UNCLE BARNEY'S SECRET
"Looks to me as if we were going to be stumped, Jack."
"I agree, Andy. It doesn't look as if there were any mink in this
neighborhood," answered the oldest Rover boy.
"Don't give up yet," pleaded Fred, who sat on a fallen tree, resting.
"It's barely noon yet," announced Andy, glancing at his watch. "We've
half a day before us."
The boys had spent the entire time since leaving their cabin in skating
along the shore of the island and making their way along the tiny,
frozen-up watercourse, where they had hoped to discover at least one
brook mink. But the only game to come into sight had been a squirrel,
and they had not shot at this, fearing to disturb the other game, were
it in that vicinity.
"Let's have lunch before we continue hunting," suggested Andy. "This is
as good a spot as any to rest in."
The others were willing, and, finding a little cleared space, they built
a tiny campfire and proceeded to make themselves at home. They passed a
full hour over the mid-day meal, for the constant skating and tramping
through the woods and climbing over the rocks was very tiring.
"It won't be long before our vacation will be at an end," observed Fred.
"Only a few days more, and we'll have to get into the grind again at
Colby Hall."
"Don't dare to mention lessons yet, Fred!" cried Andy. "Time enough for
that when the school bell rings."
"I was hoping Mr. Stevenson would get up here before we left," said
Jack. "I want to see how he and old Uncle Barney get along."
"Maybe he's staying away on purpose, so that he'll have a chance to see
the old man alone," suggested Randy.
The middle of the afternoon found the four young hunters near the end of
the frozen-up watercourse, at a point where it ran in summer over some
rough rocks into the lake below. Here the ground was very irregular, and
once Fred slipped into a hollow, giving his left ankle a bad twist.
"Ouch!" he cried, and made a wry face.
"Much hurt?" asked the others quickly.
"I--I don't think so," answered the youngest Rover slowly. He pulled
himself up and took a step or two. "I guess it is all right; but it was
a nasty tumble, just the same."
"We've got to be careful. It won't do for any of us to sprain an ankle
or break a leg," cautioned Jack.
They had gone only a short distance further when Randy suddenly put up
his hand.
"I saw something flit through the snow near yonder rocks," he whispered,
pointing.
"I see it!" ejaculated Jack, and with these words he took hasty aim, and
fired. Then his cousins saw another movement in the snow, between some
nearby rocks, and they, too, discharged their weapons.
There was a commotion both in the direction in which Jack had fired, and
also down between the nearer rocks, and, rushing up, the four young
hunters beheld two minks, whirling about in the snow, each badly
wounded.
"Mink, boys! Think of it!"
"Don't let them get away!"
These cries mingled with several more rapid reports, as one lad after
another fired a second charge. This time their aims were better, and in
a moment each of the minks lay stretched out on the rocks, dead.
"I think there was a third one," observed Randy, "but he must have got
away."
"Well, we've got two, anyway," answered Jack with some pride. "What
beautiful creatures they are!"
Each of the minks was over a foot in length, not counting the bushy
tail. They were of a soft brown shade, with a ridge of black on the back
and patches of white below. Each was quite plump, and gave forth a
peculiar strong odor.
The boys were greatly delighted, and viewed the game with much
satisfaction. They placed the minks over their shoulders, and then
continued the hunt, presently stirring up half a dozen rabbits.
"I guess we had better be starting for the cabin," announced Jack
presently.
"How about going to that other cabin at the south end of the island?"
queried Fred.
"Oh, let's give that up!" cried Randy. "I feel like getting back to
where we have all our things."
The others were inclined to do this, and, somewhat against his will,
Fred agreed to return to the north end of Snowshoe Island. Not without
some difficulty, they made their way back to the lake shore, and there
put on their skates once again and started.
The young hunters had expected to see Uncle Barney awaiting them on
their return, and they were a bit surprised when the old lumberman did
not show himself.
"He must be putting in a full day sizing up that lumber he spoke about,"
observed Jack, as he gazed at his watch. "It's nearly six o'clock."
"He can't see much in this darkness," observed Randy.
The boys entered their cabin, and after resting a bit proceeded to cook
supper. They expected every moment to hear a shout from Uncle Barney,
but none came, and at last they sat down to the meal alone.
"I don't like this much," was Jack's comment, when another hour had
passed, and the old lumberman had failed to show himself. "If he was
going to stay away like this he should have left some word."
"Let's take a look around his cabin," suggested Fred.
This was done, but it shed no light on the unusual occurrence. The boys
sat down and tried to amuse themselves as best they could, but, as
another hour went by, their anxiety increased.
"Something is wrong, I feel certain," announced Jack at last.
"Maybe while he was out in the woods he fell down over some rocks,"
suggested Andy.
