"That"s because even the boys keep away from the haunted mill," Mark added.
"You know how frogs sell in the market, and how it would pay anybody to catch a few hundred such jumboes as there are here," Elmer remarked.
"Well, it does take you to figure things out just, I must say," laughed Mark.
"He"s a wizard, that"s what," declared Lil Artha, whose admiration for his leader was boundless.
"Not at all," smiled the other; "a little common sense was all that was needed. The strong odor of fish in that cellar put me on the track first. You know there"s an old saying to the effect that where there"s smoke there must be fire."
"And then this knife, too--like as not the woman does all the cleaning of the fish. I thought she reminded me of black ba.s.s or pickerel, I wasn"t sure which," Lil Artha stated, with a chuckle.
"But we"ve been around more or less, Elmer," Mark put in, "and I don"t remember seeing any signs of fish cleaning, scales or anything."
"Of course not," came the quick reply. "If these people knew they were breaking the law, and expected the game warden to pop in on them any day, you can just believe they"d be mighty careful to hide all traces of this thing."
"Perhaps they throw it all back in the pond for fish bait," suggested the tall scout.
"Not a bad idea," commented Elmer.
"And the cellar under the mill cottage?" asked Mark.
"They might use that as a cool place to keep the fish until they can get them to market," Elmer replied.
"That"s a fact, seeing they have no ice to pack them in," Lil Artha observed. "And the more I think of it all, the better it looks to me, fellows."
"Then you believe my explanation may be the true answer to our chum"s vanishing?"
"I sure do."
"That they came upon him by accident," Elmer went on, "and filled with a sudden panic, just captured him to keep Nat from calling out, and bringing the rest of us around?"
"That"s what they did," Lil Artha affirmed. "And no matter how sorry they might be afterward because they did it, they just can"t drop him now."
"Then, since we"ve agreed on that point I don"t see the need of my hanging around here any longer," Elmer observed, drawing his belt one notch tighter, as though preparing for new labors.
"And your orders are just the same?" Mark asked.
"Yes, you two keep guard over the shack, and don"t let the prisoner get away, if you can prevent it."
"Depend on us, Elmer. And say," Lil Artha remarked, "don"t you think now it would be a good thing to send George down here?"
"That"s an idea worth while," Elmer quickly replied.
"Oh, I get "em once in a long time," grinned the other.
"A good scheme, and I"ll send George back as soon as I can. When he comes, take him in to see the woman. Have him try and get her to understand that we mean her men no harm, and only want them to set our chum free."
"And then what? Supposing George is able to get that pounded into her head?" asked Lil Artha.
"Why, he must make her understand that we want to conduct an exchange of prisoners."
"By that, Elmer," Mark broke in, "I suppose you mean well give the woman up if they let Nat go free?"
"That"s it," returned the leader. "And as she is the only one who knows their new hiding place, she must lead us to them."
"That puts me wise, all right," declared Lil Artha. "But get good old George here as soon as you can, Elmer. I"m just crazy to see if he knows how to tell the old woman all this."
"That"s all, boys; I"ll be going now."
But although Elmer said this he continued to stand there immovable.
Neither of his comrades thought it strange, for they, too, had caught the same sound that had reached his ears.
It was evidently a pretty good imitation of the howl of a wolf.
Now, as this was the signal call of Elmer"s own patrol they knew immediately that some scout belonging to that section of the Hickory Ridge troop must be approaching, and took this customary method of announcing his coming.
All eyes were accordingly turned toward that quarter from whence the note of the wolf had seemed to come.
This was a little up the side of the mountain. Elmer, thinking to give the other his location, sent out an answering signal.
"You"re scaring the old woman again with your howls," remarked Lil Artha, pointing to the shack, at the small window of which they could see the face of the prisoner, filled with wonder and awe.
Perhaps the Italian woman was beginning to suspect she had fallen into the hands of a pack of crazy people.
"There he comes!" suddenly announced Mark, pointing as he spoke.
"Looks like Dr. Ted," remarked Lil Artha.
"Just who it is," said Elmer. "I wish it had been George Robbins, now, because that would have saved time. No such luck, it seems, so we"ll just have to make the best of it."
"But what d"ye suppose Ted"s coming back after?" pursued the tall scout.
"Help," declared Mark, decisively. "You heard what Elmer said when he turned the troop over to Matty? If they found themselves up a stump they were to let Elmer know, just so he could swing in somehow, and pull them out of the hole."
"They"re up against it, good and hard, bet you a cooky on it," declared Lil Artha, as the other scout drew near.
CHAPTER XIV.
THE NEED OF A PATHFINDER.
As Dr. Ted approached he made the scout salute in due regulation style.
"You"re wanted above, thir," he said to the acting scout master.
"By that I suppose you mean they"ve struck a snag?" questioned Elmer.