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[Illustration: "This fellow has a chamois money belt on, and unless I'm
greatly mistaken, that's where the Jewels are."
(_The Ranger Boys And the Border Smugglers_) _Page 197_]
THE RANGER BOYS
AND
THE BORDER SMUGGLERS
By CLAUDE A. LABELLE
AUTHOR OF
"_The Ranger Boys to the Rescue_," "_The Ranger Boys
Find the Hermit_," "_The Ranger Boys Outwit
the Timber Thieves_," "_The Ranger
Boys and Their Reward_."
[Illustration]
A. L. BURT COMPANY
Publishers New York
THE
RANGER BOYS SERIES
A Series of Stories for Boys 12 to 16 Years of Age
By CLAUDE A. LABELLE
The Ranger Boys to the Rescue
The Ranger Boys Find the Hermit
The Ranger Boys and the Border Smugglers
The Ranger Boys Outwit the Timber Thieves
The Ranger Boys and Their Reward
Copyright, 1922
By A. L. BURT COMPANY
THE RANGER BOYS AND THE BORDER SMUGGLERS
Made in "U. S. A."
THE RANGER BOYS AND THE BORDER SMUGGLERS.
CHAPTER I.
OFF FOR NEW FIELDS.
"Now I believe you boys understand just what is wanted of you, as I
explained it yesterday afternoon, but just to make sure, I'll go over it
briefly again while you are waiting for your train," said the Customs
Chief to the three Ranger Boys.
Our three friends were sitting in the office of the chief at the capitol
in Maine, preparatory to bidding him goodbye before starting out for the
Canadian border to try and run down a band of fur smugglers.
As they sit there, let us describe them and introduce them to those of
our readers who have not read "The Ranger Boys to the Rescue," and "The
Ranger Boys Find the Hermit."
First is Garfield Boone, known to his chums as Garry. He is the
accepted and chosen leader of the trio on all their expeditions. Garry's
father, known to the backwoodsmen as "Moose" Boone, is a wealthy
lumberman.
Next is Phil Durant, a dark-haired youth of French descent. He is able
to talk French fluently, but keeps this knowledge under cover, as the
boys once found it useful for him to do. He is the son of a father and
mother who are situated in very moderate circumstances.
Last, but by no means least, is Dick Wallace, the ward of Garry's
father. Dick is the son of a college professor, who was a chum of Mr.
Boone. He fell from a horse and injured his head when Dick was a
youngster, and then disappeared. Dick's mother had died when he was a
baby, so Mr. Boone took him into his own home to bring up. Dick, by the
way, is rather fat; "plump" he calls himself.
These three boys form an extraordinary unit of the Maine Ranger service,
that body of men whose duty it is to protect the great forest lands of
the state from the danger of fire.
These boys were made Rangers through the influence of Mr. Boone, and had
been in the woods about a month, where they had some stirring
adventures, meeting an old hermit who has helped them, and making
enemies of a half-breed guide, Jean LeBlanc, and a rascally ex-deputy
Ranger, Anderson by name, who was supplanted by Nate Webster, a
warm-hearted old Maine guide and a firm friend of the boys.
Among their adventures was the rescue of little Patty Graham, child of a
rich broker who was camping in the woods, from the half-breed LeBlanc.
As a reward for their brave deed, Mr. Graham presented them with a
specially made wireless telephone outfit, complete with home station and
compact carrying 'phones.
Now that we know who our heroes are, let us hear what the Customs Chief
has to tell them.
"As I told you boys yesterday, this is our problem. We know that
somewhere along the border, there is a regular smugglers' lane, where
valuable shipments of seal and other furs have been smuggled into the
United States with consequently a great loss of duty to the customs
house. Now it is impossible for our men to find anything out, and if I
get men from Washington, they don't know anything about the woods, so
there you are.
"Now I think you boys can go up there, and by acting as campers, or even
in your role of Rangers, you may find out just the things my agents have
been unable to unearth. Ordinarily I wouldn't think of sending boys on
this job, but you three have proven yourselves to be unusually alert
and reliable, also being boys, you may not be regarded as dangerous by
the woods people in that section.
"You had better go back to Bangor and have a conference with this man
Webster, and get what supplies you need, then strike off across the
state till you come to the border town of Hobart. That, I have reason to
believe, is the base of operations of the smugglers.
"That I think is all. Before you go out, you will each be given a little
gold customs badge. Secrete this somewhere on your persons and never
show it except as an absolute last resort. Also, you will be given one
or two signals by means of which you may find out whether anyone is in
the service or not. Now good luck go with you."
The Chief shook hands with the three, and they filed into the outer
office where an assistant gave them their badges and some simple
signals.
"If you should meet a man who gave his collar a tug at the throat as
though it were too tight, you would think nothing of it, but if he gave
it two little tugs, and then waited while you could count five and gave
it three more little tugs, you would be told he was a customs man. Your
reply would be two tugs, and in order to check up, he would give two
more in answer. That is for meeting in a room, on a train, or in the
street. If you should happen to be in a restaurant, the signal would be
two taps of a cup on a saucer followed by three, or if it is a mug, the
same number of taps against the table. Your answering signal would be
the same. Don't ever do this just because you are inquisitive about a
person. Have some sure grounds for believing that the man you are
signalling is part of the service. Now goodbye and good fortune."
