CHAPTER XX. SOLVING A MYSTERY.
"What's that you say?" burst out Davy, looking as startled as though, touse the words of Giraffe, he "had seen his great grandfather's spook!"
"Wandering George! Out here on our island, too!" gasped Bumpus, just asthough they had a permanent right to the strip of land in the middle ofthe river--"our" island he called it.
Of course all of them turned toward Thad, as usual, expecting him to givethe answer to the question that puzzled them. The patrol leader laughedas he pointed down once more to that tell-tale track.
"No going behind the returns, is there, boys?" he said. "Every one of youknows that footprint by heart, because we took the pains to study it. Andthe man whose old battered shoe is being held on with a rag we know isWandering George. He is responsible for taking our provisions. Right nowyou can imagine how much he's enjoying that cheese and crackers weexpected to last us out to-day."
Giraffe groaned.
"And that fine strip of bacon we lifted at the time we left theshanty-boat!" added Step Hen, with a dismal look toward Bob White, whoraised his eyes as if in horror at the idea of such desecration.
"It's easy to understand that the hobo's on the island, but how in thewide world could he get here without wings? That's what I want to know,"Allan observed; which at least went to show that so far no one had beenable to figure it out, for if anybody could, surely the Maine boy, whohad followed many a difficult trail in his time, ought to be able to.
"Mebbe he crossed over to the island when the water was low?" suggestedStep Hen, but the idea was instantly scorned by Giraffe.
"You forget that the river's been on the boom for some little while," hesaid loftily; "and we happen to know that George wasn't far ahead of usjust yesterday. Now, you're wondering if I've got a theory of my own, andI'll tell you what I think. Somehow or other George must have been in aboat, and came that way. How do we know but what he was trying to crossover, and the current swept him down stream? Then, again, he might havebeen in some house or barn that was carried away by the flood, andmanaged to get ashore here."
"Say, Thad, don't you remember what I told you last night, when the restwere making so much noise, and I was dead sure I heard a shout?"interrupted Davy, with considerable excitement.
"Is that so?" demanded Giraffe; "well, that might have been the time helanded here, and discovering that we wore uniforms, he was afraid tobreak in, so like as not he just hung around and watched us, till he gota chance to sneak all our bully grub."
"Thad, you haven't told us what _you_ think yet," remarked Smithy, whohad been listening to all this excited talk, and hearing so manywonderful suggestions made that he was quite bewildered; "did this trampfly over here; was he washed up on the island by the flood; or did hefind himself castaway on some floating cabin, and manage to get ashore bygood luck?"
Thad must have been using his head to some advantage during this time,for he appeared to have made up his mind decisively.
"To tell you the truth," he remarked, "I don't take any stock in eitherthe flying scheme or the one that brings in a floating hencoop or cabinto account for Wandering George's being here. I feel pretty sure he cameon board a boat."
"Is that so, Thad?" Giraffe went on to remark; "what kind of a boat wouldyou say it was, now?"
"Oh! something in the shape of a shanty-boat!" continued the other.
"You mean like the one that brought us here?" demanded Step Hen.
"_The same one!_" Thad shot back, with an emphasis that staggered hishearers, since all sorts of exclamations burst from their lips.
"Thad, do you really mean that?"
"It wouldn't be like you to crack a joke, when we're all mixed up likethis."
"A passenger aboard _our_ boat, and none of us ever dream of it; well, Imust say you've got me guessing, Thad. However could that be?" and Bumpusplucked at the sleeve of the patrol leader, as though thrilled throughand through by the staggering announcement just made.
"Well, you see, it's just dawned on me," Thad commenced to say, "and Ihaven't had much time to figure it out myself, but the more I think itover the stronger my belief grows. Look back a bit, and you'll rememberthat we found a light in the cabin when we boarded the boat."
"Yes, that's so, Thad," assented Giraffe.
"And supper cooking, too," added Bumpus.
"With not a soul in sight, which we thought mighty queer," Step Hen wenton to say, as his contribution.
"And all the while we stayed there, up to the time the cable broke, therewas never a sign of the man that owned the boat, either," Davy remindedthem.
"You remember," Thad continued, "that we figured out at first the ownerof the boat must have seen us coming, and hid himself somewhere ashore,hoping we'd take a look about and pass on. We even guessed he must havesome reason to fear arrest, and thought we were connected with the statemilitia. But after learning of Wandering George's being here on theisland I've hatched up another idea, and I'll tell you just what it runslike."
"Good for you, Thad; we're listening like everything," muttered Bumpus,at the elbow of the chief scout.
"I've come to the conclusion," Thad began, "that the two tramps must havechased the owner of the shanty-boat away some time before we struck in.Now that I'm on the track I can remember there were certain signs ofconfusion aboard when we first entered; things seemed tossed around, asif someone had been looking in places for hidden valuables. That would bejust what these two yeggmen were apt to do, you see. And while one beganto cook some supper, the other may have started in to ransack the place."
