"Yes," returned Dave, and there was a more civil note in his voice. "My old woman saw "em both, and one of "em pretty distinctly. He was a big man-bigger"n any of you fellers. I guess we owe you an apology. You"re not the thieves, but still you"re trespa.s.sing on my land. I don"t allow no campers here."
"Now, look here, Mr.-er--" began Chot.
"Higgins, sir-Dave Higgins."
"All right, Mr. Higgins. Now, do you realize that you"ve laid a very grave charge at our door, placing us under suspicion, as well as under the noses of your revolvers, without giving us a chance to explain who we are? Wait a minute-don"t interrupt. I"m going to give you a bit of our family history. We"re cadets from Winton Hall, a military school on the Hudson, and we"re on our way to the Thousand Islands in the St.
Lawrence River. We camped peacefully on your land-at least, you say it"s yours---"
"And I can prove that easy enough, too," said Dave.
"Well, we camped peacefully, here, not knowing that we were trespa.s.sing.
We intend only to stay till sunrise before proceeding on up the lake. So now, after knowing this, with a full opportunity to investigate our record as we came up the river and through Lake George, you must either exonerate us from all blame, either as thieves or trespa.s.sers, or we"ll stay here till you prove that we"re guilty. And if you don"t prove it, someone will go to jail-and it won"t be us."
"Oh, say, now, boys, we didn"t mean no harm," said Dave. "We didn"t know who you was, and we thought sure we"d got track of the fellers that stole the money. But we"re willin" to admit our mistake, and just to make things square, you stay here just as long as you please, and before you leave to-morrow come over to my house, which is right across on Chimney Point, and set down to the finest breakfast you"ve had in many a day. Is that fair?"
"Entirely satisfactory to us, Mr. Higgins, and now, just to show you that our hearts are in the right place, let me say that we saw two suspicious looking characters on the sh.o.r.e here about dusk to-night."
"You did? Where are they now?"
"That I am unable to say. We were just lighting our fire when they came up, and when they discovered that there were others about, they lit out up the sh.o.r.e as hard as they could go."
"What did they look like-do you remember?"
"We couldn"t see their features plainly, but one was an extremely large man, wearing a light felt hat. The other, as I remember, was somewhat smaller. Both had on dark clothes."
"Them"s the fellers," said Dave Higgins, decisively. "We"ve been on the wrong trail all evening, Hank. The only thing we can do now is wait till to-morrow and try and locate "em by telephone in some of the neighborin"
towns. I"m sorry to have troubled you boys this way," he added, turning to the young canoeists.
"Oh, that"s all right," said Chot. "Your mistake was a perfectly natural one."
Now that Dave Higgins seemed disposed to do the right thing, the boys felt no animosity toward him for the summary fashion in which he and his friend, Hank, had held them up.
"Well, Hank and I"ll leave you now," said Higgins, "and mind you, we"ll look for you over to the house for breakfast. Will you come?"
Chot looked inquiringly at the other boys.
"Any wheat cakes and maple syrup?" asked Fleet, his mouth watering.
"Bushels of "em," was Dave Higgins" reply.
"Then count me in."
"I think you may look for all of us, Mr. Higgins," said Chot, "and thank you."
"Oh, that"s all right, boys. Good night."
"Good night, Mr. Higgins."
"Good night," said Hank.
"Good night," responded the boys.
They heard Dave and Hank discussing the robbery as they entered the skiff and pushed off into the lake. The sound of oars grew softer and softer, and finally died away altogether.
Without further discussion of the events of the night, the boys sought their blankets, and nothing more occurred to disturb their slumbers.
They were up with the sun for a bath in the lake, and when they finally embarked and paddled across in the direction of the big white house they could see shining through the trees on Chimney Point, they were hungry enough to have eaten plain corn meal and water.
But no such repast as this was set before them; on the contrary, they sat down to a table fairly loaded with good things. Dave Higgins and his wife seemed anxious to correct the mistake the former had made of taking the boys for thieves, and the result was wheat cakes, maple syrup, coffee, hot m.u.f.fins, and fried potatoes, with eggs cooked in any style for those who desired them.
New milk was also provided in abundant quant.i.ties, and when the boys had finished and were telling the Higgins family good-bye at the edge of the lake, and wishing them every success in apprehending the robbers, they felt as if they would not care to eat again for a week.
They soon left Crown and Chimney Points behind, as they paddled rapidly up the lake, which broadened out now into a fine body of water, dotted here and there with small craft, both of the sailing and motor variety.
The boys were about to settle down into their slow, even strokes, for the sun was getting high in the heavens and the heat becoming intense, when an incident occurred which served to relieve the monotony of the day.
CHAPTER XII-THE FIGHT ON THE LAKE
Fleet was the first to notice a skiff containing two men, well out in the middle of the lake and making on a tangent for the east sh.o.r.e.
"Look!" he cried. "What"ll you bet that those are not Dave Higgins"
robbers?"
"I don"t think that would be a safe bet," said Bert. "What do you think, Chot?"
"They are too far away for me to judge accurately, but from this distance I should say there was a marked resemblance."
"I wish Higgins were here," said Tom.
"Well, it"s two miles to his place. Too far to go, because the men would then have too great a start," said Chot. "I believe the best plan will be to overtake them, make sure they are the ones we suspect, and if so, capture them and hold them until we can communicate with Higgins or the authorities. What do you say?"
All of the boys expressed great eagerness to do this, so they quickened their gait until the canoes were fairly flying through the water. It did not matter now if the perspiration ran down their faces, into their eyes, and down their backs inside their shirts; they did not feel the exertion with an adventure in prospect. No real American boy does.
The figures in the skiff were nearly a mile away, but the comrades soon cut this distance down to three-quarters, and headed for a spot that would cross the path of the other craft within the next ten or fifteen minutes, if the men held their present course.
The men in the boat had evidently not noticed the boys in the canoes, and when they finally did discover them, the canoes were between them and the sh.o.r.e for which they were heading.
They stopped rowing for a moment and the boys could see them holding a consultation. There was no doubt now but that the men were the suspicious-looking characters they had seen on the sh.o.r.e the previous night.
"Wonder what they"re going to do now," said Fleet.
"They"re trying to decide whether we are interested in them or not,"
Chot replied. "I think they are waiting in the hope that we will cross their course and continue on up the lake. Shows they don"t want to come to close quarters with us."
"What will we do-wait for them?"