without hesitancy pat followed the indian. it was a queer sight, the indian leading with his hands bound behind him, and pat with his rifle across the hollow of one arm stalking grimly behind him. they were soon lost to view and the others settled down to wait and speculate. it was almost three-quarters of an hour later that they reappeared, and it was seen at once that pat carried a black object swinging from one hand. as by one impulse the three boys rushed forward to meet them. in their haste they quite forgot that they were on snow-shoes, with the result that sparrer took an inglorious header, in the course of which he upset walter and the latter, landing on the tail of one of hal's shoes, sent him sprawling. alec roared and even big pierre permitted himself to grin.
by the time all three had regained their feet pat and the indian had come up.
"here you are, son! see if you can take better care of him this time," said pat as he flung the fox at sparrer's feet.
with a cry of joy sparrer seized the fox and held him up for the admiring gaze of his comrades. the animal had not been skinned, for which pat and alec were sincerely thankful. this important matter and the stretching of the skin they preferred to attend to themselves, especially after seeing the careless way in which some of the furs found in the cabin had been handled.
"where did you find him?" asked hal as he ran his fingers through the luxuriant fur.
"in a hollow tree, just as pierre guessed," replied pat. "the injun wouldn't answer any questions, but it is clear enough that he didn't have time to skin the beast last night, and hid it there on his way to camp, intending to get it the first chance he had when pierre wasn't around. he took good care of it, and it is in perfect condition. that was some shot of yours, son."
sparrer flushed with pleasure. "'twa'n't nothin'," he mumbled. "anybody could have done it."
by this time they had rejoined alec and pierre. the latter's eyes glittered as he ran them appraisingly over the beautiful black form of the fox, then darted a malevolent glance in the direction of his partner.
"what will that skin bring, alec?" asked pat.
the trapper was studying the fox with the critical stare of the expert. "i dinna ken, pat," he replied slowly. "'tis a big beastie, and by all odds the finest fur i ever put my eyes on. it will bring $1,500 anyway, and maybe $2,000. i never thought to lay my hands on the likes of it." he turned and looked at sparrer with an expression almost of awe. "tell me, laddie, what is the charm ye carry?" said he.
sparrer laughed. "oi didn't even have a rabbit's foot," he confessed. "sure, an' it was just the luck av the oirish."
"right, me son! hurray for the irish!" cried pat. then with an abrupt change he once more became the leader. "alec, go through the clothes of our misguided friends and see that they have no cartridges in their pockets." this alec did, despite the protests of big pierre. when he was sure that he had secured all of these, thus rendering the guns useless, he set both prisoners free, at pat's order, and they were commanded to pack up their stuff and get ready to hit the trail. this they did sullenly enough, for they felt that they were under guard, as indeed they were. their packs were soon ready, for besides their blankets, a few cooking utensils and grub, they had little enough. the latter included part of the ill-gotten deer meat.
when they were about ready to start big pierre made one last plea for cartridges, at least for himself. but pat was obdurate and told them that they were lucky to be allowed to take their guns. when all was ready for the trail their knives were returned to them, and the frenchman's axe was given him. the indian's axe pat retained.
"ye may loike ut as a bit av a souvenir av the lump on yer head," he murmured in an aside to sparrer, though his real reason was that he feared what might happen should the two outlaws be equally armed when it came to the quarrel which he felt sure was brewing between them.
they were given a final warning to get wholly out of the country and never show their faces there again on pain of having the charges of poaching and theft brought against them. the big frenchman was manifestly glad enough to get off so lightly, but there was an ugly gleam in the black eyes of his companion. sparrer had laid the fox on the snow and drawn a few steps away from it the better to watch proceedings. as the outlaws started to hit the trail to the north, the redskin in the lead, the latter suddenly sprang toward the fox, at the same instant snatching his knife from his belt.
sudden as was his move sparrer was too quick for him. he thrust forward a foot that tripped the indian and sent him sprawling, sparrer also being upset. before the indian could regain his feet big pierre was on him, sending his big fist crashing full into the swarthy face. then wrenching the knife from his grasp pierre flung it far into the brush and once more raised his fist. by this time pat and alec had joined the mêlée and were dragging the infuriated frenchman from his victim. all the time pierre poured out a stream of invective which only the indian and alec could understand. the latter explained later that he was charging his companion with trying to put them both in prison after they had been fortunate enough to win their freedom, believing, and rightly, that if the indian had succeeded in slashing the skin as he had intended they would have been held and turned over to the proper authorities.
