TAKING POSSESSION
Frank had learned that many years back there had been a company
organized to mine the iron that was known to exist in certain sections
of the hills in that region.
Considerable work had been done, and some ore even shipped away, when,
for some reason or other, the scheme had been given up after a shaft
had been sunk for fifty feet or more, and workings started.
The entrance to the abandoned mine had been visited by curious people
coming to that locality. It was even marked on the old map which Frank
had used in making the outlines of his own little chart.
"Here it is, boys!" cried Jerry, who had pushed to the front; "Frank
was correct when he said he could see where the wheels of the stage
had run in off the road just back there. I hope our stuff is all
right."
"So do I!" echoed Will, anxiously, "because I've got most of my new
rolls of films, as well as my flashlight apparatus, in my big pack.
I'm only carrying a lot of precious developed films in this bag, with
other things I need. You see I'm meaning to put in quite a bunch of
time while up here experimenting and that's why I carried them along."
They had their fears quickly relieved, for their property lay just
inside the old shaft leading into the abandoned iron mine.
"It all seems to be here, and in decent shape," remarked Frank. "That
stage driver kept his word when he said he'd take good care of our
stuff. And now to divide it up so every one has a share."
"No funny business, Frank," Bluff reminded him; "every one of us
expects to get an equal tote load."
"That's what I say, too," echoed Will, who suspected he might be
treated too generously by his chums, and given less than his proper
proportion to carry, for Will was over-sensitive concerning his lack
of physical strength.
In the end they managed to distribute the blankets, food, and other
things in a fashion that was fairly equitable, and then resumed their
journey. At this point they expected to leave the road, and follow a
trail that if stuck to would take them to the shore of the big lake
around Cabin Point, their intended destination.
"Our course should be almost due northwest from here on," the guide
informed his three companions as they set forth. "I'm telling you that
for a purpose, you understand."
"You mean in case we lose the pesky trail that seems so faint, we can
keep going in the right direction all the same; is that it, Frank?"
asked Jerry.
"You've struck the right nail on the head, Jerry, for that was what I
meant. But by keeping our eyes on the trail we ought to have little
trouble following this old path."
"It strikes me the trail hasn't been worked much for some time," Bluff
observed.
"That's true enough," said the pilot of the expedition, "but once a
trail has been well worn you can find it years and years afterward if
you look the right way. It's easy to notice heaps of signs that tell
the story, where the earth was worn away by passing feet. When you're
in doubt just push back the grass and there it lies as plain as day."
Frank always prided himself more or less on his ability to follow
tracks where others might give up the task in despair. Nothing pleased
him half so much as to run across a puzzle along these lines that
required his best work in order to find the answer.
After they had gone on for some time a rest was called.
"That's a good idea, Frank," Jerry declared when he heard the order
given to drop their burdens and lie around for ten minutes or so. "Not
that I'm feeling played out you understand; but I've always been told
it was poor policy to whip a willing nag."
"It's certainly a pretty rough path, all right!" Will admitted.
"But we must be about half-way across by now," added Bluff.
"How about that, Frank? Let's take a look at your map again," said
Jerry.
Upon examination it was found to be about as Bluff had thought; the
shore of the big water could not be more than half a mile further on.
Cheered by this information, even Will expressed himself as willing to
start again.
"When you've got anything unpleasant to do," he told them, "I believe
in getting it over with as soon as you can, and off your mind."
"Huh! that pleases me a heap to hear you say so, Will," chuckled
Bluff; "because you know there's that dicker I wanted to make with you
for that new hunting knife I took such a fancy to. I offered you my
old one and something to boot in the bargain. Now I understood from
the way you acted the deal wasn't pleasant to you; so please get it
over with as soon as possible."
"I'll see you in Guinea, Bluff, before I trade that splendid blade,"
retorted the other, "but I told you where I got it, and any time you
feel like it you can send for one just like mine. Let it go at that
then."
There came another hard pull. Sometimes the way was so rough that all
of them panted more or less. Will showed real grit by keeping up with
the others, though he had to shut his teeth hard together, and take
himself mentally to task when he felt his legs tremble under him with
weakness.
All at once Jerry, always the first to discover things, gave vent to a
yell.
"Hey there, fellows! I see water ahead through the trees! Yep, it's
the big lake as sure as anything! We've got there at last!"
"Good!" muttered Will in an undertone, as though he did not wish the
others to hear him; to tell the truth, he felt as though he could not
stagger on much further over that rough trail, and carry the heavy
pack in the bargain, as well as the new bag containing his precious
films.
