From the two wrecked cars came cries of pain and yells for help. One of
the cars still stood up, but at a dangerous angle, while the other had
turned completely over and rested on its top in the snow.

All was excitement, and for the time being everyone seemed to be so
dazed that but little was done. Passengers were leaping from both of the
wrecked cars, some coming through the doorways and some through the
broken-out windows. Jack and Randy ran to one of the cars, and were able
to assist a woman with a little girl to alight and reach a place of
safety. In the meanwhile, the other lads assisted two elderly men. One
had his foot hurt, and they carried him into the railroad station, where
they laid him on one of the benches.

"Look! Look!" cried Fred suddenly, forgetting all about his hurt
forehead. "Look! That car over yonder is on fire!"

The car he mentioned was that which had turned over and was resting on
its top in the snow. From the interior thick black smoke was coming, and
this was presently followed by a tongue of flame. The car was a
combination baggage and smoker, and it was afterwards learned that one
of the passengers had been carrying a can of kerosene which had broken
open in the smash-up, and had evidently become ignited by some
thrown-down cigar or cigarette.

"Those people will be in danger of burning up!" gasped Randy.

"They will be unless they get out in a hurry," answered Spouter.

From the interior of the car came more cries, and presently all outside
heard a man yelling in a tone of agony:

"Help! Help! Somebody save me! My leg is caught fast, and I can't get
out! Save me!"




CHAPTER X

THE RESCUE


"There's a man left in there!"

"He says his leg is caught fast!"

"Help! Help!" came more faintly from the interior of the burning car.
"Help, or I'll be burnt to death!"

Only a few passengers seemed to hear these cries, for most of the men
who had come from the other train were gathered near the car which was
still standing. The Rover boys and their chums listened in horror to the
call for assistance. Jack was the first to leap forward.

"We'll have to save that fellow if we can," he cried determinedly.

"I think he is close to one of these windows," said Randy, pointing to
several broken-out windows through which some other passengers in the
car had climbed.

"Wait! I've got an idea!" exclaimed Fred. "See that stick of wood? Why
can't we place that against one of the windows and climb up on it?"

He had pointed to a plank one end of which, in some manner, had become
torn up from the roadbed. All of the boys rushed for this plank and
turned and twisted it until they had the fastened end under the snow
loose. Then they rushed over to the burning car and placed the plank on
a slant from the snow to the broken-out window which, because the
overturned car was not on a level, was two or three feet above their
heads.

Jack was the first to get on the plank, and speedily crawled up to the
window. Fortunately a draft was taking most of the smoke to the other
side of the car, so that he could see into the interior quite plainly.

A scene of great confusion met the eyes of the young captain. A number
of broken seats had fallen down on the ceiling of the car and in the
midst of this wreckage lay a short, stocky man with several cuts and
bruises on his face from which the blood was flowing. The man had his
arms and one leg free, but several seats and some handbaggage were
wedged in across his left leg and his stomach in such a manner that he
seemed unable to extricate himself. The fire was creeping up to within a
few inches of his caught foot, and this had caused him to raise his wild
cry for assistance.

"Help! Help!" he repeated, as soon as he caught sight of Jack's face
framed in the broken-out window. "Get me out of here before the fire
reaches me!"

"We'll do it!" answered Jack. "Come on, Randy. I think the two of us can
do the trick," he added to his cousin, who had come up behind him on the
plank.

"Want any more help?" questioned the others simultaneously.

"If we do we'll let you know quick enough."

Jack dropped down into the car, and Randy followed. They landed among a
mass of broken glass and other wreckage, but to this paid no attention.

"Here, Randy, take hold of this seat and pull it back," ordered Jack;
and between them they set to work with vigor.

But it was no mean task to get all of the wreckage off of the trapped
passenger. There were half a dozen heavy suitcases among the broken
seats, and these the boys hurled through the broken windows, where they
were picked up by those outside and carried to a safe place. In the
meanwhile the flames were creeping closer, and now a sudden change in
the air caused a heavy volume of smoke to drift toward them.

"Gee! this is getting fierce," spluttered Randy, and began to cough,
while the tears started from his eyes.

"Don't leave me! Please don't leave me!" pleaded the passenger under the
wreckage. "I don't want to be burnt up!" and then he said something in a
foreign tongue which the others did not understand.

