"What are we going to do?" asked Frank, helplessly. "I"m as hungry as a bear."
"And I"m almost frozen," added Bart, with a shiver, "so you"re no worse off than the rest of us," and there was a note of impatience in his voice.
The chums looked at each other. Their plight was disagreeable, not to say desperate. They knew that the forest in which they had encamped was large in extent, and was seldom visited. If they had to spend another night and day in it the consequences might be serious.
"Well," began Bart, "I suppose the only thing to do is to keep on. We may strike the right path. There are several trails around here."
He was about to start off again, when they were all startled by hearing a crackling in the underbrush. It seemed to come from their left.
"Get your gun ready, Bart," whispered Fenn. "Maybe it"s a deer."
"Maybe it"s that mysterious man," came from Ned.
Bart had raised his rifle, and, a moment later some one emerged from the thick trees, and stood on the edge of a little clearing, confronting the boys. The newcomer was a youth of about their own age, and on his back was evidently a camping pack. He carried a gun, and at the sight of Bart, with half-raised rifle, the other slowly brought his weapon around for quick use.
But Fenn, who had been staring at the latest arrival with eager eyes, suddenly cried out:
"It"s William Perry! Don"t you know him, fellows? The lad whose mother took us in at the time of the blizzard--William Perry--whom we found in a s...o...b..nk in New York!"
"William Perry?" faltered Bart, lowering his rifle.
"William Perry?" came from Ned and Frank, in a sort of a chorus.
"The Darewell Chums!" exclaimed the other lad, while wonder spread over his face. "The Darewell Chums here?"
Fenn started toward William on the run. He was soon shaking hands with him, and leading him over to where Ned, Frank and Bart stood.
"However in the world did you get here?" asked Bart. "Are you lost, too?"
"No," replied William Perry, "I"m working for a lumber company, and I"m on my way from one camp to another. I had to spend last night in the woods. But what are you doing here?"
"We"ve been out in the woods all night, too," said Frank. "We"re camping, but we lost our way," and he quickly explained the circ.u.mstances.
"Where"s your camp?" asked William, who, as my readers will remember, was the son of the widow in whose house the chums found shelter during a blizzard that overtook them when they were on a hunting trip, as told in the second volume of this series ent.i.tled "The Darewell Chums in the City." Later they found William in New York. He had gone to become a sailor, but had deserted because of a brutal captain, and went into hiding. He was found half frozen in a s...o...b..nk, from which the chums rescued him, and sent him back home.
"Our camp?" repeated Bart, in answer to William"s questions, "I only wish we knew where it was."
"I mean what"s it near?" went on William.
"Oh, the mud volcano," replied Frank, "if you know where that is."
William did, and quickly said so.
"I"ve been working for this lumber concern for about six months," he went on, "and I know these woods pretty well. But I always go prepared to spend a night in them, as I had to last night."
"And can you show us the way to our camp?" asked Ned.
"Sure. You"re not more than five miles from it. I guess you"ve been going around in a circle. Come on, I"ll show you," and with the confidence of experience William Perry led the way through the woods.
He had appeared in the nick of time.
CHAPTER XXII
CHRISTMAS IN CAMP
With new hope in their hearts the chums followed William. They did not mind the cold or hunger now, but hurried on, intent on reaching their tents, donning dry clothing, and starting a roaring fire. Then they would have something to eat.
On the way William told them of his new position. Following his experience in New York, after he had run away from the cruel sea captain, he had worked at odd jobs. Then, on his return to his home, near Darewell, the chums" fathers had gotten a good position for him.
Some time previous to his opportune meeting with the lost lads, William explained, he had taken service with the lumber company, which owned most of the woods where the winter camp was. It was part of the youth"s duties to go from camp to camp with doc.u.ments and messages.
"It"s fine, too," he said, "when the weather is good. When it"s too bad, I stay in camp with the men, but I must have made a miscalculation this time, for I was caught in the storm. But it happened for the best, after all."
"That"s what," agreed Bart. "If it hadn"t been for you I don"t know what we"d have done. Can you stay in camp with us for a while?"
"Well, long enough to have dinner, if you"ve got enough to eat."
"Oh, we"ve got plenty," Ned a.s.sured him. "Bart"s a good shot, you know,"
and the chums took turns in explaining how they had come to make a winter camp in the woods. They said nothing about the missing diamond bracelet, however, nor about the mysterious man.
Camp was reached none too soon for the comfort of our heroes. They found nothing disturbed, and from their stock of dry wood, under one tent, a roaring fire was made. The lads changed to dry clothes, had a hot meal, which William Perry shared with them, and then he said he must be on his way.
"Can"t you spend a week with us?" invited Frank, as the lumber lad was about to go.
"I"m afraid not. This is my busy season, you know."
"I have it!" cried Fenn.
"Let"s hear it, Stumpy," suggested Bart. "Out with it."
"Well," went on the fleshy lad, "next Tuesday is Christmas. You don"t have to work Christmas, do you, William?"
"No, I guess not."
"Then I"ll tell you what to do. Spend Christmas here with us. We"re going to have a good time. Not much in the way of presents, for we didn"t bring any out in the woods, but we"ll have a Christmas tree, even if Bart does want to hang up his stockings," and Fenn winked at his chums.
"It sounds good," spoke William, wistfully. "I don"t believe I can get home for Christmas, or I would go see my folks."
"And we"ll have roast wild turkey, rabbit stew, partridge potpie and bear steak, also some venison, if Bart has any luck," went on Fenn.
"It sounds better and better."
"And then there"s going to be a plum pudding," added Fenn proudly.
"A plum pudding!" they all cried.