CHAPTER XXIII
SHOOTING A WILDCAT
Less than half an hour later, the boys found themselves at the top of the cliff where Dave and Phil had seen the encounter between Link Merwell and the so-called wild man. A brief look around convinced them that the locality was deserted.
"Now to find the wild man's trail, if he left one," announced Dave, and the boys scattered in several directions, looking at the ground and the brushwood with great care.
"If we only had one of those Reservation Indians with us, he might help us pick up the trail," declared Roger. "As it is, I must confess I'm not much of a trail-finder."
"Oh, don't give up so soon," returned Dave. "Remember we have the whole day before us."
Presently Ben and Luke, who had turned southward on the cliff, let out a shout.
"Here is something of a trail," announced Ben, when the others came hurrying in that direction, and he pointed to footprints which led through some soft soil between a number of low bushes. A little further on they could see where somebody's shoes or boots had carried some of the mud up on to the rocks beyond.
"That certainly does look like a trail," declared Dave. "Let us follow it up a bit, and see where it leads to."
This was considered good advice, and soon, led by our hero, the whole party was moving through the brushwood and over the rocks. Then they came once again to the woods, and here discovered a well-defined trail running southwestward.
"This may be an animal trail for all we know," remarked Shadow. "For my part, I can't tell one kind of trail from another."
"It's quite likely that a fellow like that wild man would use any trail he came across, and so would anybody else trying to move around in a wilderness like this," answered Dave. "I don't think it will do any harm to follow it for some distance."
"Better keep your eyes open, Dave," cautioned Phil. "It may lead us into danger."
"I've got my eyes wide open, and I've got the rifle handy, too," answered our hero, as he once more led the march forward.
The trail was very narrow in places, so that they had to walk in single file. It made a long curve through the forest, and then came out in a little clearing, backed up by a series of jagged rocks. Here there was a small stream, and behind it a spring of pure, cold water.
"It looks to me as if the animals used this trail when they wanted a drink," was Luke's comment. "That water looks pretty good to me," and bending down, he took a deep draught. "It's fine," he went on; "try it!"
The others did as requested, and agreed with Luke that the water was as good as any they had ever tasted. Then began more searching, and before long they found another trail, this time veering to the westward.
The boys pushed forward once again, Dave still in the lead; and thus a half mile more was covered. Then they found themselves between a number of rocks where, presently, the trail seemed to lose itself.
"Say, Dave, we don't seem to be getting anywhere," announced Phil, as having climbed over several very rough rocks, he stopped to regain his breath.
"That's right!" broke in Luke. "And say, we had better go slow unless somebody wants to sprain an ankle. This is the roughest ground I ever tried to get over."
"It is easier walking just ahead," announced Dave, who now stood on the top of one of the rocks, gazing forward. "Come on! I think I see the trail too," and he made a leap from one rock to another and was soon some distance in advance.
The rough rocks left behind, the boys came out on a trail which seemed to come from the north and lead directly up a steep hillside well covered with tall trees. Here the shade was very thick, and the slight breeze that was stirring made the atmosphere decidedly cool.
"Wonder what time it is?" remarked Luke, and drew out his watch as he spoke. "Well, I never! Only ten o'clock! I thought it must be about noon!"
"Getting hungry already?" laughed Dave. "If you are, we might stop for a bite."
"That's it! let's have a bite to eat, and rest at the same time," cried Phil. "We brought plenty of lunch along – enough for several meals."
The boys sat in a sort of circle on some rocks and a fallen tree, and while thus resting partook of a light lunch from one of the knapsacks. Then they moved forward, up the hillside, and presently found themselves on the top of the rise.
"Here is quite a view!" announced Shadow, and they spent a little time in taking in the panorama spread before them. On one side they could see Mirror Lake, and on the other the nearby mountains and also a faraway wagon-road, which they rightly guessed was that running to Carpen Falls and the villages beyond.
"See anything worth looking at outside of the scenery?" questioned Roger of our hero.
"I see some smoke down in yonder hollow," announced Dave. "That must come either from some campfire or else from some cabin, and whether it is from a campfire or a cabin it means that some human being must be there."
"Right you are, Dave! And that human being may be that wild man, or Link Merwell," answered Ben, quickly.
"How far do you think it is to that smoke?" asked Phil.
Various guesses were made, and the consensus of opinion was that the smoke was not over half a mile distant.
"Let us take the trail leading off in that direction," said Dave, and a few minutes later the boys struck out once more.