The last bit of wreckage was the hardest of all to get away from where
it rested across the man's stomach. This was wedged in between the
ceiling and the side of the car, and the boys had to use all their
strength before they could dislodge it. But at last it came loose, and
then the man was able to sit up.

"Here, we'll help you," cried Jack, as the passenger seemed to be too
weak to regain his feet. He and Randy caught the fellow under his arms
and, standing him upright, dragged him to the window upon which the end
of the plank rested. They shoved him out, and he went rolling and
sliding down the plank into the snow. Randy followed him quickly, and
then came Jack.

[Illustration: HE WENT ROLLING AND SLIDING DOWN THE PLANK INTO THE
SNOW.]

The rescue had occurred none too soon, for the wind was now coming up,
and soon the overturned car was a mass of smoke and flames from end to
end. The boys left the plank where it was, and assisted the rescued
passenger to the little railroad station, where all the others who had
been injured had already been taken.

The short, stocky man was very much excited and he thanked the lads over
and over again for what they had done.

"I wish I was a rich man," he said sadly, and now they noticed that he
spoke with a decided accent. "If I was rich I would pay all of you well
for what you have done. It was very noble--very noble indeed! I shall
never forget it."

"We don't want any reward," answered Jack.

"You young gentlemen do not look as if you needed any reward," said the
man, with a little smile, as he noted how well dressed the youths were.
"I am a poor man, so I can offer you nothing but my thanks, but those I
give you with all my heart. And now may I ask your names?"

They told him, and all shook hands. He said his name was Herman Crouse,
and that he was a farmer working a small place some miles away. He was
plainly dressed and evidently far from wealthy.

While the boys were assisting Herman Crouse to the little railroad
station, others had gone into the burning car and picked up such baggage
and other things as could be gotten out. Then the car, which was nothing
but an old rattletrap affair, was allowed to burn up.

Of course the accident had caused a great deal of excitement, and
telegrams were at once dispatched to Leeways and Timminsport for
assistance.

"I think I'll send word home that we are all right," said Jack. "The
folks may hear about this accident and worry over it," and as soon as he
had an opportunity he sent a message, and Gif and Spouter did the same.

As the trains from the north ran no farther on that branch than Enwood,
all of the passengers on board had been bound for either that place or
Timminsport. Consequently many of those who were injured remained in the
town, while the others were made as comfortable as possible on the other
train and taken to Timminsport. Fortunately, no one had been killed or
fatally hurt. Herman Crouse remained at Enwood. He thanked the boys
again most heartily when they left him.

"Maybe some day I shall be able to pay you back for your goodness to
me," said he. "If it comes that way, I shall certainly do it," and then
he shook hands once more.

"I guess he's a German all right enough," remarked Jack, when the boys
were once again in the train and it was moving forward, the track having
been cleared. "He spoke with a very strong German accent."

"Yes, and his name is undoubtedly German," said Randy. "But he was a
pretty decent sort, anyway."

"Oh, a good many of the German-Americans, so-called, are all right,"
said Gif. "Why, there are thousands of them in the army and in the navy,
as well as in the air service. And they are fighting just as hard and
loyally for Uncle Sam as anybody."

"Sure!" declared Andy. "Look at Hans Mueller, who used to be a great
chum of our dads at Putnam Hall. He's as loyal as they make 'em, and
he's in the army too, and will undoubtedly give a good account of
himself."

"Oh, I don't doubt but what a lot of the Germans are loyal to this
country," came from Spouter. "Just the same, it's a good thing to keep
your eyes on them."

"Right you are!" cried Andy. "Don't forget those German spies we ran
into at the offices in Wall Street--the same chaps who were in with Mr.
Brown and Mr. Martell."

"I tell you one thing," remarked Gif, changing the subject. "This
accident is going to get us into Timminsport very late, and I don't know
whether Jed Wallop will be there to meet us or not." They had sent word
ahead for the old fellow who lived near the Cedar Lodge property to come
with his boxsled for them and their traps.

"Probably he was hanging around the railroad station waiting for the
train to come in, and, if so, he must have heard about the accident, and
he would be very anxious about you, Gif," remarked Jack.

"Well, we'll see when we get there. But if Jed isn't there, I don't know
what we can do for the night. I don't believe Timminsport has any hotel
fit to stop at, and it wouldn't be a very nice hike of five or six miles
to Cedar Lodge in the dark and through the snow."

