Part 32 (1/2)
”What brought you fellows here?” asked Shep, curiously, for he could see that all those on sh.o.r.e were greatly excited.
”Did you see it?” demanded one of the boys.
”We are going home,” declared Ike Akley, and his manner showed that he was frightened almost out of his wits.
”Let us have the boat and the canoe and we won't bother you any more,”
said Carl Dudder. ”You can have the whole lake to yourselves.”
”Did we see what?” asked Giant, of the youth who had first spoken.
”The ghost,” was the unexpected reply. ”It came into our camp last night and we don't want to see it again. We are all going back to Lake Cameron.”
CHAPTER XXV
JED SANBORN BRINGS NEWS
That the Spink crowd was thoroughly frightened there could not be the slightest doubt. Even when they told their story many looked behind them, as if they expected the ghost to pop out of the woods and clutch them by the shoulder.
It seemed that the ghost had appeared shortly after they returned to their camp. It came up over the lake silently, a figure in yellow, with waving horns of red. It had stopped directly in front of the camp and had waved a menacing arm at the boys. Then it had disappeared into the gloom of the night.
”It uttered some terrible things,” said Carl Dudder. ”It said something about being dead and about being buried.”
”Yes, and then it uttered a hideous laugh,” said Ike Akley. ”I shall never forget that---it was awful, and it seemed to go right through a fellow.”
”Why didn't you shoot at it?” asked Snap. ”That is what I should have done.”
”Humph! I guess if you saw that ghost you'd be paralyzed,” said Carl Dudder. ”Why it was enough to make your hair raise on ends!”
”I thought it was coming ash.o.r.e and murder the lot of us,” said Jack Voss.
”Then you are not going to stay here?” asked Giant.
”Not much! I am going down to Lake Cameron as quick as I can get there!”
”So am I!” said another.
”You had better go down, too,” said a third.
”No, we are going to stay here,” answered Shep. ”We haven't seen the ghost, but we have heard those ghostlike voices and we want to find out what it means.”
”Oh, there's a real ghost---I heard about it before I left home,”
said Carl Dudder. ”But I didn't think it would visit us.”
”I'd stay, only the rest won't,” said Ham Spink, thinking he must put on a bold front before Snap and his chums.
”What are you talking about!” cried Ike Akley, indignantly. ”Why, you were the first to propose going home.”