Chapter XI. On the Way to Cedar Lodge - The Rover Boys on a Hunt by Edward Stratemeyer
The restaurant Gif had in mind was a small affair located on a side street directly behind the railroad station. Leaving their handbaggage at the station in a pile with numerous other bags, and their guns with the station-master, they made their way to this resort. Ordinarily at this time of night the restaurant was doing very little business, but on account of the accident many people had dropped in, so the tables presented a lively appearance.
"We'll have some difficulty in finding seats, I guess," remarked Jack, looking around.
"There are a couple of small tables over in the alcove," came from Spouter. "We might shove them together, and I guess they'll hold us all."
This was done, and after a wait of several minutes a girl came to take their orders.
"What have you got ready?" questioned Gif. "There is no use of our waiting to have anything cooked to order," he continued to his chums.
The girl named over a variety of things, including hot pork and beans, roast beef with potatoes and turnips, and also several kinds of sandwiches and pies, and also tea and coffee.
"Those things will do first rate, I guess," cried Fred. "Me for a dish of pork and beans and a good hot cup of coffee!"
It did not take the cadets long to give their orders, and the girl bustled off to serve them. While the lads were waiting for the things to be brought, Andy happened to glance across the restaurant at the other patrons and suddenly gave a low whistle of surprise.
"Look who's here, will you!" he exclaimed.
All looked in the direction pointed out, and there, at a side table, saw Bill Glutts, Gabe Werner and Henry Stowell.
"My gracious! what do you know about that?" ejaculated Randy. "Glutts, Werner and Codfish!"
"What can those fellows be doing in Timminsport?" demanded Spouter.
"Say! I think I know the answer to that question," returned Jack quickly. He looked at his cousin Fred. "Don't you remember what Bill and Gabe said in the moving picture theater about going up to some camp to hunt? I wager that camp is located somewhere in this vicinity."
"That must be it!" answered Fred.
"However did they get poor Codfish to come along with them?" queried Andy. "They'll plague the life out of that little sneak."
"They'll make a regular servant of him, that's what they'll do!" answered his twin.
"If they came up here to hunt, I hope they are not going to settle down anywhere near Cedar Lodge," remarked Gif. "I'd hate to have those fellows saddled on me while I was trying to have some fun."
"I wonder if they saw us?" questioned Fred.
"Let's not take any notice of them," advised Jack. "I'd rather go my way and let them go theirs."
To this the others readily agreed. They were soon served with the things they had ordered and lost no time in making away with the food. Then they hurried out of the resort, leaving Glutts, Werner and Codfish still at the table which they occupied. The two bullies had lighted cigarettes.
"Now let's skip over to one of the general stores and see what we can get in the way of provisions," said Gif. "We'll have to hurry up, or the storekeeper may close up on us."
"I've got the list here, Gif," declared Jack. "Show us where the store is, and then you bring around the team with the boxsled. By that time maybe we'll have most of our things bought."
The store proved to be a low, rambling affair filled with a hundred and one varieties of goods, some looking quite fresh and others with the appearance of having been in stock for some years.
The storekeeper was pleased to serve them, especially when he realized that their purchases would be for cash. Jack and the others knew exactly what they wanted, and picked out everything with care.
"I guess you young fellows have been up in the woods before," remarked the storekeeper, with a shrewd look.
"We have been, although not around here," answered Jack.
"Thought you had by the way you're ordering. Some of them fellows that come up here have no more idee about what is wanted in a camp than nothing at all. They take along the most ridiculous things, and sometimes leave out coffee and sugar and salt and bacon and things like that which a feller has jest got to have."
Gif had brought around the boxsled, and into this the storekeeper's assistant piled the various boxes and bags which contained the provisions they had purchased. The things made quite a load, so that the six cadets had about all they could do to get in themselves.
"We sure would have been crowded had Jed Wallop been along," remarked Fred, who was squeezed in on top of some boxes with Randy on one side of him and Spouter on the other. Gif was up in front driving, with Jack and Andy beside him.
"Let her go!" cried Andy gayly. "Hurrah for Cedar Lodge!"
"Hold on!" exclaimed Jack suddenly. "Are you fellows going up there without your suitcases and guns?"
At this there came a groan from nearly all of the others.
"Gee! I forgot all about those suitcases and firearms."
"Where in the world are we going to place them?"
"If we put the suitcases in, we'll surely have to walk!"
"Oh, we'll stow 'em in somehow," declared Gif. "You fellows don't know how to load a boxsled."
"I know what we can do!" cried Jack. "Let us get a few loose packing-case boards and stand them up around the back of the sled. We can place the boxes against them, and then pile the suitcases on top, and the tops of the boards will hold them in. The guns can go in anywhere."
"That's the stuff!" said Spouter and he and Gif and Andy hurried back to the store to get the boards and arrange them as suggested.
In the meantime, Jack, Fred and Randy hurried in the direction of the railroad station to get the six suitcases and the guns which had been left there. They found the crowd had thinned out somewhat, although quite a few people were still present.
