ROGER SUSPECTS
So quickly had it all happened that Roger and Adrian hardly realized
they had just received what was, to them, quite a sum of money. They
entered the house all excitement, after a brisk walk, and Adrian told
his father how he and his cousin had been engaged as guides.
"Wa'al, I must say ye airned th' money easy," said Mr. Kimball.
"Yes, and we can get more," Adrian exclaimed. "We're to go with the men
day after to-morrow, to show them the way. Say, dad, what do you s'pose
they want of a railroad out here?"
"It's hard t' say what them railroad fellers is up t'," answered Mr.
Kimball. "Ye can't even tell whether they're goin' t' put a railroad
through er not."
"But they said they were," asserted Adrian.
"Humph!" was all his father answered, with a little snort. He was too
concerned with his own matters to think about the possibility of a
railroad, especially at this time.
But the news soon spread around Cardiff, in spite of the fact that the
boys maintained a strict silence, that a railroad or a trolley line was
to go through the valley, and the residents were all talking about the
possibility of it the next day after Roger and Adrian had met the two
engineers. For the secret of the cousins having been hired as guides got
out somehow, though the boys did not tell, and they were the envy of
their companions. The less fortunate lads of Cardiff determined to take
the first opportunities of offering their services to Mr. Dudley and Mr.
Ranquist.
The day after the boys' engagement Mr. Kimball announced that a lot of
brush in the vineyard needed burning, so that the ground might be
cultivated. Adrian and Roger thought the task so much like play they
asked to be allowed to build the fires.
Mr. Kimball was glad enough to have them undertake the task. Armed with
long rakes the boys started up the hill and soon had heaped up several
big piles of brush, dry leaves and twigs, which Adrian set fire to,
taking care that none of the vines were scorched. A little wearied by
his labors, Roger laid aside his rake, and while the flames were eating
their way well into the debris, he strolled farther up the hill. It was
rather a warm, pleasant day, and the woods, which stretched out before
him, seemed to invite him to come in and see how the trees were putting
on their full summer outfits of green leaves.
Before he realized it Roger had gone some distance from the vineyard,
and only occasionally could he catch a glimpse of the smoke from the
brush-wood fires. There was scarcely a sound to break the silence, save
the piping of some early birds, and the boy sat down on a rock under a
big chestnut tree to rest. On a fallen log near him a bright green
lizard crawled out to bask in the sunshine. Then a rustling in the dried
leaves on the ground caught his ear. He looked in that direction to see
a snake wriggle into view. He tossed a bit of bark toward the reptile
and in an instant it had disappeared in alarm. The lad drew a long, deep
breath, filling his lungs with the sweet, balmy spring odor of the
woods,--a smell that seemed laden with health.
"My! But that's fine!" he exclaimed.
The next minute he was startled by a sound, as if some one had stepped
on and broken a tree branch. Glancing up the hill he saw, rather
indistinctly, some moving body.
"I guess it's a cow," he remarked.
Then he looked more closely.
"Two cows," he added, as he noted a second form. "No, it isn't either,"
he corrected himself a moment later, "it's two men," and he rose to get
a better view. "It's Mr. Dudley and Mr. Ranquist. I guess they didn't
want to wait until to-morrow to go prospecting. I wonder what they're
doing on Uncle Bert's hill. I guess it won't do any harm to watch and
find out. If they strike gold, or decide to run a railroad here, I might
as well know it. I suspect those men are after something, and they're
not telling what it is either," he concluded, rather wisely. "Well, here
goes for a little detective work."
Using as much caution as if he was trailing some wild and timid animal,
Roger slowly made his way up the hill and through the woods in the
direction the two men had taken. He trod lightly, being careful not to
step on any twigs or branches, which might snap and betray his presence.
For he did not want the men to discover him. Not that he was doing
anything wrong, or anything he had not a right to do, for the men were
on his uncle's land, and Roger felt he should be interested in whatever
they did. For a quarter of a mile he trailed after Mr. Dudley and Mr.
Ranquist, easily keeping them in sight, yet remaining hidden himself,
since they seemed to have no suspicion they were being followed.
In a little hollow, about three hundred feet away from the spring which
burst out of the side hill, and which served to furnish drinking water
for Mr. Kimball's house, the two men came to a halt. Roger hid himself
behind a big stone, somewhat above them, to watch. Mr. Ranquist drew
from his valise a number of pieces of metal, which he screwed together
until he had a rod about a yard long. Then, with a hammer, he proceeded
to drive this downward into the earth. When it had been forced almost
out of sight he screwed another section on from above and drove this
down, and so on, until he had sent the slender steel rod to a depth of
twenty feet into the earth. Roger noticed that the blows of the hammer,
as they struck, produced no sound beyond a dull thud, which, close as he
was, he could scarcely hear.
"He must have rubber on the hammer," said the boy, "or something to
deaden the blows. He's afraid some one will hear him. I wonder what in
the world they can be up to? I must get a little nearer, so I can
listen to what they are saying."
He was a little fearful about advancing any farther as he could not tell
but that the sound of his movements might come to the ears of the men,
now they had stopped walking and could hear better. He looked to see if
he could approach under cover, and then he spied a fallen log, extending
down hill, toward the centre of the little glade, in which the men were
at work on their mysterious errand.
