“I’m as hungry as two bears,” announced Tom.
“Well, I shan’t say no to a good feed,” answered Sam.
Randolph Rover could eat but little. Now that he realized what had occurred, he upbraided himself bitterly for having been so deluded.
“They talked about scientific farming just to get me into good humor,” he said, bitterly. “I see it all! Oh, if I can only get my hands on them!”
After Mr. Rover and Sam had departed, Dick and Tom wandered around the hotel and the vicinity for three hours. They anxiously awaited some message regarding the two swindlers, but nothing came. Then, worn out by the strenuous day they had put in, they went to bed and slept soundly until morning.
Before having breakfast they asked for messages. There was one from a village called Bahan, saying a green runabout with two men had passed through there about midnight. But the men had not been captured, and it was not known what had become of them.
At noon the telephone line between Oak Run and Carwell was in working order once more, and the boys sent word home. Then they left directions at the hotel, so that any messages coming in might be transmitted to the Rover farm.
“Well, I never!” cried Dick, suddenly.
“What now?” asked his brother.
“That freight thief, and that stuff in the cave—”
“Humph! it slipped my mind entirely. I was thinking only of Uncle Randolph’s bonds.”
“Let us find out if anything has been done.”
At the local police headquarters they found that a wagon had just come in, loaded with the three full boxes of goods located at the cave. A search was still in progress for Dangler, but so far he had not been located.
“This clears up the mystery of the freight thefts,” said an officer to the boys. “I only hope we can get our hands on Bill Dangler.”
“You know him?” asked Dick.
“Oh, yes. Years ago he used to work for the freight division of the railroad.”
“Do you know anything of this Merrick and the fellow called Pike?”
“No, but our idea is that the three men were in the deal together. Probably this Merrick and this Pike pulled off this affair of the traction company bonds as a side issue.”
“Have the freight robberies been large?” asked Sam.
“Not so large at one time, but they have been going on for months, and the total from four different stations along the line foots up to a good many thousand dollars.”
“Well, I hope we catch all three of the men—and any others who may be in league with them,” said Dick, and then he and Tom walked off. A little later they were on the buckboard and bound for home.
When they arrived at the farm they found that their uncle had sent a long letter to the officers of the traction company, relating in full what had occurred. In return the officials of the concern said they would put a private detective on the case, and this was done. But weeks went by and nothing was seen or heard of Merrick and Pike, and what had become of the missing bonds remained a mystery.
“I am anxious to take a look at that cave where the stolen freight was stored,” said Sam one day. “Supposing we drive to it?”
“That will suit me,” answered Dick. “I want to learn about something else—that red tin box I saw hanging from a tree.”
“Oh, yes, I had forgotten about that,” put in Tom. “Well, shall we walk or drive over?”
It was decided to drive as far as the cave, and not knowing how long they would be gone, the boys took a lunch along.
“Now, take care of yourselves,” warned Randolph Rover. “Don’t fall into any more holes.”
“We’ll try to watch out!” sang out Tom.
Then Dick cracked the whip, and off the team started at a good pace, the eldest Rover, however, holding them well under control. It was a clear and beautiful day. The boys did not dream of the odd adventure in store for them.
CHAPTER VII
A STRANGE LETTER BOX
“It won’t be long now before we’ll have to get back to Putnam Hall,” observed Sam, as they drove along. “Dear old school! How I love it!”
“It’s too bad that we are getting too old to go there,” said Tom. “But we can’t be boys always.”
“I shall be glad to see the other fellows again,” came from Dick.
“Do you know what I think?” declared Tom. “I think the Putnam Hall cadets are the finest lot of boys in the world!”
“Throwing bouquets at yourself, Tom?” said Sam, with a laugh.
“Well, don’t you agree with me?”
“I certainly do, Sam, and Captain Putnam is the best teacher in the world. My, but won’t we have fun when we get back!”
“We’ll have to have a feast in honor of our return,” said Dick, and smiled that quiet smile of his which meant so much.
The distance to the cave was soon covered, and the boys tied their team to a tree in that vicinity. They went inside and found that everything, even to the empty boxes, had been taken away. The place had been explored by a number of curiosity seekers.
“It is queer that this cave wasn’t discovered before,” was Dick’s comment, after they had spent half an hour in walking around.
“Perhaps the opening to the road wasn’t so large formerly,” suggested Tom. “Dangler may have enlarged it, so he could drive in.”
“That is true. Well, it will be a regular picnic place after this. Its fame will spread for miles around.” And Dick was right, and the cave is a well-known spot in that portion of New York state to this day.
The boys had brought with them two electric pocket lights, as they are called—lights they had purchased while on their river outing—and with these turned on they walked to the extreme rear of the cave and along the various passageways running up the mountainside.
“Here is where we dropped in,” said Dick, pointing out the spot.
“I wish we could drop out—and land up on the mountain outside,” returned his youngest brother. “Then, maybe, you could locate that tin lunch box, or whatever it was.”
