“I thought they recorded deeds at the Court House,” said Jack, who had heard this fact mentioned between his father and his uncles.
“They do record deeds, and I suppose that one was recorded at some time or other; but the Court House in this county was burnt down some years ago and all the records went up in smoke.”
“But you could get the deeds recorded now—I mean have it done over again,” remarked Randy.
“I suppose so. But that wouldn’t do me any good, because they would probably try to prove that the deeds I brought in were not the originals. You see, the date when a deed is recorded has a good deal to do with it. Anyway, I’m not going to let anybody have those deeds until I am sure of what I’m doing,” went on Uncle Barney. It was easy to see that the old man was peculiar and wanted to do things in his own manner.
“Did you ever ask a lawyer about this?” questioned Fred.
“No! I ain’t got no use for lawyers!” was the quick reply. “I hired a lawyer in a lawsuit nigh on to thirteen years ago, and I lost the suit and it cost me over a hundred dollars more than I might have paid otherwise.” The old lumberman did not add that this was a lawsuit to which Ruth Stevenson’s father was also a party, yet such was the fact.
“How long is it since you heard from Mr. Brown and Professor Lemm?” asked Andy.
“The last time they came to see me was in the middle of the summer. They threatened all sorts of things, and they got me so mad that I had to take down my shotgun and warn them away. Then they left in a big hurry.”
“Don’t you think it’s a bad thing to warn them off with a gun?” questioned Jack. “They might have you arrested for threatening their lives.”
“I’m not afraid of them!” was the quick reply. “This is my island, and nobody shall take it away from me!”
The boys could see that the subject was becoming distasteful to the old man, and so they started to speak of other things. They questioned him about how they could get to his regular cabin, and also the cabin they were to occupy, and then spoke about the game they might have a chance to bring down.
“Your going hunting will depend a good deal on how the weather turns out,” said the old lumberman. “If this snow keeps on for a day or two, it will make traveling pretty bad. However, I’m in hopes that the storm will clear away by morning.”
The boys had put in a strenuous day, and they were glad enough when Uncle Barney suggested that they turn in for the night.
“We’re pretty short on blankets,” he said, “but that won’t matter so much so long as we keep the fire going. I’ve got a good back log started, and that ought to last until morning, if not longer. When I’m at this hut alone, I usually sleep in that corner, and I’ll do the same to-night. You can spread yourselves around as you please.”
With such a limited supply of blankets, it was no easy matter to make comfortable couches, yet the boys had left home to rough it, so nobody complained. They lay down in their clothing, using some of their suitcases and Gladstone bags for pillows.
“If we had had a chance to do so, we might have brought in some pine boughs to lie on,” said Jack. “But as it is, I guess we’ll manage.”
“Is there any chance of that wolf coming back?” questioned Fred, a bit anxiously.
“I hardly think so, Fred. And, anyway, I don’t see how he’s going to get in here, with the door closed and the blanket nailed over the window. However, we can keep our guns handy in case he does appear.”
Worn out so completely, it did not take the boys long to fall into a sound sleep, and the old lumberman soon joined them, snoring lustily. Thus the night passed, and nothing came to disturb them.
Of the lads, it was Randy who was the first to arise in the morning. He found Uncle Barney in the act of stirring up the fire. The old lumberman had already brought in some ice to be melted for a pot of coffee.
“I ain’t really awake in the morning until after I’ve had my cup of coffee,” he explained. “That’s the one thing that really sets me on my feet.”
“How about the storm?” questioned Randy, and now the sound of his voice set the others to stirring.
“The storm is about over,” was the welcome announcement. “In a little while I think you’ll see the sun peeping out over the woods on the eastern shore.”
“Hurrah! that’s good news!” cried Andy, leap ing to his feet and stretching himself. “I must have a look!” and, jamming his cap on his head, he started for the door. The other Rovers followed him.
Outside they found the snow covering everything to a depth of from several inches to several feet, but the air was as clear as a bell, and just beyond the woods, on the eastern shore of Lake Monona, there was a rosy glow, betokening the rising of the sun.
“It’s going to be a grand day!” exclaimed Fred.
“I don’t think it could be any better, even though the snow is quite deep in spots,” returned Jack.
Once more they went over the stores which had been brought along, and took out enough for breakfast. They had with them some flour for griddle cakes, and soon the appetizing odor of the cakes, mingling with the aroma of hot coffee and hot chocolate, filled the little cabin. Then they took turns at frying bacon and making more griddle cakes and eating breakfast.
“What do you think will be the easiest way of getting to the other end of the island?” questioned Jack of Uncle Barney, while they were eating.
“Well, as you’ve got the bobsled and all those stores along, I should say the easiest way would be to climb down to the lake again,” was the reply. “That wind must have cleaned off some of the ice, and we can get along a good deal better by skating and by hauling the bobsled over the ice than we can trying to break our way through the woods in this heavy fall of snow.”
“I was thinking if we walked the length of the island we might stir up some game,” remarked Randy.
