A DISMAYING DISCOVERY
The hearts of the four young hunters went "down in their boots" as
they surveyed the desolate scene before them.
They had spent much hard labor over the cabin which had been their
home during a large part of the summer outing, and they had fully
expected to find it in the same condition as when they had locked it
up and come away.
"Boys, what can this mean?" said Snap at last. "Who has played us this
shabby trick?"
"Can the cabin have burnt down right after we left it?" asked Giant.
"Why, no, it has been burnt down since the last snowstorm," answered
Shep, "otherwise the snow would cover the ruins."
"This fire isn't over three or four days old," came from Whopper.
"Do you think it could start up of itself?" asked the small member of
the Gun Club.
"No, I don't."
"Then somebody must have set it on fire."
"Yes."
"Who?"
"That remains to be found out," said Snap. "Oh, I wish I had the
fellow here now," and he banged a fist into the palm of his hand, to
show what he would do in such a case.
The boys walked around the ruin several times and lifted up a few of
the half-burnt logs. It was easy to see that the cabin was a total
wreck. Snap heaved a mountainous sigh and so did the others.
"We'll have to clear all this stuff away and build a brand new cabin,"
said Shep. "All these old logs are good for is firewood."
"That is true, Shep," answered Snap. "What I am thinking of is, what
are we to do to-night? We can't stay out in the open air. It is
growing colder every minute."
"Well, I am not going home," came quickly from Giant. "I'd rather
freeze!"
"Who said anything about going home?" demanded Whopper. "Why, I
wouldn't go home in a thousand years, cabin or no cabin. We can rig up
some sort of shelter of pine boughs and then build another cabin."
"I know a dandy spot for another cabin," said Snap. "Don't you
remember I mentioned it to you, Shep, last summer? The spot where the
young trees stood so close together in a circle?"
"Just the place," answered the doctor's son.
Standing around was cold work and the young hunters lost no time in
cutting some dry brushwood and building a fire, on which they placed
several of the half-burnt logs. It was now the middle of the afternoon
and they knew they must work vigorously if they wanted any sort of a
suitable shelter against the cold before nightfall.
The spot Snap had mentioned was less than two hundred feet up the lake
front. Here, behind some bushes which would keep off considerable
wind, was an almost perfect circle of trees, the diameter inside being
about fifteen feet. The trees were mostly young and not very tall and
the lower branches were not over ten feet from the ground on an
average.
"We can cut off the tops of the trees and then bind in some of the
branches for a roof," said Snap. "Over those branches we can bind
others, with strips of bark between. We can cut the trees higher on
one side of the circle than on the other, so the snow and rain can run
off. Then we can bind in brushwood and bark for the sides, between the
trees, leaving one spot open for a rough sort of chimney, which we'll
have to build up of flat rocks. It won't make as nice a cabin as the
other was, but it is the best we can do in this wintry weather, and I
think, with a good fire going, we can make it fairly comfortable
inside."
There were a great many things to take into consideration, but in the
main Snap's idea was voted a good one, and the sleds were brought to
the spot and the axe and hatchet gotten.
"Giant, you bring up that camp-fire," said Snap. "We'll want it here
later. Bring all those half-burnt logs, too, so that we'll have plenty
of firewood."
"Aye, aye, Captain!" answered the little lad, in true nautical style
and touching his cap.
While Giant re-built the camp-fire the others set to work on the new
cabin. First Snap and Shep, went up in the trees and marked off the
top of the new shelter. Then down came one tree top after another and
then the limbs that could not be used above. In the meantime Whopper
took a hunting knife and cut some strips of bark.
"Now let us begin to bind in the branches," said Snap, and he and Shep
set to work, with Whopper helping them. Giant passed up some branches
which had fallen to the ground, and also some long, pliable withes to
be used as rope. Fortunately some of the branches left on the trees
were long and supple and could be twisted around one another with
ease.
"We are going to have a regular mat of a roof," observed Whopper. "Why
can't we pile a lot of dead leaves on top, to make it air tight?"
