Part 29 (1/2)

Again and again they called for the lost boys by name. Sadie's shrill voice carried as far as anybody's, without doubt, and her crying for ”Willie” and ”d.i.c.kie” should have brought those delinquents to light, had they heard her.

Sadie stuck close to Mr. Caslon, as he told her to. But the way through the brush was harder for the girl than for the rest of them. Thick mats of greenbriars halted them. They were torn, and scratched, and stung by the vegetable pests; yet Sadie made no complaint.

As for the mosquitoes and other stinging insects-well, they were out on this night, it seemed, in full force. They buzzed around the heads of the searchers in clouds, attracted by the lanterns. Above, in the trees, complaining owls hooted their objections to the searchers' presence in the forest. The whip-poor-wills reiterated their determination from dead limbs or rotting fence posts. And in the wet places the deep-voiced frogs gave tongue in many minor keys.

”Oh, dear!” sighed Sadie to the farmer, ”the little fellers will be scared half to death when they hear all these critters.”

”And how about you?” he asked.

”Oh, I'm used to 'em. Why, I've slept out in places as bad as this more'n one night. But Willie and d.i.c.kie ain't used to it.”

One end of the line of searchers touched the pond. They shouted that information to the others, and then they all pushed on. It was in the mind of all that, perhaps, the children had circled back to the pond.

But their shouts brought no hoped-for reply, although they echoed across the open water, and were answered eerily from the farther sh.o.r.e.

There were six couples; therefore the line extended for a long way into the wood, and swept a wide area. They marched on, bursting through the vines and climbers, searching thick patches of jungle, and often shouting in chorus till the wood rang again.

Tom and one of the stablemen, who were at the lower end of the line, finally came to the mouth of that gorge out of which the brook sprang.

To the east of this opening lay a considerable valley and it was decided to search this vale thoroughly before following the stream higher.

It was well they did so, for half a mile farther on, Tom and his companion made a discovery. They came upon the tall, blasted trunk of a huge old tree that had a great hollow at its foot. This hollow was blinded by a growth of vines and brush, yet as Tom flashed his lantern upon it, it seemed to him as though the vines had been disturbed.

”It may be the lair of some animal, sir,” suggested the stableman, as Tom attempted to peer in.

”Nothing much more dangerous than foxes in these woods now, I am told,”

returned the boy. ”And this is not a fox's burrow-h.e.l.lo!”

His sudden, delighted shriek rang through the wood and up the hillside.

”I've found them! I've found them!” the boy repeated, and dived into the hollow tree.

His lantern showed him and the stableman the six wanderers rolled up like kittens in a nest. They opened their eyes sleepily, yawning and blinking. One began to snivel, but Willie Raby at once delivered a sharp punch to that one, saying, in grand disgust:

”Baby! Didn't I tell you they'd come for us? They was sure to-wasn't they, d.i.c.kie?”

”Yep,” responded that youngster, quite as cool about it as his brother.

Tom's shouts brought the rest of the party in a hurry. Mr. Caslon hauled each ”fresh air” out by the collar and stood him on his feet. When he had counted them twice over to make sure, he said:

”Well, sir! of all the young scamps that ever were born-Willie Raby!

weren't you scared?”

”Nope,” declared Willie. ”Some of these other kids begun ter snivel when it got dark; but d.i.c.kie an' me would ha' licked 'em if they'd kep' that up. Then we found that good place to sleep--”

”But suppose it had been the bed of some animal?” asked Bobbins, chuckling.

”Nope,” said Willie, shaking his head. ”There was spider webs all over the hole we went in at, so we knowed n.o.body had been there much lately.

And it was a pretty good place to sleep. Only it was too warm in there at first. I couldn't get to sleep right away.”