Part 27 (1/2)

”The ground slopes toward the lake,” reasoned Shultz. ”He'll keep on going that way.”

”There may be some logic in that, and there's a bare chance that we may come upon him again. Let's make as little noise as possible. We don't want him to be warned or frightened by hearing us a long distance away.”

Down through the black woods they went, Shultz seeking to keep so close to Osgood that he could put out his hand any time and touch him.

Presently through the trees they saw the moonlight silvering the placid water. Reaching the sh.o.r.e, they discovered they were close to Pine Point, which, projecting into the lake, cut it there to its narrowest width. On the opposite sh.o.r.e lay the railroad, over which Shultz had first thought of making his escape from Oakdale.

”It's something like searching for a needle in a haystack,” said Ned hopelessly. ”There's not one chance in a hundred that we, unaided, can find Hooker in these woods.”

But Charley still clung to the tattered skirts of hope. ”Let's go out upon the point. From the end of it we can get a look at a long sweep of sh.o.r.e in both directions.”

”That will simply make us walk farther, and your ankle must be--”

”Confound my ankle! Don't you worry about that.”

”You shouldn't be crippling around on it. It's liable to lay you up for a long time, and every step you take makes it worse.”

”What do I care? What do I care how long I'm laid up? That's nothing now. I'm going out on the point.”

He would not have gone had Ned refused, but Osgood decided to humor him.

At the outer extremity the point took a curve, so that on one side it sheltered Bear Cove, into which Silver Brook emptied. As they reached that curving outer sh.o.r.e, a small boat-a punt-issued from the cove, pa.s.sed that hook-like nose of land and appeared in the moonlight which bathed the surface of the lake. The occupant of the punt, who was propelling it with a paddle, was Hooker!

”There he is!” shouted Charley.

He turned his face toward them, and they were so near that they almost fancied they could see the wild expression in his eyes. They called to him again and again, begging him to come back and seeking to give him every a.s.surance of their friendly intentions. He did not answer; changing the course of the boat somewhat, he drove it with powerful strokes toward a small island which lay off the mouth of the cove.

”It's no use,” muttered Osgood; ”he'll give up only when he's caught, and then he'll probably make a fight of it.”

”But how are we going to catch him?”

”I wish I knew. If we had another boat--”

”I know where there's a raft,” exclaimed Shultz. ”We might follow him with that.”

”We never could overtake him on a raft.”

”But he's going on to Ba.s.s Island. If he doesn't see us coming, we might catch him there.”

Ned was extremely doubtful, but the insistence and eagerness of Charley finally led him to agree to look for the raft. Fully half an hour pa.s.sed before they found it lying partly on the sh.o.r.e of the cove not far from the mouth of Silver Brook. It was a rather long, narrow affair, built of small logs fastened together by cross-pieces. When it was launched they tested its buoying capacity and found it would barely support them both.

Nevertheless, with pieces of board for paddles, they pushed off upon it and made their way slowly toward the mouth of the cove. Both knelt as they wielded the board paddles, and their knees were soon wet with the water which occasionally washed across the almost submerged logs.

Although they could not see the punt on the sh.o.r.e of the island, they felt certain Hooker had landed there, and, hoping he would not discover their approach, they exerted their strength in the effort to reach the place as soon as possible.

The island was not more than thirty yards distant when they again saw the punt, headed this time for the farther sh.o.r.e of the lake. It seemed that Hooker must have been watching, and, with almost tantalizing cunning, he had waited until they were near before he put out from the opposite side of the island.

”Let's not give up,” pleaded Shultz. ”Let's follow him.”

Although the pursuit seemed discouragingly hopeless, they were now nearly half-way across the narrow part of the lake, and Osgood did not insist on turning back.