PHIL GETS A CLUE.
True to his word, old Nate woke the boys up almost with the dawn.
Hurrying into their clothes, they went into the dining-room, where a
sleepy waitress took their orders for a substantial breakfast. They
chatted merrily with Nate during the meal, and then bade him goodbye, as
his train went an hour earlier than theirs. Nothing remained for them to
do in Bangor except to buy the provisions that Garry had spoken of the
previous night. They found what they sought at a large grocery store
which, on account of the early hour, had barely opened its doors for
business.
"There," said Garry, "that completes our work in Bangor. We might as
well take a last look at the town, because it is probable that we won't
come back here for some time."
They proceeded to the station and found that their train was being made
up at that moment.
"I suggest that we take seats in the smoker," remarked Garry, "for
although none of us smoke, we might make some acquaintance there as we
did with Nate when we first went into the big woods."
This suggestion met with hearty approval from the boys, and being the
first on the train, they were able to pick a double seat, and found
plenty of room in which to stow away their knapsacks and rifles. The
train slowly filled up with a motley assemblage. There were several men
in the usual garb of the forests, as well as a number of farmers. Two or
three well dressed men looked as though they might be traveling
salesmen. Half a dozen card games were soon started, and the boys found
plenty to watch and thus occupy their time. Directly in back of Phil sat
two men clad in rough corduroys and high boots. Both of the men were
talking confidentially in the French language. Phil, as our readers
know, was as conversant with French as he was with English, and for a
time paid no attention to the remarks of the pair in back of him. Garry
and Dick, in the meantime, were chatting away like a couple of magpies.
Suddenly Phil pricked up his ears and after a moment signalled his two
chums to keep silent.
Garry immediately had a hunch that Phil was hearing something that might
prove to be of advantage to them later on, so in order that their
silence might not be noticed, fished out the pocket checkerboard, and
soon he and Dick were immersed in the intricacies of the game, leaving
Phil free to devote his entire attention to the conversation that was
taking place in back of him.
After nearly a half of an hour, Phil lifted his head, and catching the
eye of Garry, made it known to him that he wanted him to follow him out.
Getting up and stretching, Phil nonchalantly made his way into another
car, followed shortly by both Garry and Dick. Finding seats in the far
end of the car, where their conversation could not be overheard, Garry
eagerly inquired what Phil had heard.
"I want both of you boys," remarked Phil, "to pay special attention to
those two men who were sitting in back of me, and impress their
appearance upon your memories, as I believe they are the first clue to
our mission at Hobart. Unfortunately, they do not talk very much about
their plans, but from what I gather, they are on their way there to
purchase furs, and they made special remarks about the good bargains
they could drive, hinting at the fact that the furs were smuggled in
across the border. Of course, it is hardly probable that they belong to
the smugglers' gang, although, if we keep close tabs on them, it seems
to me that they will eventually lead us to the headquarters of the
border smugglers."
"Don't you think you should have stayed there?" inquired Garry.
"No, it was safe enough to leave," answered Phil, "because they had
begun to talk on entirely different topics, one remarking to the other
that they had better stop further talk of the furs, for fear they might
be overheard by someone. Fortunately for us, they have no idea that they
have already been overheard."
"There is one thing we ought to consider," said Garry. "In the event
that they get off the train before we do, it seems to me that one of us
should get off at that same time and follow them. Whoever it is can
leave his knapsack and rifle behind, and the remaining two will take
care of them. In the event of such a thing, boys, I would recommend that
Phil be the one to get off the train, as he is the only one of us whose
knowledge of French is great enough to allow him to understand what a
native Frenchman is saying."
This plan being decided upon, the boys made their way back to the
smoker. The two men had left their seats, and for a moment the boys were
worried, then remembered that no stop had been made during the time
which they had left the smoking car. A hasty search soon revealed the
fact that the men had joined in a card game at the far end of the car.
Knowing that the men would not talk business while in the game, the
boys did not bother to try and find some way of overhearing their
conversation.
The boys, in guarded tones, so that they might not be overheard by
anyone in an adjoining seat, talked over the importance of the clue,
that they had so fortunately stumbled upon.
"It strikes me that this is our lucky morning," remarked Garry. "Here we
might have been days and days before we ever found the slightest bit of
evidence on which to base our search for the band of smugglers, but in
less than an hour after the starting of our mission, we stumble upon
this very important bit of help."
As Garry talked, he kept glancing out of the corner of his eye at a
tall, rangy individual, who since the boys had entered the car, had kept
constant watch on them.
"Don't look up now," he whispered to his companions, "but a few minutes
later casually glance across the aisle two seats up from where we are
sitting, and look at that tall chap who is sitting there reading a
newspaper. Ever since we got on board the train he has been watching us
over the top of the paper. I wonder if there isn't some way in which we
could get into conversation with him, and see who he is."