With so many hurt passengers on board, the engineer was careful, and so
did not run very fast, and as a consequence it was well after dark by
the time they rolled into Timminsport. Quite a crowd was collected at
the depot, anxious to get the particulars of the accident, and also to
meet those who needed assistance. The two doctors living in that
vicinity had been summoned and were on hand to give all the aid
possible.

"There is Jed Wallop now!" cried Gif presently, and pointed to a tall,
angular individual wrapped up in a shaggy overcoat and wearing an
equally shaggy cap with the eartabs tied down under his chin.

"Hello, Jed!" he cried cheerfully, and shoved his way forward to greet
the man.

Jed Wallop proved to be so excited that he hardly paid attention to
Gif's greetings nor to his introduction to the other youths from Colby
Hall.

"I'm lookin' fer a cousin o' mine--Tim Doolittle," he exclaimed. "I
heard as how he was in the accident. Did you see him?"

"I don't know the man, Jed," answered Gif. "The hurt ones are all in the
forward car."

Jed Wallop pushed his way through the crowd and soon found the man he
was seeking. The poor fellow had one arm in a sling and had several cuts
on his face, and declared himself very much "shook up" and rather weak.

"Well, by gosh! I'm mighty glad you wasn't killed, Tim," declared
Wallop. "Now, what you goin' to do with yourself? You can't go up to
Burke's Camp in that condition."

"No, I can't," answered Tim Doolittle. "I've got to rest up fer a spell
and git this sprained arm o' mine fit fer work agin. I was thinkin' I
might ride over to Uncle Joe's place if I could git anyone to take me."

"I can take you there myself. I can git a sleigh from Hank Miller and do
it--that is, if these young fellers would be willin' to drive over to
Cedar Lodge alone," added Jed Wallop, looking anxiously at Gif and his
companions.

"I suppose I could do that," answered Gif slowly. "I don't know the way
very well, but I think I could make it."

"Oh, it's a putty straight road, Gif," said Wallop. "You can't miss your
way if you keep your eyes open. Whenever you strike the crossroads keep
to the right every time, and then you won't git left," and he chuckled a
little over his joke.

"How are the team and the boxsled?"

"All right. You know them horses--Mary and John, a very reliable team.
They won't run away, and they'll make good time."

"All right then, Jed. Just show me where the sled is, and then you can
go off and take care of your cousin," said Gif. "We'll have to stay in
town for a while and see if we can't pick up some grub and at least
enough supplies to last us for a few days."

So the matter was arranged, and a few minutes later Jed Wallop went off
to see what he could do about caring for his injured cousin.

"It's all right for him to look after his cousin," remarked Gif. "But
that leaves us to go on alone. I hope we find everything at Cedar Lodge
all right."

"Oh, it will be a lark to go on all alone!" cried Fred. "We don't want
that fellow along. We can get along alone very well."

"I know what I want to do first of all," declared Andy. "I want to get a
bite to eat. That sandwich I had didn't satisfy me at all."

"All right, we'll go to that restaurant I spoke about," said Gif. "Then
we'll get our provisions and be on the way to the Lodge."




CHAPTER XI

ON THE WAY TO CEDAR LODGE


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."




CHAPTER XII

AT THE FROZEN-UP SPRING


On and on went the boxsled carrying the Rovers and their chums, deeper
and deeper into the woods. Occasionally the road was so narrow that they
brushed the snow-laden bushes on one side or the other.

"Hi there, Gif, look out!" cried Randy presently. A bush had been turned
aside by those ahead, and now it slipped back, covering Randy's face
with loose snow.

"I'm sorry, Randy," returned Gif. "But we've got to take this road as it
comes. You'll have to watch out, just as the others are doing."

There was a smoky lantern dangling from the front of the boxsled, but
this gave little light. The moon was down beyond the trees, and only the
diamond-like stars glittered overhead.

"How much further have we got to go?" questioned Jack presently, after
they had passed a crossroads and kept to the right, as Jed Wallop had
directed.

"I think we have covered about half the distance, Jack," was the reply
of the young driver. "Still, I'm not sure. You know a boxsled isn't like
an auto--it doesn't carry a speedometer."

"Gee! an auto would have been there and back two or three times since we
started," was Fred's comment.