The sight of the splendid sheet of water seemed to inspire them all
with new energy, for they perceptibly quickened their pace until
impatient Jerry was almost running in his eagerness to get to his
destination.
After a while they found themselves standing on the shore of the
inland sea, where the waters were lapping the shore with a murmuring
sound that was sweet music in the ears of Frank Langdon.
"Well, one thing's settled anyhow," remarked Will, presently, as he
heaved a sigh of relief; "we didn't get lost, did we, fellows?"
"Shucks! that was the last thing to bother me," declared Bluff with a
fine appearance of scorn. "For one, I've passed the novice stage in
woodcraft, and reckon myself able to get along with the next chap."
"All the same," he was told by Frank, "I've known the time when you
_did_ manage to lose your bearings and run up against a whole bunch of
trouble in consequence."
"But that's past history," remonstrated the other; "and times have
changed since then, Frank. I should hope I've learned my lesson by
now."
"Now where do you think this Cabin Point lies, that we're going to
hunt up, with the idea of making our home there during our stay?"
Jerry demanded.
"Just look to the left and I think you'll see a wooded cape that
reaches out into the lake like a tongue or a finger," the pilot
explained, pointing as he spoke.
"Frank, you're all to the good there, that must be our goal," Bluff
hastened to assert; for indeed since there was no other similar
projection of the shore in sight, it seemed reasonable to believe
Cabin Point was before their eyes.
"We'll soon settle that matter," observed Frank, once more making a
start.
They did not have far to go, for the half-concealed and wholly
overgrown trail reached the lake close to the wooded cape. Perhaps
long before, when loggers had a camp in that region while felling the
virgin growth of forest, the point of land was a favorite camp with
them. That would account for the trail, and why it had grown up in
recent years.
Once on the ground, they began to look earnestly for signs of the
abandoned cabin which it was hoped would afford them shelter during
their outing. For some little time this search bore no fruit, and Will
was beginning to feel quite disconsolate.
"Looks to me as if it was going to be our job to start a brush shanty
that will give us shelter for a couple of nights till we can put up a
more substantial affair," he told Bluff, who happened to be close to
him, looking to the right and to the left in a vain attempt to be the
first one to make a pleasant discovery.
Will had hardly spoken when they heard a call from Jerry.
"I might have known it was no good trying to beat his sharp eyes out,"
grumbled Bluff, as though really disappointed because he had failed to
locate the cabin.
"What difference does it make who turns the trick?" ventured Will,
looking happy again; "so long as it's done. The end and not the means
is what counts. Hello! Jerry, have you struck pay dirt?"
"Here it is!" came the triumphant answer, and the others hurried
forward, to discover the log structure partly concealed from view by
branches of trees, vines, moss, and every sort of green growth.
"No wonder we couldn't see it easily," expostulated Bluff; "everybody
doesn't happen to have microscopic eyes like Jerry here. I warrant you
now I passed within thirty feet of this spot several times, and never
tumbled to what was so close by."
"One of the first things we'll do, fellows," suggested Frank, "will be
to get busy and cut down a lot of this stuff that keeps us from
having a fine outlook over the bay and the big lake beyond."
"How about the cabin itself?" asked Will. "Seems to me the chimney is
sort of dilapidated on top."
"That can be soon remedied, and I'll take care of it," Frank assured
him. "Then this door is hanging on one rusty hinge; we'll find a way
to stand it up again. Let's step inside and look around a bit; I'm
more anxious about the roof than almost anything else, for that's apt
to leak like a sieve until we fix it."
"Go a little slow," Will warned them, "for I've known of wild cats or
other wild beasts taking up their quarters in an abandoned cabin."
This remark caused Bluff and Jerry to laugh, for they could themselves
look back to a ludicrous experience of the kind.
It turned out that the cabin had no ferocious occupant and upon
investigation they found that the roof was not very bad after all.
"In one corner only it looks as if the rain had come in," said Frank
finally; "or water when the snow melted, which tries a roof more than
anything else. Why, given half a day and we shall have a weather-proof
top all over. Take note of that big yawning fireplace, will you? I can
see what jolly times we'll have sitting around there on cool nights;
and up here we're apt to have many such."
"We can make bunks against this wall where you can see the remains of
two right now," Bluff intimated.
"Until then we'll spread our blankets on the floor and rough it, which
suits me all right," Jerry announced.
Will had lowered his burdens to the floor. He seemed anxious to get
settled after some fashion. First of all he opened the new bag. The
other boys were still looking curiously around, finding a number of
interesting features connected with the lone cabin on the point, when
they heard Will give a cry of utter astonishment. Turning quickly they
saw him staring down into the bag he had opened, with a look of
consternation on his face.