“I’d get up,
Very soon
If I had,
A big balloon!”
sang out Tom, merrily. “But as there doesn’t seem to be a balloon handy, what’s the matter with trying to climb up?” he added.
“And pull down several tons of dirt and rock on your head,” said Dick. “Better go slow. We already know how treacherous these holes are. You’ll get out of one by getting into another that’s worse.”
“I brought a lariat along,” said Sam.
“A lariat?” queried the others.
“Sure,—the one I bought when we were out west. I thought we might use it for climbing purposes. It is light but strong, and we can lasso a tree or stump up there with it.”
“Hurrah! Sam has solved the problem of how the Rover boys shall rise in the world!” exclaimed Tom, gaily. “Sam, try your skill by all means.”
“Show me the tree or stump and I will,” answered his brother readily.
As well as they were able, they crawled from one part of the hole to a spot that was somewhat higher. Then they found a projecting rock above them and Sam threw the noose of his lariat over this.
“Will it hold?” queried Dick. “You don’t want to try to climb up and fall.”
With caution Sam pulled on the lariat. It held, and he went up hand over hand, for he was a fair athlete. Then his brothers followed. They now stood on a ledge of rock, and the top of the hole was still twelve feet above them.
“There is a small tree, Sam,” said Tom, looking upward. “If you can lasso that I think we’ll be all right.”
Once more the youngest Rover started to use the lariat. As it swung upward it missed the tree and swished out of sight over the edge of the hole.
“Ouch!” ca
me the unexpected cry from above. “Oh, my eye!”
“Hullo! you’ve lashed somebody!” ejaculated Dick.
“I didn’t know there was anybody up there,” answered Sam, as the noose of the lasso slipped downward.
The three Rover boys looked upward. They heard a hasty movement in the bushes and caught a brief glimpse of a man’s face. On the instant the man disappeared, muttering something to himself.
“It was Dangler!” ejaculated Dick.
“Are you sure?” asked both of the others, in a breath.
“Almost positive.”
Dick had scarcely spoken the last words when down into the hole came a shower of dirt and stones, shoved over the edge above. The boys were struck by the stones and got some of the dirt in their eyes. Then down came a second mass of the same sort.
“Sto—stop that!” spluttered Tom, when he could speak. “Do you want to kill us?”
There was no answer, but down came more dirt and stones, until the boys were almost covered. What to do they did not know, until Dick suggested they drop from the ledge and seek safety in the cave. As they went down, a fair-sized rock followed, scraping Tom’s shoulder and causing him to utter a sharp cry of pain.
“Are you hurt, Tom?” asked his two brothers.
“Oh, it isn’t much,” panted Tom. “But I wish I could get my hands on that rascal, that’s all!”
“I am sure now that it must be Dangler,” said Dick. “Nobody else around here would try to injure us. He is mad because we have exposed him. He must know the officers of the law are looking for him.”
“I wish we could catch the rascal,” muttered Tom.
“Supposing we climb the mountain from the outside?” suggested Sam. “It is a perfectly clear day and is early yet. We’ll know enough to look out for pitfalls. If we can catch this Dangler the three of us ought to be able to manage him.”
“If we are going to try anything like that we want to hurry,” returned Dick. “He won’t remain in this locality long—now he knows he is discovered.”
“Maybe he thinks we didn’t see him,” came from Tom.
“Well, that will be in our favor. But he’ll know somebody will be after him, for throwing down the dirt and stones.”
Having eaten a hasty lunch and washed it down with water from a nearby spring, the three lads began the ascent of the mountain. This was hard work and caused them to perspire freely.
“I’m glad I’m not fat,” said Tom. “If I was I’d be winded sure.”
“I think we’d better keep quiet as soon as we reach the vicinity of the holes,” cautioned Dick.
Half an hour of hard climbing brought the boys to the vicinity where they had first fallen into the holes leading to the cave, and then they advanced cautiously and in almost absolute silence. They stopped to listen several times, but heard nothing but the calls of some birds and the trickling of water over the rocks.
Arriving at the top of the hole from where the dirt and stones had been thrown, they gazed around with interest. Where the soil was soft they could see the footprints of shoes much larger than those they themselves wore.
“Here is his trail, going away,” said Dick, after a close examination.
“There is your tin box!” cried Sam, pointing to the object, still dangling from a distant tree.
“Wait till I see what is in it,” answered his big brother. “It won’t take but a minute or two.”
“Beware of holes!” cautioned Tom.
Feeling his way through the brushwood, Dick approached the dangling tin box. It was a small affair and now hung open. He felt certain in his mind that when he had seen it before it had been closed.
The box proved to be empty and Dick was, somehow, disappointed. He glanced on the ground and saw a number of bits of paper, some old looking and some new. He picked up some of the bits and saw they had been written on in pencil, but the words or parts of words were undecipherable.
“Well, what do you make of it?” questioned Sam, as he and Tom came up.
“I think I know what this is,” answered Dick.
“What?”