"Not in this snow," came from Spouter. "I think you'd get stuck in some
of these deep places."

"They do use a few cars up here in the winter, but not many," said Gif.
"It's too uncertain."

To make the time pass more quickly, Jack started one of the old school
songs, and the others joined him. Then they ended with the well-known
Colby Hall cry:

    "Who are we?
    Can't you see?
    Colby Hall!
    Dum! Dum! Dum, dum, dum!
    Here we come with fife and drum!
    Colby! Colby! Colby Hall!"

"I wonder what the neighbors will think if they hear us," remarked
Randy.

"I don't think there are any neighbors very close," answered Gif. "There
was a house some distance back, but I don't know of any others between
here and Cedar Lodge. The other places are beyond the point where we
turn off to go down to the bungalow."

They had now to make several sharp turns, and at these spots the road
was unusually rough. One runner of the boxsled went up on some rocks,
and for a moment it looked as if the turnout would upset.

"Look out there, Gif!"

"You'll have us in the snow with the sled on top of us!"

"Git along there, Mary and John!" cried the young driver. "Git along!"
and he cracked his whip, and soon the team had pulled the boxsled from
the rocks, and then going became better.

"We ought to be coming to a signboard soon," declared Gif a few minutes
later. "I remember there used to be one on the road, pointing to a
number of camps north of this place."

In a few minutes they came to the spot he had mentioned, but to his
disappointment there was no signboard to be seen.

"Someone must have taken it down, or else it fell of itself," he
remarked.

"Are you quite sure you're on the right road?" questioned Andy.

"It would be fierce to have to turn back this time of night," added his
twin.

"Oh, I'm pretty sure this is the right road," answered their chum.
Nevertheless, his face showed a doubtful look. Not to find the signboard
which had been a landmark in that vicinity for many years puzzled him.

A little later they came to where the road branched out in three
directions, the road on the right being narrow and running directly into
a thick patch of woods.

"Whoa!" cried Gif to the team, and then he looked around more puzzled
than ever, and shook his head.

"What's wrong now?" asked Jack.

"I guess I'm stumped," was the slow reply. "I can't remember this spot
at all."

"Oh, Gif, don't tell us we're on the wrong road after all!" exclaimed
Andy.

"Jed Wallop told us to keep to the right," announced Spouter. "We've
been doing that, and we might as well do it now."

"But that road doesn't look as if it leads to anywhere," declared Fred.

"It's a mighty narrow road, too," returned Gif. "We might get down in
among the trees and be unable to turn around, and then what would we
do?"

"Better stay here, Gif, while I walk ahead and investigate," said Jack.

"Better take a gun along, in case you stir up something you don't want
to meet," warned Fred.

"Not a bad idea," and, reaching down into the boxsled, Jack brought out
one of the weapons that had been placed there.

"If you see a moose shoot him on the spot!" cried Randy.

"What spot?" queried his twin gayly. "A spot on the end of his tail or
the tip of his ear wouldn't be of much account."

"I don't see how you can joke, Andy, when we're lost away out here in
the woods and it's past midnight," came ruefully from Fred. "I'd give as
much as a dollar to be at the Lodge and lying down in front of a roaring
fire. I'm getting pretty cold."

They were all cold, for since nightfall the thermometer had been going
down steadily. More than this, the wind was rising, and this in the open
places was anything but pleasant to the cadets.

"I'll go with you, Jack," announced Spouter, and he, too, armed himself
with his gun, a double-barreled affair of which he was quite proud.

Holding his flashlight so that they might see where they were walking,
Jack led the way, and Spouter came close behind. They walked a distance
of several hundred feet, and here found that the road came to an end
among some rocks which were now covered with ice.

"It's a road to a spring, that's all," said Jack. "The water is frozen
now, but I suppose in the summer time the lumbermen and the other folks
around here occasionally travel in for a drink. We may as well go back."

"Well, it's a mighty good thing we didn't drive in here. We might have
had a job turning around on that rough ice," answered Spouter.

The frozen-up spring was a beautiful sight, the water standing out in
columns and waves as if made of milky glass. Behind the columns there
was still a trickle of water.

To get a better view of the sight, Jack swept the rays of the flashlight
first to one side and then to the other. As he did this he caught a
glimpse of a pair of gleaming eyes from the brushwood and snow behind
the spring. The eyes looked full of curiosity and fright.

