THE RING OF STEEL RUNNERS
As the little flotilla of ice yachts drew up close to the shore, the
sound of boyish laughter must have been heard, for a man was seen
approaching. He came from the direction of the cabin which they had
sighted among the trees, and from the mud and stone chimney of which
smoke was ascending straight into the air--a promise of continued good
weather.
The boys were climbing up the bank when he reached them. So far as
they could see he appeared to be a rough but genial man, and Paul
believed they could easily trust him to take care of the boats while
away.
"I suppose you are Abe Turner, spoken of by Mr. Garrity?" was the way
Paul addressed the man, holding out his hand in friendly greeting.
The other's face relaxed into a smile. Evidently he liked this manly
looking young chap immediately, as most people did, for Paul had a
peculiarly 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 you
boys, and ordering me to do anything you might want. You see he owns
all 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 to
get it to market down the Radway."
The scouts exchanged pleased looks.
"Bully for Mr. Thomas Garrity!" shouted Tom Betts, "he's all to the
good, if his conversion to liking boys did come late in life. He's
bound to make up for all the lost time now. Three cheers, fellows, for
our good friend!"
They were given with a rousing will, and the echoes must have alarmed
some of the shy denizens of the snow forest, for a fox was seen to
scurry across an open spot, and a bevy of crows in some not far
distant oak trees started to caw and call.
"All we want you to do for us, Abe," explained Paul, "is to take good
care 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 spend
some time, just from learning of our plans."
"Yes," went on Tom Betts, the anxious one, "and nothing would tickle
that Hank Lawson and his gang so much as to be able to sneak some of
our boats away, or, failing that, to smash them into kindling wood
with an axe."
Abe nodded his shaggy head and smiled.
"I've heard some things about Hank Lawson," he observed. "But take it
from me that if he comes around my shanty trying any of his tricks
he'll get a lesson he'll never forget. I'll see to it that your boats
are kept safe. I've two dogs off hunting in the woods just now, but
I'll fasten 'em nigh where you store the boats. I'm sorry for the boy
who 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 that
there was really nothing to be feared.
"Sorry to say we'll have to be leaving you, boys," announced Wallace
just 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 those
who were debarred from enjoying the outing.
These boys started away, looking back from time to time as they
crossed wide Lake Tokala. Finally, with a last parting salute, they
darted into the mouth of the canal and were lost to view.
There was an immediate bustle, for time was flitting, and much
remained to be done. The five owners of the iceboats proceeded to
dismantle them, which was not a tedious proceeding. The masts were
unstepped and hidden in a place by themselves. The sails were taken
into the cabin of Abe, where they would be safe.
Meanwhile, the other boys had been engaged in making up the various
packs which from now on must be shouldered by each member of the
expedition. Experience in such things allowed them to accomplish more
in a given time than novices would have been able to do.
"Everything seems to be ready, Paul," announced Jack after a while, as
they gathered around, each boy striving to fix his individual pack
upon 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 of
the luggage he had pots and pans and skillets sticking out in all
directions, so that he presented the appearance of a traveling
tinker.
"It's a great pity, Bobolink," said Tom Betts, with a grin, as he
surveyed his comrade after helping the other load up, "that you were
born 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 howling
success hawking your goods around the country."
Of course they had all adjusted their skates before taking up their
packs; for bending down would really have been next to a physical
impossibility 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 this
way you'll find everything slick and neat here."
"Good for you, Abe," cried Tom Betts. "And make up your mind to it the
Banner 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 December
day was already getting well along toward its close. Night would come
almost before they knew it, though they had no reason to expect
anything like darkness, with that moon now much more than half full up
there in the heavens.
Some of the boys had noticed the mouth of this creek when camping on
Cedar Island the previous summer. They had been so much occupied with
fishing, taking flashlight pictures of little wild animals in their
native haunts, and in solving certain mysteries that came their way
that none of them had had time to explore the stream.
On this account then it would prove to be a new bit of country for
them, and this fact rather pleased most of the boys, as they dearly
loved to prowl around in a section they had never visited before.
Strung out in a straggling procession they skated along. The creek was
about as crooked as anything could well be, a fact that influenced
Bobolink to shout out:
"In the absence of a better name, fellows, I hereby christen this
waterway Snake Creek; any objections?"
"It deserves the name, all right," commented Spider Sexton, "for I
never 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 of
a cabin ahead yet that I can see," observed Phil Towns, presently, for
Phil was really beginning to feel pretty well used up, not being quite
so sturdy as some others among the ten scouts.
"That's the joke," laughed Paul; "and it's on me I guess more than any
one else. I thought of nearly a thousand things, seems to me, but
forgot to ask any one just how far it was up to the cabin from the
lake by way of this scrambling creek."
"Why, I'm sure Mr. Garrity said something like six miles!" exclaimed
Jack.
"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, and
spend a night in the open under the hemlocks. Veteran scouts have no
need to be afraid to tackle such a little game as that, with plenty of
grub and blankets along."
"Hear! hear!" said Phil Towns. "And as the sun has set already I for
one wouldn't care how soon you decided to do that stunt."
"Oh! we ought to be good for another hour or so anyway, Phil," Tom
told him, at which the other only grunted and struck manfully out
again.
As evening closed in about them, the shadows began to creep out of the
heavy growth of timber by which the skaters were surrounded.
"Look! look! a deer!" shrieked Sandy Griggs, suddenly. Thrilled by the
cry the others looked ahead just in time to see a flitting form
disappear in the thick fringe of shrubbery that lined one side of the
creek.