"dat puts me even wid him!" shrilled sparrer triumphantly as he mounted guard over the fox, and the indian with a bruised and battered face regained his feet and once more hit the trail, big pierre at his heels heaping abuse upon him. as they disappeared in the brush pat dropped the butt of his rifle to the snow.
"that's the end of that precious pair, so far as we are concerned," said he with a sigh of relief. "pierre is wise enough to know that this isn't a healthy country for them, and they won't bother us any more. he's got the indian where the hair is short now, for the latter hasn't even a knife, and i guess it's just as well. now we'll finish our job here and get back to camp. you fellows rustle up some birch bark and dry wood and heap it up inside the cabin."
"what for?" demanded hal, looking blank.
"to fumigate after the prisence av a skunk," retorted pat whimsically.
by means of the belt axes of the boys, supplemented by the indian's axe in the hands of alec, a pile of inflammable stuff was soon collected and heaped up inside the cabin. then pat touched a match to the pile and soon the whole interior was a roaring furnace. the bark roof quickly burned through and fell with a great hissing of the snow which it carried down with it, sending the sparks and embers skyward in a golden cloud. satisfied that the destruction of the camp would be sufficient to render it uninhabitable pat ordered all hands to make ready for the return to their own camp and they were soon on the trail. the fire was left to burn itself out, as no harm could come from it, owing to the snow-covered surroundings.
hal still puzzled over the burning of the cabin. "i should think you would have wanted to keep it, pat," he ventured at length. "it might have come in handy some time."
"'twas too handy altogether, as it was," retorted pat. "when you've dug a fox out fill up his den." and with this cryptic reply hal was forced to be content.
sparrer, having no rifle, insisted on carrying the fox, an honor granted him with one accord. very different was their entrance into smugglers' hollow from their departure in the small hours of that same day, and there was much jesting and hilarity, for their buoyant spirits had rebounded wonderfully now that the load of anxiety and dread had been lifted. pat and alec each carried a bundle of furs sufficient in themselves to raise their spirits to a high plane, for these, added to those they already had, assured the financial success of their partnership.
as they came in sight of their cabin upton called attention to a thin vapor of smoke rising from the chimney.
"somebody there, as sure as i'm alive and kicking," exclaimed pat. "now i wonder who is paying us a visit this time."
as if in answer the door opened and a big burly form stepped forth.
"jim! oh, you jim!" yelled upton delightedly.
the big guide and lumber boss, for it was he, turned in their direction, his weather-tanned face lighting with real pleasure. then as they drew nearer a comical look of wonder and perplexity crossed it. he stepped back to the door and apparently spoke to some one inside, for a second later another strapping big man stepped out.
"hello!" exclaimed pat. "that's bill marshman, the game warden and deputy sheriff, who was looking for alec last fall, and scared away the bear the day we left plympton to take care of camp. it's lucky for those two chaps back there," nodding in the direction from which they had come, "that bill didn't get here a day sooner. they wouldn't have got off so easy."
by this time the party had approached within easy talking distance of the men at the cabin, who were staring at them in dumb amazement. pat chuckled.
"hello, jim! hello, bill!" he called. "mighty glad to see you. sorry you didn't get here sooner so as to join our little expedition."
"say," drawled the warden, "is this a war party returning from a raid?"
"you've guessed it," declared pat, dropping his load and shaking hands warmly with the two men. "in the absence av the constitooted authority" (he poked his fist into the ribs of the warden by way of emphasizing the point) "we have been upholding the majesty av the law and the rights av free-born american citizens, and yez have just missed putting the bracelets on as ugly a pair av villains as iver stole the furs av honest men."
a light broke over the sheriffs face. "big pierre and his injun partner!" he exclaimed. "i was tipped off that they were somewhere about here, and that's what brought me in. where are they now?"
"hitting the trail for parts unknown," replied pat. "we'll tell you about it later. meanwhile here are some friends of mine you ought to know and keep an eye on, bill. they'll bear watching."
he then introduced the three boys. sparrer still clung to his prize, and as he came forward to shake hands jim and the warden sensed for the first time what it was he was carrying.
"by gum!" exclaimed jim. "i believe that's the very fellow i was telling you about, bill. saw him the last time i was over here. did you trap him, pat, or is he part of the spoils of war?"