"Look, look, Spouter!" he cried, and then dropped the flashlight into
his overcoat pocket.

"What is it?"

"I just saw the eyes of some wild animal back there. See! There they are
now!"

As Jack spoke he raised his gun and blazed away. This shot was followed
by one from Spouter.

The reports were followed almost immediately by a snarl and a whining
cry, and they heard some animal thrashing around wildly in the bushes
behind the spring, sending the loose snow flying in all directions.

"We hit it, whatever it is," announced Jack.

"What do you suppose it can be?" questioned Spouter quickly. "It wasn't
a deer, was it?"

"I don't think so, Spouter. It was too low down for that. Maybe it was a
fox, although it didn't sound like it."

"Perhaps there are brook mink around this spring."

"Maybe."

"Are you going back there to find out?" went on Spouter, for the sounds
in the brushwood had now ceased.

"Sure, I'm going back there! You don't suppose I'm going to let any game
get away from us!"

"Be careful, Jack. That animal may be playing possum, you know, and may
spring out at you."

"Don't worry; I'll be on my guard," answered Jack.

He had slipped another charge into his gun, and Spouter quickly did
likewise. Then, with their weapons ready for use and with the flashlight
held so that it cast its rays ahead, they cautiously moved around to one
side of the frozen spring and made their way in the direction of the
bushes and rocks in the rear.

"Hello there! what are you shooting at?" The cry came from where the
pair had left the boxsled. It was Gif who was calling.

"We don't know yet," answered Jack.

"We saw a pair of eyes, and we shot at them," added Spouter.

"Gee! what do you know about that?" exclaimed Fred. "Hunting before we
even reach the Lodge!"

"Let's go ahead and see what they struck," came from Randy.

"That's the talk!" added his twin.

Gif was willing, and in a moment more the four lads had scrambled down
from the boxsled and were making their way along the road leading to the
spring. By this time Jack and Spouter had advanced through the brushwood
and over the rocks close to the spot where they had last seen the
gleaming eyes. As they went on Jack imagined once or twice he saw
something moving through the snow, but of this he was not certain.

"Here is where we hit it, whatever it was," declared Spouter, when they
reached the point directly behind the spring. "See how the snow is dug
up?"

"Yes, and here are some drops of blood," said Jack, as he turned the
flashlight on the snow. "But whatever it was, it got away," he added
disappointedly.

"What have you got?" sang out Gif, for he and the others had come up on
the opposite side of the spring.

"We haven't got anything," answered Spouter dolefully. "We hit
something, but it got away from us."

"It wasn't a moose, was it?" queried Randy with great interest.

"No, I think it was a three-horned elephant," replied Jack, who was not
then in the best of humor. He hated to have the first thing he shot at
get away from him.

"Well, this seems to be the end of this road," remarked Gif, looking
around.

"Yes, it only led down to this frozen-up spring," answered Spouter.

"I move we go on," said Fred. "I'm cold, and I'm sleepy too."

"I think we're all that way," answered Gif. "Come on, you fellows. No
use of remaining around here. If that animal got away it probably moved
off quite a distance."

"That would depend on how badly it was wounded," answered Jack. "Just
wait a minute, and I'll see if I can't find its trail."

Aided by the flashlight, he looked around carefully, and presently made
out some tracks in the snow leading in the direction of a nearby
thicket. He moved to this, coming presently to several low-hanging
trees.

"See anything?" questioned Fred impatiently.

"Not yet. But the trail is here as plain as can be."

"Maybe those are only rabbit tracks," remarked Randy.

"Or tracks of the animals that came down to the spring for a drink," put
in Gif.

Jack did not answer. He was flashing the light around carefully,
inspecting all the trees and bushes in that vicinity. Suddenly the light
was flashed upward, and as the rays ran along one of the branches of the
tree directly in front of the youth there came a sudden snarl of rage
and protest.

"It's a wildcat!" ejaculated Spouter, whose eyes had also been following
the rays of light. "A wildcat!"

"Yes, and it's the animal we wounded," answered Jack. "See how it is
holding up one of its front paws."

"Be careful!" sang out Gif, in alarm. "A wounded wildcat is no beast to
play with."

