"It had evidently been there for some time, for the ground over it looked quite natural as though many successive rains had beaten down upon it, or else I would have noticed that the covering was only artificial. By the way, let me introduce myself. My name is John Everett, and I used to be the Customs officer here, until Uncle Sam decided there was no need for one, and moved the station some twenty-five miles up the border, where another man, a politically influential fellow, was appointed to the new office. Since then I have been living in retirement with my granddaughter. I wonder if it is going to impose on you to ask one of you to go to Hobart, it"s only about four miles from here, and get help to take me home, for although my leg does not seem to be broken, I cannot stand on it, much less walk," he concluded.
"Don"t worry about getting home. We"ll have a snack of food and then make a stretcher and have you there in no time," said Garry.
"I am afraid that will be too much of a task for you," remonstrated Everett.
"Oh, it"s nothing at all, sir," Garry hastened to say.
When the man had mentioned that he had been a Customs officer, d.i.c.k had given Phil a significant glance. There was every chance that good fortune in being able to do a great favor for the old man might redound to their aid.
A hasty lunch of bacon and spiderbread was made, the man watching admiringly the efficient and speedy manner in which the boys went about preparing the meal.
"You boys act as though you had been born and brought up in the woods.
Were you?" he inquired.
"No, although we have always liked woodcraft and forest lore, and have read about it and practiced it in a small way. We are in the Forest Ranger service, doing some special work, and so we have to know something about it," answered Garry.
Lunch over, the effect of the food on the old man being to cheer him up and strengthen him, the fire was stamped out, and then Phil and d.i.c.k proceeded to make a litter while Garry cut two strong, tough saplings to make the handles.
They made the litter by taking off their coats and b.u.t.toning them securely. Then the coats were turned inside out, so that the arms were inside the jackets. Through the arms were thrust the two saplings, which had been cut sufficiently long to allow them to project a foot and a half or so beyond the two coats. A blanket was then laid atop the coats, and the litter was ready.
d.i.c.k and Garry took the first turn at carrying, while Phil went ahead carrying the rifles. Every few moments, the third boy would relieve one of the others. Frequent rests were necessary, and they were not able to make much more than a mile an hour, so that it was late afternoon when they finally reached the outskirts of the town.
"There"s my home there, the white house set back in from the street,"
said Everett. "I am afraid you boys are rather tuckered out."
As a matter of fact they were, for the four-mile hike with the burden on the litter was no mean task.
They had hardly turned in the gate, when a pretty girl of about seventeen or eighteen rushed out to meet them. When she saw her grandfather on the stretcher, she turned pale, and in anxious voice asked what the matter was.
"Don"t be alarmed, Ruth, I just had a little accident in the woods and broke my arm. Otherwise I"m fit as a fiddle. Now don"t worry, and hold the door open for these young men to carry me in and then run over and get Dr. Mills."
Once in the house, Mr. Everett was laid on a couch and made as comfortable as possible for the time being.
"This is my granddaughter, Ruth," he told the boys. "In the excitement of the day, I quite forgot to ask your names, so you will have to introduce yourselves to her."
This Garry, acting as master of ceremonies, did, and then the girl hastened after the doctor. She returned with him in a few minutes, and the physician promptly began his examination.
He confirmed Garry"s finding that the leg was not broken, and complimented him on his neat job of putting on the temporary splint.
Since the break was simple, and the old man protested that a little twinge of pain was nothing, the arm was immediately set and the permanent splints set in place.
The chums a.s.sisted the doctor to get Mr. Everett to bed, and then bade him goodbye, promising to look in very soon to see how he was getting along.
"Don"t fail to call on me, boys, if I can be of any service to you,"
were his parting words.
"Well, sir, we may do that very soon," said Garry.
"You"ll find that I won"t fail you," promised Everett.
As they were on their way out, the girl stopped the chums and expressed her grat.i.tude for their rescue of her grandfather.
"I don"t know how to thank you boys. Just think, if you hadn"t come along, he might have died out there in the woods before someone found him, and he is the only relative I have. I am sure there is nothing I wouldn"t do for you that was within my power," she declared.
"Do you really mean that, Miss?" said Garry.
"Indeed I do. Just let me know what I can do," she answered eagerly.
