Part 8 (1/2)
Bandy-legs was appearing rather uneasy. He could not forget what a tremendous pull he had received at the time he was awakened; and the very thought that they might even now be in the abiding place of the creature that had been responsible for his fright gave him new cause for s.h.i.+vering.
He looked up and around, as though suspecting that the aforesaid human being might be hiding close by, and watching them with ferocious eyes.
But there was no loft to the squatty cabin, and hence no place where anybody of size might lie in concealment. Still, Bandy-legs looked longingly down at his fish spear, and wished he had thought to shorten that pole, so he could always keep it handy in case of a sudden necessity.
Max even tried to find traces of footprints on the floor; but as the earth was as hard as rock he did not meet with any flattering success there.
”Anyhow, he had a fire in here, looks like, when he cooked that bird,”
Steve remarked, as he pointed to a little heap of ashes over where the chimney, that was made of hard mud and pieces of stone, stood.
Max saw that there seemed to be considerable of truth in this discovery of the quick-witted chum. There were certainly ashes there, a little heap of them, and these could not have been left behind when the former occupant of the cabin deserted his home years ago; for the winds of winter, sifting in through the partly open door, would have scattered the ashes long since.
They spoke of more recent occupancy, perhaps within the last month, or even week.
”I reckon, now, this is the cabin that boy spoke about, when they called out after us as we were leaving town?” Max said, half to himself, as he continued to look around him.
”And from the way he talked, you'd sure believe he thought it was the worst kind of a shack he'd ever struck,” Owen went on to remark.
”I've been thinking that over,” observed Steve, ”and come to this conclusion--that they must have started to spend the night in this same cabin, and perhaps the ashes there are some from their fire. Then during the night they got their bad scare, which none of them would ever tell about, on any account. It must have come from _something_ that they saw in this same cabin; and whatever it was, it sent the whole bunch on the run for their boat. They said they nearly killed themselves as they b.u.mped into trees, fell over vines, straddled stumps; and when they came back to town they sure looked as if they had been through a fight.”
”And this is that queer old cabin he said we'd run across?” ventured Bandy-legs, again turning to cast his eyes about him, this time in more of an awed manner than before, though the shack had not changed its appearance one iota meanwhile.
”But you see, boys,” Max remarked, with a smile, ”they started to bunk in here, and we don't mean to bother ourselves trying that, when we've got our good tents along. So, after all, I don't see why we shouldn't be able to stick it out the full week, and go back to laugh at Herb.”
As he was speaking Max stepped across the interior of the deserted green-roofed cabin. Knowing that some notion had appealed to him, the others watched to see what he would do. They saw him stoop down beside the little pile of gray-looking ashes that lay in the fireplace.
”Watch him!” said Owen, beginning to suspect the truth.
Max thrust his hand down upon the heap; then he quickly moved it so as to further penetrate the ashes; after which he sprang hastily to his feet, exclaiming:
”Of course I don't pretend to say who the party was that devoured that partridge, fellows, but he must have had it for his supper _last night_; and there's been fire here up to this morning, _because the ashes are still warm!_”
CHAPTER VII.
THE MYSTERY OF THE CABIN.
Max, in whose ability to understand all such things they felt so much confidence, spoke those surprising words, the others showed more or less astonishment.
One by one they had to bend down, and put his a.s.sertion to the test, by poking a finger gingerly into the little pile of gray ashes. Even Bandy-legs would not rest satisfied until he had thus copied the example of the others.
”Warm-say, it's _hot_, fellers!” he exclaimed, as he hastily s.n.a.t.c.hed back his hand, and commenced to blow the ends of his fingers. ”Anyhow, I guess I must 'a' just rooted out a live coal, for it burned like the d.i.c.kens.”
”Well, we know one thing that we didn't before,” a.s.serted Owen.
”Two, you'd better say, for they both sting like fun,” grumbled Bandy-legs, rubbing his injured fingers vigorously.
”Yes,” said Steve, ”somebody's been in this old cabin, and not so very long ago, either; for they must have made a little fire about dawn, to fry a part of a partridge by. And if that's been all the poor critter had for his breakfast, I'd like to wager, now, he must be hungry yet.”