"wrong both ways, jim," replied pat. "he was the cause of this little expedition. come on in and while we are rustling up some grub we'll tell you the yarn."
jim and the warden listened with growing interest and appreciation while pat unfolded the story. when it ended the warden gravely arose and walked over to sparrer. "shake hands over again, son," said he, to the boy's great confusion. "if i had had to sit still and watch a fortune trot around the way you did i sure would have been so plumb shaky that i'd have missed the shot when the time came. what are you going to do with him now that you've got him?"
thus did the warden bring to a head a question that had been troubling the boy ever since the fox was recovered. "he ain't mine," he gulped. "oi lost him, and wouldn't never seen him again if it hadn't been fer dem." he nodded in the direction of pat and alec. "he's theirs, an' dey ain't no use talkin' about it." sparrer set his lips firmly.
in an instant pat and alec were on their feet, protesting that such talk was foolishness, and that the prize belonged to sparrer and no one else. but the boy shook his head stubbornly.
"seems to me," drawled the warden when he could make himself heard, "that this here is a case for a disinterested party to decide. now if you was to ask me i should say that an even split, fifty-fifty, is the fair thing. this here young tenderfoot comes up here with horseshoes or rabbit's-feet or some other luck charms hung all over him and without no help from any one bags a fortune which he finds running around loose. right up to that point it's hisn and nobody else ain't got no claim on it. then he loses it and ain't got no more chance of gettin' it back himself than a bull moose has of growing a long tail. up steps pat and alec and friendly like does for him what he can't do for himself, an' gets the prize back. now it seems to me that half ought to go to this here young feller fer gettin' it in the first place, and half to the other two fer gettin' it back after it was lost. what do you say, jim?"
"the only fair thing," declared jim judicially. "there's enough in it to give 'em all a comf'table bit."
a warm discussion followed in which hal and upton sided with the warden and jim and it ended only when sparrer at last agreed to a three-way split. from this stand no amount of argument could move him. he would take a third share if pat and alec would each take a third. otherwise he wouldn't take any. and so it was finally agreed.
the skinning and stretching of the hide was left to alec, who was a past master in the art. while he was thus engaged the warden mysteriously beckoned pat to one side.
"pat, whose are these?" he asked gravely, drawing a bunch of traps from under a bunk.
pat reached for them and examined them curiously. "mine. that is, mine and alec's; those are our marks," he replied, pointing to certain file marks on them. "where did you get them?" he added wonderingly.
"where i got this fellow," replied the warden, reaching under the bunk and drawing out the body of a beaver. "i know you better than to think you had a hand in this, pat," he continued, "but"—he hesitated and then continued hurriedly, "i thought perhaps your partner has been doin' a little poachin' unbeknown to you. you know he didn't have the best name ever was when he first came into these parts."
a great light broke over pat's face. "alec don't know anything more about this than i do," he declared. "there isn't a straighter man in the woods than alec is now, and you just want to make up your mind to that right now, bill. that's the work of that thievin' injun. you mind what i told you about sparrer's findin' those traps at the beaver-pond? well, it's as plain as the nose on your face. that injun lifted some of our traps and set them there. he knew that if you came snoopin' round and found 'em the marks on 'em would point to us. those skunks didn't have any traps, anyway. thinkin' about that fox i'd clean forgotten about the beaver. poor little chap." pat stroked the body of the beaver.
alec was now called in, and his look of blank astonishment when he saw the traps and the dead animal was all that was needed to convince the warden that pat was right in his surmise.
that evening jim explained his visit by stating that he had all along planned to get over to the hollow before the boys left. when the warden dropped into his camp early that morning and stated his intention of going on to the hollow jim decided that he would accompany him.
"how are you boys going back?" he asked.
"the same way we came in, i suppose," replied upton.
"what's the matter with putting in a day with me and seeing how a logging camp is run? then i'll send you out to the railroad on a lumber wagon," suggested the big lumber boss.
the idea appealed to the boys, and it was finally agreed that they would accompany him to his camp the next day. it would give them a new experience for which they were eager, and at the same time eliminate the long hike back to lower chain. so, not without sincere regret, it must be admitted, they got their duffle together preparatory to an early start the next morning for the fifteen mile hike to jim's headquarters. they turned in early, for now that the excitement was over they felt the reaction from the long strain they had been under, and the loss of sleep the night before. jim and the warden bunked on the floor and the cabin in smugglers' hollow was soon wrapped in silence save for the gentle breathing of the sleepers. so ended a red letter day for at least three of the occupants.
