IS NO NEWS GOOD NEWS?
The fishing boat lay drifting, but only three or four yards from shore.
Had Dave effected a landing or, in the darkness, had he tried and failed?
That which quite possibly, even probably, had happened was a thought that
filled even Phil with apprehension and despair.
"Light the way! I'll pull close in shore," he said, trying hard to swallow
the lump in his throat.
The bank where the skiff's nose soon touched was steep, yet easy to be
climbed as its height was only a few feet. But there was no sign that
anyone had been near it. Otherwise the dry earth would have shown the
imprints of toes or heels. This was quickly proved when, Phil steadying
the boat and with a root and a straggling shrub to help him, Billy crept
quickly to the top.
"Still, we don't know just where Dave may have run in. It's queer that
he let the scow drift, if--even if he expected to go right back," said
Worth in a hushed tone, from the edge of the low bluff.
"Queer what became of the man who called him over here, if such a thing
as Mac falling into the water may have happened," observed Phil. "And
Dave could swim--why, almost across the lake, if he had to! He could save
himself if there was nobody pulling him down."
Throwing Billy a line by which to hold the boat, Way and Slider followed
him up the bank. They walked some distance in each direction along the
shore but the feeble light of the oil lamps showed no trace of David
MacLester nor yet of the mysterious person who had summoned him. The
thought, "crooked work," was in the minds of all three.
"After all, it's the water I'm most afraid of. If Dave fell and hurt
himself or was pushed into the lake--but never mind. One of us must go
back to Paul and the others will have to--look further," said Phil at last.
Billy was chosen to return to camp. What Phil meant to do, with Slider's
help, was drag the lake in this vicinity. If Dave had gone to the bottom,
due to some accident or injury, it might not yet be too late to save his
life. Such things had been done, Way said, but he spoke without his usual
confidence and very, very gloomily.
Returning to the skiff, the boys ran along side the fishing boat and drew
the latter to shore. Phil and Chip tied her to a projecting root and Worth
bade them good-bye.
With a long, steady stroke he pulled for the southern shore and the bright
light blazing there. But it is one thing to row for the fun of it, when
the sunlight dances on the ripples, and quite another to cross a strange
body of water--and alone--when inky darkness spreads everywhere.
The swelling of the wood had now pretty well stopped the skiff's leaking,
yet again and again Billy paused to bail out. The unpleasant thought
that he would find the water pouring in too fast for his best efforts
harassed him. He could not see, so he often put down his hand to feel
and thus make sure the boat was not filling. So at last did he float
into the rays of the campfire's light and a minute later stand telling
Paul the unhappy discoveries made.
The thought that Dave and the strange man, having found their boat
drifting beyond reach, may have started to walk around the head of the
lake and so come on foot to the camp, had suggested itself to Billy as
he rowed. Mentioning this to Paul he set out, with a small camp lamp in
hand, to explore the shore in the direction indicated.
Thus left alone again Jones was the most dejected and sorrowful young
fellow one could easily imagine. To keep the fire blazing high was all he
could do to be of any possible assistance. Inactivity was hard for him
to bear at any time. Especially was it hard when his thoughts were so
disturbed and his anxiety so great.
It was coming daylight when at last Jones saw the fishing boat
approaching. In it were Phil and Billy and Chip; for Worth, having
traversed the whole upper border of the lake without result other than
to tire himself exceedingly, had spent all the latter part of the night
with Way and Slider.
To the great astonishment of these two he had suddenly appeared to them
out of the darkness. He had broken his lamp to bits in a painful tumble
into a dry water course the undergrowth concealed.
Several hours the three lads had then spent alternately dragging the
lake's bottom with hooked poles, looking up and down the steep bank for
footprints, and here and there going some distance back into the woods
vainly searching. Even before the dawn appeared their lamps went out.
With difficulty they had then embarked for the opposite shore. Daylight
came as wearily they worked their heavy craft forward.
The one hopeful fact the boys found in a sorrowful review of the
situation, as they stretched their tired limbs upon the ground, was that
the dragging of the lake in the vicinity where Dave's empty boat was
found had been without result.
"We'll get some rest--a few minutes, anyway, and a cup of coffee, then
we'll see what daylight will do to help us," suggested Phil.
