THE MYSTERIOUS VOICE
The four boy hunters were so astonished that for the moment they did
not move or speak. The voice seemed to come from the trees behind
the camp, and it was so uncanny and ghostlike it made them shiver
from head to foot.
"It's th---the ghost!" whispered Giant at last. "Le---let's get
out of here!" and he started for the shore.
"Don't run away," answered Snap. "I don't believe in ghosts,
and neither do you."
After that the boys remained silent for several minutes, waiting
to hear that mysterious voice again. But only the mournful hum
of the breeze through a clump of cedars reached them.
"I believe I'll investigate this," said Snap, arising and reaching
for a shotgun. "I don't believe in ghosts, so there!"
"I'll go along," put in the doctor's son.
"Please don't leave me alone!" pleaded Whopper. "I can't go and
I don't want to be left behind."
"Giant, will you stay with Whopper?" asked the leader of the club.
"Yes, but I hope you won't be gone long," answered the small youth,
in a voice he tried in vain to steady.
"If anything happens, whistle or fire a shot," added Snap, and
walked slowly to the rear of the camping place, with Shep by his side.
The two young investigators soon found themselves beside the spring,
and here both stopped for a drink, for their throats seemed to be
suddenly, parched. They looked on all sides with extreme care, but
saw nothing out of the ordinary. Once a bird flew up directly in
front of them, causing them to jump and raise their guns. But they
were not after game just then, so the bird got away.
"We certainly heard that voice, just as plain as day," said Shep.
"What do you make of this, Snap?"
"I am sure I don't know."
"Can somebody be fooling us?"
"I don't know. It's very queer proceedings, that's all I have
to say."
"Listen! I thought I heard it again!"
They came to a sudden halt and strained their ears. Sure enough,
there was the voice again, apparently coming from no place at all.
"I am dead! He is dead! Go away! Go away!" repeated the voice a
dozen times or more, and then it grew fainter and fainter and
presently died out altogether.
It would be hard to tell whether the boys were frightened or not.
They were much disturbed, but they had a strong curiosity to know
what the mysterious voice really was. Had it been night they might
have experienced more fear, but it was still daylight, although the
sun was well over in the west.
Holding their guns ready to shoot anything on sight, they advanced
slowly through the forest, making a circle first to one side and
then to the other. As they advanced they stirred up several birds
and also two squirrels but did not fire at them. Thus an hour
passed, and at last they came back to the spring utterly baffled.
"I can't understand it at all," declared Snap. "There must be some
reason for this."
"It's a trick, that's what it is, and some day somebody will get to
the bottom of it," added the doctor's son.
They returned to where they had left Whopper and Giant. As it grew
darker they built a good campfire and resolved to keep it burning
brightly all night.
"Maybe if this particular spot is haunted, we had better go somewhere
else," suggested Giant.
"I move we stay right here until we find out what that thing means,"
said Snap, stubbornly.
"I agree with Snap," added the doctor's son. "We all know well
enough there are no such things as ghosts. Some day we'll solve
this mystery."
Both Snap and Shep spoke so positively that Whopper and Giant were
reassured. The tent was fixed up for the night, and Whopper was
soon fast asleep. The others took turns at standing guard, but
nothing came to disturb them.
In the morning it was decided to begin building a cabin without
delay. As Whopper could not work he went out to fish, but remained
within easy calling distance.
The young hunters worked all of that week and also Monday of the
next, and during that time nothing came to disturb them. Once
they sighted a deer up the lake shore and went after the game,
but without success. Whopper spent most of his time fishing and
brought in, besides trout and perch, several good sized maskalonge,
although no particular fish as large as the maskalonge Giant had
captured the summer previous.
As the days went by and nothing more was heard of the mysterious
voice, the young hunters grew more confident and almost forgot
about the affair. The building of the cabin interested them very
much, and although the structure was foursquare and plain, it
was waterproof and fairly comfortable. It had two small windows,
and the door opened on the lake side. In the rear a small opening
was left near the ground, and here they constructed a rude fireplace
and chimney of such rocks as they found handy, smearing the cracks
full of clay. Their work on the fireplace and chimney might have
caused a regular mason to smile, but the chimney drew well, and
that was all they wanted.
As soon as the cabin was finished the young hunters moved in and
proceeded to make themselves at home. Then they cut enough firewood
to last for a week or more, stacking it up so that it might keep
dry even in rainy weather. This done, they felt they could now
take it easy, and fish and hunt whenever it pleased them to do so.
A hard rain, lasting a day and a night, was followed by a clear,
warm spell and during that time the boys enjoyed themselves to
their hearts' content. Whopper was now practically well, although
the cut on his cheek still sported several bits of court-plaster.
Every morning the young hunters got up at sunrise and took a
dip in the lake, following this up by a good rub-down, for they
had brought the necessary coarse towels with them. This always
rendered them wideawake and gave them appetites which could not
have been better. They took turns at cooking and baking, and at
washing dishes and keeping the fire supplied with wood. They were
certainly happy, and the time seemed to "fairly fly," as Shep
expressed it.
One afternoon, when Snap and Giant were fishing just below the camp,
both boys chanced to glance down the lake and saw a large boat
hugging the shore. It contained several persons, but was too far
off for anybody to be recognized. The boat remained in sight
several minutes and then disappeared into one of the numerous coves
along the shore.
"More campers," was Snap's comment. "Well, I suppose they have as
much right up here as we have."
"I'd like to know who they are," answered Giant.
"Perhaps they'll come this way later in the day, or to-morrow."
"I always like to know if other hunters are in the woods, and I
like them to know I am there, too," went on the leader of the club.
"Then there is not so much danger of an accident. I don't want
somebody to take me for a deer or a bear and shoot me."
"If we find they are stopping around this vicinity we'll have to
notify them that we are here," answered Giant.
That day went by and also the next, and they, saw no more of the
strangers. Then Shep came in with the announcement that he had seen
four or five deer up the lake shore.
"I am sure we can get one or more of them if we hurry," declared the
doctor's son.
They were all willing to go after the deer, and having shut up the
cabin and kicked out the campfire so that it might not set fire
to the woods should a stiff breeze spring up, they set off on foot,
taking to a deer trail, which ran a short distance back from the
water's edge.
The walking was by no means good, but this the boys did not mind.
The life in the open was making them strong and able to endure
almost anything. Their cheeks were full and round and their complexions
a healthy tan. All felt like whistling and singing, but they
knew they must make as little noise as possible.
If anybody was nervous it was Whopper and the others said nothing
when he dragged a little behind. But all kept on steadily until
they knew they must be close to the spot where the game had been
seen.
"Suppose I go ahead and take a look?" asked Shep, and the others
nodded. A moment later the doctor's son disappeared among the
bushes lining the lake shore.
When he came back he said the deer were moving up the lake front
and as a consequence all hands followed with all possible speed.
They kept up the chase for nearly an hour and once saw the game,
but the deer were too far away to take a shot. Then the game
started to run, and speedily disappeared.
"That's the time we got left," grumbled Shep. "Too bad!"
"It can't be helped," answered Snap. "We can't expect to bring
down something every time we go out. If we did that there would
be no fun in hunting."
Then the young hunters started back for camp, never dreaming of
the disagreeable surprise which awaited them.