“You’ll have plenty of chances to go out after game after you’re settled at the regular camp,” returned the old lumberman. “The game isn’t going to run away, you know,” and he smiled pleasantly.
Breakfast at an end, the boys lost no time in repacking their belongings, and Uncle Barney assisted them in fastening the load to the bobsled.
“But I’m going to carry my shotgun this time,” announced Fred. “Then, if any game appears, I’ll be ready for it.”
“You can all carry your guns if you want to,” said the owner of the island. “I’ll leave my weapon strapped to the sled, so that if any game appears you boys can do the shooting.”
The little cabin was closed up, and then the party made its way down over the rough rocks and between the trees to the lake shore. It was no easy matter to bring the bobsled along, and once Fred slipped on one of the smooth rocks and pitched headlong into a snowbank.
“Hi you! stop your fooling!” cried Andy, and then, in great glee, he picked up a chunk of snow and hurled it at Jack.
“Let up!” cried the oldest Rover boy. “This is no time for jokes!” and then, as Andy came at him with another chunk of snow, he jumped at his cousin, put out his foot, and made the fun-loving youth measure his length in a drift.
“Wow! but that snow is cold!” cried Andy, who had gotten some down the sleeves of his sweater. “Stop! Don’t bury me! I’ll be good!” And then he scrambled to his feet once more, while Fred did the same. Then the whole party proceeded on its way.
Reaching the lake, they lost no time in putting on their skates, and then, with Uncle Barney leading the way, the four Rovers followed, dragging the loaded bobsled behind them.
On all sides could be seen snowdrifts and ridges of snow piled in curiously fantastic shapes. But the keen wind of the afternoon and night had cleared many long reaches of the ice, and over these reaches Uncle Barney picked his way, gradually working closer and closer to the upper end of Snowshoe Island.
“We’ll turn in h
ere,” he announced presently, when they came to where there was something of a cove. “There seems to be quite a cleared space. It won’t be very long now before we reach the upper end.”
As they turned in once more toward the island, Jack noticed a peculiar fluttering among some trees not far away.
“Wait a minute!” he cried out in a low tone. “I think I see some game!”
All came to a halt, and then Uncle Barney looked in the direction to which the oldest Rover boy pointed.
“You are right, my lad,” answered the old lumberman. “There is a fine chance for all of you.”
“What are they?” questioned Fred a trifle excitedly.
“Wild turkeys! And the best kind of eating—if you can only get close enough to bring them down.”
CHAPTER XXIII
UNEXPECTED VISITORS
“Oh, say! we’ve got to bring down at least one of those wild turkeys!” cried Andy.
“Keep quiet,” admonished Jack, speaking in a whisper. “If those turkeys hear you they’ll be gone in a jiffy.”
“I didn’t know there were any wild turkeys around here,” remarked Randy. “I thought they had been all cleaned out long ago.”
“They are getting very scarce,” answered Uncle Barney, “but once in a while you will see a small flock of them. I was after that flock about a week ago, but they got away from me. I’ve a notion that it’s about the last flock in this district.”
While this talk was going on in low tones of voice, all of the Rovers had abandoned the bobsled and were moving toward the shore of the island.
“You had better come this way and crawl up in the shelter of yonder rocks and brushwood,” advised Uncle Barney. “And don’t shoot until you have a good aim and know what you’re shooting at,” he concluded.
It must be admitted that all of the boys were somewhat excited over the prospect ahead. They caught only a brief glance at the game, but felt certain that it was close at hand.
“Wild turkeys are a good sight better than rabbits or squirrels, or even pheasants,” said Fred. “They’ll make dandy eating.”
“Don’t eat them until after you have shot them, Fred,” remarked Andy dryly.
“Hush,” warned Jack. “Now, make as little noise as possible, and each of you hold his gun ready for use.”
They had not stopped to take off their skates, but this was unnecessary, for the snow was deep and the skates merely kept them from slipping. They pushed on around some large rocks, and then in between the thick brushwood, where the snow fell upon their heads and shoulders, covering them with white—something which was to their advantage, as it aided them in hiding themselves from the game. Not far away they could hear the wild turkeys, one in particular giving the peculiar gobble by which they are well known.
“I see them,” whispered Fred a minute later, and pointed with his gun.
There in a little clearing some distance ahead was a tall and long turkey gobbler surrounded by a number of hens. They were plump and of a peculiar black and bronzed color.
“Let’s all fire together. Maybe we can bring down the whole flock!” exclaimed Randy, and his manner showed that he was growing quite excited.
“All right—I’m willing,” answered Jack. “But let us see if we can’t get a little nearer first.”
“Maybe if we try to get closer they’ll get away from us,” said Andy.
“Keep your guns pointed at them, and if they start to leave fire as quickly as you can,” answered Jack, and then he moved forward with his cousins ranged on either side of him.
The Rover boys had advanced but a few paces when the wild turkeys caught sight of them. The turkey cock issued a loud note of alarm, and all started to fly from the low bushes upon which they had been resting.
“Fire!” yelled Jack, and discharged his rifle.
