"That fellow we saw near the ice-boat!" began Harry. "It must have been him! Who was he?"
"Danny Rugg--if anybody," answered Bert. "I thought it looked like him.
Probably he heard that we were going to use the boat to go to Snow Lodge, and he wanted to make trouble for us. He"s going to camp up there near us, I hear."
"Gracious!" cried Dorothy. "I hope he doesn"t play any tricks like that up there."
"If he does I guess Harry and I can attend to him," cried Bert. "But, in a way, it"s a good thing the rope did break or we might have upset. Only Danny, if he did it, had no idea of doing us a good turn. He just wanted to make trouble."
"Can you fix it?" asked Nan of her brother.
"Oh, yes, it can be spliced and will be stronger than ever. But I won"t do it now. We can walk the rest of the way to the dock. The wind is blowing harder than ever, and we don"t want any accidents."
Indeed, the wind was blowing a gale now, and even with the sail down the ice-boat went along at such a speed that it was all Harry and Bert could do to hold it.
But finally it was gotten to the dock, and made fast, and while the girls went on to the Bobbsey home to finish with their packing, Bert and Harry mended the broken rope.
"I"ll have to teach Danny Rugg a good lesson," said Bert to his cousin.
"Yes, and I"ll help you," returned Harry.
CHAPTER XIV
AT SNOW LODGE
"Are we all here?"
"Have we got everything?"
"Here, Snap! If you jump out again you can"t go!"
"Dinah, you hold Snap, will you?"
"Good lan" chile! I"se got about all I kin do to hold mah own self!"
These were some of the cries and exclamations as the Bobbsey family prepared to start on the trip to Snow Lodge. With the exception of Nan and Bert, and Dorothy and Harry, they were all in a big sled, drawn by four horses that were prancing about in the snow, anxious to get started. At every step the bells jingled. Sam, the colored man, was driving. With him on the front seat sat fat Freddie.
"I"m going to drive, as soon as we get out on the country road!" cried Freddie.
"He is not; is he, Sam?" demanded Flossie, who was taking one of her dolls on the trip, and with the doll, and her big m.u.f.f, little Flossie had about all she could manage.
"Yes, I am too," declared Freddie. "You said I could, Sam; you know you did!"
"Well I guess you kin drive, where the roads are easy," promised the colored man, with a scratch of his black, kinky head.
Mr. and Mrs. Bobbsey were now on their seat, with Flossie between them.
Dinah was on the seat behind, while in back of her were piled the packages of food.
Snap, the trick dog, was to be taken along, but it had been decided to leave Downy the duck, and Snoop, the fat, black cat at home. A neighbor had promised to look after them and feed them.
"Well, I guess we"re all ready," said Mr. Bobbsey, as he looked back at the well-loaded sled. "Now be careful," he called to Nan and Bert, who with their cousins were to go to Snow Lodge on the icy lake. The girls would skate part of the way and ride on the ice-boat the remainder of the distance.
"We"ll be careful," said Bert.
The day was cold, and clouds overhead seemed to tell that it was going to snow. But the young folks hoped the storm would hold off until night, when they would be safe in the big, old-fashioned farmhouse.
Everyone was well wrapped up, and Flossie and Freddie were almost lost in big rugs that had been tucked around them, for their mother did not want them to get cold.
Piles of rugs and blankets had been put on the ice-boat so those aboard would be comfortable.
"Well, let"s start!" called Mr. Bobbsey finally. "We"ll see who will get there first, Bert, or us."
"All right--a race then!" cried Nan.
Down to the glittering, icy lake went the boys and girls, down to where the ice-boat awaited them. It had been put in good shape for the trip, but before starting Bert and Harry looked over all the ropes to make sure none were frayed, or had been cut. Nothing had been seen of Danny Rugg, and Charley Mason told Bert he thought the bully had gone to the wood camp with his father.
"Don"t you girls want to come on the ice-boat for a ways first?" asked Bert of his sister and Dorothy. "Then, when you get tired of riding, you can skate."
"Shall we?" inquired Nan.
"I guess so," answered Dorothy, and so they did. The wind was not as strong as it had been the day before, but it was enough of a breeze to send the _Ice Bird_ along at a good speed. Well wrapped in the robes and blankets, the young people enjoyed the trip very much.
"I"m sure we"ll be there before papa and mamma are," said Nan as they glided along. "See how fast we are going."
"Yes, but this wind may not keep up all the way," spoke her brother.
"And it"s a good ways to Snow Lodge."
"Oh, well, we"ll have a good time, anyhow," said Dorothy.
"And we"ll stop and build a fire and have lunch when we"re hungry,"
added Harry, for they had brought some food with them, and could make chocolate over a little fire.
Meanwhile the sled-load of the Bobbseys with their two colored servants, and Snap was proceeding along the snowy road. The path had been well broken, and the going was good, so they made fairly fast time. But every now and then Snap would insist on jumping out to run along the road, and every time he did this Flossie and Freddie would set up a howl, fearing he would get lost.
"Snap!" exclaimed Mr. Bobbsey, when this had happened four or five times, "if you don"t stay here quietly I"ll tie you fast. Lie down, sir!"
Snap barked, wagged his tail, and looked at Mr. Bobbsey with his head tilted to one side as much as to say:
"Very well sir. I"ll be good now. But I did want a little run." Then Snap curled up at Dinah"s feet and gave no more trouble.
"I "clar t" goodness!" exclaimed the colored cook, with a laugh that made her shake all over, "dat ar" Snap am a good foot-warmer, so he be.
I jest hopes he don"t jump out no mo", so I does." And, for a time at least, the trick dog seemed content to lie quietly in the sled.
It was not a very exciting trip for those in the sled, as they went along through the streets of Lakeport and so out into the open country.
Then they pa.s.sed through village after village, with little occurring.
The roads were good, and occasionally they met other teams.