Scarcely had he uttered the words when the wildcat gave another snarl of
rage. Then the tail of the beast began to quiver, and suddenly, with a
cry, it leaped down from the tree, striking the ground directly in front
of the surprised boys.




CHAPTER XIII

THE MEETING ON THE ROAD


That the wildcat was in a savage mood and prepared to fight to a finish,
there could be no doubt. Evidently the wounded paw had made the beast
more savage than usual, and hardly had it struck the ground than it
tried to make a leap forward at Jack.

"Look out, Jack!"

"He means to claw you to death!"

Bang! went Spouter's gun, but he did not dare to take too close an aim
for fear of hitting Jack, and as a consequence the charge of shot merely
damaged the wildcat's tail.

It must not be thought that the oldest Rover was slow in moving. Had
this been true, the wildcat would undoubtedly have fastened its claws
and its teeth into the youth and done serious damage. As the animal came
forward, the young captain leaped to one side and the wildcat landed in
the snow, facing the others who had come up.

"Shoot him! Shoot him!" came from Fred excitedly.

"Plug him quick!" added Andy.

None of those who had followed Jack and Spouter were armed, so the fight
rested entirely upon the shoulders of that pair. Circling around so as
to avoid the others, Jack pulled the trigger and fired. The wildcat
began flipping and flopping on the snow, badly wounded. Then Spouter
discharged his firearm once more, and after this the creature lay quiet
where it dropped.

"Is--is he dead?" questioned Fred, who was the first to speak. The
youngest Rover was very much excited, and with good cause.

"Wait! Don't go forward!" ordered Jack, as he stepped back a few paces.
"He may be playing possum. Anyway, we had better load our guns first,"
he added to Spouter.

This advice to load immediately after discharging a weapon was one which
had been well drilled into the cadets, and so now the pair lost no time
in putting new charges into their weapons. Then they approached with
caution, and Jack turned the wildcat over with the barrel of the gun,
keeping his hand meanwhile on the trigger ready for action.

But the beast was quite dead, the charges from the two guns having gone
completely through its body.

"What are you going to do with the carcass?" questioned Randy, after all
had made an inspection.

"Might as well leave it here," declared Fred. "It isn't good for
anything. Even the skin is all torn from the shot."

"No, we might as well take it along. We can hang it on the back of the
boxsled," said Gif. "Perhaps we can use the meat to trap some other wild
animals."

A strap which one of the boys happened to carry was fastened around the
neck of the wildcat, and then they carried it from the spring to where
they had left the boxsled. The excitement for the time being had caused
all of the cadets to forget how late it was and how cold and windy it
was growing. But now, when they were once more ready to drive off,
several of them began to shiver.

"It's going to be mighty cold before morning," announced Randy.

"Yes, and I wish we were at that bungalow in front of a good log fire,"
added Andy.

"Now that we've discovered that wasn't the road, which way do you
propose to go, Gif?" questioned Jack.

"We won't count that as a road, and we'll take the other one on the
right," was the reply. "I don't know of anything else to do," Gif added,
somewhat helplessly.

None of the others could give advice, for the reason that this territory
was entirely new to them. Even Spouter, who had visited the woods a
number of times, had never been in that vicinity.

Onward they went once more, up a gentle hill and then down the slope on
the other side. At the foot of the hill the road became rougher and
rougher, and presently the horses had all they could do to make any
progress.

"Gif, this can't be the right road," declared Jack at last. "If it was
as rough as this, Jed Wallop would have told us about it. He said we
wouldn't have any trouble at all in reaching Cedar Lodge."

"Yes, and besides, we must have come at least five or six miles," added
Spouter.

"I'll bet we've come all of eight miles," broke in Fred.

"That's just what I think," declared Randy. "I'll bet an elephant
against a mouse we're on the wrong road."

"Well, I won't dispute that, Randy," answered the young driver of the
boxsled. "But you'll all bear witness to it that I followed directions
and kept to the right."

The road now ran along the side of a hill. Here the heavy fall of snow
had slid down over the rocks and the going was anything but safe. The
faithful old horses had all they could do to keep their footing.

"We'll upset the first thing you know!" exclaimed Fred, and he had
scarcely spoken when the runner on the up side of the road struck a
series of rocks, and the next minute all of the boys, including Gif,
went tumbling from the boxsled, and some of their provisions followed.