"Because they might possibly shake down and catch fire," answered
Snap. "We can bind in some more brushwood and some more bark. Then the
next snow will do the rest."
At last the roof was finished and the workers dropped to the ground.
It was now night and all were tremendously hungry.
"We'll have to let the sides of the shelter go until morning," said
Snap. "We can pile up some tree branches on the windy side and put the
rubber blankets over them. Then, during the night, we can build a fire
right in the middle of the hut. But we'll have to take turns at
guarding, to prevent the place from catching fire and to prevent those
sleeping from smothering, if the wind should change."
While Snap and Shep continued to work on the shelter, Whopper and
Giant started to cook the evening meal, which consisted of a broiled
chicken, a loaf of bread they had brought along, and a slice of cake,
washed down with hot chocolate. They spent an hour over the meal, and
in the meantime discussed their future plans and the burnt cabin.
"Do you know I have an idea that the same person who burnt down our
cabin wrecked the old boathouse," said Snap.
"I was figuring it that way, too," answered Whopper. "The question is,
Who would be so mean!"
"Perhaps it was Carl Dudder," answered Giant.
"Or Ham Spink," came from Shep.
"It was certainly done by an enemy," said Snap. "But I shouldn't dare
to accuse anybody unless I was certain."
"You are right there," answered the doctor's son. "Burning a building
is a serious piece of business."
"Yes, and blowing up a place with dynamite is serious, too," added
Whopper. "Why, it's a wonder the whole town didn't sail skyward!"
The floor of the shelter had been cleaned up and on one side were
placed several piles of fresh pine boughs, which in camping out make
the best kind of a couch. Then the fire was brought in and placed
where the smoke could drift out between the trees. The blaze soon
warmed the place up, and the ruddy glare made the boys feel quite at
home.
To keep out still more of the cold the two sleds were stood up between
some of the trees and the canvas coverings and rubber blankets were
stretched around as far as they would go. By that time all of the boys
were worn out with their labors and their journey and glad enough to
retire.
"Each member of this club will have to remain on guard two hours,"
said Snap. "We'll draw lots for turns."
This was done, and it fell to Whopper to take the first turn, from
nine o'clock to eleven. Giant was to follow him, and then Snap and
Sheep.
"Just my luck!" grumbled Whopper. "And when I am so sleepy I can
scarcely keep my eyes open."
"Well, don't you go to sleep until your two hours is up," said Snap
sharply. "Keep an eye on the fire, and don't wake Giant up until his
turn comes."
"I am going to fix up a pot of beans to cook," answered Whopper. "That
will help to keep me awake."
Leaving Whopper fussing with the bean pot, the others turned into
their blankets and threw themselves on their pine bough couches.
Inside of five minutes Shep was asleep and Snap and the small member
of the Gun Club quickly followed.
Whopper filled the pot half full of bean, soaked them a little in ice
water, and then hung them over the fire to bake, putting some bacon
with them, to give the proper flavor. Then he brought in some extra
sticks and sat down. He was indeed sleepy and it was all he could do
to keep his eyes open.
"Guess I had better walk around," he told himself, and not to disturb
the sleepers, passed through one of the openings between the trees to
the outside of the shelter.
It was a moonlight night, and he could see across the lake with ease.
All was quiet saving for the distant hoot of an owl and the occasional
bark of a fox. The wind had gone down and not a tree branch was
stirring.
"What a glorious night for skating," mused the boy. "There must be a
good many out at Fairview, now that the ice is so solid."
He walked around the shelter four times and then came to a halt once
more in front of the lake.
As he did this, he saw some object move across the ice of the lake.
One object was followed by another, and then a third and a fourth.
"Animals of some kind," he thought. "But what?"
He watched the objects for several minutes.
They kept coming closer slowly, stopping every now and then, as if to
deliberate. Then of a sudden, a lonely, mournful howl rent the air.
"Wolves!" he muttered. "They have discovered our camp and are coming
towards it. I wonder what I had better do?"