Yet it was scarcely more than sunrise when the search was resumed.
Crossing to the north shore in the skiff, Billy and Paul set about a
minute inspection of the dry earth of the bank and of the woods for a long
distance up and down the water's edge. Leaving Slider in camp, Phil
made the detour of the east shore on foot.
As Way drew near the scene of the fruitless work of the night he
discovered close in shore an old log lying just under the water's surface
and partially imbedded in the earth of the bank. A short, stubby branch
projected its wet and slimy tip an inch or two above the water. A
slivered end that had risen considerably higher was freshly broken.
Not completely detached, it lay almost level with the water's surface.
But a more interesting discovery still was unmistakable footprints in
the dry earth. The footprints were made by MacLester. Of this Phil was
certain. It was to the large projecting splinter, broken from the old
log, that Dave had tied the boat, perhaps. Yet how had the slow and heavy
craft broken from its mooring? And what was of vastly more consequence
what had then happened to Mac?
The scene of Way's discoveries was some distance from the spot in which
the fishing boat had been found. It was farther to the east, also, than
search along the bank had been carried during the night; but the lake at
this point had been dragged again.
Examining the ground carefully, Phil sought to find some further evidence
concerning the missing boy's movements. He discovered nothing of
importance. Going forward, then, to Billy and Paul, now working toward
the westerly end of the lake, he told them of his discoveries. Quickly
they returned with him.
To make their search thorough the three boys undertook to inspect the
ground covering a wide area at this point where they believed their
friend had landed. Several hundred feet from the water they made an
interesting discovery. In a little patch of earth, made bare by the
burrowing of some small animal, there were three footprints. One showed
the mark of a shoe such as Dave MacLester wore. Two other tracks were
broad and heavy--the imprints of coarser footwear.
It was a marked relief to the three chums to find such good cause to
believe MacLester was not drowned; but what in the world had become of
him? Had he been enticed away? Had he been taken captive by some unknown
enemy?
In vain the search for other footprints,--anything to cast additional
light on the grievous problems,--was carried further. Every prospect ended
in disappointment. It was long after noon. The boys had penetrated several
miles into the woods and they at last acknowledged themselves completely
baffled.
Murky was a name they often mentioned as they counseled together. They
could think of no one else who might have a reason for doing them all an
injury. But why should Murky wish to make Dave or any of them a prisoner?
His only motive could be that he feared they were searching for the stolen
money he considered as his own. He had warned Chip Slider to keep off
that track, the boys knew.
"We'll hunt till dark, then if we have no success and get no word at all,
we will get the sheriff and a lot of men from Staretta! We will find Dave
and it won't be very pleasant for Murky or whoever is to blame for this,"
declared Way. "There's more back of the whole matter than we can make
out--more than we can even guess right now, you'll see!"
The boys returned to camp. The thought had come to them many times
that Chip Slider might know a great deal more than he had told. They
remembered Link Fraley's words about the boy. But they could not accuse
him without any ground for doing so. They could find no evidence that
Mac's disappearance had not occurred just as Chip had told them. And
he had twice repeated the whole story the same as in the beginning.
It was a heart-sick group that ate a hasty lunch of bread and coffee
in the woodland camp. Now for the first time, however, Paul told of the
lonely time he had had during the long night--told of the noises he had
heard in the distance, along the beach. He was quite sure that bears
and deer, as well, to say nothing of numerous smaller creatures, had
come to the lake to drink and bathe. He believed they would have come
quite close to the shack but, for the bright fire he kept blazing.
Ordinarily the boys would have found great interest in such a subject; but
today their spirits were at too low an ebb, their minds too disturbed over
the unaccountable loss of their friend to permit their attention being
otherwise occupied.
All except Billy set out after lunch to learn whether the suspected Murky
had deserted his usual hiding place. Slider was the guide. He led the
others quite directly to the logs where the tramp had made his bed and
headquarters.
The fellow had apparently departed. He had left the pan and other utensils
taken from the boys' camp but the blankets he had carried with him. They
were nowhere to be seen, at any rate.
More certain than ever, then, that it was this unscrupulous villain who
had decoyed Dave across the lake and in some manner forced their friend to
accompany him, the lads hurried back to camp.
Again they rowed to the north shore and with utmost determination plunged
into the hot, close woods.