Part 29 (1/2)

Ben Stubbs, with a very ill grace, made up a bed for the New Yorker at some distance from the others.

”I'd like to stuff it full of barb-wire,” he confided to Frank afterward.

As for Sikaso, he eyed old Mr. Barr from time to time, and then eyed his axe in a way that made it very plain that the two were connected in his mind in a manner that would have made it very uncomfortable for the old financier.

But if Mr. Barr felt the atmosphere of repugnance to him that pervaded the camp he did not show it.

He rolled up in his blanket as if he had been used to a rough bed all his life and was soon apparently wrapped in deep sleep. The boys, tired out as they were and not a little downcast at the turn events had taken, soon followed him. An hour later the River Camp was as silent as a graveyard with the exception of Ben Stubbs'

mighty snores.

It was then that old Mr. Barr, who had seemed so sound asleep, cautiously raised his head from his blankets and peered about him.

After a few minutes of this he slipped into the few clothes he had discarded when he went to bed and tiptoed past the sleeping adventurers down to the river bank and the launch.

There was an evil smile on his face as he went that to those who knew Luther Barr would have said as plain as print ”Some mischief is in the wind.”

When the boys awoke the next morning the sun was streaming down on their sleeping place with a strength that showed that it had been up some time. With a start Frank sat up and looked about him.

What was the matter with him? His eyes felt heavy and his throat was parched. In his ears, too, there was a wild ringing sound and his limbs felt stiff and inert. Shouting to the others, who were gazing about them in a bewildered sort of way, Frank described his symptoms.

They all felt as badly as he did.

”I feel like I'd been boiled in the s.h.i.+p's boiler along with the cook's dish-rags,” announced Ben Stubbs.

Even old Sikaso shook his head mournfully and said that he didn't feel at all well.

”I wonder how old man Barr feels?” said the irreverent Billy rubbing his red-rimmed eyes.

The next minute there was a shout of astonishment from them all.

Mr. Barr's blankets were empty and he was nowhere to be seen about the camp!

Forgetting their painful feelings in the shock of this discovery the boys hastened to the river bank to see if by any chance he was down at the steam launch.

The launch, too, was missing!

With a cry of rage Ben Stubbs shook his fist down the river.

”I see it all, boys,” he exclaimed. ”The old scallywag drugged us--doped us--that's why we feel so badly and--”

”Howling bob-cats! I'll bet he's stolen a march on us and got away with the ivory,”--this was Billy.

There was a rush for the spot in which the precious stuff had been cached.

A few broken tusks lay there.

But of the great h.o.a.rd that the Boy Aviators had worked so faithfully to salvage not a vestige remained.

”Bilked, by the great hornspoon!” yelled Ben.