The crack of this weapon was followed by the report of Fred’s shotgun, and then the twins also let drive. Then Fred fired again, and so did some of the others.
At the first report the turkey cock was seen to rise in the air, followed by some of the hens, while two hens dropped lifeless in the snow. The turkey cock, however, was seriously wounded and fluttered around in a circle.
“Give him another shot!” yelled Fred, whose gun was empty; and thereupon Jack and Randy fired and the gobbler fell directly at their feet. He was not yet dead, but they quickly put him out of his misery by wringing his neck. By this time the hens which had flown away were out of sight.
“Two hens and one gobbler!” cried Jack, as he surveyed the game. “I think we can congratulate ourselves on this haul.”
“You certainly can!” exclaimed Uncle Barney, as he plowed up behind the boys. “Wild turkeys are no mean game to bring down, let me tell you! I’ve tried time and again to get a turkey, and somehow or other it would always get away from me.”
“Some size to this gobbler!” remarked Fred. “And some weight, too,” he added, as he picked the turkey cock up by the legs.
“He’ll weigh sixteen or eighteen pounds at least,” said the old lumberman, as he took the turkey cock from the youngest Rover boy and held the game out in both hands. “Yes, sir! every bit of eighteen—and he may go twenty. You’ll have a dandy meal off of him.”
“I know what I’d like to do,” said Randy wistfully. “I’d like to send him home to the folks.”
“That’s the talk!” returned his twin. “Why can’t we do it?”
“I’m willing,” answered Jack. “The express company ought to know how to pack game like that so it will carry properly.”
“They’ll pack anything you want them to down at the railroad station,” said Uncle Barney. “There is a man there who makes a specialty of that sort of thing for hunters. He’ll see that the turkey reaches your folks in New York in first-class shape.”
“We can send the gobbler home and keep the two hens,” said Fred. “That will make eating enough for us, I’m sure. They must weigh at least seven or eight pounds apiece.”
“All of that,” came from the old lumberman.
Much elated over the success of their first effort at hunting on Snowshoe Island, the Rovers picked up the game and made their way back to where they had left the bobsled. They placed the turkeys on the sled, and then resumed their journey once more.
“We’re coming up to the end of the island now,” announced Barney Stevenson presently, and a minute later they made a turn around some trees lining the shore and came into view of a cleared spot, containing a small boat-landing. Beyond the cleared spot, backed up by some tall pines and hemlocks, were two fair-sized cabins, standing about a hundred feet apart.
“That’s the cabin I use,” explained the old lumberman, pointing to the building on the right. “The other is the one you can make yourselves at home in.”
The setting for the two cabins was an ideal one, and the boys could well imagine how beautiful the place must look in the summer time with the green trees, and the cleared space sloping down to the great lake. Now, of course, the ground, as well as the trees and brushwood, was heavily covered with snow, and the snow hung down off the rough roof of each cabin.
“I’ll take you directly over to the cabin you are to occupy,” said Uncle Barney. “I’ve got it all in shape for you, with plenty of firewood and everything.”
He led the way, and they followed, dragging the bobsled behind them. The door to the cabin had been locked, for the old lumberman stated that he did not wish any outside hunters or other people to take possession during his absence.
“Of course, a good many of the hunters and lumberman are my friends,” he explained. “But then there are often strangers, and some of those fellows wouldn’t be above carrying off anything that suited their fancy.”
The boys gave cries of delight when he took them into the cabin which they were to occupy during their stay on the island. They
found it a fairly large place, divided into two rooms, one a general living-room and the other a sleeping apartment. In the former was located a fairly well-made table, a couple of benches, and also a swinging shelf, containing quite an assortment of dishes, while at one side there was a big open fireplace, and in a corner a small closet furnished with numerous kitchen utensils.
The other apartment contained three regular bunks and a temporary one put in for the occasion; and these bunks were well spread with fresh pine boughs and camp blankets. The opening from one room into the next was so located that the warmth from the fire in the living-room could easily reach the sleeping apartment.
“Say, this is bang-up!” exclaimed Randy.
“It’s the best ever!” echoed Fred.
“It’s a peach!” was Andy’s comment.
“I certainly didn’t expect anything half as good as this, Uncle Barney,” remarked Jack, his eyes showing his pleasure. “If we don’t have a good time here, it certainly won’t be your fault.”
“Then you really like it, do you, boys?” asked the old lumberman anxiously.
“I certainly don’t know how it could be better,” remarked Randy. “And just look at the dishes and things to cook with!”
“And these fine bunks!” exclaimed his twin, sitting down on one. “Why, this is just as good as a hair mattress!”
“And how sweet the pine boughs smell!” murmured Fred.
“If you boys want to send that turkey cock home, you had better let me take it down to Rockville to-day,” said the old lumberman. “I won’t mind the trip at all,” he added, as he saw that some of them were going to remonstrate. “Fact is, I forgot to get some of the things I was going to buy yesterday. So if you’ll just make yourselves at home here, I’ll go down there and be back some time before nightfall.”
“Don’t you want to wait until after dinner?” questioned Jack.
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