"I don"t want you to think I am asking this as a matter of reward," said Garry, "but it"s something that is very vital to the success of our mission here. I feel that we can be frank with you, since your grandfather was once in the Customs service. I can"t explain just now how we are connected with the matter, but you could do us and the State a great service if you could tell us if you know anything about smuggling operations here. You are practically the only one that we have given so much confidence, and I am sure that you will respect it."
"Oh, of course I will. I don"t know who or what you are, but I am sure you are all right. As for what you ask, I don"t know much about it, although Granddaddy has confided his suspicions to me many times.
Unfortunately, though, they are only suspicions, and he has never been able to get any tangible evidence, for they cover their tracks very cleverly, and especially with him, since they know that he was once in the service. I can tell you this, though, keep sharp watch of a man called Lafe Green. He is a great big red-haired man, and he hangs around that restaurant that is run by a man called Joe Canuck. It"s practically the only one in town, perhaps you know of it."
"We do know of it, and we sure thank you for what you have told us, and you will never regret it. Sometime we can tell you more about all this.
I hope we shall see you again, for we will come at the first opportunity to see how your grandfather is getting along," said Garry, as the three took their leave, bidding goodbye to the pretty girl.
Out on the street again, d.i.c.k could scarcely restrain himself from doing a war dance on the sidewalk.
"Gosh," he e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed exuberantly. "Talk about casting your bread upon the waters and having it come back a whole shipload of angel cake. This is luck. Boys, at last we"re on the track of the smugglers, and if the firm of Boone, Durant and Wallace doesn"t run them down, I"ll go back home and spend the rest of the summer working in a grocery store or on a farm pulling weeds!"
CHAPTER XII.
THE COMING OF THE BEAR.
"Listen fellows, let"s duck back towards the woods for a bit and have a council of war," ordered Garry. "There will be less chance of our being observed there, and no chance of our being overheard." So saying, Garry led the way back for about half a mile.
"We must strike while the iron"s hot, and it seems to be hot tonight.
What with the young lady"s information about watching this Lafe Green person, and Dud"s hint that there was something brewing, it strikes me that we ought to get going. There"s only one logical place to start, and that is this restaurant," said Garry emphatically.
"We must understand one thing, though. There"s an element of danger connected with this, and I don"t want to lead anyone into anything that I wouldn"t do myself, so I offer to make the first reconnoitre," he concluded.
"That"s mighty white, Garry, but I want to make a suggestion. I"m not looking for any personal glory out of this, but I declare I think I am the logical person to go. You know I am the only one of us who can talk French and understand it, and as we have already had one clue in that manner, there"s every chance that others may follow in the same way, so I move that I go."
Garry saw the force of the argument, and as Phil was backed up by d.i.c.k, decided that after all this was the best move.
A plan of campaign was hastily drawn up. It was decided that the other two should return to the lean-to, and there wait Phil"s return. Phil"s rifle and knapsack were to be carried back by his chums, while Phil was to take the little automatic that Garry had purchased at Bangor.
"This is only as a measure of safety, Phil," said Garry. "And under no condition show it or use it except as a last resort. Now there"s one other thing. We want to keep a check for safety"s sake on your movements, yet you want to have time enough to follow up any clue that may arise. So let"s make it a point that you be back at the lean-to by sundown tomorrow night. If you are not there by then, we will know that you are in some sort of a pickle and plan to come to your aid. Don"t try to do anything single handed; your mission tonight is to find out what is going on if you can. If you can return tonight, so much the better.
From now on too, we"ll establish a watch, taking two hour sentry duty.
There may be no need of it yet, but we will get back in the habit of it, and an ounce of precaution is worth a pound of cure. Now go to it, old topper, and the best of luck."
The chums shook hands, and then went their different ways, Garry and d.i.c.k back to the lean-to in the woods, and Phil back to town.
Just before he left the fringe of woods that bordered the edge of the town, Phil did a peculiar stunt that was later to stand him in good stead. Taking his knife from his pocket, he made a small slit in the under side of his coat lapel. In this he slipped the knife, and then held the coat at arm"s length to see if there was any lump observable.
The coat, made as it was of thick khaki, showed no noticeable difference. Satisfied with the appearance, he slipped his coat on again, and went his way. Phil was thinking of the time he had been left chained to the tree in the woods by Anderson and LeBlanc, with no weapon with which he could free himself, and he was determined that this would never happen again if he could prevent it. He was satisfied that the ruse of hiding the knife would not be discovered were he captured, unless his coat was taken away from him.