THE BOTTOM OF A MYSTERY
All the others listened to Tommy's words with interest. Then Whopper
spoke of the face he had seen as looking particularly impish.
"It was pretty dark, so we couldn't see very well," said he. "It
might have been the chimpanzee."
"Would that chimpanzee steal a watch, and a camera, and a gun?"
demanded the doctor's son.
"He'll take whatever happens to interest him," answered the boy from
the circus. "They are constantly trying to teach him new tricks.
If you'll remember, one of his tricks is to fire a gun into the air.
And another is to look at a watch and pretend to tell the time."
"That's so!" cried Snap. "I saw him do both at the show."
"Would he untie our boat?" asked Giant.
"He might."
"If it is the chimpanzee we'll have a hard job of it catching him,"
said Shep slowly. "He won't stay at the cabin, but roam from place
to place---and there is no telling what he'll do with our things."
"Don't forget the reward that has been offered," said Giant. "If
we can find the chimpanzee we can get that as well as the reward
for the lion."
Whopper and Tommy had not been bothered by the Spink crowd, and
were of the opinion that the latter had shifted their camp to a
new locality, closer to the lake.
"Well, let them keep their distance, that's all I ask," said the
doctor's son.
The next day Snap, Shep and Giant rested, while Whopper and Tommy
went on a short hunt, bringing in some partridges and several
squirrels. The boys took a few pictures, Snap using an extra
camera that had been brought along. They now had a fine collection,
of which they were exceedingly proud.
Sunday passed, and still they heard nothing from Jed Sanborn. The
boys went hunting several times and brought in a variety of small
game. They made a trip to the mountain-top and got several more
photographs of value. Films and plates were carefully stored away
in water-and-light-tight cases.
"I am sure my father will be greatly pleased when he sees what we
have accomplished," said Shep. "I don't believe he thought we
could do so well."
On Tuesday morning, just after breakfast, the young hunters heard
somebody coming through the woods toward them. Wags set up a
violent barking.
"Maybe it's Sanborn with the circus folks," said Whopper.
"Oh, what shall I do?" asked Tommy in alarm. "I don't want them
to see me."
"It's the Spink crowd!" cried Giant. "Say, something must be wrong!
Look how excited they are!"
"We ought to shoot 'em---that's what we ought to do!" they heard
Carl Dudder say loudly.
"We'll make 'em pay for the things, that's what we'll make 'em do,"
answered Ham Spink.
"Call off your dog, you rascals!" sang out Dick Bush, for Wags had
walked toward him, barking angrily.
"Come here, Wags!" cried Tommy, and the collie obeyed instantly. But
he evidently knew that the newcomers were enemies, for he continued
to eye them suspiciously.
"Think you're smart, don't you?" roared Ham Spink, striding into
the camp and facing Shep and Snap. "Well, I want you to know that
you have gone too far. You've got to pay damages, or we'll have
you all locked up."
"You've got to pay for my new suit of clothes," said Ike Akley.
"It is utterly ruined."
"And my sweater," said Dick Bush.
"And I want to know where my shoes are?" put in Carl Dudder. "And
my briar-root pipe and tobacco."
"Yes, and my silver matchcase, and a whole lot of other things,"
said Ham Spink.
"Yes; and what right had you to make a roughhouse of our camp?"
demanded another boy.
"All of our stores are ruined," put in still another.
"It was mean to scatter that coffee in the mud!"
"And the sugar and beans!"
"Yes; and put the salt in the flour!"
So the talk ran on, the newcomers getting more and more excited
every moment. They had their guns with them, and looked as if they
meant to do serious harm to our friends.
"See here, what are you talking about?" asked the doctor's son at
last. "I can't make head or tail of it." He realized that
something unusual had occurred.
This brought forth another volley of accusations from the Spink
crowd. Their camp had been "rough-housed" to the last degree, and
many things had been utterly ruined, while other articles were
missing. They were sure that Shep and his chums were guilty of
the crime.
"You are all wrong," cried Snap. "We haven't been near your camp."
"That's the truth," added Shep.
"I don't believe it," cried Carl Dudder.
"But it is true---every word of it," came from Giant, and Whopper
and Tommy said the same.
"You've been there---and you have our things," said Ike Akley
doggedly.
"If you want to do so, you can search this camp," said Shep.
"But don't you harm any of our goods."
"Do you mean to say you didn't come to our camp last night?" demanded
Ham.
"I certainly do say it," answered the doctor's son. "All we did was
to hide that boat, and we did that because we knew you wanted to
hide ours."
"Huh! How did you know that?"
"Because we heard you talking about it, on the way to the lake."
"Well, if you didn't come to our camp last night, who did?" asked
Dick Bush. He was commencing to realize that a mistake had been
made.
"Don't ask me," answered Snap. "But, honor bright, we weren't near
your camp, Dick."
"Maybe it was the chimpanzee!" cried Tommy.
"Eh?" queried Ham.
In a few brief words the Spink crowd were told of what had happened
at the cabin, at the cliff, and at the lake shore. No mention
was made of the capture of the lion.
"We think it was the chimpanzee," said Snap. "But we may be
mistaken---it may be a crazy man."
More talk followed, and in the end Snap and his chums agreed to visit
the wrecked camp and take a look around. They left Tommy in charge
of their own camp and warned him to keep strict guard.
It was a walk of half a mile, and the boys covered it in less than
half an hour. Snap was in advance, with Ham by his side. Ham still
thought our friends guilty of what had occurred.
"Here's our camp---or what's left of it," said Ham as they came to
the clearing. "Now, if you-----"
He stopped short and gazed ahead, with eyes bulging from his head.
Snap gave a yell.
"Boys, here he is! The chimpanzee, and he's having a high old time!"
All of the others rushed forward, and saw a sight that filled some
with rage and others with laughter. Sure enough, Abe, the educated
chimpanzee, was there, and was evidently having the time of his
life. He had on a highly-colored dress shirt, a cap and one shoe,
and was amusing himself by tearing a hunting suit belonging to Ham
into shreds.
"The chimpanzee, sure enough!"
"Look what he is doing!"
"Shoot him! Shoot the rascal!"
So the cries rang out. The chimpanzee looked up in alarm. Then, as
several guns were raised, he leaped out of sight behind some bushes
and went off, chattering wildly as he disappeared.