"Whoa there! Whoa there, Mary and John!" called Gif to the team. But
this command was not needed, for the tired old horses were only too glad
to stop, and had come to a halt the moment the youths tumbled off.

All had landed in the snow, which at this point was rather deep; so none
of them was seriously hurt, although somebody stepped on one of Randy's
hands and Spouter got a scratch on his ear from some nearby bushes.

"Well, here's a mess!" exclaimed Fred, as he picked himself up. "Now we
are in a pickle."

"Oh, it might have been worse," declared Jack, as cheerfully as he
could, because he could easily see that Gif was in a state of mind
bordering on desperation. "Nobody is seriously hurt, I hope?"

All scrambled up, and then looked at the roadway immediately ahead. Here
was a somewhat level spot, and to this the sled was driven, and the lads
picked up the stuff which had fallen off in the snow and replaced it,
this time tying it down with some ropes and straps which were handy.

"I don't believe I'll drive any further on this road," said Gif. "It
doesn't seem to lead to anywhere, and I'm quite certain now that it
isn't the way to Cedar Lodge."

"What will you do?" asked Andy. "Go back to that other road?"

Everybody was stumped, and for several seconds nobody made any reply.

"Might as well go back," said Spouter.

Fred and Randy walked on ahead, trying to determine where the road led
to. But all they could see was the blackness of the forest, and the
roadway seemed to grow rougher and more perilous at every step.

It was no easy task to turn the team and the boxsled around without
spilling everything again. But it was accomplished at last, and then
slowly and painfully they climbed along the hill until they reached the
point where there had been another split in the road. Here they came to
a halt.

"Listen!" cried Randy suddenly.

All did as requested, and from a distance heard the low musical jingle
of sleigh bells.

"There's a sleigh!" exclaimed Gif. "And unless I'm mistaken, it's coming
this way!"

They listened again, and were overjoyed to note that the sounds were
gradually coming nearer. Then they stepped out behind the boxsled, and
presently discerned a large two-seated sleigh, drawn by a powerful pair
of horses, approaching.

The steeds were making good time, despite the roughness of the road and
the depth of the snow.

"Hi there! Hi there!" called out Gif, and then Jack sent the rays of his
flashlight toward the on-coming turnout.

There were exclamations of astonishment from those in the sleigh, and
for a moment it looked to the boys as if the occupants were bent upon
passing them without paying any attention to their call. But then Gif,
Spouter, and Fred took a position directly in front of the on-coming
horses, and the driver brought them snortingly to a sudden stop.

"What do you fellows want?" demanded a heavy guttural voice from the
sleigh.

The words were uttered in a German accent, and by the look of his face
the speaker, who sat on the front seat beside the driver, was evidently
of Teutonic origin. He glared suspiciously at those in the roadway, and
Jack and Gif afterward declared that they saw the gleam of a pistol in
the man's hand as it was thrust in the flap of his overcoat.

"We've lost our way," said Gif, coming a few steps closer. "We thought
maybe you folks could direct us."

"Huh! I don't know about that," said the man in his thick German accent.
"Where do you want to go?"

"We want to go to Cedar Lodge. It's located somewhere up here, about
five or six miles from Timminsport."

"Cedar Lodge!" said one of the men who were seated on the rear seat of
the sleigh. "Do you mean the hunting lodge that is owned by the
Garrisons?"

"Yes."

"Then you are on the wrong road to get to that place," said the man.
"You'll have to go back the way we came for about half a mile, and then
take the road to the left. It is in from this road, I think, about a
quarter of a mile."

"Is it the first road we shall come to from here?" questioned Gif, bound
to fix matters so that he could not make another mistake.

"Yes."

"Thank you. That is all we want to know."

"What are you young fellows going to do at that place?" queried the
German who was on the front seat.

"We came up here for a season of hunting," answered Jack.

"The place belongs to my father and my uncle," explained Gif. "My name
is Gifford Garrison."

"I see. Well, have a good time," said the man on the front seat of the
sleigh. But he did not seem to be particularly pleased.

"Have you a hunting lodge around here?" questioned Fred curiously.

"No. We are just taking a little trip to visit some friends up here,"
answered the man on the back seat who previously had not spoken. "We
shall stay only a day or two," he added. Then the man on the front seat
spoke to the driver, and away they went once more, and were soon out of
sight, taking the road the cadets had just been thinking of pursuing.