Much to their surprise, getting down into the hollow between the hills and the nearby mountain was by no means as easy as they had anticipated. The way proved exceedingly rough, and more than once one or another of them was in danger of a serious tumble. As it was, Shadow slipped on the rocks and scraped his hands in several places. Then Luke gave a grunt, announcing that he had barked his left shin.
Dave was still in advance, and now he made a leap from a rock into some low brushwood. As he did this there came a sudden cry and a snarl, followed by the movement of some body through the brushwood a short distance ahead.
"Hello! what was that?" cried Phil, who was nearest to our hero.
"I didn't get a very good view of it, Phil," answered Dave, who now had his rifle ready for use, "but unless I was much mistaken, it was a wildcat."
"A wildcat! Great Cæsar! We don't want to run into any such beast as that, Dave."
"Did you see a wildcat? Where is it?" demanded Roger, quickly, as he, too, reached Dave's side.
"It went off in that direction," answered Dave, pointing with the barrel of his rifle. "See! There it is!"
As Dave uttered the last words, Roger and Phil saw a small, tawny-colored body creep out of some distant bushes and make a leap onto a flat rock. The beast was indeed a wildcat, and as it came from cover it swung around for a brief instant to gaze savagely at the boys. Then it crouched low, preparatory to making a leap to another rock higher up.
Crack! It was Dave's rifle that rang out. And following the report the wildcat was seen to leap into the air and then fall back on the rock, where it whirled over and over several times.
"You hit it, Dave!" yelled Phil and Roger, simultaneously.
"What did you shoot at?" called out Ben, as he came plunging forward, followed by Luke and Shadow.
"A wildcat! See, there it is on the rocks!" cried Roger.
"A wildcat! I didn't know there were any left around here," returned Ben, and then he added, quickly: "There it goes! You didn't kill it after all, Dave."
As Ben spoke, the wildcat gave another whirl on the rock, and then slipped off through the bushes out of sight of the boys.
"I'll give him a shot from my gun if he needs it," announced Roger, as he hurried forward.
"Be careful that he doesn't get at you first!" cried Dave, warningly. "If he's only slightly wounded he'll be a dangerous customer to tackle."
The other boys followed Roger, and, having reloaded his weapon, Dave followed suit. Soon all were standing close to the flat rock where the wildcat had been hit.
"Where is it?"
"I don't see him anywhere."
"Be careful, he may land on you before you know it!"
"There! There! Look yonder!" The last cry came from Luke, and at his words all turned quickly, to see the wildcat crouch between two trees growing close to the rocks. With a snarl, the beast leaped out toward them, the blood flowing from a wound along one forequarter.
Roger had the shotgun ready, and without taking time to bring the weapon to his shoulder, he pulled the trigger.
Bang! went the piece, and then, with a final leap, the wildcat sprang toward the boys, only to drop dead at their feet.
"Good! That's the way to do it!" cried Phil, enthusiastically. "That wildcat won't bother us any more."
"Dave hit him in the forequarter," announced Roger, after an examination of the dead animal. "More than likely the beast would have died from that wound."
"I don't know about that," returned our hero; modestly. "You are the one who settled him. That was a fine shot, Roger. It couldn't have been better." And on this the others agreed.
As no one cared to take the trouble to skin the wildcat, the beast was left where it had fallen, and the boys once more took their way along the trail leading to the spot where they had seen the smoke. Soon the trail made another turn, and then came out on a path which was wider and showed considerable usage.
"Here are footprints," said Ben, pointing to them. "I believe we are getting close to some sort of a house or cabin."
A few minutes later the broad path they had discovered made another turn, and then in the distance they saw a neat log cabin, located on the bank of a small mountain torrent. From the chimney of the cabin a thin wreath of smoke was curling.
"That's the smoke we must have seen," announced Dave. "Now the question is: Who lives there?"
"And how will they take our arrival," added Phil.
"Wait a minute!" ordered Dave, and put out his hand to stop his chums from advancing. He had seen a man come limping from the mountain torrent with a bucket of water in his hand. Now the man stopped in front of the door to the cabin as if to look around before entering.
"Well, that isn't the wild man; that's sure! And it isn't Link Merwell, either," announced Roger.
"Say, I've seen that man before!" cried Phil, in sudden excitement.
"You have, Phil?" questioned Dave. "Who is he?"
"Who is he? Unless I am greatly mistaken, that is my missing uncle, Lester Lawrence!"
CHAPTER XXIV
THE MAN AT THE CABIN
"That man is your uncle?"
"Do you mean the man who disappeared so mysteriously after that robbery?"
"That's the man." Phil's manner showed increased excitement. "Isn't this the strangest thing that ever happened? To think of my running across my uncle in this out-of-the-way place!"
