Dan Carter-- Cub Scout Read online

  CHAPTER 12 A Crate of Pheasants

  In the indistinct light, the Cubs scarcely could distinguish the featuresof the two strangers.

  Both were dressed in rough clothing and high rubber boots. The taller ofthe pair wore a large-brimmed felt hat which completely hid his face.

  The other, whom the Cubs never before had seen, was stockily built,muscular, and walked with a heavy tread.

  Neither of the men spoke as they moved directly to the lean-to. Thetaller of the pair opened the creaking door and peered inside.

  "Nothing here!" he exclaimed. "Not a single crate!"

  "Are you sure?" the other demanded, looking for himself. "Then we've beendouble crossed!"

  "Looks like it, Jake," the other muttered, angrily slamming shut thedoor. "He told us he'd leave the birds here, didn't he?"

  "Yeah. He telephoned me at my home early this morning and said everythingwas set. Figure he pulled a fast one?"

  "Unless the storm coming up kept him from leaving the birds here."

  "Maybe, but I got my doubts," the other rejoined. "For a long time now,he's been trying to crawl out of this business. The yellow livered dog isafraid of being caught."

  "We've got to put the screws on him harder then. Lately, he ain't beendelivering enough to hardly make it worth while."

  Still talking, the two men started to move away from the lean-to. At thatinstant Red, who was nearly paralyzed from having remained so long in thesame position, shifted slightly.

  A stick beneath his body crackled, in the stillness of the forest,snapping like a tiny firecracker.

  "What was that, Jake?"

  "Didn't hear anything," the other man replied, but he stopped to listen.

  In the bushes behind the lean-to, the three Cubs sucked in their breathand waited tensely.

  "Thought I heard someone back there in the brush," the heavy-set mandeclared. "I think I'll take a look."

  He started toward the bushes where the three Cubs had gone into hidingwith the crate of pheasants.

  "Aw, come on," the other said impatiently. "It's getting late and thecreek's still rising. If we don't get back, we might be trapped on thisside of the stream."

  "Oh, all right," his companion agreed. "But I'd have sworn I heardsomething."

  To the relief of the three Cubs, the pair with no further conversation,walked rapidly away.

  Red, Dan and Brad waited until they were certain there was no risk of thetwo men returning. Then they came out of their hiding place.

  "What do you make of it, Brad?" Dan asked, keeping his voice low. "Eversee those two before?"

  "Never! They came here expecting to find that crate of pheasants."

  "Saul Dobbs must have left them in the lean-to," Dan speculated. "Brad,he's cheating Mr. Silverton--and then trying to throw the blame on theCubs!"

  "He may be in on some sort of crooked deal," Brad said slowly. "But we'rejumping to pretty fancy conclusions. After all, we don't have any realevidence."

  "We heard what those two men said," Brad declared excitedly.

  "Sure," said Brad evenly, "but they didn't mention any names."

  "One called the other Jake," Dan recalled. "Of course, that's not much togo on."

  "Saul Dobbs' name wasn't spoken," Brad went on. "We don't like the man,so naturally we decide he's in on something shady."

  "What do you think we should do?" Dan asked, willing to follow the olderboy's advice.

  "I don't know whether we should make any accusations or not," Bradreturned doubtfully. "One can't go around accusing persons on flimsyevidence. I guess the best thing to do is saying nothing until we've hada chance to report this to Mr. Hatfield."

  "What about this crate of pheasants?" Dan asked. "Shall we put it back inthe lean-to?"

  "I don't like to do that. Those birds need food and water right now."

  "Why not take 'em to the barn and turn them loose with the otherpheasants?" Dan suggested. "Then we can explain to Mr. Silverton lateron, if we need to."

  "That's a good idea!" approved Brad. "Come on, let's move along and findout what's happened to Chips."

  Carrying the crate of pheasants, the three retraced their way along thedark path. At the masked entrance, there was no sign of Chips.

