Fairview Boys at Camp Mystery/Chapter 12
CHAPTER XII
INTO THE DRIFT
"That sure was him!"
"Yes, he's the old hermit!"
"I wonder what he's up to now?"
In turn Sammy, Bob and Frank spoke, as they looked toward the place where the aged man had disappeared. They could still see the bushes shaking as he forced his way through them.
"I wish it had been Mr. Jessup," said Sammy, and he could not help sighing a bit.
"Yes, we need him," added Bob. "But we'll do the best we can. If he doesn't come by night, I s'pose we'll have to go back home."
"And I sure will hate to do that," put in Sammy Brown. "Maybe there'll be a way out."
For a moment the boys looked at one another, and then at the spot where the hermit had vanished. Maybe barked once or twice, and then began running about, as he had been doing ever since he came out with the boys, hoping perhaps to scare up a rabbit.
Sammy was doing some hard thinking. His eyes blinked fast, as they always did when he had several ideas going through his mind at the same time. Suddenly he exclaimed:
"Fellows, are you with me?"
"With you? In doing what?" asked Frank.
"In following that old hermit?" I want to see where he goes."
Neither Bob nor Frank answered for a moment.
"Well, he's probably going to his cabin, or cave, or whatever he lives in," Bob finally said: "We know about where it is, and I don't see any good in following him. He might get mad at us."
"He probably would," said Sammy. "But getting mad wouldn't hurt us. I'd like to see where he goes."
"Why?" asked Bob.
"I have a certain reason," went on Sammy. "Do you know, fellows, the hermit may be the—counterfeiter!"
"What!" cried Bob.
"Do you mean that?" inquired Frank.
"Well, I'm not sure, of course," went on Sammy. "But he might be, you know."
"Yes, of course," laughed Frank, "and the time we thought we had struck a bear here, it might have been one, only—it wasn't!"
"Oh, well, of course anyone can make a mistake," said Sammy. "And I'm not saying I'm right. Only it's worth trying; isn't it?"
"Well, maybe so," replied Frank, slowly.
"All I want to do," went on Sammy, "is to follow the old hermit, and see what he does. If he goes toward the place where we found the secret room, and the queer things, we'll know he has something to do with them."
"Maybe," put in Frank, with a laugh. He did not always agree with Sammy.
"Oh, of course, I'm not saying for sure," went on the other. "But will you come?"
"I don't mind," spoke Frank, after a few moments' thought. "But we'd better not go too close."
"That's what I say," added Bob. "He might try to harm us."
"We've got Maybe with us," said Sammy, boldly. "I'm not afraid."
And so the boys decided on Sammy's plan, little thinking what would come of it.
They could no longer see the hermit, but they thought they could trace which way he went by following the tracks in the snow.
"Besides, we have the dog with us," added Sammy, "and he can follow. He can track the hermit just like he does a rabbit."
The boys went on cautiously. They did not want to get too close to Mr. Addison, who, though he was an old man, might be one who was very easily made angry, and who might work some harm to them. In fact they already knew that he lost his temper easily.
For perhaps half a mile they followed the tracks of the aged man through the snow. This was easy to do since he tramped over a place where the white crust was unbroken by other footsteps. The dog, too, led them by sniffing at the trail on the ground. But they had had no sight of Mr. Addison since he had disappeared into the bushes after shaking his fist at them.
"He isn't going toward the old house," said Sammy, after a bit.
"No, he's heading in the wrong direction for that," added Frank. "Maybe he's going to his own cabin."
"If he does," spoke Sammy, "we won't follow him there."
The boys were now some distance away from Camp Mystery. They had occasional glimpses of the frozen lake, but they had not seen any figure bearing a likeness to Mr. Jessup, skating over it. The hunter was probably still with his sick sister, they thought, and they did not quite know what to do. "Look out for yourselves here, fellows," said Sammy, as they came out into an opening in the woods.
"What's the matter—did you see the hermit?" asked Frank.
"No, but there's a big cliff here, and we might slip over."
"Let's have a look," suggested Bob, pressing forward with Frank to where Sammy stood on the edge of a cliff which was about ten feet high, going down steeply into a little valley.
Suddenly, as the boys were looking over into a big drift of snow below them, they heard a noise behind them. There was a rush of feet, and Maybe, the dog, barked furiously. Then the harsh voice of the hermit cried:
"Follow me, will you? I'll teach you to do that! You'll be sorry you ever tried to find out my secret!"
Before the boys could defend themselves, or make a stand, the furious old man rushed at them. With extended hands he pushed Bob over the cliff into the deep bank of snow below.
"Look out!" yelled Frank, as he saw his chum disappear.
"Hey! What are you doing that for?" demanded Sammy.
"I'll show you! I'll teach you to follow me!" snarled the old hermit. "Down you go! All of you!"
He pushed Frank over the cliff also, the boy struggling to keep his balance. But over he went, head first.
"Don't you dare touch me!" cried Sammy, getting ready to defend himself. Yet he knew he could do nothing against the angry hermit.
"I'll fix you!" cried the old man.
"You let me alone!" pleaded Sammy. "Sic him, Maybe!" he cried, to the dog.
Indeed the hunter's dog needed no urging. At the first sign of the old man Maybe had rushed at him. Now he was tugging at his coat-tails as though to stop him from pushing the boys over the cliff. But the man was strong, and paid no 
He pushed Frank over the cliff also.
attention to the dog, dragging him along over the slippery snow.
"There you go!" cried Mr. Addison, and with that he shoved Sammy down into the big snowdrift.
"There!" muttered the hermit, with a hard smile on his wrinkled face. "Now I guess them boys won't find out my secret!"
And he walked away into the woods, the dog barking after him.
As for the Fairview boys, they were more frightened than hurt. True, they had been pushed down some distance, but they fell into a soft bank of snow, and, except that it got down their necks, and up their sleeves, as well as into their boots, they were in no danger. It was like falling into a feather bed.
"Whew! What happened?" gasped Bob, floundering about.
"I guess we happened—or it happened to us!" said Frank. "Where's Sammy?"
"Here I am," cried that small hero. "He pushed me, too."
"Say, he ought to be arrested!" exclaimed Bob, angrily, as he flopped about in the snow. "What did he do it for?"
"Said we were following him," answered Frank, as he wiped the snow out of his face.
"Well, I guess we were, all right," admitted Sammy. "But he had no right to be so mean."
"Where did he go?" Frank wanted to know.
"I—I didn't stop to look," admitted Sammy. "It all happened too quick for me."
"Same here," laughed Bob. "Now I wonder if we can get out of here?"
It was not as easy as it seemed at first, for the little valley into which the boys had been pushed by the angry hermit was filled with snow, and they sank in it above their waists.
But they floundered on, and were slowly making their way out. They were getting quite tired, however, and might have sunk down in the snow, and have taken severe colds, had their struggle lasted too long.
Suddenly Bob cried out.
"Hark!" he called.
"It's a dog barking," said Sammy.
"Yes, and it sounds like Maybe," added Frank.
"See, there he is!" cried Sammy, "and he's got someone with him!"
"It's Mr. Jessup! Hurray, now we're all right!" yelled Bob, with delight. "Now we'll show that hermit what's what!"