"You want to make sure that he is your uncle first," warned Dave. "Perhaps he is only somebody who looks like your relative, the same as that Ward Porton resembles me," added our hero, with a grim smile.
"Oh, I am sure that man is my uncle," declared the shipowner's son.
"Do you think he is the same fellow we saw before – the wild man?" queried Roger.
"I don't know as to that. Maybe he is," and Phil's face now showed worriment. "I do hope my uncle hasn't lost his mind!"
"Well, he might do that because of his troubles," was Shadow's comment. "It was trouble that affected Wilbur Poole, if you'll remember."
During the course of this conversation, the boys had withdrawn to the shelter of some trees and brushwood. In the meantime the man with the bucket of water had disappeared within the cabin.
"I noticed he limped considerably," remarked Dave.
"Yes, and he had his left foot bound up," announced Luke. "More than likely he hurt it in some way."
"It would be an easy matter for somebody to hurt his foot if he cut up like that fellow who nearly scared the girls and Link Merwell to death," remarked Ben.
"I am going to the cabin and see what he has to say for himself," declared Phil, resolutely starting forward.
"If you go we had better go with you," announced Dave. "But be careful, Phil. If that man is out of his head he may be dangerous."
"I don't think my Uncle Lester would hurt me even if he was out of his mind," answered the shipowner's son, as he moved toward the cabin, followed closely by the others.
The boys were still a hundred feet or more away from the habitation when the man reappeared at the doorway. On catching sight of the newcomers he uttered a sudden cry of dismay, and then disappeared like a flash, banging the cabin door shut behind him.
"Evidently he's not very sociable," remarked Luke, dryly. "I guess he doesn't want any visitors."
Advancing to the door, Phil knocked loudly.
"Go away from here! I don't want to see any of you!" cried a heavy voice from within. "Go away, I tell you!"
"Open the door, please. I want to speak with you," answered Phil, as calmly as he could.
"I won't talk to you! I don't want any one around this place!" came angrily from within the cabin. "Go away, or I'll shoot!"
"Say, I don't like this!" cried Shadow, in a low voice. "I guess we had better get out," and he started to retreat, followed by Luke and Ben. Phil, however, stood his ground, and not to desert their chum, Dave and Roger did the same.
"We are not going to molest you," called out Phil, after several seconds of silence. "All I want to do is to talk to you."
"I won't talk to anybody, I tell you! Go away! If you don't I'll use a shotgun on you!" returned the man in the cabin.
"Aren't you Mr. Lester Lawrence?" demanded Phil.
"What's that?" And now the voice of the man showed sudden interest.
"I say: Aren't you Mr. Lester Lawrence?" repeated Phil.
"Who said I was Lester Lawrence?" demanded the man, suspiciously.
"If you are, I must talk to you. I am Phil Lawrence, your nephew."
"Phil Lawrence!" the boys outside heard the man mutter to himself. "Phil Lawrence? Oh, it can't be!" Then he raised his voice: "You are trying to play some trick on me," he shouted.
"It isn't any trick," put in Dave. "This young man here is Philip Lawrence, and he is looking for his uncle, Lester Lawrence. He has good news for him."
"Good news? I can't believe it! It is some trick. I want you all to go away."
"Uncle Lester, it isn't any trick. I am Phil, your nephew. I want to talk to you. I've got the best kind of news for you; something that you'll be glad to hear. Won't you please open the door and let me talk to you?"
"It's a trick, I know it's a trick," came from the man, in almost a whine. Nevertheless, he advanced toward the door, and with trembling hands threw off the bolt that had been shot into place. Then, with great caution, he opened the door several inches and peered out.
"Who says he is Philip Lawrence?" he questioned, sharply.
"I am, Uncle Lester," announced the shipowner's son. "Don't you remember me? You used to think the world and all of me some years ago, when you lived across the street from us."
The man opened the door a little wider, and gazed sharply into Phil's face. Then his manner seemed to change, and, allowing the door to swing wide open, he tottered back and sank down on a bench.
"It's Phil – little Phil, sure enough," he murmured. "How in the world did you come to follow me to this faraway place?"
"I didn't follow you, Uncle Lester," returned the youth. "I and my friends were looking for a wild man who is roaming around in this vicinity, scaring people, and we reached this place by accident. We saw you coming to the cabin with a bucket of water, and I easily recognized you at once."
"I thought I was safe here – safe from the whole world," muttered Lester Lawrence. "But you said you had good news for me," he added quickly. "What is it?"