It did not take the three lads long to find the six suitcases, and, armed with two each and with all the guns, they trudged back to where they had left the boxsled. Then the suitcases were piled up and tied fast to the upright boards and to the boxsled itself, so that they might not be jounced off. The guns were placed in the bottom alongside the boxes.
"Now then, pile in, and we'll be getting to the Lodge," cried Gif. "I can tell you fellows I am mighty anxious to see the old place, to see if it looks like it did when I was here last."
The youths were just stowing themselves away on the sled when there came a cry from out of the darkness, and three fellows came hurrying through the snow from the direction of the railroad station.
"Hi, there! Stop!" called out the foremost of the trio. "Stop, I tell you!"
"Why, it's Gabe Werner!" exclaimed Randy. "What can he want of us?"
In a moment more the big bully was beside the sled, and Glutts and Codfish followed him.
"Thought you were mighty smart, eh?" cried Gabe Werner angrily. "Another minute, and I suppose you would have been gone!"
"What do you want, Werner?" demanded Jack.
"What are you fellows doing in this neighborhood?" questioned Fred.
"What we are doing here is our business," answered Werner sourly. "What I want of you is my suitcase."
"Your suitcase?" queried several of the others.
"Yes, my suitcase! Oh, you needn't play the innocent! I know you've got my suitcase somewhere on this boxsled. But you're not going to get away with it. Hand it over, or I'll call a policeman."
Gabe Werner was very much in earnest, and his face was red with anger and resentment. He reached up and caught hold of the lines which Gif held in his hands.
"Drop those lines, Werner!" cried Gif quickly. "Drop them, I say!"
"I want my suitcase! You had no business to touch it!"
"I don't know anything about your suitcase," declared Gif. He turned to the others. "We haven't anything but our own bags, have we?"
"I don't think we have," declared Jack.
"I know better!" grumbled Werner.
"I'll bet they've got it and are hiding it away," declared Bill Glutts. "They took a whole lot of bags away just as we were coming up. The baggage master saw 'em."
"I'm glad they didn't get my bag!" cried Codfish, who was lugging a good-sized Gladstone.
"If we took your bag it must have been by mistake," said Randy. "I looked at the markings pretty carefully though."
"So did I," said Fred.
"Well, we'll make sure," remarked Jack, and brought out a flashlight which he had taken from his own suitcase for possible use on the road. He flashed the light in the direction of the six suitcases, and he and his chums looked over all of the markings with care.
"How is your bag marked?" questioned Gif.
"G. A. W.," answered Werner.
"Well, you can see for yourself that there is no such marking on any of these bags," declared Jack. "There is my own. These two belong to Andy and Randy. This is Fred's, and here is Gif's and that one is Spouter's."
"Maybe they've got it hidden under the blankets, or something like that," suggested Glutts.
"There are no other suitcases in this boxsled," declared Gif flatly.
"We'll take a look and make sure."
"You'll do nothing of the sort, Gabe Werner!" and now, with flashing eyes, Gif raised his whip as if to bring it down over the bully's head.
"Hold on, Gif! Don't do anything like that," advised Jack. "Let them look around the sled if they want to. Then they will know we're telling the truth. If we go off without giving them a chance to look, they may complain to the authorities here and make a lot of trouble for us."
"All right, then, go ahead and look," answered Gif, leaping from the boxsled. "But don't you harm any of our things, or you'll hear from me."
Jack flashed the light into the sled, and Werner and Glutts made an examination of the contents. Of course, they found no other baggage, and so drew back in disgust.
"I don't understand it," said Werner lamely. "I left that bag there in the station master's care while I and the others went to get something to eat. Now my bag is gone."
"Well, that is none of our affair," answered Jack. "Come on, fellows, it's getting late. Let's be on the way."
"I'll get that bag back, or I'll make the station master pay for it," grumbled Gabe Werner, and then he and his cronies turned on their heels and walked back in the direction of the railroad station.
"Gee! somebody must have walked off with his bag while he was eating," remarked Fred. "Rather tough luck if he had anything of real value in it."
"Serves him right—for being so cross and cranky," was Andy's comment. But the bag had not been stolen. It had been simply misplaced, as was afterwards proven.
Once more the boys adjusted themselves on the boxsled, and then Gif took up the reins and spoke to the team. Off they started at a walk, but soon broke into a slow trot as the sled began to go down a long slope leading in the direction of Cedar Lodge.
The way was little more than a woods road, winding in and out among the trees. They had to mount several small hills, and on these the horses settled down to a very slow walk.
"I guess Jed Wallop was right about Mary and John not running away," came from Randy. "I don't think anything short of an earthquake could start 'em into a gallop."
"They are lumber-camp horses, used to drawing pretty heavy loads," explained Gif. "They may not be very much on speed, but on the other hand you can depend on their pulling us out of any tight hole where fancy horses might get stuck."