“A sort of a private post-office. Somebody was in the habit of leaving messages here, and Dangler or somebody else got the messages from time to time.”
CHAPTER VIII
LAST DAYS ON THE FARM
“I believe you are right,” said Tom, after he, too, had looked over some of the bits of paper strewn around. “Here is the word ‘box’ and here is the word ‘Saturday.’”
“Yes, and here are the words, ‘fast freight,’” added Sam. “This was nothing more than a letter box for the freight thieves.”
“But why was it placed here?” questioned Dick. “It’s a very out-of-the-way place and hard to get to.”
“Maybe somebody had to come this way,” answered Tom. “See, here is something of a trail.”
“Yes, and here are those same big footprints!” exclaimed Sam. “For all we know they may lead to some house or hut on the mountainside.”
Having picked up the majority of the bits of paper and put them in their pockets for future examination, the three Rover boys followed the path or trail they had discovered. It led along the mountainside to where there was a small clearing, backed up by a series of rocks from which a spring gushed forth, sparkling brightly in the sunshine.
“I’d like to get another drink,” said Sam; “I am terribly thirsty today.”
“Wait!” warned Dick, and caught his youngest brother by the arm.
“What’s up, Dick?”
“I see a log cabin—over yonder, among the trees.”
“Yes, and I see Dangler!” yelled Tom, suddenly. “There he goes, with a big bundle over his shoulder!” And he pointed to the rear of the log cabin. A man was just disappearing behind a fringe of brushwood. The bundle he carried appeared to be tied up in a horse blanket. He was running as hard as he could.
For a moment the boys did not know what to do. Then they ran to the cabin and entered. It contained but one room, and this they soon discovered was deserted. In the chimney a fire was smouldering, and the remains of a meal lay scattered over a box that did duty as a table.
“This must have been Dangler’s hangout,” was Dick’s comment. “He must have come back for his things.”
“Yes, and this explains why the queer letter box was stationed back there,” said Tom.
“Aren’t you going to try to catch him?” asked Sam, impatiently.
“To be sure,” answered Dick, and rushed out, and the others after him.
“Keep back there!” they heard Dangler cry, as they appeared on the trail back of the log cabin. “Keep back, or it will be the worse for you!”
“Stop!” called Dick. “You might as well give up Dangler; you are bound to be caught some time.”
“Not much! I am armed and I warn you to keep back,” answered the freight thief, and then a bend of the trail hid him from view.
“Do you think he’d dare to shoot?” asked Tom.
“There is no telling what a desperate man will do,” replied Dick. “We had better be cautious.”
After that they advanced with care. Presently the trail came out on a mountain road and this passed over some rocks and crossed two other roads. They saw no more of Dangler, and the footprints had disappeared.
“He has slipped us,” said Tom, coming to a halt and resting on a fallen tree. “Hang the luck anyway!”
“He came back to the cabin for his things,” mused Sam. “I guess he is going to leave the neighborhood, and maybe for good.”
Chagrined over their failure to catch the freight thief, the boys looked around that neighborhood for awhile and then retraced their steps to the log cabin. Here they found several old articles of wearing apparel and a few newspapers.
“Here is an envelope,” said Sam, fishing
the object out from behind the box that had done duty as a table. “It is addressed to William Dangler. Must have been some letter he got.”
“Anything in it?”
“No.”
“What is the postmark?”
“It is almost blurred out,” said Sam. He took the envelope to the light. “Well, I declare! Ithaca!”
“Ithaca!” cried Tom.
“Why, that’s the city we stop at to take the boat for Putnam Hall,” exclaimed Dick.
“I know it.”
“This is interesting, to say the least,” was the comment of the oldest Rover boy. “Wonder if Dangler has friends or confederates in Ithaca?”
“We must notify the police of this,” said Tom. “And the sooner the better.”
Satisfied that they could learn nothing more by remaining around the log cabin, the boys departed, and inside of an hour were on their buckboard and bound for the farm. From that place they called up the authorities and informed them of what they had learned. Another search was at once instituted for Bill Dangler, but the rascal was not captured.
The next day Mr. Anderson Rover came home, and the boys and Randolph Rover had to acquaint him with all that had taken place. He shook his head when he heard of the unregistered bonds.
“I am afraid you will never see them again, Randolph,” he said to his brother.
“I am afraid so myself,” was the mournful reply.
Anderson Rover had come home to see his boys off to school.
“I want you to make the most of your opportunities while at Putnam Hall this term,” he said, “for it is to be your last.”
“Yes, I know that,” answered Tom. “But after that, what?”
“We will talk that over later, Tom. You must either go to college or get ready to go into business.”
“I’d like to go to college!” put in Dick.
“So would I—if I knew what kind of a place it was,” added Tom.
“If it was as fine a place as Putnam Hall I’d jump at it,” came from Sam.
* * * *
The next few days flew by quickly. During that time Dick received a letter from Dan Baxter, the former bully of Putnam Hall, which interested him not a little. This letter ran, in part, as follows:
The Rover Boys Megapack Page 172