"Yes, and about that time they glimpsed us coming along; is that the wayyou figure it out, Thad?" asked Allan eagerly; for this explanation onthe part of his chum appealed strongly to him.
"Yes, they saw a bunch of fellows in khaki running toward the boat,"pursued the scout master; "and as it was too late for them to make a safegetaway, they just lifted a trap in the floor of the cabin, and droppedinto the hold of the boat."
"Je-ru-sa-lem!" gasped Giraffe, "now, what d'ye think of that? All thetime we were aboard the old boat George and his pal were hiding in thehold, and waiting for us to vacate the ranch! Thad, I honestly believeyou've struck oil."
"But," interposed Step Hen, who on this occasion seemed disposed to bethe only doubter, "why wouldn't they have made some attempt to escapewhile we slept, before the flood got so bad that the boat broke away fromher moorings?"
"There must have been some reason," Thad told him; "and we may be able togive a stab at it, even if we never know the real truth. If you look backagain, Step Hen, to how we were sprawled about on the floor of thatlittle cabin, trying to get some sleep, and wrapped in our blankets,you'll likely remember that the eight of us managed to cover about allthe limited space there was around."
"Every foot of the floor, for a fact, Thad," Davy admitted; "and I eventhreatened to hang by my toes from a hook, and sleep like a bat does,only Giraffe told me all the blood would run to my head, because that wasthe only empty place in my makeup."
"Well, somebody must have been lying on that trap door, and whenever themen below tried to raise it they understood there was nothing doing,"Thad explained.
"Yes, that carries it up to the time we broke loose, and started on ourwild ride down the flood," Step Hen admitted; "but you'd think they'dhave let us know about having passengers aboard. Whenever we bucked upagainst a rock, and the bally old tub threatened to turn upside-down,think how scared George and his pal must 'a' been. Whew! it was badenough above-decks, let alone being shut down there, and not knowing whatwas happening."
"Of course I can't tell you what they thought, and why they didn't try tocommunicate with us," Thad went on. "It might be they felt that if theyhad to choose between giving themselves up or staying down in the holdand taking their chances they'd prefer the last. But when we left theboat I honestly believe they were aboard still."
"Yes, and they'd guess she had struck sho
re, from the steady way she hungthere," Giraffe continued, taking up the story in his turn, "and ofcourse they knew that we were clearing out. So, what did they do butfollow suit, as soon as they thought the coast was clear."
"How about it now. Step Hen; any more objections?" asked the patrolleader.
"I guess I'm through, Thad," acknowledged the other slowly, as thoughstill unable to fully grasp the strange thing; "you've made out a prettystrong case, and I don't glimpse a break in the chain. That's the way youalways hammer it in. If that hobo is here, then chances are he did comealong with us, even if we never smelled a rat."
"In the excitement of getting away," Thad resumed, "I forgot I'd noticedcracks in the cabin floor that looked like a trap leading down into thehold of the boat. That was partly why I had Giraffe go back to where weleft the shanty-boat. You remember he came and told us it had been drivenoff the point by that big squall."
"I'm wondering what would have happened if you'd thought about the holdunder the cabin before we ever quitted our old craft?" Giraffe remarked.
"Oh! we'd have found what was down there, and with guns in our handscould have easily cowed the hoboes," Allan told him.
"Fight or no fight, that's what we would have done!" declared Bumpusvigorously.
"Listen to him, will you?" chuckled Step Hen; "isn't he just the fierceCossack, though? I can see that tramp army wilting when they sightedBumpus threatening to jump down on 'em. Who'd blame anybody for throwingup the sponge rather'n be mashed flat by such a hippo?"
"Well," remarked Giraffe, as he rubbed his hands together in a satisfiedfashion, "one thing sure, our old luck's still hanging on."
"How do you make that out, Giraffe?" inquired Smithy.
"We started on this hike with the idea of overtaking the tramp who waswearing the coat the judge's wife gave away by mistake, didn't we?" thelengthy scout demanded. "Well, stop and think for a minute, will you,what's happened to us? Here we are, marooned on an island, from whichnobody can get away right at present unless he swims, and none of us feellike trying that in such cold water, do we? Did you ever know a hobo whowould willingly take a bath? Well, put things together, and what do youget? Wandering George, coat and all let's hope, is shut up here on thisstrip of ground with us; and all we've got to do is to round him upto-day. Now, do you see, Smithy?"
Somehow this plain way of putting the case appealed to every one of them;for immediately Bumpus was shaking hands with Step Hen, and as if to showtheir satisfaction over the way things were turning out some of the restdid likewise.
"Course," said Giraffe, as he gave Davy's digits a squeeze that made theother fairly wince, "we can't say just how we'll corner the slippery rat,but there'll be a way, make up your mind to that, boys."