The words were hardly out of Garry's mouth, and before his chums had
had a chance to survey the stranger, the object of their conversation
threw down his newspaper and getting up sauntered over to where the trio
was sitting. The boys looked up and gazed inquiringly at the newcomer,
who seemed not a whit abashed at their scrutiny.
"Going on a camping trip?" he inquired with a pleasant smile.
"Why yes, we are," said Garry quickly, before either of the others could
make a reply. "Are you also?" for Garry had noticed that a cased rifle
and blanket roll were stowed under the stranger's seat.
"Why yes and no," answered the stranger. "I am going partly on business
and partly on pleasure. Mind if I sit in with you a few minutes"
"Why, no indeed," said Garry cordially, as he moved over and made room
for the tall stranger. "I suppose we might as well make ourselves
acquainted, so I will start in by introducing myself. My name is Garry
Boone, and these are my two chums, Dick Wallace and Phil Durant."
"My name is Fernald, Arthur Fernald, having no particular home, nor any
particular business. Where are you boys bound for?"
"Why," said Garry, after a moment's hesitation, "we're bound for the
border, but just where we will make our headquarters we do not know as
yet, probably just whatever the fancy seizes us."
"Expect to get any hunting?" inquired the stranger. "Some mighty fine
specimens of moose and caribou are to be found in that locality."
This remark made Garry suspicious, and he immediately shot this question
at the stranger. "Don't you know that the law is on moose and caribou,
and that there won't be an open season for at least five more years?"
"Yes," said the stranger, laconically. "I just wanted to see whether you
boys knew that."
Garry was inclined to be angry at the man's answer, but as Fernald made
the remark with a smile, Garry felt that they could not take offence at
him.
Dick broke into the conversation with a query as to whether the stranger
knew anything about the town of Hobart. Too late, Garry gave him a
warning kick, but the danger was done. Fernald looked intently at Dick,
and then at the other two.
"Why, yes," he remarked, "I know considerable about the town. It is only
two or three weeks since I have been there. Anything in particular that
you want to know about it?"
"Not especially," answered Dick, who was on guard now that Garry had
warned him. "We just happened to hear a friend of ours, a guide named
Webster, saying that it was not very far above the National Forest
Reserve."
"You aren't, by any chance, speaking of Nate Webster of Millinocket are
you?" he inquired with a smile.
Here Garry broke in the conversation.
"Do you know Webster?"
"I should say I do," said Fernald. "I have known him for a good many
years. It may surprise you to know and hear," he turned to Garry, "that
I know your father, 'Moose' Boone."
This, for a moment, seemed to free the man of suspicion, although, as
Garry told himself, the man had not said or done anything to warrant
their being suspicious of him. Garry was simply following the wise rule
not to tell any more about yourself than the other person does to you.
They chatted for some time about many things concerning the woods, and
while the boys were careful not to mention anything that would give the
man who called himself Fernald any inkling as to their mission, they
could not help notice but that he was trying very hard to pump them as
to their reason for going to the particular part of Maine for which they
were bound. By this time, it was nearly noon and Fernald volunteered the
information that there was a restaurant in the station of a little town
where they would make their next stop, and at which the train would stop
long enough to allow them to get their lunch. Just before the train drew
into the station, Fernald remarked in a bantering tone, "I suppose you
fellows know there is considerable smuggling going on all the time,
across the International line."
Garry looked up quickly, and met the stranger's quizzical glance
squarely. "Why, I suppose I have heard about as much of it as the
average citizen of Maine has. Why do you ask that question? Do you know
anything special about it?"
"No," answered the stranger, "I was just merely asking for the sake of
asking a question. Well, so long boys, I may see you at luncheon, just
now I want to finish an article I was reading in a newspaper about the
low price that furs are bringing this summer."
With that as a parting shot, he returned to his seat, leaving the three
boys wondering just who he might be.
"I am very suspicious about this man Fernald," Garry told his two
companions. "He seems very anxious to know all about our business, and
his two hints about smuggling and the low price of furs lead me to
believe that he was trying to pump us. Do you fellows think the same, or
am I unduly suspicious?"
Phil, who was naturally a solid-headed boy, thought for a moment, and
then agreed that there was something mighty peculiar about the actions
of their new acquaintance, while Dick claimed that he had been
suspicious of him from the moment that he had first come over to their
seat.
By this time the train drew into the station, and the boys hastened out
of the train and into the restaurant, where they were soon eating a
hearty meal. They were joined by Fernald, who took the vacant seat
opposite Garry. Fernald ordered a cup of coffee to be brought to him
immediately, and suddenly, to the amazement of the boys, he looked
straight at Garry, and gave his cup two sharp raps against the edge of
the saucer. He waited a moment, and followed this by three taps. Garry
waited for an instant, and then deciding to find out whether or not the
tapping was accidental, gave the same signal. The man called Fernald
smiled, and gave two soft taps of the cup before he replaced it on the
saucer. The man of whom they had been so suspicious during the last
hour, was unmistakably a customs officer!