The boys left the capitol and made their way down the long hill to the
main business part of the town.
As they struck onto the main business street, Garry noticed the familiar
blue bell sign of the telephone company.
"Say, boys, I have an idea. Let's stop in here and put in long distance
calls and say hello to our folks. How does the idea strike you?" said
Garry, almost in one breath.
"Ripping," shouted Phil, while Dick didn't wait to make any remark, but
dived in through the door, and in a trice was putting in his call. Phil
followed suit, while Garry waited, as he would talk when Dick had
finished.
This pleasant duty done, they went to a restaurant for dinner. Here they
attracted no little attention, for their khaki clothes looked almost
like uniforms. Added to this was the fact that they wore forest
shoepacks, those high laced moccasins with an extra leather sole, and
felt campaign hats.
Most of those who saw them, however, after an interested look, put them
down as boys about to go on a camping trip, never dreaming that this
same trio had been through more adventures in the previous month or so,
than the average boy, or men, for that matter, has in half a dozen
years.
Even the boys, hopeful as they were of adventures, did not dream of the
stirring times that lay ahead of them in their quest of the border band
of smugglers.
The boys thoroughly enjoyed the well-cooked, well-served meal, it being
a welcome change to have someone else do their cooking for them.
"Eat up, fellows," advised Dick, who was ever ready to eat, "just two or
three more restaurant meals, and then we'll be cooking our own again
over a bed of red embers under the merry greenwood tree."
Luncheon over, the boys consulted a time-table and found they could get
a train immediately or one quite late in the afternoon for Bangor.
"What say we take the late one, and go to a movie this afternoon?"
queried Dick.
The matter was put up to Garry for a decision and as he was the leader
his word always went, though he was never arbitrary and generally talked
things over before making a real decision.
"I think we ought to take the early train. By doing that, we will get
to Bangor at five o'clock, just the time we would be leaving here,
should we take the later train. Then we can have dinner, see an early
movie, and buy what few things we need and get a good sleep, for we have
a two-day train journey. Doesn't that strike you fellows as the most
logical thing to do?" he concluded.
Put to them in this light it seemed best, so it was unanimously agreed
to start at once. They proceeded to the station where they had checked
their rifles and knapsacks on leaving the hotel that morning.
"I must get several things when we get to Bangor," remarked Phil. "You
know LeBlanc and Anderson stripped me of rifle, knife and axe that time
they left me tied to the tree."
"Yes, you'll have to, also I am going to get a compass, as I lost mine
the time I lost my way in the forest," said Garry.
"Well, all I've to get when we reach that city," announced Dick, "is
something to eat!"
The others laughed and poked fun at Dick for his appetite, for his
willingness to eat at any time of the day or night was a source of
constant merriment to the other chums.
"Some day you will have to go a whole day without food, Dick," remarked
Garry, "and I don't know what will happen to you. I imagine that you'll
just wither up and die before help reaches you."
"Don't worry, I'll find some way to prevent going a day without a meal,"
said Dick emphatically.
The ride to Bangor was uneventful. As they passed through Waterville,
they saw the great shaded campus of Colby College, deserted for the
summer except for a few students who were pursuing extra courses.
"By golly, there's a pretty college there. I almost think I'd like to go
there," remarked Dick.
"Well, according to things as they now stand, we have a couple of years
to think that over," said Garry.
They reached the city of Bangor, on the wide Penobscot River about five
o'clock. This city is famous for its paper mills and as a center for the
gathering of lumberjacks for the woods work. Bangor is also famous for
its great "Salmon Pool."
Garry remarked about this:
"Some first of April we must make plans to come up and try our luck at
salmon."
"Why April first?" queried Phil.
"You see the law goes off at that time, and they are the best at that
season. A little while later, during the spawning season, they are again
protected. It is a wonderful sight, by the way, to see the twenty or
twenty-five pound salmon jump up over falls and dams eight and ten feet
in height. The Orono Indians, who used to inhabit this region, used to
stand at the top of the falls and dexterously spear the fish as they
jumped."
Supper was eaten at the Penobscot Exchange, and then the boys journeyed
down Canal Street to an old store where they intended to get a new rifle
and some other things. They found the old gunsmith was out and would not
be back until about eleven o'clock, so decided to go to the movies, and
return at that hour.
They enjoyed the motion picture show immensely, particularly because one
of the scenes in the News Weekly showed forest fire fighters combatting
the flames in the Michigan woods.
After the show they made their way back towards the old gunsmith's shop.
The street was deserted save for a party of roisterers, who passed them,
singing at the top of their voices. They were passing a badly lighted
spot, when, from a ramshackle old three-story house, they heard a shriek
followed by an appeal for mercy.