BEAVER CHASM
Pretty soon we came to Beaver Chasm--it’s in the woods. Lots of times I
saw it but I never went down in it. Once a couple of Scouts from camp
told me there were rattlesnakes in it; I guess that was the reason. All
the times I had been to it before I followed the brook from Black Lake.
You can see how it goes on the map I made, not saying what kind of a map
it is. I guess I’d get about six minus for it in school--I should worry.
Anyway Beaver Chasm is a deep place that the brook flows through. That
brook starts away off some place or other and goes west through the
chasm, then south into Black Lake. It takes a west southerly
course--gee, I remind myself of a geography lesson--that’s one study I
have no use for.
Anyway you needn’t bother about the brook now so you can let it flow
merrily, merrily, what care we--that’s in my school reader. Do you see
where the arrows are pointing? Where it says _Roy’s route_ and _Through
the woods_? Well that’s the way the four of us went and you can see
where we got becalmed near the Bagley’s Green railroad station, only the
map doesn’t show where the wind went and anyway I don’t know how to make
a picture of the wind.
After we started off with Mr. Bagley we went north up through the woods
toward the chasm. I never went to it that way before. All the times I
had gone to it I had gone in at the end of it like the brook does, I
hope I make myself plain, that’s dandy language like a real author. You
see where Bagley Center is? It’s about two miles north of the chasm.
There are a lot of stores there and everything. It’s a flourishing
met--something or other, only I don’t know how to spell it.
I don’t like maps any better than you do and there are only two more
things about this one. Do you see how there’s a road going from Bagley
Center to Catskill? You can’t see Catskill but anyway it’s off in that
direction and you can get dandy big ice cream cones there in Schnizel’s
Confectionery. But if you’re hiking from Catskill to Bagley Center
there’s a short cut through the woods and for quite a ways you don’t
have to bother with the road. I made a dotted line for that trail and it
goes across Beaver Chasm on three or four logs side by side--_some
bridge_! So now you know all about the country where we were going to
have some adventures.
So now you have to answer questions. 1. Which way did Roy Blakeley and
his four companions approach Beaver Chasm? Correct, be seated. 2. Which
way can you take a short cut through the woods from Catskill to Bagley
Center? Point out where the log bridge is? Then you can go home if you
want to, I don’t care.
When we got to the chasm we were on the south side of it, and I can tell
you one thing, that chasm is good and deep. The sides are pretty steep
too--all rocks. When I looked down into it I saw that there wasn’t any
brook at all, it was dried up Then I remembered how every one at camp
was saying that the lake was very low that season. Uncle Jeb (he’s
manager) said it was lower than he had ever seen it before. That was the
first thing Pee-wee said to me; he said, “Oh, look how the brook isn’t
there!”
I said, “Yes, I can see the brook, it isn’t there. No, we have plenty of
bananas.”
We were standing right on the edge near the logs that go across. Dub and
Sandy were seeing the chasm for the first time. They both said they
never thought it was anything like that--so deep. I guess they were
surprised.
Dub said, “_Jumping jiminies_, why didn’t you ever tell us about this
place?” That’s the way it is with new fellows at Temple Camp.
But anyway the place even seemed different to me now on account of what
I heard about it. Oh boy, did we listen! Mr. Bagley said that when they
found his father in the chasm one of the logs was lying in the bottom of
the chasm too; it was broken in halves. The old man must have been on
his way back from Catskill and he was taking the short cut through the
woods. While he was crossing on the logs one of them broke and he fell
and was killed. Mr. Bagley pointed down to the very spot where they
found his father. Then he pointed down to a lot of bushes and he said
that was where they found his father’s coat. For a couple of minutes we
all stood there just staring down into the chasm. Even Pee-wee didn’t
say anything. When you know something happened in a place--like getting
killed--that place seems kind of scary. And besides I had never looked
down into it like that before. When you go in where the brook is, it
doesn’t seem so deep and dark.
One of us asked Mr. Bagley if he had any idea how his father’s coat
happened to be away from his body, because that seemed funny.
He said, “I have no more idea than the man in the moon. All _I_ know is
that when we lifted his coat off that clump of brush the oilskin
container _was not in any of the pockets_. We _know_ that he went to
Catskill. We _know_ that he signed his will and had it witnessed. We
_know_ that he started back. We found him the next day lying against
that big rock down there. On the night that he met his death his two
cousins, Caleb and Bertha Clemm, were in their home. I live with them
there now. He is an old bachelor and she is an old maid. But I don’t
hold that against them--I’m an old bachelor too. But I’ve had a roving
career. Now you boys who are so clever, what do you make out of that
mystery?”
“_Jiminies_,” I just gasped.
Sandy and Dub just shook their heads.
Pee-wee said, “Do you know what I bet? I bet that oilskin thing is down
there, somewhere; I bet it’s there yet. And I bet we can find it.”
Mr. Bagley said, “My young friend, that is what I have thought for
several years. I have searched this chasm many times. But I want you to
notice one thing--_the brook is dry_. There are a hundred new places to
search--dried up pools, crevices under rocks, places where I could only
_feel_ before, but which may now be _seen_. Well, I’ve brought you here
and you are Boy Scouts. Here is an adventure for you.”
Pee-wee could hardly speak, he was so excited. He said, “And if we find
it and you get all the property like that will says, do you cross your
heart you’ll sell that woods over near the lake to Temple Camp? That’s
only fair, so do you promise?”
Mr. Bagley just looked straight at him, then he shot out his hand and
gave Pee-wee’s hand a good long shake. I had to laugh to look at Pee-wee
standing there looking very important with his hand being shaken up and
down. Then Mr. Bagley said, “A promise is a promise. And I
think--you--boys--are--going--to--do--something--BIG.”
All of a sudden he dropped Pee-wee’s hand and started off through the
woods. It was hot and he had his hat off and he was wiping his bald head
with his handkerchief. I had to laugh, he looked so funny starting off
that way. There was about as much hair on his head as there is on an
egg.
“That’s right, _laugh_!” Pee-wee shouted good and mad. “That’s all the
sense you’ve got--to laugh at somebody when they’re feeling bad! I
suppose you’d stand here laughing if _your_ father fell down and got
killed in this chasm--you’ve always got a smirk on your face no matter
what!”
I was just going to start kidding him along when Sandy said, “I think
the man was starting to cry; gee, I feel sorry for him. I think he
didn’t want us to see him and that’s why he started away so suddenly.”
We all stood there just looking down into the chasm and not saying
anything. It looked pretty spooky. I’ll say that.
“Do you know what I think?” Dub said. “I think that’s one fine
idea--about now being a good time to hunt on account of the brook being
dry. Gee williger, we fellows have got the chance of our lives.
Something big! Well, _I’ll say so_.”
“Jiminies,” I said, “I’m just beginning to see it.”
“Sure,” Pee-wee shouted at me. “After a new feller that was never at
Temple Camp before begins to talk sober about it, then you sit up and
listen. And when we find the wallet you’ll write it all up in a story
and take all the credit. Even you’ll be more important than Mr. Bagley
who will own the land and Mr. Temple who will buy the land--if we find
the wallet. Do you know what we’re going to do?”
“Sure,” I said, “we’re going to sit down. Ask me another one.”