Chapter XXIII: A Discovery in the Woods

“Andy, look out that you don’t drive off the road and into the gully,” said Stuffer, as the spring wagon lurched forward over the rough ground leading to Daly’s clearing.

“Stuffer wouldn’t have you lose any of that food for a fortune,” said Dale, with a laugh. “Trust him to look out for that!”

“Well, you’ll be just as ready to eat your breakfast as anybody,” grumbled the cadet who loved to eat.

Forward rolled the wagon, groaning dubiously when it bounded over the rocks. It was loaded to the limit and the boys feared that the springs would break before the journey was over.

From the vicinity of the Hall came calls and considerable noise. But this presently died away, and then all was as quiet as a tomb on the woody road the runaway cadets were traveling.

In half an hour the clearing was gained. They drove across it, and into the woods beyond for a distance of a hundred yards. Here it was so dark they had to light a lantern to see the way.

“They’ll be good ones if they track us to this spot,” observed Dale.

Having reached the place, they blanketed the horse and sat down to wait. It was somewhat chilly and all of the cadets present were glad enough to put on the heavy coats they had brought along.

“Don’t you think some of us ought to go over to Bailey’s barn and see if the others have arrived?” asked Stuffer, presently.

“We might do that,” answered another cadet. “But we can’t all go. Somebody must remain here and watch the horse and the outfit.”

In the end it was decided that Andy and Stuffer should make the journey to the old Bailey barn, a distance of a mile or more. They set off at once, Stuffer first, however, filling his pockets with crackers and apples.

“I know a path right through these woods,” said Stuffer. “It will bring us out just to the north of the old barn.”

“Well, be sure of the way,” answered the acrobatic youth. “We don’t want to get lost in this darkness.”

“How can we get lost in the dark if we carry a lantern, Andy?”

“Easily enough—if you get twisted around, Stuffer. I was lost once, in the Adirondacks, and I know.”

The two boys set off, Andy carrying a small lantern picked up in the carriage shed. This gave more smoke and smell than light and they had to proceed slowly, for fear of tumbling over the tree roots or into some hollow.

“Oh!” cried Stuffer, presently, as a strange sound struck his ears from close at hand. “What’s that?”

“Only an owl,” cried Andy, with a laugh. “How you jumped!”

“Are you sure it was an—an owl?” was the nervous question.

“Dead certain. Go ahead, or we won’t reach the old barn till morning.”

The path through the woods was not well defined and at one place forked in several directions. Stuffer did not notice this and kept to the right when he should have gone to the left. Andy followed without question, and thus the two cadets, instead of nearing the old barn, plunged deeper and deeper into the woods.

“Say, Stuffer, this doesn’t seem to be right,” observed Andy, after a full mile and a half had been covered.

“Huh! I know I am right,” was the reply. “We’ll get to the barn in a few minutes.”

They continued to go forward, up a slight rise of ground and then down into something of a hollow. Andy was just about to say again that he thought they were on the wrong path when he caught sight of a small campfire.

“Hello, see that!” he exclaimed.

“They have arrived and lit a fire!” answered Stuffer. “I don’t blame them. It is pretty cold. But they are running the risk of being discovered.”

“Stuffer, this isn’t the location of the old barn. We are not near the lake.”

“How do you know?”

“The locality doesn’t look like it. These are hemlock trees, while back of the barn there are chestnuts and walnuts.”

“That’s so too,” and now Stuffer became doubtful.

Moving a little more slowly, the two boys drew closer to the campfire. They saw that it was in a little clearing, to one side of which were some rocks and a spring of water. On the other side several small trees had been cut down and a rude shelter erected, covered with an old wagon top and several old horse blankets.

“Must be a gypsy camp,” said Stuffer, in a low tone, as the two boys stepped behind some bushes to gaze at the scene presented.

“They are tramps,” was Andy’s answer. “Don’t you see the hoboes lying around?”

He pointed to the forms of three men resting near the campfire. They were all rough-looking individuals and their clothing and shoes were much dilapidated. Several empty bottles lay scattered around, indicating that the fellows were drinkers. Near the shelter were a pile of chicken feathers and the skin of a lamb.

“I’ll tell you what I think,” whispered Andy. “These are not only tramps but also thieves. They have been robbing the farmers’ henroosts and somebody’s sheepfold. They’ve got a regular hangout here. I wonder how many of them there are?”

“I see three—but some of the crowd may be under the shelter. If they are thieves they ought to be locked up.”

“Yes. Shall we go into the camp and ask them the way?”

“I don’t think we ought to trust them. They might detain us, and rob us.”

Putting out the light so that they might not be discovered, the two cadets walked around the camp of the tramps. They saw that it was a hangout that had been used for some time. With great caution they stole up to the back of the rude shelter and peered within. They saw three more men, who were all snoring lustily.

“That makes six all told,” said Stuffer, as he and his chum withdrew.

“Did you notice that fellow who was in the corner?” demanded Andy, excitedly.

“Not particularly. Why?”

“Unless I am greatly mistaken he is the fellow I saw in the jewelry store the day I was robbed—the chap I thought might be guilty.”

“Is that so, Andy? Are you certain it is the fellow?”

“No, because I didn’t get a good look at his face. But he certainly looked a good deal like him.”

“Then you ought to investigate—I mean later on, when we have some of the others with us,” went on Stuffer hastily. “It would be foolish for us to tackle six men alone.”

“I’ll come back some time to-morrow—if I can get a crowd to come along,” was the reply from the acrobatic youth. “Beyond a doubt these fellows are thieves, and the farmers around here would be glad to place them under arrest.”

“In that case let the Putnam Hall cadets make the capture. It will be quite a feather in our cap.”

“I’d like to get back that stolen medal and the ring,” said Andy, as they moved away from the tramps’ hangout. “And I’d like to see the guilty party punished for attacking me.”

Having withdrawn into the woods once more the two cadets set to work to find the right path to the old barn. This was no easy task, and it was not until almost daybreak that Andy gave a cry and pointed ahead.

“I see the lake! I think I know where we are now.”

He hurried on and Stuffer came behind him, and presently the pair struck a wagon road running directly past the old Bailey barn. They ran up to the structure, to be stopped by a cadet who was on guard.

“Halt and give the countersign!” cried the cadet.

“Hello!” cried Andy. “That sounds natural. Is the crowd here?”

“It is,” answered the cadet. “How did you make out?”

Andy told him and then went in the barn, where he found the other cadets assembled, some sleeping and a few talking in low tones. Four guards had been stationed outside, to give the alarm, should the enemy be seen approaching.

“We might as well be on the move,” said Jack, after Andy and Stuffer had told their story. “As soon as it is daylight Crabtree and Cuddle will most likely send somebody out to look for us.”

“Yes, and we want to make a regular camp somewhere,” put in Stuffer. “Then we can start a fire and cook a good breakfast, and——”

The boy who loved to eat did not finish for several began to laugh.

“We’ll make Stuffer head cook,” cried Pepper. “Stuffer, how does that suit you?”

“All right—if only you won’t ask me to wash dishes,” was the reply.

“Everybody will have to do his share of work,” said Jack, and looked knowingly at Pepper. Then he leaned over and whispered in Andy’s ear. “I am afraid we are going to have trouble with Reff Ritter and his crowd. Reff wants to have everything his own way, and he thinks the fellows ought to make him leader.”