"Well, I'm mighty glad we met those men," declared Gif. "Now I know
where I am. Thank goodness! we are not so very far out of the way after
all."

"Don't crow, Gif, until you are out of the woods--or at least until we
are in sight of the Lodge," cried Andy.

"I didn't like the looks of those fellows," declared Jack.

"They were a bunch of Germans, and not very nice Germans at that," said
Fred.

"Isn't it queer that we are running into so many Germans?" remarked
Spouter. "First that Herman Crouse on the train, and now these chaps."

"Oh, hurry up, fellows! Don't stand here and gas!" ejaculated Randy.
"Let's see if we can't find that lost Lodge. I want to get warmed up,
and I want to go to bed."

Then the boxsled was turned around once more and the journey to Cedar
Lodge was resumed.




CHAPTER XIV

THE FIRST HUNT


The six cadets from Colby Hall found the side road the Germans had
mentioned with ease; and after that it was not long before they came to
a spot which looked familiar to Gif.

"Thank fortune! we're on the right road at last," cried the young driver
of the boxsled. "See those peculiar trees over there?" He pointed to
three all growing together. "I know those very well. We ought to come in
sight of the Lodge now in a few minutes."

"Well, you can't get there any too quick for me," declared Fred, as he
gave a deep yawn.

The way was over a small bridge which spanned the river Gif had
mentioned to the Rover boys, and then they passed through a patch of
woods and to a clearing about half an acre in extent. In the center of
this clearing was located the Lodge.

It was a substantial and artistic log structure, a single story in
height, with a broad veranda running the length of the front. Right at
either end of the lodge was a huge cedar tree, and more cedars were at
the edge of the clearing. Behind the bungalow was a small barn and also
a fair-sized woodshed and close by was a small building which Gif
explained to them was used in the summer time for a kitchen.

Gif was the first out of the boxsled, and he lost no time in unlocking
the front door for the party. Jack brought his flashlight into play, and
they lit two lamps after filling them with oil which had been brought
along.

"Now we'll get the stuff in from the sled, and then I'll have to put the
team away," said Gif.

"Let me do that, Gif," said Jack. "Just show me where they are to go,
then you and the others can light the fire."

"Yes, and we'll fix something to eat, too!" declared Randy.

"I'll go out to the stable with Jack," came from Spouter, who was no
shirker when it came to doing his share of the work.

It was not a hard task to transfer the baggage and provisions, as well
as the guns and team was driven around to the stable, where ammunition,
to the Lodge, and, this done, the sled was run in under a shed. Then
Jack and Spouter proceeded to make Mary and John at home for the night.

In the meantime all of the others had gone to the woodshed and returned
to the Lodge with sticks of various sizes for the fire. The building of
this was left to Gif, as it was felt that he was, in a certain sense,
the host. Yet all were ready to help, and soon they had a big blaze
roaring up the wide chimney and gradually filling the bungalow with its
warmth.

The arrangement of the Lodge was very simple. The living room occupied
the center, with a sort of winter kitchen and entryway behind it. To
each side of the living room were located two bedrooms, one in the front
and the other in the rear. Above the living room was a loft which could
be reached by a rustic pair of stairs, a loft which could be used only
for a storeroom, since it was less than five feet high in the center,
sloping to the eaves, front and back. The big chimney was in the rear of
the living room, and behind it, in the kitchen, was a stove for cooking.

"Say, this is just all right," declared Fred, after he had warmed up a
bit and taken a look around. "We ought to be as snug as bugs in a rug
here."

"We'll have to arrange about sleeping quarters," remarked Gif. "Two of
the rooms have a double bed each, and the other rooms have two single
beds each." The doors to the various rooms had been left open so that
the heat from the fire might draw through the entire Lodge.

It was great sport for the boys to divest themselves of their heavy
overcoats and caps and then get to work preparing the Lodge for
occupancy. All of the bedclothes had to be shaken out and warmed, and
they also had to get out some linen which had been packed away. Gif,
assisted by Andy and Randy, did this, and meanwhile Jack, Spouter, and
Fred brought out the dishes and other things and set the table and also
began to boil water for some hot chocolate, which they had decided to
have, along with some smoked beef and cheese sandwiches and some
doughnuts that had been brought along.