University of Virginia Library

CHAPTER XIX.
WHAT COULD IT MEAN.

"LET go my arm, can't you, Rooster; what d'ye think I'm made of, anyhow -- rubber, or cement? You've gone and pinched me black and blue, chances are. What sort of an old noise d'ye mean? I didn't notice anything queer," and Josh managed to shake himself free from the tenacious grip of the excited chum.

But evidently Rooster was quite worked up over the matter, for he still remained in that crouching attitude; and from the way he cocked his head on one side, it was positive that he fully anticipated hearing the suspicious sound again.

Somehow his manner aroused Hanky Panky, Elmer, and even Rod, so that they were by this time all listening with bated breath, as though half expecting to hear some blood-curdling noise, or a cry for help well up out of the dismal woods near at hand.

"There!" gasped Rooster, suddenly.

Josh laughed disdainfully.

"Wake up, Rooster!" he exclaimed in derision; "since when have you forgotten how a poor innocent little screech owl whimpers, when it's lost its

mate. Take the cotton out of your ears, and pretty soon you'll hear a racket like the neighing of a horse. Then you'll know it's an owl!"

"Huh!"

That was all Rooster said, but it spoke volumes. He realized that Josh was right, though, for immediately afterwards the very sound the other had predicted came to their ears.

"It's an owl, all right," said Hanky Panky, wishing to show his superior knowledge over the chum who had mistaken that first whimper; "many's the time the rascals have kept me awake when I was visiting on a farm out in the country; and I've even gone out with a gun to chase 'em away; but it didn't work. I hardly crawled in between the sheets again before they were at it harder'n ever, just like they wanted to get the laugh on me. Forget it, Rooster; they don't bite."

"They don't, eh?" observed Josh; "well, you just try to take one in your hands after it's been hurt, and see what you get. Gee! I can feel the pinch he gave me right now, when I think of it; and that was two years ago."

The talk became general about that time, and Rooster's foolish alarm seemed for the time being forgotten.

But Rod eyed the other more than once in a reflective way, as though mentally figuring whether it would be the part of wisdom to allow so nervous a

fellow to have any important part in the carrying out of their grand scheme. Rooster would no doubt have to tag along, since they could hardly leave him behind; but he must not be allowed to assume any position of prominence, where a fluke would mean disaster,

When supper was ready they gathered around to discuss it, and no one, looking at the five lads, and hearing their merry exchange of small talk, would for one moment imagine that there could be any serious business weighing on their minds.

Even Elmer seemed to have temporarily thrown off the incubus that had been haunting him of late, and laughed with the rest, when Hanky Panky related some droll incident of which he had been a witness.

But Rod, who liked to study character, and could read the signs fairly well, was quite sure that most of this apparent high spirits, at least on Elmer's part, must be assumed. He understood all the other had at stake, and how every minute now, up to the time when he could either prove the truth of his hopes, or see them go crumbling into the dust, must be fraught with eager anticipation and fears.

But it began to look as though the night would pass without any incident happening, calculated to once more arouse their curiosity; for some little time after they had finished their meal they lay around the glowing fire, and chatted on all sorts of subjects;

though, as if by mutual consent, avoiding any mention of the one that of necessity must be uppermost in all their minds.

"Listen!" said Elmer, breaking into a little story Josh was telling, that had to do with some school-boy adventure, and an old enemy of the motorcycle boys, one Oscar Griffin, whose jealousy because of his being so often worsted by Rod Bradley, had frequently brought him into conflict with the latter's chums.

"Hey! quit that, now, Elmer; no silly old screech owl need apply when I'm telling a yarn that's goin' to make you sit up and take notice," complained Josh.

"But this wasn't an owl at all," replied Elmer.

"What was it, then?" the other demanded, as though he had a right to know, since it was his story that had been halted.

"I thought I heard a hoss coming," Elmer went on; "though the sound of hoofs on the road has stopped now, perhaps because of a soft place he's struck. And while up around our Ohio home the coming of a hoss might not seem enough in itself to make a fellow stop a chum in the act of telling a story, down here you know it may be entirely different."

"Yes," said Hanky Panky, quickly, "a horse of another color, as they say."

"There it goes again, Elmer," observed Rod.

