!" Dan exclaimed. "But tell me! Whywould anyone except Silverton or his workman have any reason to use theroad?"
Mr. Hatfield did not directly answer the question. Instead he said: "I'mnot indulging in any fancy speculation. Just wanted to check up on a fewpoints, that's all."
Whistling a line from "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles," the Cub leader setoff down the old road. Rather mystified, Dan and Brad tagged at hisheels.
A short distance farther on, Mr. Hatfield paused to study automobile tiretracks plainly visible in the grass and sand.
"A car must have been through here two or three times at least," hecommented. "Where does this road lead, I wonder?"
Dan offered him the marked map. According to it, they saw that the oldlogging road crossed the pheasant farm and woodland, playing out in theforest about two miles from the main highway.
"We won't attempt to walk the two miles," Mr. Hatfield said. "However, Ido want to check back as far as the log jam in the creek."
Still puzzled as to why the Cub leader was so interested in the old road,Brad and Dan kept pace with him as he rapidly followed the tire tracks.
Seeing no sign of a car, they came presently to the point of the twistingstream which was choked with logs and debris.
Mr. Hatfield immediately noticed that the water level had droppedslightly since their earlier visit.
"For the time being, there's no danger of flood," he said in relief. "Butif it should continue to rain--"
"Is that why we walked back here?" Dan asked, unable to hide hisdisappointment. "Just to check the water level?"
Mr. Hatfield smiled and shook his head. He had found another clue.
"Notice anything else?" he asked.
"Why, no," Dan said, puzzled. Then he corrected himself. "Yes, I do! Theautomobile tire tracks end here!"
"And one can see where the car turned around," Brad added, pointing to abush that had been torn and bent.
"That's what I came to find out," said Mr. Hatfield.
"But why do you want to know whether or not the car turned around here?"Dan asked.
"Oh, I figure the information may sometime be useful," the Cub leaderreplied vaguely. "Just a hunch."
His curiosity satisfied, Mr. Hatfield seemed to lose all interest in theold road.
However, as the trio rapidly retraced their way to the river and theirwaiting boat, he dropped a word of advice to his two companions.
"Let's keep this little excursion to ourselves," he suggested. "No usestirring up the Cubs about something that may not amount to anything."
"You can depend on us to keep mum," Brad promised. "But the truth is, youhave us guessing too, Mr. Hatfield. What's it all about?"
"Nothing I can definitely put a finger on yet," Mr. Hatfield repliedoff-hand. "Shall we say it's just a feeling I have?"
"That's a rather unsatisfactory answer, sir," grinned Dan.
"Unsatisfactory perhaps, but it's better than going off half-cocked withwild speculations." The Cub leader hesitated a moment and then added:"I'm hoping Mr. Silverton will accept our apology for invading therestricted area of his property today. If he shouldn't, well--a littleinformation may be useful."