"It's the best kind of news, Uncle Lester. Don't you know that shortly after you disappeared the bank authorities and the police found the guilty parties?"
"They did?" And now the man's face showed his amazement.
"Why, sure they did! And then, of course, they knew that you were innocent."
"Oh, Phil! can this be true?"
"It certainly is true, Uncle Lester, every word of it! You are an innocent man, and everybody at home knows it. Father has been trying his best to get into communication with you. He inserted personals in the newspapers, and even put detectives on your track; but, as you know, without avail."
"Then the world knows that I am innocent! Thank God for that!" exclaimed the man, with fervor. "Oh, how I have suffered! And for such a long time, too!" And tears stood in his eyes.
"But why didn't you communicate with father?" asked the nephew. "You ought to have known that he would be tremendously worried about you."
"I was bitter, bitter against the whole world. I didn't think I had a friend left!" cried Lester Lawrence. "I didn't want to see anybody, and I didn't want anybody to see me. I was afraid that they might catch me and put me in jail, and then if I could not prove my innocence – and there was to my mind no way of doing that – they would send me to prison for a long term of years. That's why I made up my mind to disappear."
"And you've been up here ever since?" asked Phil.
"No, I've been here only since last Summer. Before that I was in another section of the Adirondacks."
Lester Lawrence looked at Dave and Roger, who had followed Phil into the cabin, and at the other boys, who were crowded around the doorway.
"Who are these; some of your school chums?" he questioned.
"Yes, Uncle Lester," answered the shipowner's son, and introduced his friends one after another. "They are all good fellows, and I hope you will consider them as friends."
"I will do that, Phil, if you want me to," was the reply. "Your revelation has lifted a great weight from my shoulders. Tell me all the particulars."
Sitting down beside his relative, the shipowner's son related all that he knew of the occurrences of the past. Mr. Lawrence listened to the recital with close attention and asked many questions, his face meanwhile showing his intense satisfaction.
"What you have told me makes me feel ten years younger," he declared. "If all this is true – and I have no reason to doubt your word – I can once more face the world and those who are dear to me."
"Phil has got another surprise for you, Mr. Lawrence," put in Dave, when the recital was at an end. "You will not only be a free man when you return to your former home, but you will also have a good deal of money coming to you."
"Indeed! And how is that?"
"It's this way, Uncle Lester," answered Phil, and thereupon gave a few of the details concerning the land which the rival railroads wished to purchase from the uncle and Phil's father.
"That certainly is splendid news!" declared Lester Lawrence, his eyes lighting up. "What a wonderful change the last hour has brought! Before you came I thought I was doomed to live here, unknown and alone, for perhaps the rest of my life."
"But how have you managed to live?" asked Dave, curiously.
"Oh, that has been easy. You see, when I left home I had quite a little money that belonged to me. I buy necessary provisions down in one of the towns, and also do some hunting and fishing. This cabin belongs to the daughter of an old hunter who lived here for years, and as she did not wish to occupy it she let me have it at a very reasonable rental."
"Do you know anything of that wild man who is in this vicinity?" queried Roger.
At this direct question Lester Lawrence dropped his eyes and showed much confusion.
"I am afraid I do," he answered, shamefacedly. "The fact of the matter is, it was I who played the wild man, dressing myself up in some old outfits that were left in this cabin by those who used to live here."
"But what was your purpose?" questioned Luke.
"I wanted to scare the folks in this vicinity, so they would not come near this cabin. I was afraid if too many people came to this neighborhood, sooner or later somebody might recognize me and inform the authorities."
"You nearly scared the ladies and girls in our bungalows to death," said Ben, bluntly.
"I am very sorry for it, now," was the reply. "But you see, what Phil has told me has put an entirely different face on the matter. I looked at all strangers as enemies. I was very bitter against everybody."
"Well, I guess you had a right to feel bitter, Uncle Lester," returned Phil, who could realize how his relative had suffered. "But it's all past now, and you must give up your life here and come home with me."
"I am willing to go home, now that I know my name is cleared," answered Lester Lawrence. "But I can't travel just yet," he added, ruefully, looking down at his bandaged foot.
"What is the trouble?" questioned Dave, kindly.
"I sprained my ankle the day I followed one of you boys – that is, I suppose it was one of your crowd. I mean the chap who fell over the cliff."
"Link Merwell!" ejaculated Phil. "He is no friend of ours, he is an enemy. By the way, Uncle Lester, have you seen him since then?"
"He is an enemy, you say!" cried Mr. Lawrence. "Is that so? Yes, I saw him. He was here early this morning, and I chased him away."