All of them could hear the sounds by now; even Rooster, who never pretended to have very keen hearing when it came to catching slight noises; but who could detect a screech owl's soft whimper, it had been recently proven.

"It's a horse, all right," admitted Josh.

"And not a saddle hoss, either, eh, Rod?" queried Elmer, glancing across toward the one he addressed, whose opinion they were all accustomed to accepting as pretty sure to be the actual facts, especially whenever it concerned anything that had to do with woods lore, or reading signs; for Rod had had experience which the others lacked, more or less.

"I think it is hitched in some sort of a vehicle with shafts," replied Rod, after listening carefully for half a minute to the sounds; "there's a difference in, first of all the gait at which a horse travels, you know; and then again, any one who has been among horses considerably learns to detect the truth by other signs. Yes, I should say that animal is drawing some light vehicle; he's coming along fairly fast, and if it were a'heavy wagon we'd be apt to hear the wheels crunching on the road before this; which you notice isn't so."

Josh chuckled.

"Now, you all wonder what makes me feel funny," he went on to say; "and it's only this -- that we must be worked up to a pretty nervous stage

when the mere passing of an unknown party, in perhaps a light wagon, or a buggy, can make us sit up this way, and look startled."

"But, suh," began Elmer, as though feeling that some explanation ought to be forthcoming from him; "we mustn't fo'get that we are surrounded by unusual conditions, when the very air seems to be charged with mystery. We are camping now, let me tell you, on Walnut Ridge; and you'll remember my saying that there are plenty of good people around this district who have always claimed that this same ridge has been haunted ground for years and years. I myself have known several, white people at that, who could not be induced to visit here after dark fo' any money. Besides, we must not fo'get that among these lonely mountain chains there are men living who make the moonshine stuff, and who because of the activity of revenue officers, are compelled to do pretty much all their business under cover of night."

"Yes, and there seem to be others abroad too, who may not be all they pretend to be," Rod hastened to add.

"Meaning the two gentlemen who claimed to be from Chattanooga, but who showed a queer sort of interest in our being down here; is that what you mean, Rod?" Josh asked.

"It is," answered the other; "and now the sound of wheels can be heard, you notice, showing that we

were right. Given about two more minutes, and the vehicle will pass us by here."

"Perhaps it might be well fo' me to be ready to ask the party a few questions, just as though we were strangers to the locality," suggested Elmer, "and fo' all we know, out of the answers we might pick up mo' or less information of value."

"I think that a splendid idea," said Hanky Panky, and even Rooster agreed that it was well worth trying.

So Elmer left the fire, and moved several paces along in the direction of the nearby road. Either by chance, or because of his customary caution, he stood where the shadows fell upon him; and in this way prevented his face from being seen.

The hoof-strokes came closer, and they could even hear the driver chirruping to his horse, as though the animal might have shown some disposition to shy because of glimpses of the camp-fire beside the road, which could be caught through the bushes that bordered the wood.

Now the vehicle could be seen advancing toward them. Every one of the boys had arisen, and with bent head watched the coming of the stranger. They knew that his curiosity must have been aroused also, for they could see that he was leaning forward, as though trying to make out who and what they were.

The fire-glow was strong just then, and must have

lighted up their trappings -- especially the leather leggins which several of the boys had not yet discarded, though they would surely do so before trying to sleep.

Elmer, thinking that he detected no inclination of the other to make even a brief halt, started to address him.

"Would you have the kindness to stop fo' a few minutes, and give us some information, suh?" he called out, throwing up his arm to attract attention.

The man in the light rig uttered an exclamation, leaned still further forward as if to scrutinize the half-seen speaker more closely. Then he raised the whip he was gripping in one hand, and brought it down upon the back of his horse with quite a smart blow.

"G'lang, Bess!" he exclaimed.

The animal had already been showing signs of nervousness on account of the fire, and when the whip touched its sensitive skin it gave a sudden jump forward.

"Hold on, we----" impatient Josh started to call out, but he cut his words short, because the vehicle was already dashing madly along the road, with the startled driver continuing to urge his horse on to renewed exertions.

Elmer returned to the fire, casting a rueful glance after the vehicle. And he found his chums exchanging mystified looks, as though for the life of them

they could not understand what there was about their appearance to give a passing stranger such a decided shock.

And somehow they seemed of one accord to turn to the Southern lad for some reasonable explanation of the new mystery.