"He's a pretty old man to be climbing around in dangerous places," added
his twin.
When the time came to go to bed, none of the boys felt like retiring. A
lantern was lit and hung up on a flagpole which stood between the two
cabins. This was a signal which had been agreed upon when the Rovers had
first come to Snowshoe Island.
"There! Now if he can see the light he'll be able to locate himself,"
said Fred.
The boys took a walk around by the boat landing, and also to the edge of
the woods back of the cabin, but all to no purpose. Then they finally
retired to their own shelter.
"We might as well go to bed," suggested Handy. "It won't do any good for
all of us to stay up. If you say so, we might take turns in staying on
guard, in case we should hear a call for help, or anything like that."
This was considered good advice, and each youth took two hours at
staying awake while the others slept; and thus the night passed.
With the first streak of daylight, the boys prepared a hasty breakfast,
and then went outside to view the situation. They soon found the tracks
of the old lumberman's snowshoes, leading into the woods, and presently
saw two other tracks close behind them.
"I'm no sleuth, but it looks to me as if Uncle Barney went into the
woods and two persons followed him!" exclaimed Jack.
"Just the way it looks to me, too," answered Fred.
"Let's go and follow up those footprints at once," suggested Andy.
The others were willing, and in a short space of time they were on their
snowshoes and making their way through the woods in the center of the
island.
"Hello! here's something!" cried Jack presently, and pointed to the old
lumberman's snowshoes, where they still rested among the branches of a
tree.
Then the boys saw where he had climbed between the rocks, and, taking
off their snowshoes, they followed the footprints.
"A cave!"
"What do you know about that!"
It did not take the lads long to reach the entrance of the cavern. Then
Jack, who had brought along one of the flashlights, turned it on and
entered, followed by his cousins.
"Hello, Uncle Barney!" he cried out at the top of his lungs. "Uncle
Barney! are you here?"
"Help! help!" came feebly from the inner end of the cave, and, guided by
the flashlight, the four Rovers ran in that direction. They found the
old man sitting on a rock with his head resting on his arm.
"Are you hurt? How did it happen?" questioned Jack quickly.
"They've robbed me!" moaned the old lumberman. "They came up behind me,
and somebody hit me in the head with a rock! Then they ran away with my
tin box!"
"Who was it? Are you badly hurt?" questioned Randy.
"I guess I'm not so awfully bad off, even though my head did bleed
some," answered Uncle Barney. "But the worst of it is, they got away
with my tin box--the one that's got the deeds to this island in it, and
all my other valuables, including my dead wife's jewelry and a thousand
dollars in gold."
By this time the boys were examining the old man's head. They saw where
the rock had struck him, making quite a cut, from which the blood had
flowed over one ear. It was much swollen, and over it Uncle Barney had
tied a bandanna handkerchief.
"I'll get some snow and wash it off with that!" cried Fred, and did so.
Then the wound was bound up once more, and Uncle Barney said he felt
better. He told his story in detail.
"What am I going to do?" he groaned. "Those rascals have got my treasure
box!"
"Who were they?" questioned Randy.
"I don't know exactly. I heard them talk, and faced them with my gun.
They were in the dark, so I couldn't distinguish them very good. Then
one of them threw a big rock, and that is all I can remember. As soon as
I became unconscious they must have grabbed the box and run away with
it."
"It must have been either Asa Lemm and Mr. Brown, or else Slugger and
Nappy," said Randy.
"I don't know what I'm going to do, now those deeds are gone--not to say
anything about my wife's jewelry and all that gold!" groaned the old
lumberman.
"Just you take it easy, Uncle Barney. You mustn't excite yourself now,"
said Jack kindly. "We'll do what we can toward getting the box back."
The boys had brought some food along, and they insisted upon it that the
old man eat and drink something. This seemed to strengthen Uncle Barney
greatly, and he arose to his feet.
"Now we'll get after those rascals," he said, with something of the
old-time fire in his eyes. "I'm not going to allow 'em to rob me in this
fashion!"
While the old lumberman had been eating, the Rover boys had glanced
around the cave curiously. It was a place partly natural and partly
artificial. On one side it looked as if a little mining had been done,
and Jack, who had studied geology, gazed at the surface of rocks and
dirt with much interest.
"Why, Uncle Barney, this looks to me as if it was zinc ore!" he cried
presently.
"Hush, hush, boy! I don't want anybody to know about that!" answered the
old man quickly.
"Then it is zinc ore, is it?" queried Randy, who had also been
inspecting a side of the cave.
"Yes, if you must know," was the surprising reply. "Right here, in the
middle of this island, is one of the most valuable zinc ore beds to be
found anywhere."