The farther end of the tree trunk was up against a large bowlder, behind
which Roger might lie hidden, as secure as he was in the position he had
first selected, if he could but reach it unobserved, and he thought he
might by crawling along under the protecting shadow of the log. So with
this end in view, he proceeded to act. He stretched out on his stomach,
regardless of his clothes, like a big snake, and then he began to slowly
wriggle toward the men.
It was not easy work, as he dared not raise himself more than a few
inches from the ground without the danger of being seen above the log.
Along the dried leaves and grass he went, pausing every few minutes to
peep cautiously over his screen to see if the men were aware of his
presence. They seemed all unsuspicious that they were being watched by a
sharp-eyed lad, and continued to drive the rod deeper into the earth. At
length, after about five minutes of cautious crawling, Roger reached the
rock, and he curled himself up behind it with a sigh of satisfaction.
He was now within sixty feet of the men and could easily hear all they
said, unless they spoke in whispers, which they were not likely to do.
But the boy seemed to have had his trouble for his pains, for Mr. Dudley
and Mr. Ranquist were not saying a word to each other. They were intent
on the work, and Roger was keenly disappointed as, just before he
started to crawl nearer, he had heard the murmur of their voices in
earnest conversation.
But now Mr. Ranquist appeared to have used up all the sections of the
steel rod. However, his valise had more tools in it, for he drew out a
short iron handle, from which dangled a length of stout chain links.
This chain he wound about the top part of the rod, which projected about
a foot from the ground. The loose end of the links he fastened to the
handle again. Then he and Mr. Dudley, taking a firm hold of the short
bar, proceeded to twist the rod around in the earth. Roger watched them
wonderingly. They spent five minutes in this operation, and then ceased,
to sit down on the grass and rest.
"Do you think we'll strike it?" Roger heard Mr. Dudley ask his
companion.
"Can't say for sure, but it looks very promising," was the reply.
"Is it gold, or is it oil?" Roger asked himself, softly.
Next, as he watched, he saw Mr. Ranquist take another tool from his
valise, which seemed to contain the outfit of a small machine shop. This
last instrument was like a lifting jack, very small and light, but
exceedingly powerful. With it the two men easily pulled the rod up from
where they had driven it in the ground, lifting it section by section
and unscrewing each one. They seemed to be eager and anxious as they
came toward the end, and as the last piece of steel emerged from the
small hole, they both bent forward and looked at it closely. They
appeared much excited at what they saw, and Mr. Ranquist threw his hat
in the air and capered about like a boy.
"Hurrah!" Roger heard him shout, softly, to be sure, for even in his
excitement the engineer did not forget his caution. "Hurrah! We've
struck it all right. Now to get hold of the land before any of the
people about here suspect. I'll tell you, Dudley, our fortunes are
made."
The older man seemed scarcely less excited than Mr. Ranquist. He wet his
forefinger, touched the end of the rod with it, and then brought his
finger to his tongue. He appeared to be tasting some substance. In a
moment Mr. Ranquist followed his example, and then the look of triumph
came on Mr. Dudley's face, as it had on the countenance of the younger
engineer. Roger, forgetting his role of detective, raised himself up,
trying to get a sight of the mysterious substance. In the gleam of the
sun, on the point of the rod which Mr. Ranquist held, the boy beheld,
rather faintly, however, the glitter of something white and sparkling,
something that looked like the white crystals of snow.
Mr. Ranquist quickly whittled out a little stake from a tree branch and
drove it into the small hole in the earth, whence he had drawn the rod.
This done the men carefully packed their tools in the valise and started
away. Roger watched them until they were out of sight. Then he hurried
to the spot. He pulled up the stake, expecting to see something to
disclose the mystery and reward him for his investigation. But there was
nothing to indicate what the men had found that pleased them so.
Roger was greatly disappointed. But he comforted himself with the
reflection that, at least, he was on the track of the mystery. He
thought quickly and realized that some older head than his must take up
the problem now. Yet whom could he tell? Mr. Kimball, he reasoned, would
hardly be in a position to give an expert opinion as to what was under
the earth. Then, too, he did not want to raise false hopes for his uncle
that might be shattered after investigation. He could not imagine what
it was the men had found, that they regarded as of such value. They
evidently expected to find it, which added to the complications. How did
they know at about that spot something was hidden under the surface?
Clearly it must be some mineral substance Roger thought, but what? It
didn't seem to be gold, unless it was in some peculiar form. Whatever it
was, would it be worth the trouble that might be necessary before it
could be come upon and dug out, unless some one, who knew just what they
were searching after, did the work? And it was evident that the two men
did possess this knowledge, which was so needful.
Roger was in a dilemma, but he resolved to discover a way out, if
possible. Carefully marking the location of the stake, that he might
find it again, he started home. He came into the vineyard just as his
cousin was clearing up the last of the brush.
"Well," said Adrian, "I thought maybe you had gone to the house."
"No," answered Roger, "I was just walking in the woods for my health,"
and he smiled a little.
For certain reasons he did not want even Adrian to know what he had
seen.
"We'll take a long walk to-morrow," said Adrian, breaking into a merry
whistle. "But something tells me it is nearly supper-time. I'm as hungry
as a bear. Hi, Jack!" he called to the dog, and all three started for
home, Roger in a sort of day-dream over what he had discovered.