  Brad whistled softly and the boys came quickly out of hiding.

  "Where did those men go after they left here?" Brad questioned. "Did yousee 'em?"

  "Sure," Chips answered, staring at the crate of pheasants which Red andDan carried between them. "They were plenty mad about something too!"

  "But which way did they go?"

  "Back toward the log jam and the road."

  "I sure hope Mack and Fred kept out of sight," Brad said anxiously.

  As the four started for the creek, he explained to Chips what they hadseen and heard near the lean-to.

  "Did you recognize either of those two men?" he asked Chips.

  "Hardly could see their faces, Brad. They were hopping mad because youhid the crate of pheasants."

  At the creek, Mack and Fred who had taken refuge among the oak trees,came out of hiding as the other Cubs emerged from the trail.

  Excitedly they reported that the two men had crossed the log bridge onlya few minutes before, wading through the deepening water to the parkedstation wagon on the old road.

  "Did you get the license number?" Dan inquired.

  "Couldn't," Fred explained. "Too dark to see that far. And the men neverturned on their car lights."

  "They had a hard time getting the motor started," Mack contributed. "Thedriver got mad and began berating the other fellow. Oh, they wereheated!"

  "You didn't hear any names spoken?" Brad questioned.

  "Names?" Mack repeated. "Well, one of 'em called the other Bernie."

  "That's two names we have now!" Red exclaimed. "Jake and Bernie. Everhear of anyone by either of them?"

  None of the Cubs had. Mack thought it possible that the pair were knownto Mr. Silverton, and in fact, might have been employed by him to do workon the farm.

  "That's possible, of course," Brad conceded. "But if they were farmworkers, why would they talk about being double crossed?"

  Although nearly a half hour had elapsed since Mr. Hatfield and thesportsman had gone to the house in search of dynamite, neither hadreturned. During their absence, Mack and Fred had made an effort todislodge some of the logs which were causing the water to back up. Theirattempts however, had been unavailing.

  "The creek still is rising," Fred declared as the Cubs waded across thepiled-up debris to the other side of the stream. "Wonder what's happenedto Mr. Hatfield and Silverton?" Answering his own question, he added:"They may have had to go into the city after dynamite."

  Talking over the matter, it was agreed that Mack, Fred, Red and Chipswould wait at the log jam, doing what they could to release the smallertree branches. Brad and Dan were to carry the crate of pheasants to thebarn, and if they could find Mr. Silverton, report to him what they hadseen and heard.

  Splashing through the knee-deep water, the two boys picked their waythrough the darkness. Once, stumbling over a submerged tree stump, Dannearly dropped his end of the shipping crate.

  But finally, with no mishap, they reached the clearing.

  The rising water now had flooded all the pheasant pens and was creating alarge island of the house and barn.

  "If the creek keeps coming up, water will start filtering into the barnin another hour or so," Brad said anxiously. "Then we'll need the Cubs tohelp move the pheasants into the loft."

  Mr. Hatfield's car was nowhere to be seen, a fact which led the two boysto believe that the Cub leader and Mr. Silverton had driven away toobtain dynamite.

  At the barn, Brad and Dan opened the crate and turned loose the two cockswhich were absorbed in the flock.

  "There's nothing we can do here," Brad said. "I suppose we may as well goback to the creek."

  As the pair turned to leave, they heard foots
teps outside the barn door.Thinking that it was Mr. Hatfield or Mr. Silverton, Dan called:

  "Here we are! In the barn!"

  No one answered his shout. But a moment later, the door of the barn wasflung back, and the boys found themselves gazing into the blinding lightof a gasoline lantern.

  A massive, squat figure, whose shadow was grotesque, stood silhouetted inthe doorway.

  "So, it's you again, my young friends!" observed a harsh, mocking voice."This time I've caught you red handed!"

  Brad and Dan could not see the man's face for the glare of the lantern.But there was no mistaking the voice. The one who confronted them fromthe doorway was Saul Dobbs.